MADISON – After losing to Michigan State in the first of their two games at the Kohl Center, Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Mike Hastings spoke of his players looking in the mirror for answers.
Whatever they saw, they failed to implement it Jan. 16. The Badgers gave up a goal 77 seconds into the game and two more in the first period and didn’t score until the final minute of an ugly 4-1 loss.
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UW was missing top-line center Gavin Morrissey with a lower body injury and looked a step slower, not particularly physical and timid about going to the net. Although Wisconsin put 31 shots on goal to Michigan State’s 23, UW managed just six of those shots while going 0-for-5 on the power play.
After the Badgers (15-5-2, 8-4-0) took two games at MSU (17-5-0, 8-4-0) in November, the fourth-ranked Spartans returned the favor and moved into a tie for second place in the Big Ten title race behind top-ranked Michigan.
Wisconsin left wing Blake Montgomery looks for a shot against Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine in a game Jan. 16 at the Kohl Center.
“Like Coach says, you’re not going to get a trophy for sweeping them and then they’re not going to get a trophy for sweeping us one weekend,” said defenseman Ben Dexheimer, the Badgers captain. “Just put it in the past, forget about it and focus on Penn State next weekend.”
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The bad news? The Nittany Lions have a chance to join that second-place tie Jan. 17 if they are able to beat Notre Dame in the second game of a series.
Wisconsin and Michigan split their series in Ann Arbor in November and are set for a rematch Feb. 21-22 at the Kohl Center.
This Wisconsin loss got ugly early
Left wing Shane Vansaghi tapped in a puck in front of UW goaltender Eli Pulver to get MSU on the board just 77 seconds into the game.
Then former Badger Charlie Stramel fed Daniel Russel for a short-handed goal at 8:34 and Russell scored again barely four minutes later to chase Pulver.
“We get an opportunity to even it on the power play and blow a toe off there,” Hastings said. “When you’re minus-two, [and] they get … a short-handed goal, against the quality team you’re playing with fire.”
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It took 59 minutes and 11 seconds for a Badger – sophomore defenseman Logan Hensler – to finally push a puck past Michigan State’s Trey Augustine, who came into the game with the highest save percentage and second-best goals-against average in NCAA Division I.
Michigan State left wing Daniel Russell (20) is congratulated by teammates after his short-handed goal against Wisconsin in the first period in a game Jan. 16 at the Kohl Center.
Badgers’ second goaltender Eli Pulver has a horrible night
Pulver, who made 67 saves against Michigan State for his first two wins as a Badger, started in place of Daniel Hauser.
He lasted just 12:42, allowing three goals against four saves before being replaced by Daniel Hauser, who had taken the loss in a 4-3 game a night earlier.
“I want to get in and pick it apart a little bit more, but two things: We didn’t get off to a good start – we didn’t support him – but then I thought he looked a little bit out of sorts out of his net a couple of times,” Hastings said.
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“From myself on down, we just weren’t what we needed to be tonight. And so we definitely couldn’t afford that start after not quite getting there last night. And they’re a good team with lead.”
Pulver also gave up three goals in his previous start, a 4-1 loss to Western Michigan in the championship game of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee.
“No one likes to get pulled, and even just sitting on the bench there, you want to be back in there and kind of right the ship,” Pulver said. “I thought Dan did a great job coming in, and whenever my I stop opportunity is, I’ll be ready for that.”
Another key player out, another makeshift lineup
Morrissey, who suffered a lower body injury in the series opener apparently while making a blocked shot, could be ready to return for the Penn State series, Hastings said.
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Morrissey’s injury and the continuing absence of Vasily Zelenov, who was injured in the Milwaukee tournament over the holidays, resulted in another piecemeal lineup.
Senior Christian Fitzgerald moving up to the first line center with Quinn Finley and Simon Tassy, senior Kyle Kukkonen replaced Tassy as the second-line right wing and freshman Oliver Tulk moved from right wing on the first line to center on the second with Kukkonen and sophomore Ryan Botterill.
“You don’t get a draw what your path is,” Hastings said. “You just better be willing to look at the mirror when you’re good and when you’re not, and then we’ve got some opportunities and we’re gonna need some guys to get going in a hurry. It’s not like we could take a few weeks if those guys continue to be out in. … We have to manage it, but we have to get better.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No. 2 Wisconsin falls to Michigan State in men’s hockey at Kohl Center
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