Feb. 15, 2008

Courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics

The University of Wisconsin men's hockey team (13-12-6, 9-10-4 WCHA) dropped a 3-0 decision to Minnesota State (16-10-4, 10-9-4) on Friday night at the Kohl Center. With a battle for fourth place in the conference, the Mavericks grabbed a two-point lead over Wisconsin to take sole possession of fourth.

In a game that never seemed to go the Badgers' way, MSU built on its current win streak, increasing it to seven games. The Badgers were outshot 17-9 in the first period, but managed to only trail by a goal in those 20 minutes. With a 5-on-3 advantage, Minnesota State's Kael Mouillierat notched the Maverick's first goal at 10:12 in the stanza. Mick Berge and Jason Wiley were credited with the assists.

The Mavericks made their own breaks in the game, including two scoring instances in the second period, to earn a 3-0 lead. At 13:03 in the period, Zach Harrison's shot was saved by Shane Connelly (Cheltenham, Pa.) before it was bumped in by Badger defenseman Cody Goloubef (Oakville, Ontario).

The Maverick's third and final goal, scored at 16:37 in the second, came from Geoff Irwin on a break-away after leaving the penalty box. The sophomore's unassisted goal was his eighth of the season.

For the Badgers, junior Connelly finished the night with 25 saves. Wisconsin put 32 shots on net, as Mike Zacharias earned his fourth shutout of the season. Wisconsin was held scoreless on all five of its power-play opportunities, while the Mavericks went 1-for-4 on the man advantage.

Tomorrow's 8 p.m. face off will give the Badgers a chance to earn two points, and a series split, against the Mavericks.