(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – A three-goal second period powered No. 13/14 Wisconsin to a 4-1 victory over No. 2 Michigan in front of 12,633 fans on Friday at the Kohl Center.
With UW (19-10-2, 12-9-0 Big Ten – 33 points) trailing 1-0 after a late first-period, power-play goal by Michigan, Quinn Finley, Vasily Zelenov and Adam Pietila each scored at even strength in the second period to make it a 3-1 advantage. Jack Horbach sealed it with a late empty-net goal and freshman goaltender Eli Pulver finished the night with 22 stops for his third top-2 victory of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Michigan (24-6-1, 15-5-1 Big Ten – 43 points) scored once at 14:11 of the first period, but a successful challenge for offsides by Wisconsin kept it a scoreless game.
The Wolverines eventually capitalized on a power play for a goal at 19:01 by Will Horcoff.
In the second, the Badgers got on the board when junior forward Finley scored on his own rebound in front to knot the game at 7:25.
Pressure by senior forward Horbach 1:36 later forced a turnover to start a play that finished with a freshman forward Zelenov tally for a 2-1 lead.
The Badgers scored again with hard work by freshmen forwards Finn Brink and Grady Deering along the back wall that ended up with a sophomore forward Pietila goal to make it 3-1 at 16:48.
Horbach clinched the win with an empty-net tally at 18:29 for his second of the season after senior forward Christian Fitzgerald blocked three shots and forced a turnover at the blue line.
Sophomore Eli Pulver was stellar in net, stopping 22 of 23 shots for the victory. All three of his victories this season have come against either the No. 1 or No. 2 teams in the nation.
UW outshot Michigan, 39-23, while going 0-for-2 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill.
NOTES TO KNOW
– UW improved to 2-1 against Michigan this season, with the Wolverines ranked No. 2 in all three contests
– The Badgers now have four wins over top-2 teams with two against No. 1 Michigan State and two against No. 2 Michigan
– The Kohl Center crowd of 12,633 marked the second-highest attendance of the season and the highest Friday night crowd, including 2,169 Crease Creatures (students)
– Senior forward Christian Fitzgerald extended his point streak to six games with an assist. He boasts 3 goals and 5 assists during the span
– Freshman forward Vasily Zelenov extended his point streak to four games with his second goal in as many games. He owns 2 goals and 2 assists during his streak
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series against No. 2 Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 21. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT, and the contest streams on B1G+.
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