Badgers Sweep Michigan Tech in Key Series

A sweep over Michigan Tech may have never sounded as good as it does this season for the Wisconsin men's hockey team. The rough schedule that follows the weekend sweep for the Badgers will prove to be enough of a reason to be pumped after sweeping Huskies.

Friday night the Badgers locked up their first WCHA win of the season in a 5-2 victory over the Huskies. The win was not only their first in the conference, but their first true comeback as well.

The Huskies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. In the second period the Badgers got rolling. Midway through the second period the Badgers struck for their first goal when Michael Mersch deflected a shot by Jake Gardiner. That goal put the Badgers on the board and one goal away from tieing up the game. Something that would come before the period was over.

Late in the second period the Badgers took advantage of a Huskie penalty. Podge Turnbull found the back of the net off of a Mersch pass. Going into the intermission the Badgers were tied with the Huskies 2-2 and it would be all Badgers after that.

Wisconsin would run off three goals in the third period including Mersch's second goal of the night, to lock up the 5-2 victory. The Badgers had their first conference win of the season, but not the first sweep quite yet.

On Saturday neither team jumped out to a lead in the first period. After a scoreless first the party got started in the second period. The Huskies struck first with a goal by Alex MacLeod on a Michigan Tech powerplay, but the Badgers would take over from there.

The Badgers answer the Huskie goal with a goal of their own by Justin Schultz. That goal tied the game at one a piece, but more Badgers would join the party. Craig Smith would strike first with the goal that would take the lead, and take the lead for good. His fellow Badgers Ryan Little and Sean Dolan would also add some pad to the game as the Badgers would roll to a 4-1 victory.

The sweep goes at perhaps the best time for the Badgers given their next three series. This weekend the Badgers will hit the road to take on their rivals up north in Minneapolis. Following a tough series at Minnesota the Badgers return home to face two of the best teams in the WCHA.

Wisconsin will return home to take on conference favorite North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux should come in as one of the top teams in the country, and the following weekend will not become any easier. Minnesota-Duluth will be the next club to enter the Kohl Center, and the Bulldogs are another team expected to compete for a conference title this season.

A sweep over Michigan Tech may not seem like the greatest sweep the Badgers have ever put together, but with the tough road ahead it could not have come at a better time. Especially for a young group of Badgers.