For U, four goals and a win is a start

Jim Gehrz, Star Tribune

Minnesota goalie Alex Kangas made a second-period save against Wisconsin's Blake Geoffrion as he was being tripped by Minnesota's Derek Peltier. Peltier was given a tripping penalty.

The goal-starved Gophers bolted to a 3-0 lead and beat Wisconsin with their highest output since mid-January.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: February 23, 2008 - 12:47 AM

Gophers coach Don Lucia has coached for 21 seasons at Alaska Fairbanks, Colorado College and Minnesota. Never had one of his teams gone through a scoring slump as bad as this team has endured recently: 10 goals in the past eight games.

It had to end sometime. And Friday it did, at least for one night.

Minnesota, which had scored a conference-low 44 goals entering Friday, scored four goals, including two in the second period, to beat Wisconsin 4-2 at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers' last four-goal game was a 4-4 tie at St. Cloud State on Jan. 12.

"You could tell who the desperate team was," Badgers coach Mike Eaves said. "We did not wake up until the third period."

The Gophers were well-rested, too, after a week off during which they slipped two spots to ninth place in the WCHA.

"They had a week to sit on [being ninth] and stew on it," Eaves said.

The victory for the Gophers (13-13-7, 7-11-5 WCHA) was only their second in 11 games since a sweep of Wayne State in early January. But it kept alive Minnesota's hopes of making a late charge up the WCHA standings and moved them up a spot to eighth place, one point ahead of Michigan Tech.

Freshman center Patrick White's goal in the middle of the second period was the game-winner. At the time, it gave the Gophers a 3-0 cushion. It was his fourth goal of the season. He and his three teammates who scored Friday had only nine goals among them entering the game.

Two of Minnesota's four goals came on power plays, also a key because the Gophers had been a woeful 1-for-36 on power plays the past 10 games.

"The game becomes easier to play when you score a couple power-play goals," Lucia said.

The Gophers outshot Wisconsin 11-5 in the first period and took a 1-0 lead on senior defenseman Derek Peltier's second goal of the season at 9 minutes, 49 seconds.

Minnesota scored two goals in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Mike Carman scored on a rebound on a power play at 10:53. Then White, the Gophers' third-line center, got the third goal at 12:32. He took a shot from the slot, then pounced on his own rebound.

"It was great to get out in front and stay out in front," said Carman, who centers the second line. "We have worked hard but sometimes have let up a little in the third period."

The Badgers (14-13-6, 10-11-4) outscored Minnesota 2-1 in the third period, but the Gophers had enough of a cushion to win.

Jay Barriball closed the scoring for the Gophers with a power-play goal at 8:16 of the third.

"It was nice to see more than one goal," Lucia said. "Guys going to the net, everyone contributing. So many games the last month and a half, we worked hard and deserved better but have not been able to win."

Considering how bunched the WCHA standings, Lucia said he told his players the Gophers still could finish anywhere between fourth and 10th going into their last six games. Now five regular-season games remain.

"Tonight's a start," Lucia said. "We won one."