HOCKEY: Wisconsin tallies first goal 14 seconds into the match against UAA.
Back-to-back victories continue to elude the UAA hockey team, which followed its blowout of second-ranked Denver last week with Friday night's dud at Wisconsin.
Wisconsin scored 14 seconds into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association match, jumped to an early three-goal cushion and easily dispatched UAA, 5-1, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
The Seawolves' struggles were reminiscent of the last time they came off a big win -- and likewise followed it with a four-goal loss. UAA beat second-ranked North Dakota, 2-1, at home last month, then promptly traveled to Minnesota and got beat 5-1.
Friday, the Seawolves were coming off a 7-3 demolition of the Pioneers that marked the most goals they have scored in a game in nearly eight years.
UAA, which is 0-3-0 on the WCHA road entering tonight's series finale, fell to 4-7-0 overall and 2-5-0 in league. The Seawolves are locked in an eighth-place tie with Michigan Tech, a 3-2 winner at Minnesota-Duluth on Friday, in the 10-team conference.
With four points each, the Seawolves and Huskies are one point ahead of last-place Minnesota State-Mankato, which fell 1-0 in overtime to visiting Colorado College on Friday.
The Seawolves have not won consecutive games this season and have lost four of their last five.
Wisconsin freshman Craig Smith bagged his first college goal before anyone broke a sweat. UAA senior defenseman Nils Backstrom tried to backhand the puck up the wall, but Wisconsin's Andy Bombach nudged the puck toward the goal at the bottom of the left circle, where Smith swooped in and flicked a backhander between the pads of UAA senior Jon Olthuis (32 saves).
Defenseman Cody Goloubef raised the count to 2-0 midway through the period, when he whistled a slot wrister over Olthuis' glove.
And Andy Bendickson ballooned the lead to 3-0 late in the period with a sick backhander he roofed over Olthuis' right shoulder.
UAA mustered 20 shots while Wisconsin unleashed 37. That 17-shot difference is just about the average the Badgers (5-3-1, 3-3-1 WCHA) have lorded over opponents this season. The Badgers allow 1.89 goals per game, sixth-stingiest in Division I.
Michael Davies gave Wisconsin a 4-0 lead with a power-play strike midway through the second period and Bendickson followed with a short-handed goal early in the third period.
The Seawolves finally solved Badgers junior Brett Bennett (19 saves) when junior center Craig Parkinson scored on a power play shortly after Bendickson's shortie. The goal was Parkinson's first since bagging two goals in a season-opening 5-3 win over Mercyhurst.
While Parkinson snuffed his nine-game goal drought, the funk of junior winger Tommy Grant reached 10 games. Grant, who scored a team-high 15 goals last season, also scored twice against Mercyhurst but has been bageled since.
Find Doyle Woody's blog at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
UAA 0 0 1 -- 1
UW 3 1 1 -- 5
First Period -- 1, UW, C. Smith 1 (Bombach), :14; 2, UW, Goloubef 3 (C. Smith, Geoffrion), 12:50; 3, UW, Bendickson 1 (Johnson, Mitchell), 18:53. Penalties -- Baldwin, UAA (interference), 4:16; Murray, UW (cross-checking), 13:38; Goloubef, UW (elbowing-contact to head), 14:56.
Second Period -- 4, UW, Davies 2 (Stepan, Schultz), 12:08 (pp). Penalties -- McDonagh, UW (interference), :19; B. Smith, UW (high-sticking), 6:14; Grant, UAA (high-sticking), 6:14; B. Smith, UW (interference), 9:30; Baldwin, UAA (slashing), 10:44; Clark, UAA (slashing), 13:38; Geoffrion, UW (roughing), 13:49; B, Smith, UW (roughing), 13:49; Bennett, UW, served by Johnson (roughing), 13:49; Hunt, UAA (roughing), 13:49; Haddad, UAA, minor-major (roughing, grasping the face mask), 13:49; Bombach, UW (roughing), 16:51; Murray, UW (slashing the goalie), 16:51; Tuton, UAA (roughing), 16:51; Vidmar, UAA, double minor, served by Bruijsten (roughing), 16:51.
Third Period -- 5, UW, Bendickson 2 (Street), 5:36 (sh); 6, UAA, Parkinson 3 (Spencer, Naslund), 6:54 (pp). Penalties -- McDonagh, UW (cross-checking), 6:12; Geoffrion, UW (roughing), 6:54; Naslund, UAA (roughing), 6:54; Grant, UAA (interference), 7:21; C. Smith, UW (holding), 8:39; Spencer, UAA (hooking), 9:03; Vidmar, UAA (holding), 10:15; Davies, UW (elbowing-contact to head), 11:22; Street, UW (holding), 17:50.
Shots on goal -- UAA 5-6-9--20. UW 13-15-9--37.
Power-play Opportunities -- UAA 1 of 8; UW 1 of 8.
Goalies -- UAA, Olthuis, 2-4-0 (37 shots-32 saves). UW, Bennett, 4-2-0 (20-19).
A -- 11,870 (15,237). T -- 2:30.
Referees -- Peter Friesema, Butch Mousseaux. Assistant referees -- Brad Roethlisberger, Mike Gulenchyn.
Bowling Green 3, UAF 1
Bowling Green earned its first victory of the season Friday night, beating No. 9-ranked UAF, 3-1, in a Central Collegiate Hockey Association game in Ohio.
The Nanooks outshot Bowling Green 25-17, but could only muster a goal from center Dion Knelsen.
The game marked UAF's first match Outside this season. The Nanooks fell to 6-2-1 overall and Bowling Green improved to 1-7-1. Bowling Green's three goals matched its best production this season.
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