The Michigan Tech Huskies proved yet again why they are rude hosts during their biggest home weekend of the year, Winter Carnival. <\/p>\n
The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers learned this lesson the hard way as the Huskies battled the Badgers evenly until a pair of freshmen got Tech the lead midway through the game. The Huskies would hold on for dear life and the 1-1 tie.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a pretty good team playing with the lead,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Huskies head coach Jamie Russell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t convert on the power play and it feels like we let one slip away.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
A scoreless first period was not without its share of scoring chances for both squads. The Badgers (12-11-6 overall, 8-9-4 WCHA) had a great opportunity to take an early lead when sophomore wingers John Mitchell and Ben Grotting had a two-on-one near Huskies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 netminder Michael-Lee Teslak. Huskies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 blueliner Mark Malekoff sacrificed his entire body to block the pass from Mitchell.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought that we played pretty solid on the road in the first period,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Badgers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 head coach Mike Eaves. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We lost what we done in the first period (in the second).\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Badgers looked to get the game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first goal just after the seven minute mark when sophomore defenseman Jamie McBain fired a shot from the right point that beat Teslak. Fortunately for Huskies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 fans, the puck hit the post and caromed away.<\/p>\n
On their second power play of the period, Huskies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 captain Jimmy Kerr cut hard to the net, but was stopped by Badgers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 goalie Shane Connelly. Shortly after, sophomore defenseman Drew Dobson fed freshman winger Jordan Baker in front of Connelly, but the puck slipped through Baker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feet. Connelly would finish the game with 19 saves.<\/p>\n
The period deteriorated into a parade to the penalty box for the final 6:38 as seven players were whistled for various infractions, and the Badgers had two separate 5-on-3 advantages.<\/p>\n
On the second two man advantage, Baker blocked a shot from a Badger defender, picked up the loose puck, skated it the length of the rink, but was kept from getting a scoring chance by a Badger defenseman.<\/p>\n
The second period was another evenly contested period with both teams attempting 16 shots, but neither squad getting more than five to the net as both squads\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 defenders blocked shots.<\/p>\n
Badger winger Blake Geoffrion misplayed a puck that was flipped in the air, giving the Huskies a chance to the puck deep. Freshman center Eric Kattelus was first to the puck. He skated it around the net and fed freshman winger Bennett Royer wide open on the far side of the crease, and Royer tapped it in. The goal, Royer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s second of the season, came at 9:06.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have two great linemates that were getting me the puck all night,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Royer. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eric made a great forecheck and got the puck out to me, and I just thought about hitting the net with it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Huskies (10-12-4 overall, 6-9-4 WCHA) had a golden opportunity to extend their lead to two shortly after assistant captain John Schwarz was whistled for holding. Kerr carried the puck into the slot and unloaded a heavy slap shot that hit the crossbar.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have much legs left underneath me,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Kerr. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I just tried to let a shot go, but it just didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go my way.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The best opportunity for the Badgers in the middle frame came with just four minutes remaining as senior winger Matthew Ford skated into the slot and blasted a long shot that Teslak saw all the way.<\/p>\n
The Huskies started the third period with a 5-on3 advantage of their own, but only had one good scoring chance when sophomore defenseman Drew Dobson fired a long shot, but missed the net.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought we set up (Dobson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shot) pretty well,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Russell. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where you need (the power play) to step it up.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Badgers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 freshman phenom Kyle Turris often seemed to have trouble finding open ice through the first two periods. That changed in the third as he found himself wide open in the slot just five minutes in. Freshman winger Patrick Johnson fed him, but Teslak made the save.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We started double-shifting (Kyle) in the third period to try to get him away from the match-up they wanted,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Eaves. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153(Michigan Tech) have some defensemen that they like to have matched up against him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Huskies had another golden opportunity to take a two-goal lead when Royer and Kattelus skated in2-on-1 9:46 into the third. Royer held on the puck, using Kattelus as a decoy, but Connelly didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buy it. The play came back the other way and proved disastrous for the hosts.<\/p>\n
Turris would even the game with his second such chance, as sophomore center Aaron Bendickson hit him with a pass in the high slot. Turris fired a wrist shot through traffic that beat Teslak over his right shoulder. The goal, Turris\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 11 of the campaign, came at 9:55 and was also assisted on by McBain.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was frustrating as I kind of lost the puck,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Teslak. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I actually thought the puck was going to go high.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
After Turris evened the game, the Badgers took control of the play for next few minutes, but after that, the game again evened out, until the last minute and a half. After Baker had the puck deep in Badger territory, he fed it across the front of the net. The puck eventually came out to Kattelus who nearly found daylight behind Connelly.<\/p>\n
The Huskies would control the ensuing faceoff and get another chance in front of Connelly, but junior winger Derek Kitti couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite pull the trigger.<\/p>\n
Just under a minute into the extra session, Teslak was called upon to make a tough save on a long shot from Badgers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 assistant captain Ben Street, but he made it look routine.<\/p>\n
The Badgers had two or three really good opportunities with a minute and a half remaining, but between the Huskies\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 defenders and Teslak, all three shots were kept out of the net.<\/p>\n
Teslak was challenged again off a faceoff with seven seconds left as Street unloaded a slap shot, but the puck sailed on him and over the net. He finished the game with 22 saves.<\/p>\n
Neither team could convert on numerous power play chances. The Huskies finished 0-6 while the Badgers were scoreless on seven attempts.<\/p>\n
The teams will match up again tomorrow at 5:07 p.m. EST.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Michigan Tech Huskies proved yet again why they are rude hosts during their biggest home weekend of the year, Winter Carnival. The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers learned this lesson the hard way as the Huskies battled the Badgers evenly until a pair of freshmen got Tech the lead midway through the game. The Huskies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8704"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/recaps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=8704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}