A shorthanded goal by Wisconsin after a turnover high in the Badgers defensive zone sparked a three-goal third period for the Badgers en route to a 5-2 win over No. 18 St. Lawrence on Friday night at Appleton Arena. With the loss the Saints fall to 3-4-0 while Wisconsin improves to 3-2-0 on the year.
Junior Joe Sullivan and first-year Taggart Corriveau scored for the Saints, while Gavin Bayreuther recorded two assists and Arthur Brey made 33 saves in his first start of the season.
Two of the five goals for the visiting Badgers came on special teams, with Trent Frederic’s shorthanded tally and a power play goal by Ryan Wagner. The Saints have now allowed a special teams goal in every game this season, including four shorthanded goals against.
“We made some young mistakes,” head coach Mark Morris said. “With a depleted lineup guys are thrust into positions they’re not ready to handle. The shorthanded goal was a real killer for us, it really deflated us.”
The Saints were without leading scorer Mike Marnell and Michael Laidley, both of whom are regulars on special teams – particularly on the penalty kill, but did return seniors Woody Hudson and Eric Sweetman to the lineup against the Badgers.
Joe Sullivan, who has played on a line with Marnell and Laidley most of the season, opened the scoring and put the Saints in front 1-0 late in the first period with his fourth of the year. First-year Ben Finkelstein passed to Gavin Bayreuther in the Saints defensive zone and the Canaan, N.H. native hit Sullivan in stride as he entered the Wisconsin zone on the right wing. Sullivan carried into the circle before snapping off a wrister that beat Matt Jurusik high glove.
Wisconsin opened the middle frame with two quick goals from Luke Kunin and Jason Ford to take a 2-1 lead, but first-year Taggart Corriveau tied the game with his first collegiate goal on the power play.
Corriveau took a pass from Nolan Gluchowski on the half wall, faked a shot and stickhandled to create some space before snapping off the wrister from the left faceoff dot that beat Jurusik high for a 2-2 game.
After the Saints had worked to pull back even in the second period, Wisconsin wasted little time in the third to retake the lead behind Frederic’s game-winning goal as the trailer on a breakaway at 2:53 of the final frame, the power play goal by Ryan Wagner and an empty net goal by Luke Kunin to push to the eventual 5-2 margin.
“I thought that we were chasing it most of the night,” Morris said. “We hit a couple posts and pucks weren’t bouncing our way and we never really got a whole lot of traction for any extended period of time. We have a lot of work to do and I think we need to own up to our shortcomings and get back to work and get ourselves in the kind of game shape that’s going to win us some hockey games.”
The Saints will look to snap their three-game skid hosting No. 12 Minnesota tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Appleton Arena.
