DETROIT--Wisconsin's 7-3 victory over Colgate in the NCAA hockey championship game yesterday turned into a going-away party for seven seniors on the team and thousands of Badger fans who celebrated in Joe Louis Arena.

One senior, John Byce, had three goals, including two before the game was four minutes old, to lead the Badgers to their fifth national title since 1973.

"I knew this group of seniors deserved to win it somewhere along the line and it's great to have them go out this way," Wisconsin Coach Jeff Sauer said.

With most of the 15,034 spectators wearing Wisconsin red and the Wisconsin band blaring, players enjoyed the post-game revelry.

"It's just like playing at home," Sauer said.

The big-game pressure and crowd apparently got to Colgate, a tiny upstate New York school with an enrollment of 2,700 students.

"It was tough. They were a little awestruck with all red shirts," Colgate Coach Terry Slater said of his players.

The Red Raiders played much of the first period short-handed and Wisconsin scored three power-play goals and one short-handed goal to take a 4-1 lead.

"We took stupid penalties. But penalties are penalties and we deserved them," Slater said.

Colgate, which beat Boston University, 3-2, on Friday to advance to the finals, wasn't able to get on track until the third period, when it outshot Wisconsin, 14-3. Still, the Red Raiders could muster only one third-period goal. The loss was the first in 20 games for Colgate goalie Dave Gagnon, who is 18-1-1 inthat span.

The Badgers and their seven seniors, six ofthem NHL draftees, came out of the gate flying,outshooting Colgate, 10-5, in the first period.

"We didn't want to give them a chance to getoff the ground," Wisconsin forward Chris Tancillsaid. "The only way they were going to beat us isif they got ahead early and shut us down."

Byce tipped in a shot from the blue line for apower-play goal 90 seconds into the game andscored short-handed about two minutes later whenhe beat Gagnon on a breakaway.

Colgate answered with a power-play goal by JoelGardner two-and-a-half minutes later to make it2-1. But the Badgers came back with power-playgoals by Tancill and Rob Andringa to make it 4-1after the first period.

In the second period, Wisconsin got goals fromDennis Snedden and Gary Shuchuk, while StevePoapst tallied for Colgate to make it 6-2 aftertwo.

The Red Raiders added a goal by Jamie Cook at9:34 of the third, but could get no closer. Byceput one in an empty net with 42 seconds left forthe final margin.

Wisconsin, winner of the Western CollegiateHockey Association's regular season and playofftitle, beat Boston College, 2-1, in the semifinalsto advance to the title game. The Badgers end theseason with 36-9-1 record.

Colgate, the regular season and playoff winnerin the ECAC, ends the season with a 31-6-1 record