GREEN BAY, Wis. — The start of a new era in Wisconsin men's hockey wasn't quite to the same script the program was looking for, but the 2016-17 campaign and the Tony Granato coaching era officially began with a 3-2 defeat against Northern Michigan at the Resch Center on Friday night.
It took just 19 seconds for the Wildcats to jump out on top when Gerard Hanson finished a rebound out of the glove of sophomore goaltender Matt Jurusik in what appeared to be a nervous start for the entire team.
But with the help of an early power play, the Badgers settled down and equalized at 4:50 when a persistent Will Johnson found his own rebound to finish for his first goal of the season. Luke Kunin and Jake Linhart got credit for the assists.
However, NMU capitalized on a 51-second 5-on-3 power play at 10:17 to regain the lead at 2-1.
Then the Wildcats added to the lead with the lone goal of the second period, scoring six minutes in when Troy Loggins' wrist shot from the slot beat Jurusik. That made it a 3-1 lead for Northern Michigan.
The Badgers pushed back and began the third period with a goal by defenseman Corbin McGuire just 35 seconds into the final frame. A slick kick pass by freshman defenseman JD Greenway started McGuire on the rush, who skated up ice and dished to Cameron Hughes on the left wing. McGuire headed to the slot and eventually got the puck back from Hughes, before snapping the puck past NMU goaltender Atte Tolvanen to close the gap to 3-2.
The Badgers would celebrate twice more during the game, but it turned out both celebrations were for naught. The first of two reviews saw a scramble at the side of the net end with a whistle, and a Badger raising his hands in celebration.
After some discussions, the two referees skated to the corner and off the ice to review the play, but came back after a short stoppage to signal no goal.
Minutes later, the Badgers celebrated again after a mad scramble, this time with the support of an official who signaled goal after Hughes and his teammates thought he got the puck over the goal line.
A longer debate ensued between the referee and three NMU players, and the referees left again for review. Upon the return, another wash out signal and the Badgers were left in their one-goal hole.
Chances continued for Wisconsin, including the team's third post of the game, the second of the game for Luke Kunin, but UW failed to get the puck across that goal line.
A 15-4 shot advantage in the third wasn't enough to get the game even to secure the happy beginning the Badgers wanted.
UW's power play got plenty of action, with a 1-for-8 performance, while its penalty kill also got practice, going five for six.
Jurusik made 16 stops in the contest, while NMU's Tolvanen made 27 saves for the victory.
The two teams are back on the ice tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT to meet for the second of four times this season. Catch the action on 1310 WIBA-AM, BadgerSportsNetwork.com and at WCHA.tv.
