Box Score Oct. 22, 2011
Wisconsin 5, #5 North Dakota 4
Kohl Center, Madison, Wis. | |
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| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | | Wisconsin | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | | North Dakota | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | Scoring Summary
| | 1st | 09:20 | UND | Dickin (Gleason) | | 1st | 11:55 | WIS | LaBate (Paape, Schultz) | | 1st | 12:50 | WIS | R. Little (Ramage, Woods) | | 2nd | 04:25 | WIS | Ramage (Meuer, R. Little) | | 2nd | 09:13 | UND | Kristo (Nelson) | | 3rd | 07:12 | UND | Kristo (Nelson, Mattson) | | 3rd | 10:43 | WIS | Zengerle (LaBate, Faust) | | 3rd | 16:38 | WIS | Faust (Lee, R. Little) | | 3rd | 19:19 | UND | Nelson (Knight, Mattson) | | Goaltender Summary
| Min | GA | Sv | | UND | Dell (L, 1-2-1) | 58:09 | 5 | 10 | | WIS | Rumpel (W, 2-1-0) | 59:53 | 4 | 38 | | Statistical Comparison
| UND | WIS | | Shots on Goal | 42 | 15 | | Power Plays | 0-4 | 1-4 | | Penalties-Minutes | 6-12 | 5-10 | | |
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• Final Stats | Final Stats 
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MADISON, Wis.-- For the second evening in a row, the Badgers put five goals on the board, and for the second evening in a row, five different Badgers contributed to the barrage.
Those five goals, combined with solid goaltender play by freshman goaltender Joel Rumpel (Swift Current, Saskatchewan), powered Wisconsin (3-3-0, 2-2-0 WHCA) to a weekend sweep of North Dakota (2-3-1, 0-2-0 WCHA) on Saturday night.
The sweep is the first for the Badgers against North Dakota since 2006 and the first against UND at the Kohl Center since 2004.
| Fast Facts | | • Ryan Little collected 3 points Saturday night. In 66 previous games, Little had 14 total points | | • The 10 combined goals Wisconsin scored this weekend were the most in a series against North Dakota since 2001 | | • The Badgers are undefeated in regulation this season | |
The pair of wins over rival North Dakota also erased a lot of frustration stemming from two losses the weekend before at Michigan Tech.
"I think there are some weekends it's been frustrating when it's been so close and we've lost those games," junior captain John Ramage said. "Coming into this weekend sweeping it kind of just wipes that frustration away. The team battled through and we got the win."
North Dakota took the lead early-- the fourth time in five games this season the Badgers have allowed the opponent to score first. The goal came just before the halfway point of period number one courtesy of UND sophomore Taylor Dickin.
Less than three minutes later though, on the power play, the Badgers tied the contest all up at one on a goal from freshman Joseph LaBate (Eagan, Minn.). LaBate picked up a rebound off a blocked shot from fellow freshman Matt Paape (Appleton, Wis.). LaBate then ripped it home for his second career goal.
The Badgers took the lead though just over a minute later. With 7:10 remaining in the first period, junior Ryan Little (Fond du Lac, Wis.) picked up a rebound in front of the net off a point shot by Ramage (St. Louis, Mo.) and put it in the back of the net.
The 2-1 score held for the rest of the opening period and for the first four and a half minutes of period number two. At the 4:25 mark though, while on the penalty kill, Wisconsin padded its lead with a Ramage short-handed goal. The goal marked his first of the season.
"We were opportunistic in the offensive zone," Eaves said. "In our own zone, we have the saying, `bend but don't break.' We were like a big weeping willow tree being blown by a mighty wind. We didn't break."
A North Dakota goal with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second cut the lead to just one though. The Danny Kristo wrist shot put the game at 3-2.
Seven minutes into the third period, however, North Dakota's Kristo converted again for his second goal of the evening, scoring from the right wing to tie the game at three.
"They're a pretty tough team with big bodies and older guys," LaBate said. "We all went in there with just a lot of intensity and tried to jump up our game."
Three and a half minutes later, sophomore Mark Zengerle (Rochester, N.Y.) took the puck at the top of crease and put it home to give the lead back to Wisconsin. LaBate and fellow Eagan, Minn. native Tyler Barnes collected the assists.
A fifth goal, from the stick of sophomore Joe Faust (Bloomington, Minn.) with under four minutes remaining gave the Badgers a 5-3 lead. Assists on the play went to Derek Lee (North Vancouver, British Columbia) and Ryan Little. The assist for Little capped a career night for the junior with three points.
Despite a late UND push, including a goal for North Dakota with just 40 seconds, Wisconsin held tough to secure the sweep.
Playing in front of his parents and grandparents who made the 20+ hour trip south from Canada, Rumpel recorded 38 saves and his second career win.
"Well it started with Rumpel," head coach Mike Eaves said. "Without his effort in the net we don't have a chance ... So it was a pretty complete game for a young freshman."
North Dakota out-shot the Badgers, almost tripling their total, 42-15. Wisconsin made its shots count though, putting through 5-of-15 for scores.
The Badgers went 1-4 on the power play, while UND finished the night 0-4.
"I think it just proves that our team can play with the best," Ramage said. "I know North Dakota's No. 5 coming in and we just had a big weekend, and we swept them, so I think that it proves that our young team can play with anyone."
Wisconsin returns to the Kohl Center next weekend to face WCHA opponent Nebraska-Omaha Friday and Saturday nights. Both games start at 7 p.m.
