Badgers Stop Winless Streak Against Spartans

The last couple of weeks have been tough for Mike Eaves and the Wisconsin men's hockey team. Getting sweeped in consecutive weekends by North Dakota, and Minnesota-Duluth, and three straight overtime games that did not result in a victory. But on Saturday the Badgers finally got over the hump defeating Michigan State 4-1.

Over the past few weeks the Badgers hav either struggled to score goals while playing solid defense, or scored while not playing great defense. Either way the outcome was always the same a loss or a tie. Against the Spartans Wisconsin was able to put both offense and defense together. Starting on the offensive side with Justin Schultz.

The sophomore defenseman led the Badgers with a hat trick against the Spartans, and if you really look at it...he had four goals. The only goal for the Spartans came off of a mistake by Schultz that ended up in the Wisconsin net. Without the Spartans even taking a shot.

A day after his counterpart nearly had a hat trick of his own Schultz recorded his first hat trick of his career. Not to mention only the fifth by a Wisconsin defenseman in program history, but defense was also a key part of the Badger victory against Michigan State.

On Friday night senior goaltender Scott Gudmandson watched from the bench. Saturday night Gudmandson found himself back on the ice for the first time since being benched against Minnesota-Duluth a week earlier. Against the Spartans on Saturday Gudmandson took a big stride in making sure that doesn't happen again.

Giving up only one goal against the Spartans the senior goaltender may have shown his best game of the year. Keeping in mind that the only goal the Spartans scored actually came of an odd carrum from Schultz. Sneeking by Gudmandson to tie the game up at one at the time.

Gudmandson would go on to stop every shot the Spartans would throw at him. Giving him in many ways a shut-out against the Spartans if you look past the "own goal." Not to mention ending the Badger winless streak at six and giving them their first win in what has been a long six game homestand.