No. 17 Wisconsin falls at No. 4 Minnesota
Two-goal first period not enough for the Badgers
MINNEAPOLIS – Two goals in the first period weren’t enough as the No. 17 Wisconsin men’s hockey team fell to the No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers, 5-2, at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday night.
Wisconsin (11-13-3, 6-10-1 Big Ten – 24 points) opened the scoring 3:03 into the first period on a goal from Simon Tassy. The Badgers doubled their lead 12:49 into the first after Ryland Mosley found the back of the net. Minnesota (20-6-3, 11-4-2 Big Ten – 35 points) then gained offensive momentum, scoring twice in the second period at 12:49 and again at 18:57 to tie the game at two, before striking three times in the third, including an empty-net goal, to take a 5-2 win.
How it Happened
Wisconsin got on the board first 3:03 into the first period. Junior forward Jack Horbach possessed the puck near the right side boards and passed up to freshman defenseman Logan Hensler at the blue line. Hensler took a shot and junior forward Tassy redirected the puck into the net to tally his fourth goal of the year.
The Badgers made it a 2-0 game, 11:14 into the opening frame on a goal from Ryland Mosley. Sophomore defenseman Zach Schulz took a shot that went wide and around the boards before freshman forward Gavin Morrissey picked up the puck behind the net. Morrissey’s wrap-around chance slid off his stick, but Mosley capitalized on the loose puck to light the lamp for the 12th time this season.
Minnesota cut UW’s lead in half 12:49 into the second period on a shot from Jimmy Snuggerud.
The Gophers tied the game at two with 1:03 remaining in the middle frame after Brodie Ziemer found the back of the net.
Minnesota’s Erik Pahlsson scored the go-ahead goal 5:43 into the third frame.
Minnesota tallied two more times – once with 2:32 remaining and again into the empty net with 2:12 left – to take home a 5-2 victory.
Neither team had a power play. UW finished the contest with a 35-28 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
– Gavin Morrissey is tied for the lead in points nationally among rookies with 29 (9g, 20a)
– Freshman defenseman Logan Hensler collected an assist to give him points in his last seven consecutive series.
– Despite the loss, the Badgers kept their two-point lead for fourth place, the last home playoff spot, when fifth-place Michigan dropped a 5-4 contest to Penn State.
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series at No. 4 Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 1. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.