Hockey / Quarterfinal #4 Review: Marquette blanks UWM, earns last semifinal spot

Quarterfinal #4 Review: Marquette blanks UWM, earns last semifinal spot

Date:  Source: Northern Collegiate Hockey League
Quarterfinal #4 - #3 Marquette University blanks #6 UW Milwaukee:
Marquette University struck first in quarterfinal #4 when James Gorman cycled around the left circle and beat the UW Milwaukee goaltender Jake Mork blocker side at 3:35. It would not be long before Marquette increased their lead to two, 19 seconds later, when Chris Meininger picked up a rebound in slot and fired it home. Action continued up and down the ice, with both teams having chances to light the lamp, over the next 13 minutes. At 16:09, Gorman was whistled for the game’s first penalty. On the ensuing man advantage UWM struggled to get their powerplay unit set up in the Marquette zone and were unable to capitalize. Marquette’s Mason Smith let a shot fly from the left dot and into the upper left corner to give Marquette a 3-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the period.
 
A second period where UWM needed to claw their way back did not materialize. Michael Helm caught Mork off guard with a backhand shot in front of the net and the puck found its way over the goal line at 7:25. Helm would notch his second goal of the game off a feed from Sam Jablonsky at the 15:45 mark to put Marquette up 5-0. UWM had an excellent opportunity to get the zero off the board with a 3-on-1 rush during the final minute of the period but could not finish it off.
 
Marquette held a commanding 5-0 lead to start the third period. Milwaukee had a breakaway opportunity just before the 6:00 mark but Jake Buttice gloved the Milwaukee shot to deny them their first goal. Then at 7:11 Wyatt Dodson was in the right place to put home a loose puck, after a Leo Borgonzi, shot into a wide open net. UWM went back on the powerplay at 15:11 and came up empty. Neither team added a goal over the final 12:49, giving Buttice a shutout and Marquette a spot in the semifinals.