ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Last Saturday, the men's hockey team self-destructed in the third period, letting Northern Michigan score three goals in 10 minutes, eventually falling in overtime in a loss that hurt in more ways than one.
This time around, the Badgers found their niche.
Junior captain Blake Geoffrion scored the game-winning, power-play goal 46 seconds into the third period and the Badgers got some of their lost momentum back, besting UAA, 3-2, Friday night.
With the victory, Wisconsin (11-9-3, 8-5-2 WCHA) improved to 8-1-1 in its last 10 WCHA contests and
moved into a second-place tie in WCHA.
Alaska Anchorage (7-8-2, 4-6-2 WCHA), who last played Dec. 6 in a 7-2 loss to the Badgers in Madison, earned the early lead 1:17 into the game when Josh Lunden tipped in a pass that crossed just above the crease from the right of
the UW net, beating senior Shane Connelly to put UAA
up 1-0.
UAA expanded its lead with 1:28 left in the first period, scoring on a
delayed penalty with backhand over a sprawled Connelly for the 2-0 lead.
Wisconsin promptly responded 43 seconds into the second period. Junior
Andy Bohmbach found the net after helping the Badgers
kill a UAA power play to put UW on the scoreboard.
Shadowing Alaska Anchorage’s two-goal performance in the first period, the Badgers scored a late second-period goal to tie the game at 2-2.
Freshman Jake Gardiner beat UAA goalkeeper Bryce
Christianson on the power play with 11 seconds left in the period.
Junior Blake Geoffrion scored Wisconsin’s third goal 46 seconds into the third period to give UW its first lead. Geoffrion
tipped in a wrist shot from McBain to set the score at 3-2. Michael Davies
notched the second assist and was his second assist of the game.
Wisconsin outshot Alaska Anchorage 25-24 overall, going 2-for-6 on the
power play, while UAA went 0-for-8 with the man advantage.
In conference rankings, UW and Colorado College currently share second
place, as both teams won their respective games tonight. They trail
first-place Denver by three points.