MADISON, Wis. — Along the way in a career-best performance for saves on Saturday, Wisconsin’s Joel Rumpel got a few taps of appreciation on the pads.
Nothing out of the ordinary there, except that they were from Michigan Tech players.
“That’s always an interesting feeling when the other team is saying ‘good job,'” Rumpel said. “It’s confidence when you know you’re in their head.”
Rumpel stopped a career-high 47 shots for his 10th collegiate shutout in the Badgers’ 2-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Huskies at the Kohl Center.
He got some help along the way — his teammates blocked 27 shot attempts and two other Michigan Tech efforts hit the post — and said he emerged feeling pretty good physically, considering the Huskies put the puck at the net 102 times.
“It was easier than it looked out there,” Rumpel said.
The context is important. Rumpel, a senior, was pulled in the first period Friday after allowing three goals on six shots of what ended up as an 8-1 Huskies victory.
That matched the largest Michigan Tech victory over Wisconsin in the 155-game history between the teams.
A night later, Morgan Zulinick scored a power-play goal in the second period and Joseph LaBate added an empty-net goal late to help the Badgers (2-11-1) win for just the second time in 14 games this season.
Rumpel said he was eager to get back in net Saturday, and it showed for a team that has been seeking a game-stealing performance from the 2014 Hobey Baker Award finalist.
“Incredible,” Zulinick said of Rumpel’s night. “That’s the only way I can describe it.”
Badgers freshman defenseman Jack Dougherty was asked whether he’s seen a better goaltending performance.
“Maybe when I watch ‘Miracle,'” he said. “I feel like Rumpel’s a little like Jimmy Craig out there. Every two seconds there’s a big save and the crowd roars.
“We knew we could jump on his back and we knew he was going to have to come up big this year and maybe steal some games, and that’s kind of what happened tonight.”
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Rumpel made 25 saves in the third period, the flashiest a glove stop on Blake Pietila from close range four minutes into the period.
Pietila’s slap shot hit the post behind Rumpel with just under five minutes to play, and Rumpel turned away a quick deflection by Huskies captain Tanner Kero with less than four minutes left.
“That’s hockey for you. Some nights, it just doesn’t go in,” Kero said. “We tried not to get too worked up about it or frustrated. We just keep throwing it on net and hope one goes in.”
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The Huskies (15-5), who started the day in the top 10 nationally for scoring offense, were shut out for the first time this season and lost on the road for the first time after a 9-0 start.
Since starting the season 10-0, Michigan Tech is 5-5.
Zulinick broke a scoreless tie 14:36 into the second period after an outlet pass from Tim Davison and a tip forward by Jedd Soleway got him alone behind the Huskies’ defense.
Michigan Tech pressured in the final minutes of regulation, but LaBate scored from the neutral zone after the Huskies couldn’t hold the zone at the blue line.
“Last night we knew we weren’t the team that would lose 8-1 to anybody,” said Dougherty, one of three Badgers players credited with five blocked shots. “I think the effort was there last night but we went out [Saturday] and stepped it up big time. It was just a really gutty win.”
