Wisconsin Hockey

So personal relationship drama led to me not posting more Sunday night, but all is (somewhat) solved and so I can get back to reporting on more important things, like Wisconsin's triple overtime victory over Cornell.


Triple Overtime! The game took somewhere in the area of 4 and 1/2 hours. They played basically two whole games. One goal was scored that entire time. That means we're working with some absolutely amazing goalies.

Both teams combined for 100 shots, Wisconsin accounting for 60 of those.

Freshman Jack Skille was the hero of the game. The freshman, a first round, #7 overall draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, hit a one timer off of two quick passes to finally end the game.

"Skille, who hit the crossbar on one chance and the post on another, finally beat McKee on the 100th shot of the game, 111:13 after the first puck was dropped."

In college hockey, the teams don't switch sides in overtime. Even with each successive overtime, the kept the same side of the ice. There are also no TV timeouts. By the 3rd OT guys were cramping up, barely able to stand. Wisconsin's star, Robbie Earl, crawled off the ice at one point, leg cramps completely seizing him up.

4 1/2 hours of hockey and I was enthralled for all of it. I'm a new to hockey fan, but seriously, I couldn't have picked a better year. The Wisconsin women's team won the National Championship. The men are playing in the Frozen Four, which we're hosting here in Milwaukee.

I wish I could be more articulate, but seriously, it was one hell of a game. It got to the point where I refused to leave the room. I wouldn't even risk taking the time to walk from one TV to another. The open ice hitting was spectacular. And though it's a long ass time, if they ever show a replay (and I'm sure they will, this was a game for the ages) you won't see a better, more physical, more aggressive, game. The goaltending was absolutely the best that I've ever seen. If Wisconsin goalkeeper Brian Elliot hadn't been injured for part of the season, that game would have clinched him the Hobey Baker (college hockey MVP) Award for sure.