Senior forward Blake Geoffrion scored the game-winning power play goal with 44 seconds left in the second period as the Wisconsin Badger men’s hockey team knocked off Vermont 3-2 in the first round of the NCAAMen’s Ice Hockey West Regional at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday night.
The top-seeded Badgers (26-10-4) advance to face No. 2-seed St. Cloud State in Saturday’s West Regional final with a trip to the 2010 Frozen Four on the line. Wisconsin continues its pursuit of a seventh NCAA championship and looks to make its first Frozen Four appearance since winning the NCAA title in 2006.
The Badgers broke a 2-2 tie late in the second period when Geoffrion scored his team-leading 26th goal and 14th power play goal of thed season. Geoffrion said the game winner just barely found the net.
AUDIO: Blake Geoffrion on his game winning PP goal :17
Junior Brendan Smith and freshman Justin Schultz assisted on the game winner.
Wisconsin out-shot Vermont 42-30, including a 16-3 edge in that second period.
The Badgers meet WCHA foe St. Cloud State (24-13-5) for the sixth time this season in tonight’s second round game. The Huskies defeated Northern Michigan 4-3 in double-overtime earlier on Friday night, marking St. Cloud State’s first national tournament victory and snapping an 8-game NCAA skid.
Wisconsin is 2-3 against St. Cloud this season, most recently falling to the Huskies 2-0 in the semi-final round of the WCHA Final Five on March 19.
