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UW proves it belongs

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Wisconsin's Michael Davies (9) scores against Denver goalie Peter Mannino during the first period of an NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal college hockey game Saturday in Madison. Wisconsin beat Denver, 6-2.

MADISON — Tired of being told they didn’t belong, the Wisconsin Badgers let loose.

Wisconsin scored four third-period goals and Michael Davies had two goals and an assist to make sure there was plenty to celebrate in the Badgers’ 6-2 victory over Denver on Saturday night in the NCAA Midwest regional.

“I hadn’t seen our bench that excited. Somebody darn near jumped up and hit me with their feet,” Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said. “Couldn’t have been you, Michael, you’re too short.”

Maybe so. But for Wisconsin, which next has a date with rival North Dakota today with a berth in the Frozen Four on the line, the 5-foot-9 Davies made sure the Badgers’ home-ice advantage didn’t go to waste.

Wisconsin, the fourth team in history to enter the tournament with a sub-.500 record, dealt with many nervous moments and questions of whether the Badgers (16-16-7) were worthy to participate after flaming out with three straight loses to end the season to St. Cloud State.

“It’s something we tried to tune out but it’s something we also grabbed and try to take it as motivating us to just go out there and play hockey and prove people wrong,” said Jamie McBain, who had a goal and an assist.

“We’ve got nothing to lose because people doubted us anyway.”

Denver, which won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005, missed out on the tournament the past two seasons, and Pioneers coach George Gwozdecky said the Badgers were ready to take advantage.

With two wins, the Pioneers (26-14-1) would have been home in Denver for the Frozen Four. Now, they’ll just go home.

“I sensed a team that had a second chance at life. It’s no fun to sit after being eliminated in the first round of the (WCHA) playoffs and sit and wonder if you’re going to get an extra chance to play another game,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. “When you’re given a second chance like that, you really certainly want to make the most of it.”

Denver couldn’t get any second chances off Badgers goalie Shane Connelly. Yanked from his last game two weeks ago, he stopped 30 shots, and the post helped him four times before Wisconsin’s onslaught began for the Badgers’ 11th straight postseason victory over the Pioneers.

“It’s funny how this game works sometimes, it’s fractions of an inch,” Gwozdecky said. “We had our chances.”

Said Connelly: “It’s always good to be lucky. That’s just the way the bounces were going tonight.”

After Davies’ first-period goal gave Wisconsin a 1-0 lead, the Badgers’ power play came alive midway through the second. Kyle Turris fed Josh Engel for a slap shot that was redirected at the front of the net by defenseman Jamie McBain, who placed it over Denver goalie Peter Mannino’s pad to make it 2-0.

Dustin Jackson cut it to 2-1 before the second intermission, but the Badgers rolled in the third period.

First, Cody Goloubef fired a hard slap shot that hit the goal post, deflected off Mannino and went back across the goal line. Exactly one minute later, John Mitchell broke away and sent another puck past Mannino to give Wisconsin a 4-1 lead.

Tom May made it 4-2, but Davies scored on a breakaway with just over five minutes to play and Davis Drewiske added an empty-net goal for the final margin.

“That’s probably as fast as I’ve skated all year,” Davies said.

North Dakota 5, Princeton 1—Ryan Duncan had a hat trick and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux stopped 38 shots to highlight North Dakota’s victory over Princeton in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

North Dakota, trying to make its fourth consecutive Frozen Four and win a title for the first time since 2000, looked anything but comfortable early against the Tigers, who used their speed to pester the physical Sioux.

Princeton (21-14-0) outshot No. 1 seed North Dakota 39-18 despite being battered up and down the ice in just their second-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.