Top-ranked Wisconsin gave Minnesota senior goaltender Luca Di Pasquo all he could handle for 65 minutes, but they still only got a tie out of the first matchup of the season for the border rivals. That November 5th game at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis officially goes down as a 1-1 tie, but the Badgers still found a way to snag that extra Big Ten point in the shootout.
Minnesota’s Goalie Pushes Wisconsin to the Limit
Seriously, Di Pasquo was a brick wall. He absolutely stood on his head, making a mind-blowing 41 saves, including a ridiculous 16 in the second period alone, and another four in overtime. Wisconsin pushed him to the absolute limit. This whole game was such a stark change after the Badgers just swept Notre Dame with those insane 7-1 and 9-1 victories. Suddenly, they’re facing a goalie playing out of his mind, and Minnesota, ranked 18th, walked away with their third tie in nine games under first-year coach Brett Larson, moving to 3-3-3 overall and 1-0-2 in Big Ten play.
Here’s the kicker: Wisconsin actually trailed for the first time all season. Minnesota’s Mason Moe slipped one past them on the power play 10:19 into the opening period. Can you believe it? The Badgers were playing from behind for almost 17 minutes! Grady Deering took a five-minute major for an illegal check to the back, which unfortunately meant the third-line center missed the rest of the game. That’s a brutal break early on, and it definitely tested this undefeated UW squad.
Idžan Delivers the Shootout Drama, Badgers Stay Perfect
But you know Wisconsin wasn’t going down without a fight. Minnesota-born freshman Zach Wooten, playing on the top line, ripped a shot from the slot 6:52 into the second period to tie the game. JJ Wiebusch fed him the pass from behind the net, and Wooten just buried it. This kid is on fire, too, scoring points in five straight games with three goals and three assists.
After regulation and five minutes of crazy three-on-three overtime, it all came down to the shootout. Wisconsin sophomore Bruno Idžan, their leading goal scorer, calmly slipped a backhander past Di Pasquo on the very first attempt. Di Pasquo, who was incredible all night, then denied Dylan Compton after Gavin Morrissey lost the puck on his try. Wisconsin sophomore Alexis Cournoyer made 16 saves to earn his fourth win since transferring, and after that first period, UW basically shut down the Golden Gophers, holding them to just seven shots on goal for the rest of the game. That’s how you stay unbeaten.
What’s next? This was just the first of three unconventional Thursday-Saturday sets for the Badgers this regular season. They’re back at it for completion at 7 p.m. on November 7th, with streaming coverage on B1G+. You know Minnesota is gonna want revenge.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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