Since SEVERAL people recapped Friday night's game, I'll summarize last
night's instead of sending two different postings like I had intended.
 
CLARKSON 5, Wisconsin 4
 
	Clarkson came out and played a good first period.  They applied
offensive pressure from the start and didn't let Wisconsin spend too
much time on offense.  Despite this, Wisconsin got the first goal of
the night, Granato took a pass from Hill and penetrated the Clarkson zone.
His initial shot was turned aside by Rogles.  However the puck ended up
on Tucker's stick.  Tucker was able to go high over Rogles at 2:38.  After
giving up 3 ppg last night, I thought that Wisconsin would try and limit
taking unneccessary penalties.  Mid way through the period, Wisconsin
was called for hitting from behind on Hugo Belanger.  Belanger had been
hooked/speared down to the ice a minute or so before without a call.  I
guess Shegos was paying a little more attention this time.  Clarkson fired
up their pp and evened the game.  Mikko Tavi picked up a loose puck in the
corner and passed it too Trombley who was able to send it across the goal
mouth to an unmarked Guy Sanderson who put it behind Derksen at 11:53.
And still Wisconsin hadn't learned their lesson for their next penalty
set up another ppg.  This time a heavily abused Hugo Belanger would
shake a defenseman and fire it past Derkesen at 13:05.  The period ended
at 2-1, Clarkson.  Clarkson was looking for a repeat of the previous
night.  This would cost them in the next period.
 
	Wisconsin came out and played a good second period.  They were
able to take advantage of some dumb Clarkson penalaties.  Clarkson was
skating, but wasn't hitting like Fri. night and couldn't complete a pass
to save their lives.  So at 2:50, Macdonald took a nice feed from Richter
and fired it pass Rogles who couldn't get enough of the puck.  Hill had
just won the face-off a second before to the left of Rogles.  Auger
would score next from Macdonald to put Wisconsin up, 3-2 at 7:20.  Now
Clarkson was having the offensive chances but were blowing them on
errant passes or were being tied up by the Wisconsin defense.  An
improved defense over the previous night when several give-aways had cost
them goals.  Later in the period Clarkson found themselves in trouble
again with 45 sec. of a 5-on-3 pp to kill and a possible 1:15 of a 5-on-4
to kill afterwards.  Clarkson's defense was able to tighten up and keep
Wisconsin from shooting until an open Hill to the right of Rogles
received a pass from Macdonald and Andriga.  Hill just one timed it pass
Rogles @ 12:03, with 1 sec. left on the first penalty.  So Clarkson was
left with 1:15 still to kill, which they were able to do, without too
much trouble.  By now the fans and band were really trying to stir some
life back into Clarkson.  Guy Sanderson, who was a scoring maniac, for
him, this weekend, took a slap shot from the center inside of the blue
line that went through several legs and just went inside the post on
Derksen's right.  Derkesen was well screened and never saw the puck.
The timely goal got Clarkson and its fans going.
 
	During the second intermission, Coach Morris gave the players a
lashing.  He also told them that they should not be playing Sunday, that
they haven't lost at home yet, and that this should be the last game in
Walker Arena ever.  This was able to inspire the team for the third
period.
 
	Wisconsin came out just as fast as Clarkson, but Clarkson had
the advantage and was a little more inspired.  With about three minutes
gone in the period, Ed Sabo cross checked a Wisconsin player to set up
a Wisconsin pp chance.  With some solid goal-tending and a pesky defense
Clarkson was able to survive.  When Sabo returned to the ice, he went
into Clarkson's defensive zone.  Steve Dubinsky saw him their and got
him the puck from deep within the zone.  Catching most of the Wisconsin
players deep.  Sabo broke out on the right wing with Mike Kozak on the
right and only one Badger back.  Sabo waited just long enough for the
defenseman to commit by going down on one knee, before passing off to
Kozak.  Kozak was able to put the puck up and behind the sliding
Derksen to tie the game up at 4-4 and 5:23 gone.  It was the Clarkson pp
that was to win the game.  Wisconsin got caught with too many men on the
ice.  Wisconsin's Coach Sauer thought that it shouldn't have been called
because it was pointed out Shegos by the Clarkson bench and fans, and that
Shegos only saw it when the player was starting to climb back into the
bench.  (Come on, give me a break!)  Clarkson didn't take more than a
minute to get the game winning and last goal in Walker Arena.  Mark
Green was on the receiving end of two quick passes from Belanger and
Trombley, when he put it in at 11:58.  Wisconsin was only able to
mount any sustained pressure in the closing minute when Derksen had left
the ice for another skater.  The Clarkson defense was able to keep the
puck along the boards and out of the slot, allowing only 6 shots during
the 8 minutes.  Wisconsin did not resort to
even more chippy play in the final 8 minutes of the game as some ECAC
teams would have.  Rogles finished with 34 saves while Derksen stopped
29.
 
- This was a great series for Clarkson.  It showed that they could beat
a defensive team, come from behind and check with the big boys.
Belanger had another great two games.  This is more significant than
last week because Wisconsin hounded, held and hooked all 120 minutes
worth, but he still went 3-3 for 6 points.  He has over 70 points this
season, the most in a season for any Clarkson player (at least 120 in
two years.)
 
- Wisconsin took minutes before each face-off.  They would send players
in one at a time, skate around, make changes and then skate around and
discuss strategy.  This was quite annoying.  Shegos finally had enough
too and waved many Wisconsin players back to the bench and sped up the
face-offs Sat. night.
 
- Wisconsin would also bitch and whine after every (deserved) penalty
and some goals.  It got to be rediculous.  What's the point?
Wisconsin's second goal Fri. night was scored on a foot and a half
off-sides call, but Clarkson did whine as much as Wisconsin would have.
Also the Clarkson players would go to penalty box without much
protesting.  A Wisconsin player was given a misconduct for whining after
he was called for a penalty at the end Sat night (3:40 or so left.)
 
- Coach Sauer's comments were kind of surprising too.  "If the referee
is not here this weekend, they don't beat us."  Well the ref was going
to be.  Wisconsin would win if they were allowed to beat up Clarkson?
He has some controll of his player's actions.  I would have thought that
he would have learned after Fri night.  Plus penalties and special teams
are a critical part of any game.  "Five-on-5, we were a better hockey
team."  O.K., we'll give back our 3 ppg Fri night.  Oh, we still win,
5-3.  Clarkson was a LOT better 5-on-5 Fri night and were only
sub-standard in the second period Sat. night.  I thought that this man
would have some respect after the weekend.
 
- As for respect, BC stole our bid and they paid for it.  The NCAA
selection committee, and several people with crystal balls, must have
some respect for the ECAC after Clarkson's SWEEP and Cornell's first
win, and less praise for HE.  I guess that BC still out-played A-A Sat
night but still lost.  I guess that HE, wanted to be like the Big East
in all ways and needed some team to play the part of Syracuse.  I know
that Clarkson will needed a miracle to get past LSSU, but I have can
always have some hope.  But no matter what happens, Clarkson has shown
that the top teams in the ECAC should not be slighted in comparison to
ANY other teams in Div I.
 
Best cheers: "National Chumps" and "Down the Duane (read drain with a
bad accent)"
 
- Wisconsin played a great game Sat. night.  Coming back from an 8-3
'rout', it was ya know, and being down 2-1 after a period.  Home ice,
fans and the Walker Arena legacy were too much to over come.
 
I hope that I kept this brief.  Yea, right.
 
Mike Zak
Clarkson '87, '90,... (Fall '91)