Michigan Tech and Wisconsin both could lay claim to the advantage of getting scoring from nontraditional sources Saturday night.
Because of it, there was no leg up gained for either team, and the Huskies and the Badgers skated to a second straight tie, 3-3, at the Kohl Center.
Kevin Genoe made two big saves in the overtime period for the Huskies, who finished a stretch of five games in nine days by rallying from a two-goal deficit on the road.
Michigan Tech’s three goal scorers — Malcolm Gould, Steven Seigo and Blake Hietala — entered the game with a combined four goals to their credit this season, and them chipping in was big for the short-handed Huskies (4-8-3, 3-6-3 WCHA).
“We needed some guys to step up,” Michigan Tech coach Mel Pearson said. “Good for Malcolm Gould. He’s played really well as of late. … Good for those guys. But we need that going forward, and now we’ve got to get healthy.”
Wisconsin (2-7-5, 2-5-5) got the first goals of the season from Brendan Woods and Joseph LaBate and the third tally — and second of the series — by Tyler Barnes.
The Badgers, however, couldn’t hold on to a 3-1 lead and remained winless at the Kohl Center this season (0-4-2).
“I feel like every game’s had its different path of how it’s ended,” Badgers center Mark Zengerle said. “We felt that today was probably the one where we could have squeaked out with a win but didn’t, more than any of the other ones.”
Wisconsin, which stretched its season-high unbeaten streak to four games (1-0-3), outshot the Huskies, 5-2, in overtime. Genoe had to slide to his right to deny Zengerle at the post a minute into the extra session.
Barnes later beat the Huskies to the post on a wraparound attempt after a drive up the right side, but he couldn’t tuck the puck completely around the iron and shot it into Genoe’s pads.
“To be honest, I think we outplayed them the whole game,” LaBate said. “I thought we deserved to win. Sometimes pucks just don’t go in.”
Playing without five regulars because of injury, the Huskies trailed after two periods for the eighth time in 15 games this season, but Hietala tied things at three when he knocked the rebound of a C.J. Eick shot out of the air and in, a goal that withstood a video review.
Seigo started the rally from a 3-1 deficit in the second period, firing a wrist shot from the left point through traffic and into the top left corner of the net.
The result gave the Huskies an 0-2-3 record in the five games they played in a nine-game span. They lost and tied at home against Minnesota-Duluth last weekend, lost at Northern Michigan on Tuesday, and tied the Badgers, 1-1, on Friday.
“I was a little concerned this week playing that amount of games in a short period of time,” Pearson said. “But we backed off in practice. We didn’t have a pregame skate yesterday or today, and I thought maybe that helped the team, especially in the third period tonight.”
Wisconsin was sloppy in its end of the ice early, but it got two of the three goals scored in a 2:22 stretch of the first period.
All three were on rebounds. Barnes opened things for the Badgers before Gould answered, pouncing on the puck after goaltender Joel Rumpel (22 saves) denied Daniel Holmberg’s breakaway try.
Fourth-line center Woods put the Badgers back ahead, 2-1, just 68 seconds later.
Wisconsin’s LaBate joined Gould and Woods in scoring his first goal of the season when he banked the puck in off Genoe in the second period for a two-goal cushion.
It had been 25 games since LaBate’s last goal and 19 since Woods’.
“These are indications that things are coming around,” Badgers coach Mike Eaves said.
Genoe’s 34 saves gave the Huskies just enough of a boost to make it five times in the last six league games that they have earned at least a point.
“All we can ask of them is to put their best effort [forward], and I thought they did,” Pearson said. “Kevin Genoe gave us a chance to win. But like Mike Eaves said after the game, every game’s a battle in this league. I think that was evident this weekend. There’s not much difference between the teams and a bounce here, a break there can make the difference.”
[youtube_sc url=http://youtu.be/AFB1J3uVkzg width=500]
[youtube_sc url=http://youtu.be/Ci_ewxZp1U8 width=500]
