Wisconsin hangs on to defeat North Dakota at the Frozen Four
Wisconsin held on to beat North Dakota, 2-1, on Thursday night in the first game of the Frozen Four. The Badgers’ offense struck less than a minute apart in the first period, and they held off a late North Dakota surge to advance to the national title game for the first time since 2010.
“We knew North Dakota would be a very difficult out,” Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings said. “They were. At this time of year, you just have to find a way to survive and move on.
“We bent but we didn’t break. They flipped a game on us in the second period. If you’ve been on this journey, as I have with this group, sometimes we make things a little more difficult than they need to be. But when you play a team like the University of North Dakota, they’re going to stress you out a little bit.”
For much of the night, it appeared those two quick strikes would be all the offense Wisconsin needed.
Simon Tassy gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead at the 12:54 mark of the first period, and Ryan Botterill followed just 27 seconds later to double the advantage to 2-0.
Those goals punctuated a dominant opening frame for Wisconsin, which outshot North Dakota 18-4 in the first 20 minutes. If not for Jan Špunar, the Fighting Hawks could have faced an even steeper deficit.
North Dakota’s best opportunity to climb back into the game came late in the second period, when Luke Osburn and Joe Palodichuk were whistled for penalties just three seconds apart, giving the Fighting Hawks 1:57 of 5-on-3 time. Wisconsin’s penalty kill stood firm, anchored by a herculean effort from Gavin Morrissey, who logged nearly the entire sequence.
“We spent a lot of time preparing against their power play, watching a lot of film,” Wisconsin defenseman Ben Dexheimer said. “Honestly, at the end of the day, I think this time of the year it comes down to the want to get the puck out, the want to block shots. I think that was the difference with our kill tonight. Guys took a lot of effort on blocking shots, getting in lanes.”
The Fighting Hawks continued to press and nearly broke through in the closing seconds of the second. Ollie Josephson sprung free for a breakaway, but Oliver Tulk, who had turned the puck over moments earlier to create the breakaway, recovered with a relentless backcheck to disrupt the chance.
“Obviously huge back-check from Tulker to break that one up,” Wisconsin goalie Daniel Hauser said. “Plays like that really are the difference in a game.”
North Dakota generated more looks in the third period, including a shot off the crossbar, but Hauser (21 saves) kept the puck out of the net.
The Badgers’ 2-0 lead stood until the 19:08 mark of the third period, when Ellis Rickwood cut the deficit to 2-1, injecting some late drama.
In the final seconds, Christian Fitzgerald made a diving play to clear the zone. North Dakota regrouped for one last push, and Rickwood had another look as time expired, but his shot sailed over the crossbar and struck the glass.
Wisconsin improved to 24-12-2 on the season. North Dakota finished its season at 29-10-1.
“They were quicker on pucks,” UND coach Dane Jackson said. “It’s something we really talked about. We felt our last game that we had played good short pass support. Had the chip, we guys skating onto it, we plate north, simple and fast. That’s what you need when teams are checking well. You’ve got to get around the puck to make the next small little play.
“We weren’t quite executing at a high enough level. They were tenacious and quicker. We weren’t managing the puck well. We kind of hooked some pucks to the middle that started some of their play and gave them momentum.”
