Left wing Alec Broetzman netted the overtime game-winner to lift the Madison Capitols over the Green Bay Gamblers, 3-2, to win the first game of the Wisconsin Cheese Cup, presented by Odyssey Greek Klondike Cheese, and their first game at Bob Suter Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton, on Friday evening.
Madison (1-2-0-0) is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with two points. Green Bay (2-0-1-0) leads the Eastern Conference with five points.
“It was a good response to last weekend for the boys,” explained Capitols Assistant Coach Blake Hietala. “We took those two losses and learned from them this week and really applied it tonight; it was good to see.”
Broetzman netted the game-winner at 1:47 of the overtime period. Broetzman and center Cade Borchardt skated into the Gamblers zone on a two-on-one break. Borchardt carried the puck down the right wing and fed a pass to Broetzman between the hashmarks. Broetzman deked the puck from his left to his right before sliding it past goaltender Maksim Zhukov for the 3-2 win.
Left wing Verners Egle put the Capitols on the scoreboard at 12:30 of the opening frame. Center Ludwig Stenlund carried the puck into the Gamblers zone and down the right wing on a two-on-one break with Egle. Stenlund snapped a wrist shot from the right face-off circle that Zhukov made the pad save on. The rebound fell in the crease and Egle was on the doorstep to bury the puck into the net, and give the Capitols a 1-0 lead.
Gamblers center Matt Jennings answered back at 13:09 of the first period to knot the score at 1-1. The Capitols attempted to clear the puck from their zone, but defenseman Tyler Spott fired a shot from the left point that Madison netminder Dryden McKay saved with his left pad. The rebound found its way to the right face-off circle where Jennings one-timed a shot from one knee to tie the game at 1-1.
Right wing Vincent de Mey gave the Capitols their lead back with an unassisted tally at 2:04 of the third period. The puck came to Zhukov and the netminder made the save. With his glove covering the puck, he went to slide it to his defenseman to his right but the puck got hung up in the crease and de Mey was on the doorstep to jam in the goal for a 2-1 lead.
With 2:56 left in the game, left wing Rory Herrman tied the game at 2-2 with his first goal of the season. Gamblers defenseman Carver Watson threw a shot on net from the left point and McKay mad the save. The rebound flew out to the right circle for Herrman to one-time over the glove of the netminder to tie the game at two.
McKay (1-2-0) earned his first win this season stopping 32-of-34 shots. Zhukov (2-0-1) took his first loss of the season stopping 30 saves on 33 shots.
The Capitols were 0-for-1 on the power play. The Gamblers went 0-for-2 with the single man advantage.