Mitchell scores twice, Wisconsin beats St. Cloud State 5-3 to reach Frozen Four

Wisconsin advances to Frozen Four

ST. PAUL, Minn. — John Mitchell scored two goals and Wisconsin advanced to the Frozen Four for the 12th time, beating St. Cloud State 5-3 on Saturday night in the NCAA West Regional final.

Mitchell, Blake Geoffrion and Jake Gardiner had first-period goals for the Badgers (27-10-4), who will face East Regional champion Rochester Institute of Technology in the national semifinals April 8 at Ford Field in Detroit.

Aaron Bendickson also scored, and Scott Gudmandson made 26 saves for Wisconsin, making its first Frozen Four appearance since winning the 2006 title in Milwaukee.

Jared Festler scored twice, and Tony Mosey added a goal for St. Cloud State (24-14-5), which cut the Badgers’ lead to a goal three times, but couldn’t pull even.

St. Cloud State’s Mike Lee stopped eight of 11 shots before being replaced by Dan Dunn late in the third with the Huskies down 3-1. Dunn made 31 saves.