(above) Dustin Jackson scored DU's first goal against WisconsinFrom DU Website
MADISON, Wis. – Michael Davies tallied two goals and an assist and Shane Connelly stopped 30 shots to lead No. 17 Wisconsin to a 6-2 win over No. 4/5 Denver in the NCAA Midwest Regional tonight before 9,968 fans at Kohl Center. The loss ends Denver’s (26-14-1) season and sends the Badgers (17-17-7) into the regional final tomorrow against North Dakota.
Dustin Jackson (Omaha, Neb.) and Tom May (Eagan, Minn.) scored for DU, and Peter Mannino (Farmington Hills, Mich.) made 20 saves in his final game as a Pioneer.
Wisconsin jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals from Davies and Jamie McBain before Jackson put the Pioneers on the scoreboard at 16:40 of the second stanza. Wisconsin outscored Denver 4-1 in the final stanza and rode the rowdy home crowd to its first NCAA tournament win since claiming the national title in 2006.
Denver outshot the Badgers 12-7 in the opening stanza, but hit four pipes through two periods and was stymied all night by the stellar goaltending of Connelly.
“We had a great ride,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “I am extremely proud to coach this team. We gave ourselves a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask for in the NCAA tournament. Wisconsin was given a new life in the NCAA tournament and played a great game tonight.”
After Jackson’s goal made it 2-1, Cody Goloubef put Wisconsin up 3-1 when his blast bounced off the back of Mannino and into the net at 9:19 of the final stanza. John Mitchell made it 4-1 with a breakaway tally at 10:19. May’s wrist shot from the high slot made it 4-2, but Davies’ second goal of the night iced the win at 14:38. Davis Drewiske added the final goal with empty-netter at 17:14.
DU outshot Wisconsin 32-26 and went 1-for-6 on the power play. Wisconsin went 1-for-5 with the man-advantage.
Notes: DU falls to 26-15 overall in the NCAA tournament. The Pioneers had won eight consecutive NCAA tournament games prior to tonight’s loss. DU is 11-2-2 all-time at Kohl Center. Mannino and Andrew Thomas (Bow, N.H.) will participate in the NCAA Skills Challenge during the Frozen Four on Friday, April 11.
6 comments:
Apparently this may be mannino's last ever hockey game. There are rumors he has turned down several AHL and ECHL offers to graduate and pursue another career.
Nice loss to a sub 500 team.
Tough loss and a disappointing way to end an otherwise terrific season. DU had some great sequences in that game and some really strong shifts. Obviously if those post and crossbar shots go in it's a whole different game, but that's part of hockey. The Pios just seemed snakebitten yesterday. Thanks to the team for a great season.
I give a lot of credit to the Badgers. They played with a tremendous amount of determination and really set the tone, especially early and also physically. I haven't seen DU get knocked around like that in a while. The Badgers really played the body well. That's one area for the Pios that I think needs improvement...they need some more guys willing to throw their weight around on a consistent basis. The Badgers played a complete game, and Connelly was oustanding. I think DU put it all out there but it just wasn't enough.
Best of luck to the seniors--they were small in number but immense in contribution. I wish we had these guys for one more year. I thought May, especially, really came into his own this year and had some great games. He just seemed to get better every week and whenever he put his mind to it. Thomas was a great leader and Mannino accomplishment's speak for themselves. Those guys will be missed.
Looking forward to next season.
Oops, my username didn't take on the previous post.
--Twister
I appreciate that last comment giving the Badgers credit for the way they played this year. I am a huge Badger fan, went to the game last night, and it is too bad that a classy team like yours had to get knocked out. I wish you guys were still playing instead of UND because Denver has a hell of alot more class then the sioux do. I have always respect your coach and players and I wish them the best of luck in the future. Go Badgers.
Ditto to the previous post. As a long time Badger fan I have never known anything but respect for the DU program. The teams matched up very well and the difference was that UW was 'on' last night and DU wasn't. It was good to see a game without any controversy, with very little chippiness and two teams and coaches that respect one another. I don't expect to see the same on Sunday.
BTW-Can somebody please explain what the deal is with the guy dressed up like Julius Ceasar?
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