Wisconsin skates to 2-2 draw, shootout victory against No. 14 Wolverines

by | Nov 25, 2018 | RRSN News | 0 comments

Wisconsin skates to 2-2 draw, shootout victory against No. 14 Wolverines

Emberson records first career goal, Badgers 7-for-7 on PK

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In a 70-minute conference clash, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team battled to a 2-2 tie and a shoot-out victory over No. 14 Michigan to secure two points and a series split Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena.

After struggling on the man advantage yesterday, Wisconsin capitalized on its first power play of the night when freshman rear guard K’Andre Miller slotted a pass to an unmarked Ty Emberson at the left circle. Emberson fired a one-time slap shot past Michigan goaltender Hayden Lavigne to notch his first goal as a Badger and give UW a 1–0 lead heading into the second period.

 

With Emberson’s tally, seven of the Badgers’ eight rookie skaters have now notched goals for Wisconsin this season.

Midway through the second frame, freshman forward Jack Gorniak tallied a goal of his own thanks to the persistent play of the West Salem, Wisconsin native and sophomore linemate Tarek Baker.

After Baker’s first shot from long range was denied by Lavigne, the pair crashed the crease for the put-back, with Gorniak lighting the lamp on the fourth shot of the play to give the Badgers a 2-0 advantage.

 

Michigan sophomore Jack Becker found the back of the net four minutes later, and redshirt sophomore Luke Morgan tallied a goal in the third period to earn a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation.

Following a pair of scoreless overtime periods, junior forward Max Zimmer buried the puck past Lavigne in the third round of the shootout to give Wisconsin the extra point.

Freshman goaltender Daniel Lebedeff made 37 saves between the pipes.

 

Notes to Know:

  • All three of the Badgers’ goals this weekend came from freshmen. Wisconsin rookies make up 34 percent of scoring so far this season.
  • UW was a perfect 11-for-11 on the penalty kill this weekend.
  • Tonight’s draw marked senior Matthew Freytag’s 100th career game as a Badger. He becomes the fourth Badger on the current roster to reach 100 games, joining seniors Seamus Malone (120), Will Johnson (120) and Peter Tischke (113).

Straight from the Rink
Head Coach Tony Granato
On tonight’s result:

“I thought we played maybe our best game of the year. We had enough chances especially in the second period to break that game open. Their goalie was a game-saver for them. Our defensemen were outstanding all weekend. Those guys were sensational back there.”

“I thought man-for-man our guys competed and did what we asked them to do for two-straight games. It’s a smaller rink compared to ours, so there were a lot more battles. There was a lot more play along the boards and at the net-fronts. You could see we were getting tired, but we battled through it. It was a weekend we should be very proud of. Our goaltending was big this weekend. It’s going to have to be. And we’re going to have to score goals like (Jack) Gorniak did and on the power play like Ty (Emberson) did. We played the way we wanted to play when we had to score.”

On the penalty kill:
“I think they’re becoming more comfortable with what their responsibilities are and they’re gaining confidence.”

Freshman defenseman Ty Emberson
On tonight’s game:

“It feels like we won this one. We put a lot of work in on our power play this week with coach Strobel. It was nice to have it pay off for coach and obviously impact the game and get us a win.”

On what’s working on the kill:
“I think it was just not trying to do too much. Just playing within our game, playing in lanes, blocking shots and sacrificing for each other.”

Up Next: The Badgers begin a five-week stint at home next weekend with a two-game series against Penn State at the Kohl Center. Both Friday and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts (CT).

Related Stories

Grace’s men’s tennis season ends at NAIA tournament

Grace’s season ends at NAIA tournament MOBILE, Ala. - Another memorable season for Grace’s men’s tennis team reached its conclusion on Wednesday. The No. 14 seed Lancers lost to No. 3 Keiser 4-0 in the Second Round of the 2025 NAIA National Championships. Grace was...

Participants set for IBCA/IHSAA Underclass Showcase events

For 2025: Girls’ event June 12 and boys event June 27, both at Ben Davis       The 23rd IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Underclass Showcase basketball events have been set for June 12 and June 27. The 2025 girls' IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Underclass Showcase will be Thursday, June 12 at...

Lopez Named Second Team All-MVC; Rodas on All-Defensive Team

Lopez Named Second Team All-MVC; Rodas on All-Defensive Team   Two Valpo softball players were honored Wednesday morning as the Missouri Valley Conference unveiled its postseason awards. Azalya Lopez (Corona, Calif./Eleanor Roosevelt [MSU Moorhead]) was named a Second...

Valpo Athletics Holds Annual ARC Awards Ceremony Sunday Evening

Valpo Athletics Holds Annual ARC Awards Ceremony Sunday Evening   Valparaiso University student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff members gathered at the Harre Union on Sunday evening for the annual ARC Awards ceremony, celebrating the successes of this academic...

58th IHSAA Baseball State Tournament Pairings Announced

A field of 383 teams will begin play next month as the pairings for the 58th Annual IHSAA Baseball State Tournament Series were announced this evening on IHSAAtv.org. IHSAA News Release https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/050425.Baseball%20Pairings.pdf

Pairings revealed for 40th IHSAA Softball State Tournament

For the 40th year, the pairings for the IHSAA Softball State Tournament were announced this evening on IHSAAtv.org with 368 teams placed into sectional brackets. IHSAA News Release https://www.ihsaa.org/sites/default/files/documents/050425.Softball%20Pairings.pdf

Valpo U Softball Falls in Opener at UNI

Softball Falls in Opener at UNI   The Valpo softball team held a potent UNI offense at bay through four innings Friday evening as it opened the final weekend of the regular season, but a pair of home runs propelled the host Panthers to a 4-1 victory.   How It...

Mullins voted IndyStar Indiana Mr. Basketball for 2025

Cougars' standout is sixth All-Star from Greenfield or Greenfield-Central Braylon Mullins has earned the top individual award in Indiana high school boys' basketball. A 6-6 guard from Greenfield-Central High School, Mullins has been named IndyStar Indiana Mr....

Andy Waddle Brings More Than Just Football to Valpo

When Valparaiso University hired Andy Waddle in December, it got more than simply a head football coach. Waddle won a lot of games over the last 12 seasons at Marietta College, but he’s far prouder of the lives that he has saved than the games that he has won. Waddle...