(UW ATHLETICS) EAST LANSING, MICH – Ben Dexheimer scored the game-winner 2:36 into overtime to help the No. 7 Wisconsin men’s hockey team earn a 2-1 victory over the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena.
With the win, the Badgers complete a sweep of No. 1 MSU after winning 5-4 on Friday and sit in second place in the Big Ten with 16 points.
After a scoreless first period, Wisconsin (10-2-2, 6-2-0 Big Ten – 16 points) opened the scoring midway through the second period with a power-play goal from Blake Montgomery. Michigan State (9-3-0, 4-2-0 Big Ten – 12 points) battled, killing off four of five Wisconsin power plays before tying the game at one with 39 seconds left in the third period on a power-play goal to send the contest to overtime. At 2:36 into the extra time, Dexheimer scored the game-winning goal for the Badgers to give them a road sweep of the top-ranked team in the nation.
How it Happened
First Period
The first period was silent, with neither team finding the back of the net. Michigan State’s offense came out flying, putting up 14 shots in the first frame, but sophomore netminder Eli Pulver stopped all 14 to keep it a 0-0 game.
Spartan Charlie Stramel was called for a holding penalty 2:53 into the first, but MSU killed it off as the game remained scoreless through 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Badgers broke the silence midway through the second period, with freshman forward Montgomery capitalizing on a power play 10:06 into the frame. By the left side boards, freshman forward Vasily Zelenov stickhandled the puck before passing up to Montgomery by the blue line. Montgomery skated up to the top of the left circle and ripped a shot past MSU netminder Trey Augustine to tally his seventh goal of the year.
Michigan State put up nine more shots in the second frame, but Pulver remained perfect to help UW hold onto its 1-0 lead heading into the third.
Third Period
Early in the third period, Wisconsin had its second power play of the game, but it was short-lived as Zelenov was called for interference just 18 seconds into the man advantage. Neither team scored on the four-on-four, and UW killed off an 18-second MSU power play to hold onto a 1-0 lead.
UW had two more power play chances, one at 8:34 into the period and another at 15:13, but the Spartans stayed strong on the penalty kill to keep it a one-goal game.
With 1:03 left in the third, senior forward Jack Horbach was called for delaying the game. Michigan State capitalized on the late penalty, with Porter Martone tying the game for the Spartans with 39.8 seconds left in regulation.
Neither team scored in the remaining seconds of the third frame, sending the contest into overtime tied at one.
Overtime
After Pulver saved two MSU breakaways and Augustine saved one UW shot in the first few minutes of overtime, senior defenseman and team captain Dexheimer played hero for Wisconsin, netting the game-winner 2:36 into the extra frame.
Zelenov chipped to Dexheimer along the right boards, who passed to senior forward Christian Fitzgerald in the neutral zone. Fitzgerald rushed into Spartan territory with Dexheimer on his right, creating a two-on-two opportunity. The forward slid the puck across the ice to Dexheimer, who shot the puck past Augustine while falling over to give the Badgers the victory and complete the sweep.
Wisconsin went 1-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 33-28 deficit in shots on goal.
Notes to know
– Eli Pulver made 67 combined saves in his first two starts as a Badger to earn two victories over No. 1 MSU
– The Badgers sit 23-26-3 in 52 contests against the top-ranked team since the USCHO.com Poll began in 1997
– When the Badgers rank in the top 20, they are 17-11-2 against No. 1 teams. When the Badgers rank in the top 10, they are 11-2-2 against No. 1 teams, including 10-0-2 in the last 12 such situations
– UW is now 2-0-2 in overtime situations this year, also picking up a win in extra time on Nov. 15, a 6-5 victory over Ohio State
– The Badgers’ last sweep over Michigan State came on Jan. 14-15, 2022, in Madison. The Badgers won game one, 5-2, before winning game two, 3-2
– Wisconsin’s last sweep of a No. 1-ranked team was on Oct. 26-27, 2023, a pair of victories over Minnesota in Minneapolis. UW won game one, 5-2, and game two, 3-2
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