Last night the Wisconsin Badgers took full advantage of an
injury-devastated Northern Michigan Wildcat team and finally emerged
with a very hard-fought 4-2 victory.  NMU goalie Paul Taylor kept what
otherwise was probably a good example of a varsity vs the jayvees
scrimmage from becoming a rout.  The Badgers outshot the Wildcats (on
goal) 41-22, but didn't get the game-winner until well into the final
period.  They iced it with a power play goal in the final few minutes.
 
NMU played without the following: Greg Hadden, Steve Carpenter, Garret
MacDonald, Justin George, Darcy Dallas, and Karson Kaebel.  All but the
last of these are out with injuries; Kaebel is sitting out a two-game
disqualification, the last thing this team needed for this weekend.
The Badger's obvious advantage was painful to watch, as play was usually
in the NMU end, and as time went on more and more of the loose pucks
were captured first by Badgers, who also won most of the faceoffs.  NMU
dressed only 18 players, including two goalies, and one dressed player,
Dallas, did not play despite warming up.  Most of the players put in
huge amounts of ice team. It may be telling that most of the Badger
scoring, at least the first two goals, came from the third or fourth
Wisconsin lines.
 
Heroic in defeat were Taylor and forced-into-playing-defenseman-agaain
Jason Hehr, among many others.  The entire team put in a gritty, gutsy
effort, but there just wasn't enough manpower to get the job done
without more luck than the Wildcats had on their few good scoring
chances.  Rick Comley noted after the game, "The effort was there, but
the talent wasn't.  We just have to wait until we get some more bodies
back. . . . at the end we had a power play and I literally had no one to
put out there."
 
Three busloads of excellent Badger boosters are in Marquette for the
weekend; they were well organized and loud, and were treated last night
to a display of excellent hockey by their team.  I hope they saw the
earlier games between the two teams in Madison and Milwaukee, because
what they're seeing this weekend bears no resemblance to the normal
Wildcat product.  (Until last weekend, NMU was averaging about 33 shots
on goal a game and holding the opposition to about 22.)
 
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 *  Steve Christopher, NMU  [log in to unmask]                        *
 *  CCHA League Champions, 1979-80/1980-81               ****         *
 *  CCHA Playoff Champions, 1979-80/1980-81             *    *        *
 *  WCHA League Champions, 1990-91                     *  GO  *       *
 *  WCHA Playoff Champions, 1988-89/1990-91/1991-92   *        *      *
 *  NCAA Division I National Runnerups 1979-80        * 'CATS! *      *
 *  NCAA Division I Final Four 1980-81                 *      *       *
 *  NCAA Division I National Champions, 1990-91         *    *        *
 *  NCAA Division I Final Eight 1991-92/1992-93          ****         *
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