University of Minnesota Athletics
NCAA Ice Hockey West Regional - Semifinal II Game Notes
3/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
WISCONSIN (26-10-4)
TEAM NOTES
* Wisconsin is officially making its 23rd NCAA tournament appearance and has a record of 35-19-2. The 35 wins in NCAA tournament play are officially sixth all-time. They have won the national title six times, most recently in 2006.
* This is the fifth NCAA tournament appearance under head coach Mike Eaves, since 2002. The Badgers are 7-3 under Eaves and have reached at least the regional final in four of five trips.
* Wisconsin leads the all-time series 3-1 against Vermont. This is the first time the teams have played since 1996.
* Wisconsin is 4-0 this season against Hockey East opponents.
* Wisconsin is 17-2-1 when scoring first.
* Wisconsin is 19-3-2 when scoring a power-play goal. All three Badger goals were on the power play.
* Wisconsin is 4-5-3 when trailing after one period.
* Wisconsin is 24-0-2 when leading after two periods.
* Wisconsin is 7-4-0 in one-goal games.
* The Badgers outshot the Catamounts 16-3 in the second period.
* Coming into the game, Wisconsin was the second-highest scoring team in the nation with a 3.97 goals-per-game average. The Badgers led the nation with 155 goals scored.
* Wisconsin is now 18-5-3 since Dec. 1, 2009.
* Wisconsin is 2-3-0 against St. Cloud State this season. The two teams play in the regional final.
PLAYER NOTES
* Badger sophomore center Derek Stepan assisted on Wisconsin's first two goals. He is one of three players in the country with more than an assist per game (40 assists in 38 games).
* Junior defenseman Brendan Smith had two assists for his 14th multiple-point game of the season.
* Senior center Blake Geoffrion had a goal and an assist for his 13th multiple-point game of the season.
* Freshman defenseman Justin Schultz, who had a goal and an assist in the game, was named to the WCHA All-Rookie team. It was his second multiple-point game of the season and first since Dec. 12 at North Dakota.
* Junior goaltender Scott Gudmandson is now 4-1-0 in the postseason this year. Entering the game, he was fourth in the nation with a .760 win percentage this season.
* Wisconsin has two Hobey Baker Award finalists for the first time in school history as senior center Blake Geoffrion and junior defenseman Brendan Smith are among the 10 finalists for the award.
* Senior wing Michael Davies leads the Badgers with 51 points and is the first 50-point scorer since the 2005-06 season when both Joe Pavelski (56) and Robbie Earl (50) hit that mark.
* Five current Badger defensemen have been drafted in either the first or second round of the NHL draft.
VERMONT (17-15-7)
TEAM NOTES
* Vermont made its fifth NCAA tournament appearance and now has a 3-6 record. This was the second time appearing in consecutive NCAA tournaments.
* Entering the game at 17-14-7, the Catamounts had the worst record of the 16 remaining teams. Their eighth-place finish in the Hockey East regular season standings was the lowest ever for an at-large team in the 62-year history of the NCAA tournament. The Catamounts earned a spot with a 6-1 non-conference mark and wins against five of the 16 tournament teams: Alabama-Huntsville, Boston College, Denver, New Hampshire and Yale. In total, Vermont has seven wins against teams that made the tournament.
* Vermont is 2-2 against WCHA foes this season.
* Vermont is 3-9-3 when its opponent scores first.
* Vermont is 11-4-2 when leading after one period.
* Vermont is 1-11-1 when trailing after two periods.
* Vermont is 8-4-0 in one-goal games.
* Vermont and Wisconsin are the only two schools in the country to have their men's hockey team and men's and women's basketball teams to earn spots in their respective NCAA tournaments. It's the first time in school history that the Catamounts have had all three teams in the tournament in the same season.
PLAYER NOTES
* Junior defenseman Dan Lawson scored his first goal of the season and added an assist in the first period. It is his first multi-point game of the season. Lawson now has five career NCAA tournament points (3g, 2a).
