What. A. Game. The Wisconsin Badgers are heading to the National Championship Game after a 2-1 win over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, escaping in a thriller to continue an impressive season for Mike Hastings’s crew.
It was a strong start for the Badgers, who scored two goals in the opening period and outshot North Dakota 18-4. A Simon Tassy goal at the 7:06 mark got things started, while Ryan Botterill followed that up with a goal less than a minute later at the 6:39 mark.
Wisconsin was aggressive
and quite dominant in the first period, while not committing a penalty in the period. Things were a bit different in the second period, as North Dakota outshot the Badgers 12-7 and had a pair of power plays, including some 5-3 action.
But, the Badgers were able to kill the penalties, thanks to some incredible play from goalie Daniel Hauser, as they headed into the final 20 minutes with a 2-0 lead. In the third period, it was more similar to the first, with Wisconsin being on the attack for much of the period until North Dakota went empty-net at the end of the game.
The Fighting Hawks had some life with less than a minute left as Ellis Rickwood scored right near the net to get North Dakota within one. But the Badgers held on for the final 52 seconds to get the win and make their way back to the NCAA Championship Game.
With the women’s team winning the championship last month, Wisconsin now has the chance to become the first team to win both the men’s and women’s hockey championships for the first time since 2006… when the Badgers did it.
Wisconsin will now face the winner of Michigan and Denver on Saturday afternoon, with the game set to start at 4:30 p.m.
