The Badgers entered Friday evening’s game with the hopes of continuing their win streak from their previous series. Earlier in the season the Badgers split with the Bulldogs at home, and were pretty confident in their chances of taking another from them. However, Minnesota Duluth had other plans. After some heated battles in the corners and continuous neutral zone scrums the Bulldogs were the first to tally a goal, taking the one to nothing lead. However, the Badgers were not ready to sit back and let the game slip away. Forward Zach Vanderveldt responded with a goal of his own shortly after with assists going to the Vishny brothers. The powerful offensive attack of the Badgers seemed to return from their previous series as Kevin Vrany blasted a laser past the Bulldog tender on a breakaway shot. With only seconds left in the first the Badgers looked to take their lead into the locker room. But, Minnesota Duluth created some pressure low in their offensive zone and blasted home a goal from the point to tie the game at two. Returning to the ice in the second, the Badgers seemed to have lost the spark they originally had. After two quick goals by the Bulldogs, forward Josh Worthy tried to boost the Wisconsin bench by firing home a shot from the slot that brought the goal difference to one. However, the Badgers were not able to continue with this attack. The Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the struggling Badgers and ended up winning the game by a score of 8 to 3. Goaltender Ben Cohn was in net for the loss. With this loss, the Badgers were eliminated from the tournament and ended their season earlier than they had hope. Thank you to all of the seniors who contributed to the squad over the past season. The Badgers wish you the best of luck as you graduate from college and enter into the real world.

            The Badgers would also like to send out a special thank you to all of those who followed us throughout the season and your generous donations to the team. Without you it would not be possible for us to continue to play the game we love.

(Note: No Score Sheet was obtained to record the normal game summary for the weekend.)

            After a tough road trip last weekend to Michigan the Badgers returned to the ice against Minnesota State. Although a little bit sluggish from the ride earlier that day the Badgers aimed to take two from the Mavericks. With some line adjustments the previous week of practice, the team began to see chemistry on all lines. In Mankato, the Badgers were able to create a dominant offensive attack that was no match for the home team. Jack Crawford continued with his longest point streak of the season ripping another goal into the net. In both games the Badgers were able to control the puck and received solid support from the defensive core. The Badgers won the game Friday with Ben Cohn between the pipes. Similar results were seen on Saturday evening when the scoring power of the Badgers was not able to be controlled by the Mavericks defense. In addition, the dominant net minding of Joe Benert proved to be a vital attribute to the team as he only let one goal slip by in the final minutes of regulation. However, this had no effect on the Badgers leaving Minnesota with two wins. They look to take this offensive power into the conference tournament February 11^th and 12^th in Blaine, MN. They face Minnesota Duluth in the first round of the tournament.

1/23/12 Badgers Lose against Two Ranked Opponents over the Weekend 

                The badgers took a road trip to Michigan this weekend where they battled two ranked opponents in Central Michigan (#6), and Michigan State (#2). On Friday evening the Badgers rolled into Mount Pleasant, Michigan in hopes of stealing a win from the Central Michigan Chippewa’s. The first period was back and forth with opportunities amounting for both squads. It wasn’t until with less than three minutes remaining that the Chippewa’s netted a goal to take the one to nothing lead. After two quick goals in the second by Central Michigan, four year starter Jack Crawford blasted home a one-timer top shelf with an assist from Cole Christiansen. However, this burst of offensive power posed no threat for the Chippewa’s as they put home four consecutive goals taking a commanding seven to one lead. Senior Ian Andrews again began an offensive surge midway through the third as he tipped a slap shot from Brad Fox into the Central Michigan net. Badger forward Matt Vishny continued the scoring with another goal just three minutes later. The Chippewa’s countered less than a minute later before Matt Vishny buried his second goal of the night. These short bursts of offense by the Badgers were not enough to fend off the home team as they ended up winning by a score of 11 to 4. Goaltender Aaron Kutz was in net for the loss. Despite fiery locker room pep talks from interim head coach Zach Gansmoe, the team was unable to come up with a win in his coaching debut.

            After a night of team bonding the Badgers returned to the ice Saturday afternoon for a rematch with the Chippewa’s. Just 40 seconds into the opening period Central Michigan buried a goal to take the lead. Two minutes later, Ian Andrews put home a rebound to tie the game at one a piece. The Badgers continued to battle with Central Michigan for the next opportunity to score. The Chippewa’s were next to strike with two more goals in the last three minutes of the first. Central Michigan’s dominance continued as they outskated the Badgers and were able to extend their lead to five heading into the third. After an early period goal by the Chippewa’s, Badger Eric Janssen managed to squeak a puck past the Central Michigan goalie five hole to keep the deficit to five. However, Central Michigan was able to score two more goals in the final minutes of the period to extend their lead to seven. Wisconsin goalie Joe Benert was in net for the nine to two defeat.

            On Sunday the Badgers traveled south to East Lansing to take on Michigan State in an afternoon game. Michigan State, ranked second in the region, proved to be a worthy challenge for the Badgers who have been struggling this season. In the first, Michigan State slowly chipped away at the Badgers defense and netted four goals before the period ended. During the period, the Badgers were unable to generate a goal even with multiple scoring opportunities. After an early goal in the second by the Spartans, Cole Christiansen fired a puck from the top of the slot past the Michigan State goalie to diminish their lead to four. Wisconsin forward Adam Vishny continued with the offensive attack for the Badgers, netting a goal after a pass from freshman Josh Worthy behind the Spartan net. However, the Badgers were once again unable to maintain this offensive threat and allowed the Spartans to score three more unanswered goals. It wasn’t until with a little under seven minutes left that Cole Christiansen managed to put home his second goal of the night with assists to Ian Andrews and Matt Vishny. But, this wasn’t enough as the Badgers fell to the Spartans by a score of eight to three. Badgers Aaron Kutz was in net for the loss. The Badgers look to turn things around next weekend as they had to Minnesota to take on Mankato on Friday and Saturday evening.

12/11/2011 The Win Streak ends for the Badgers

                The Badgers faced off against a very tough Robert Morris team this past weekend in their final series of the semester. Wisconsin’s Joel Schmocker opened up the scoring for the home team in the first period with an assist from Zach Vandervelt. This was the only tally for either team and the Badgers rolled into intermission up by a score of 1 to 0. However, in the second Eddie Chisholm of Robert Morris scored a pair of goals early in the period to take the lead. Matt Vishny managed to tie the game up with just under five minutes remaining in the period to send the teams into the locker rooms tied at 2. In the third, Robert Morris pulled ahead with four goals while Wisconsin was only able to counter with a goal by Eric Janssen with 13 minutes remaining in the period. Badgers goalie Aaron Kutz was in net for the loss. The Badgers win streak was snapped as they lost by a final of 3 to 6.

                On Saturday, the Badgers again were the first to register a goal as Dan Truehl fired a rocket from the point that went right past the screened goaltender. Soon after, the offensive power of Robert Morris began to take control of the game as they managed to put home three goals in the first period. The Badgers were down by three heading into the second which proved to be an uneventful period as neither team was able to score. In the third, Robert Morris put home their third goal of the evening with just under four minutes remaining. Jason Forciea responded with the final tally of the night with just under a minute to go. The Badgers fell by a final score of 4 to 2. Goalie Joe Benert tallied 46 saves in the loss. The Badgers will return to action January 20^th when they head to Mt. Pleasant to take on Central Michigan.

12/4/2011 Badgers Continue with Win Streak against St. Thomas

                The Wisconsin club hockey team continued with their win streak as they took two from the University of St. Thomas. On Friday, the Badgers started off slow heading to the locker room after the first period down by a score of 2 to 1. Defensemen Dan Truehl netted the lone goal in the opening period for the Badgers with an assist from Ian Andrews. Returning to the ice in the second the Badgers looked to regain the lead. Seth Hyman shot a laser toward the crease which tipped off the goaltender’s stick into the net to tie the game at 2. Just under a minute later, the Tommies quickly responded to regain the lead. However, the offensive power of the Badgers seemed to be no match for the visiting team as they took the lead with three consecutive goals. Harrison Aghjian, Matt Vishny and Eric Janssen were able to tally goals for the Badgers. In the third, the Tommies seemed to gain back some of the momentum as they buried two early in the third to tie the game at 5. About halfway through the period,Joel Schmocker used his power to jam home a goal in front of the net. However, the Tommies quickly countered to again tie the game back up. With just over three minutes left, Matt Vishny blasted a shot past the University of St. Thomas goalie to once again give the Badgers the lead. Vishny’s goal proved to be the eventual game winner as the Badgers won by a final of 7 to 6. Goalie Ben Cohn had 41 saves in the game.  

                Saturday night again proved to be a high scoring affair. The University of St. Thomas jumped out on top less than 30 seconds into the opening period. But the Badgers were quick to respond with 8 consecutive goals that gave the home team the commanding lead. Six of these goals were scored in the first period with the other two coming early in the second. Harrison Aghjian, Matt Vishny, Adam Vishny, Josh Worthy, Joel Schmocker and Zach Vandervelt all managed to find the back of the net during the opening period. Dan Truehl and Harrison Aghjian continued the scoring in the second putting the Badgers ahead by a score of 8 to 1. The Tommies countered with one before Joel Schmocker was able to bury his second of the evening. The Badgers remained absent from the score sheet for the remainder of the game as the Tommies put four more goals home before the final buzzer. Goalie Aaron Kutz had 52 saves in the win. The Badgers were able to maintain their lead and ended up winning by a score of 9 to 6. Wisconsin seeks to continue their win streak at home December 9^th and 10^th against Robert Morris University.

11/24/11 Badgers Sweep St. Louis University

The Badgers returned home after a tough road series excited to take the ice. However, it wasn’t until less than a minute remaining in the first period that the Badger’s Matt Vishny was able to notch a goal for the cardinal red. The home team continued the attack into the second period where they managed to put three more goals in against the visiting Billikens. Matt Vishny tallied his second of the night and Harrison Aghjian as well as Eric Janssen found their way onto the score sheet. After two strong periods of play the Badgers led 4 to 0. Forward Eric Janssen continued the onslaught into the third with his second goal of the night. Matt Vishny followed shortly after with a laser that he blasted past the tender to complete his hat trick for the night. The Billikens rallied with two goals later in the third before Eric Janssen landed the hammer and registered his third goal for the night to complete his hat trick. Goalie Ben Cohn registered 38 saves for the win.

Hoping for their first sweep of the season, the Badgers came out of the gates ready to play. It was just five minutes into the game before Eric Janssen continued with her scoring streak, putting the Badgers on the board. The home team continued with the offensive pressure while managing to keep the majority of shots on goalie Joe Benert on the perimeter. However, it wasn’t until the second period that the Badgers were able to put a further dent on their lead. Harlow Hermanson had a powerful shot that was no match for the goalie and Jason Forciea sniped a puck from the slot on a Badger power play that put the team up by 3. Hoping to preserve the shutout, the Badgers continued to maintain strong defensive pressure forcing the Billikens to cough up the puck multiple times before a shot was ever taken. Senior Joel Schmocker forced home the final goal and Badger goalie Joe Benert was able to preserve the shutout. He concluded the game with 33 saves. The Badgers look to continue their streak against the University of St. Thomas on Friday December 2^nd and Saturday December 3^rd.

11/15/11 Badgers No Match for Illinois

            On Friday the Badgers went on the road to Champaign where they played in front of over 1,000 screaming Illini fans. Wisconsin forward Ian Andrews shocked the crowd in the first with a five hole snipe that put the Badgers on the board. After a stretch of about six minutes the Illini responded with three consecutive goals to go into the intermission with the lead. Badger Kevin Vrany responded with a goal after a mishandle of the puck by the Illini tender, Jason Forciea and Andrews added the assists. Despite the pressure the Badgers placed on their opponents they were unable to generate any further offense. The Badgers were defeated 9 to 2. Badger goaltender Aaron Kutz posted 36 saves on the night.

            Saturday evening showed to have similar results. The Illinois squad continued their vicious attack on the Badgers and was able to control the majority of the game. Wisconsin’s offense was held scoreless for the night. Goalie Joe Benert managed to stop 29 shots in the effort. The Badgers lost 0 to 11. The Badgers hope to break their current slump with wins at home this coming weekend against St. Louis University. Game times are 8:30pm Friday and 4:30pm Saturday at the Shell.

11/08/11  Badgers Battle DePaul University

            On Friday the Badgers jumped out at home to take the early lead with a goal by Adam Vishny. DePaul University was quick to respond with a goal of their own under a minute later. The two teams were back and forth for the majority of the period with both squads netting a goal late in the first. Jason Forciea was credited with the power play goal as the Badgers went into the locker room tied at two. However, the Badgers were unable to generate any further offense in the game and lost by a score of 2 to 6. Wisconsin goalie Ben Cohn was credited with 33 saves in the game.

            Saturday’s game was another intense matchup that featured a Badger squad hungry for redemption. However, DePaul was first to score with a pair of goals halfway through the opening period. Eric Janssen was able to answer with a snipe that sent the Badgers into the locker room down by one. After a DePaul University goal early in the second Matt Vishny quickly replied with a laser of his own that kept the differential to one. The DePaul squad responded with two more goals sending the Badgers in for intermission down by three. In the third, Joel Schmocker powered the puck into the net for another Badger point. But, the effort was not enough as the Badgers fell by a score of 3 to 8. Goalie Aaron Kutz was credited with 41 saves in the game.

10/26/11 Badgers Struggle with a Short Bench

          After a long drive up to Minnesota with a small roster the Badgers were not able to get rid of their stiff legs and had trouble keeping up with the pace of the St. Cloud State Huskies. On Friday evening, the Huskies netted 5 goals before the Badgers were able to get on the board. Zach Vandervelt blasted a shot past the goalie, but the Huskies managed to burry one more before the end of the period. In the second, the Badgers outscored the Huskies 2 to 1 with goals by Ian Andrews and Zach Vandervelt in an attempt to make up for their slow start. However, St. Cloud continued to dominate the game in the third period with 4 more goals. Late in the third Josh Worthy sniped a shot over the shoulder of the Huskies tender in an attempt to diminish the goal differential. But the Badgers proved to be no match for the Huskies, falling by a score of 11 to 4.

            On Saturday night the Badgers once again fell behind the Huskies early before the Badgers were able to counter. Adam Vishny tipped home a goal from a pass out of the corner by Andrews to go into the intermission down by 3. The Badgers offense continued to pressure the defense of the Huskies in the second and managed to get two more goals early in the period. Ian Andrews scored the first of the period on a breakaway and Adam Vishny added his second of the night shortly after. However, the Huskies were able to use their full bench of players and managed to put home four more goals in the period against a tiring team. Matt Vishny deked out the goalie on a breakaway in the third to record the Badgers final point of the night. Once again, the Badgers struggled to keep up with the Huskies while rolling a very short bench of players. The final score of the game was 12 to 4. The Badgers look ahead to their next series at home against DePaul University November 4^th and 5^th.   

10/11/11 Badgers Swept by the Gophers

The Badgers struggled from the drop of the puck to find their rhythm in the opening match of their two game series with Minnesota. After Harlow Hermanson scored a first period goal to tie the game at one a piece, the Gophers countered with two more to end the period. In the second, the Badgers made a slight comeback with a pair of goals coming from Eric Janssen and Jason Forciea. However, that was no match for the offensive power of the Gophers as they netted two more goals early in the third period. Ian Andrews scored a goal late in regulation to put the Badgers down by one but their last minute attempts fell short and the Gophers notched a final goal in the empty net to win 6 to 4.

The Gophers continued to dominate the tempo in the second game. They jumped out early in the first with two goals but the Badgers managed to tie it up before the end of the period with goals by Jason Ehrmantraut and Ian Andrews. Once again, the Badgers found themselves down by two goals early in the second. Zach Vanderveldt added one for the Badgers as they attempted to tie the game back up. However, the third period was dominated by the Gopher offense as they added two more to their lead. The Gophers won 6 to 3. The Badgers will take next weekend off before heading to St. Cloud for a series October 21 & 22.

10/3/11 Badgers Struggle to Take the Sweep

            The Badgers opened the season at home to a very enthusiastic crowd of fans, and they did not disappoint. The opening period saw two goals by the Badgers within the first 10 minutes of the game. Dan Truehl buried a shot from the point on an assist from Eric Janssen. Josh Worthy kept the momentum going with a shot from the side of the slot that found its way into the net over the goalie’s pad; Joey Tidei was credited with the assist. Going into the locker room with a two goal lead, the Badgers hoped to keep the onslaught going in the second. But the UMD Bulldogs slowed down the pace with two consecutive goals early. The Badgers responded later in the period with a peppering of goals by Matt Vishny, Zach Vandervelt, Joey Tidei and Harrison Aghjan to end the period with a 6 to 2 lead. They then managed to keep the lead in the third with a goal early by Adam Vishny to close out the scoring for the Badgers. However, the Bulldogs did not give up and put in two goals late in the period to make the final score 7 to 4.

            Saturday’s game did not go as the Badgers had hoped. With additional people out of the lineup adjustments had to be made that proved to be costly for the Badgers. The Badgers started off the game a step behind the bulldogs as they jumped ahead just 13 seconds in to take the lead. Matt Vishny rebounded with a goal by a pass from Vandervelt and Janssen. However, it wasn’t enough to slow down the Bulldogs offense as they netted another before the conclusion of the opening period. The second period showed to be a continuous battle but the Badgers Zach Vandervelt managed to put one home late to tie the game up. The third period was full of excitement as the Bulldogs scored with just over five minutes remaining to take the lead. Matt Vishny once again countered their attack by scoring with a little over two minutes remaining and it looked like the Badgers would be going to overtime for the third time in four games. But the Bulldogs had other plans for the outcome of this game, and managed to score the go ahead goal with just 12 seconds left in the period. The Badgers left the ice tired and defeated but look to take on their border rival Minnesota Gophers this following weekend at home. Game times are scheduled for 8:30PM Friday, and 4:30PM Saturday.