Pavelski's Hat Trick Lifts Badgers
Wisconsin goalie Brian Elliott deflects a shot by Bemidji State's Tyler Scofield during the third period. |
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March 26, 2006
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Sophomore Joe Pavelski recorded his first career hat trick as the No. 1 seed Wisconsin men's hockey team shut out Bemidji State 4-0 Saturday afternoon at the Resch Center to advance to Sunday's NCAA Midwest Regional final.
The Badgers (27-10-3 overall) will meet the winner of this afternoon's regional semifinal between Cornell and Colorado College at 4 p.m.
Pavelski (Plover, Wis.) scored two power-play goals, including the game-winner, and one five-on-five goal to notch the fifth Badger hat trick in NCAA tournament play and the first since Jason Zent scored three goals against Lake Superior State in the 1992 championship game.
Hobey Baker Award finalist Brian Elliott (Newmarket, Ontario) recorded his seventh shutout of the season and 10th of his career by making 15 saves for UW. Elliott now has four shutouts in his last seven games
His counterpart, Layne Sedevie, made 41 saves for the Beavers, who were out-shot in the game 45-15. Bemidji State ends the season with a record of 20-14-3.
What could have been a disastrous turn of events for the Badgers became a momentum builder when senior winger Ryan MacMurchy (Regina, Saskatchewan) was called for a five-minute checking from behind major and game misconduct at 11:13 of the first period. Wisconsin dominated the ensuing penalty kill, preventing the Beavers from registering a shot on goal. Then 3:46 into the BSU power play, Pavelski drew a penalty in the neutral zone, ending the man advantage.
After the major expired, Wisconsin went on its second power play of the game and opened the scoring with a goal at 17:07.
Senior captain Adam Burish (Madison, Wis.), along the left boards, fed junior Andrew Joudrey (Bedford, Nova Scotia) at the left point to start the play. Joudrey flipped a pass through the BSU forwards, who got a piece of the puck to slow it down, but not enough to stop the play. Pavelski received the pass and one-timed it through Beaver goaltender Layne Sedevie's five-hole for his 21st goal of the season.
Pavelski scored again to make it 2-0 just 26 seconds into the second period. With an offensive faceoff deep in the BSU end, Pavelski won the draw cleanly through the BSU center's legs, skated toward the goal and stickhandled past Sedevie for his 22nd of the year.
Jake Dowell (Eau Claire, Wis.) gave the Badgers a 3-0 lead when he one-timed a Burish pass under Sedevie from the bottom of the left circle at the 17:30 mark of the second period. The goal was Dowell's first since December 10, 2005, against Michigan Tech at the Kohl Center.
Pavelski completed his hat trick at 6:38 of the third period. Senior Tom Gilbert (Bloomington, Minn.) added an assist on the power-play goal to give him 30 points on the season (11 goals, 19 assists). Gilbert is the first Badger defenseman to amass 30 points in a season since Craig Anderson did so in 1997-98.
Wisconsin finished the game 2-for-8 on the power play while Bemidji State was 0-for-4.
UW's shutout was its fourth in an NCAA tournament game and the first since a 1-0 overtime win against Ohio State in a regional semifinal in 2004.
The Badgers will play the winner of this afternoon's Cornell/Colorado College at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Midwest Regional Final at the Resch Center for the right to advance to the Frozen Four April 6-8 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Live coverage of the regional final can be found on FSN North and ESPNU.
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