Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving: Badgers visit old WCHA rivals
November 23, 2016 | Men's Hockey
Trips to Colorado College, Denver on the weekend schedule
OLD PLACES
Wisconsin (6-4-0) takes a trip to Colorado to face a pair of former WCHA rivals this week. The Badgers play Friday at Colorado College (3-7-0, 1-3-0 NCHC) at 8:30 p.m. CT, and Saturday at Denver (7-2-3, 3-0-3 NCHC) at 8Â p.m. CT. Friday's game takes place at The Broadmoor World Arena (200 x 100 feet ice sheet), while Saturday's contest is at Magness Arena (200 x 85 feet).
Both games stream on NCHC.tv, while Saturday's game will be televised on Altitude 2.
| Game 11 | Wisconsin vs. Colorado College | |
| Date | Friday, Nov. 25Â | 8:30 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Colorado Springs, Colo. | The Broadmoor World Arena (7,380) |
| Watch | NCHC.tv |
| Listen | Badger Sports Network | Listen Live |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin |
SERIES NOTES
The teams meet for the 188th time in what is the second-most played rivalry in UW men's hockey history (Minnesota is the most played).
UW's 111 victories over CC marks the most for the Badgers against any program by 12 wins (Michigan Tech). UW's 67 losses to CC ranks fourth in school history.
The Badgers have dropped four consecutive games to CC in Colorado Springs, dating back to 2011. UW's last victory at Colorado Springs World Arena came March 11, 2011 in the first game of the first round of the 2011 WCHA Playoffs.
LAST MEETING
Wisconsin 2, Colorado College 5
Nov. 21, 2014
Morgan Zulinick scored early in the second period at The Broadmoor World Arena to cut a two-goal deficit in half, but CC pulled away with three consecutive goals to grab a 5-1 lead by the midpoint of the third period.
Then-freshman Jason Ford scored his first career goal late in the game to make the contest a 5-2 final.Â
The Badgers were outshot 29-26 in the contest, with senior goaltender Landon Peterson stopping 24 shots in the loss.
Ten current Badgers played in the game, including forwards Jedd Soleway, Cameron Hughes, Grant Besse, Matt Ustaski, Ryan Wagner, Jason Ford, as well as defensemen Corbin McGuire, Tim Davison, Jake Linhart and Cullen Hurley.
BEHIND THE BENCH
WISCONSINÂ BADGERS
Head Coach: Tony Granato
Record at WIS: 6-4-0 (1st Year)
Overall: 6-4-0 (1st Year)
COLORADO COLLEGE TIGERS
Head Coach: Mike Haviland
Record at MC: 12-55-4 (2nd Year)
Overall: 12-55-4 (2nd Year)
| Game 12 | Wisconsin vs. Denver | |
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 26 | 8 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Denver, Colo. | Magness Arena (6,026) |
| Watch            | Altitude 2 | NCHC.tv |
| Listen | Badger Sports Network | Listen Live |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin |
SERIES NOTES
The teams meet for the 151st time in what is the sixth-most played rivalry in UW men's hockey history.
The Badgers lost their last game in Denver, 3-2, on Nov. 22, 2014.
UW's last series in Denver produced a win and tie on Dec. 1 and Nov. 20, 2012, respectively.
Denver enters the weekend on a 10-game unbeaten streak (7-0-3), but has only one win in its last four games (1-0-3) after posting a pair of home ties last weekend against Miami. DU plays at Air Force on Friday before playing the Badgers on Saturday.
LAST MEETING
Wisconsin 2, Denver 6
Nov. 21, 2015
Wisconsin fell behind, 4-0, just past the midpoint of the game, mounted a comeback, but couldn't get all the way back in a 6-2 loss at the Kohl Center.
Tim Davison scored a power-play tally at 17:10 of the second period, then Jake Linhart scored 2:02 later to close the gap to 4-2, but that was as close as it would get.
Denver scored at 5:39 of the third period to halt the comeback bid, and added an empty-net goal late for the 6-2 win.Â
The Badgers were outshot 43-33 in teh contest, with both teams scored power-play goals.Â
The game followed one night after a 3-3 overtime tie that saw the Badgers score three goals in a 4:08 span of the second period that erased a 1-0 deficit. However, DU scored two goals later in the second to tie the game at three.
UW outshot eventual Frozen Four-participant Denver, 32-24.
BEHIND THE BENCH
WISCONSINÂ BADGERS
Head Coach: Tony Granato
Record at WIS: 6-4-0 (1st Year)
Overall: 6-4-0 (1st Year)
DENVER PIONEERS
Head Coach: Jim Montgomery
Record at MC: 69-40-14 (3rd Year)
Overall: 69-40-14 (3rd Year)
MERRIMACK REVIEW
The Badgers posted a split against Merrimack, winning 3-2 last Friday, before losing a 2-0 contest on Saturday.
Freshman goaltender Jack Berry made 17 saves in the victory to improve to 2-0-0. He did allow his first goal against, snapping a 144 minute, 17 second shutout streak to start his career.Â
Sophomore Luke Kunin scored 21 seconds into the game, while junior defenseman Jake Linhart scored his first goal of the season and freshman forward Max Zimmer tallied his first career goal and game-winning marker in the 3-2 win.
Sophomore goaltender Matt Jurusik started Satruday's 2-0 loss in goal and stopped 13 of 14 shots before leaving with an injury at 17:41 of the first period. Berry replaced Jurusik and stopped 14 of 15 shots in 40:19 of action.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
Wisconsin's six victories through 10 games marks its best 10-game start to a season since the 2010–11 squad went 6-3-1 through the first 10 games.
START YOUR ENGINES
After allowing goals in the first minute of three of their first eight games, all losses, the Badgers returned the favor last Friday against Merrimack. Sophomore Luke Kunin tallied 21 seconds into the game and the Badgers never looked back in a 3-2 victory.Â
Kunin had nine goals and 14 points last season in the first and last minute of a period.
The Badgers are 5-0-0 when scoring first this season.
NON-CON
The Badgers are 6-4-0 against non-conference foes this season. One more victory would match the program's combined non-conference win total for the last two seasons. The Badgers were 7-13-6 in non-conference play over the last two seasons.
LINHART AND SOUL
Junior defenseman Jake Linhart, who led all Badger defensemen and who was tied for second among Big Ten rear guards with eight goals last season, broke through for his first goal of the season last Friday against Merrimack.
Linhart tallied a power-play goal that gave UW a 2-0 lead in the first period. He had three power-play goals last season, which ranked third among all Badgers.
His goal was his first in 13 games, dating back to Feb. 27 at Ohio State.
Linhart's goal total last year ranked fourth among Badgers and only trailed tied Michigan's early-departure Zach Werenski among Big Ten defensemen, who finished with 11. That means Linhart shares the title the "Big Ten's top goal-scoring defenseman returning."Â
Linhart also led UW defensemen with 18 points, which was tied for ninth among Big Ten blue liners.
SHUTOUT
When UW failed to score last Saturday against Merrimack, it marked the first time it was shutout since a 4-0 loss to Minnesota on Jan. 22, a span of 23 games. That shutout also came at the Kohl Center.
YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
Freshman goaltender Jack Berry started his Badger career with 144 minutes, 17 seconds of shutout hockey before finally allowing a goal to Merrimack last Friday. That marks the longest shutout streak to start a UW career, more than double Bernd Brückler's 67:59 of shutout hockey to start his career in 2001–02, which is the second longest streak in school history.
Berry reached the national minimum of 33 percent of the team's minutes played to enter the national stats at No. 1 with a 0.83 goals-against average and at No. 2 by fractions of percentage with a .956 save percentage.Â
Berry's 22-save shutout in UW's game on Nov. 5 against Northern Michigan marked the fourth time a Badger goalie accomplished the feat in his first collegiate start. In addition to Bernd Brückler's 25-save shutout on Oct. 20, 2001 in a 5-0 win over Wayne State in his first start, Jim Carey posted a 22-save shutout on Nov. 1, 1992 in an 11-0 win over Northern Michigan. Wayne Thomas also began his career with a 22-save shutout on Nov. 16, 1968 in an 11-0 win over Pennsylvania.
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LEAGUE LEADERS
Senior forward Grant Besse shares sixth in the Big Ten with a 1.22 points-per-game scoring average. Penn State freshman Denis Smirnov leads the Big Ten at 1.69 points per game.
Sophomore forward Luke Kunin shares sixth in the Big Ten with six goals and a 0.60 goals-per-game scoring average. Kunin has six goals in 10 games played. Ohio State's Nick Schilkey leads the Big Ten with a 0.92 goals-per-game average and 12 goals.
Freshman forward Trent Frederic boasts three goals and six points on the power play. His point total on the power play is tied for fourth in the league, one point behind three players. His 0.75 points per game on the power play rank second behind Michigan State's Mason Appleton (0.78).
Frederic's three power-play goals share third, one behind the league leaders.
Frederic is also one off the league lead for game-winning goals with two. Three others have scored three game-winning tallies.
Frederic's 10 points have him tied for fourth among Big Ten freshmen in scoring. His 1.25 points per game rank third among rookies.
TOP 10 LISTS
Among the least penalized teams in the country with an average of 12.4 penalty minutes per game, which ranks as the 14th lowest, the Badgers will face a Denver team on Saturday that is the least penalized team with an average of just 8.8 penalty minutes per game. Colorado averages 16.3 penalty minutes per game.
The Badgers have scored 14 of their 33 goals while on the power play.Â
SPECIAL TEAMS
Wisconsin's penalty kill continues to excel, going a perfect 6-for-6 last weekend against Merrimack.
The Badgers have been perfect on the penalty kill in each of their last four games, going 15-for-15 during that stretch. They have killed off 16 consecutive penalties.
UW's 90.7 percent penalty kill (49-for-54) ranks third among Big Ten Schools and sixth in the nation.
UW's power play went 2-for-14 last weekend, going 2-for-8 on Friday in the 3-2 victory, and 0-for-6 in the 2-0 loss.Â
For the season, UW's power play is 21.9 percent (14-for-64), to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally.
CAPTAINS
Sophomore forward Luke Kunin was named team captain, the second sophomore captain in school history. Mike Eaves was a sophomore captain for the 1975–76 season.Â
Joining sophomore forward Luke Kunin as alternate captains are senior forward Grant Besse and junior forward Cameron Hughes. Besse served as alternate captain last season, while Hughes filled in at that capacity for a handful of games last year.
BESSE TO 100Â
Should senior forward Grant Besse match his point total of 33 from last season, he would become the 74th skater in UW history to reach 100 career points, and would become the first since Tyler Barnes (2010–14) reached the mark with 101 points for his career. He actually needs 31 to reach 100.
Besse now boasts 32 goals, 42 assists and 73 points in 107 games played.
Besse's 107 games played makes him one of just two Badgers who have played 100 career college games, joining fellow senior forward Jedd Soleway, who has played 103 games.
RIGHT SAID JEDD
Senior forward Jedd Soleway returned to the lineup last Saturday after missing seven games due to injury.Â
CAPTAIN KUNINÂ
Luke Kunin ended the 2015–16 season with points in a career-best seven straight games, tallying six goals and nine points during the active streak. He has points in the first two games of this season with a goal and an assist. That give Kunin a nine-game point streak dating back to last year. He has seven goals and 11 points in that stretch. Â
Kunin scored the first goal of the game last Saturday to give UW a 1-0 lead against Northern Michigan. The goal was his team-leading fourth game-opening goal of his career.
Luke Kunin finished the 2015–16 season as the Badgers leading goal scorer with 19 goals, the first UW rookie since Dany Heatley scored 28 goals in 1999–2000 to lead the Badgers in goals. The 19 goals are also the most for a UW freshman since Heatley's 28.Â
Kunin's 32 points made him the first UW rookie to reach 30 points since Nic Kerdiles tallied 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games during the 2012–13 season. The 32 points were good for second among Big Ten freshmen, while his 0.94 points per game ranked seventh nationally among freshmen.
Kunin finished one back of UW's point lead, narrowly missing becoming the first UW rookie to pace the Badgers in scoring since Kyle Turris, who had 35 points during the 2007–08 season.
He scored four goals in the last minute of a period last season to rank second in the country, while his seven points in the last minute were also second. He had nine goals and 14 points in the first and last minute of periods, which both led the country.
Kunin finished conference play as UW's leader with 13 goals and 21 points in Big Ten play. His 13 goals ranked fourth among all Big Ten skaters, while his 21 points shared eighth. Both ranked second among Big Ten freshmen.
MANY HAPPY RETURNSÂ
Wisconsin returns 96.8 percent of its goals (90 of 93 goals), 80.4 percent of its assists (135 of 168 assists) and 86.2 percent of its points (225 of 261 points). The Badgers also return 100 percent of their power-play goals (22) from last season.
NEW COACHING STAFF
Tony Granato returns to Wisconsin after 13 years as a head and assistant coach in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. That followed a 13-year NHL playing career that included stops with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.Â
Don Granato arrives in Madison after nearly five seasons as head coach with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) helping develop the nation's best young hockey players. He also spent one season as an assistant coach with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, in addition to over 10 years as a head coach in junior and minor-league hockey.Â
Osiecki returns to Madison, where he previously spent six seasons (2004–10) as an assistant coach. While at UW, he helped the Badgers win the 2006 NCAA Championship, as well as a runner-up spot in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four. Since his time at UW, Osiecki spent time as the head coach at Ohio State, as well as an assistant coach with the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks.Â
All three coaches went to school and played hockey for Wisconsin.Â
20/20 VISION
Wisconsin welcomes five skaters back from last year who had 20 points, including Grant Besse (33), Luke Kunin (32), Seamus Malone (26), Cameron Hughes (22) and Ryan Wagner (22). This marks the first time UW returns five 20-point scores since the 2013–14 team welcomed six 20-point scorers back. That year, Michael Mersch (36), Nic Kerdiles (33), Mark Zengerle (32), Tyler Barnes (30), Joseph LaBate (23) and Jake McCabe (21) each returned to the Badgers. Prior to 2013–14, UW had last returned at least five 20-point scorers for a season when seven began the 2009–10 campaign.
FEELING A DRAFT
Wisconsin begins the season with eight NHL draft picks on its roster, including two first-round picks in Luke Kunin and Trent Frederic, third-round pick JD Greenway, fourth-round pick Max Zimmer, fifth-round selection Grant Besse, sixth-round choice Cameron Hughes and seventh-round picks Jedd Soleway and Matt Ustaski.Â
UW's top four picks were all chosen in the 2016 draft. Â
This year marks the first time since the 2010–11 season that UW boasts a first-round draft pick on its roster (Jake Gardiner), and the first team since the 2009–10 squad to boast more than one first-round pick (Gardiner, Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith).
Forwards Kunin and Frederic give UW its first first-round draft picks at the forward position since Kyle Turris played for UW during the 2007–08 season.
Kunin and Frederic give Wisconsin two first-round draft picks on the same team at forward for the first time in school history.Â
CURRENT UW DRAFT PICKSÂ Â Â
| NAME | TEAM | YEAR | RD/PICK |
| Luke Kunin | Minnesota | 2016 | 1/15 |
| Trent Frederic | Boston | 2016 | 1/29 |
| JD Greenway | Toronto | 2016 | 3/72 |
| Max Zimmer | Carolina | 2016 | 4/104 |
| Grant Besse | Anaheim | 2013 | 5/147 |
| Cameron Hughes | Boston | 2015 | 6/165 |
| Jedd Soleway | Arizona | 2013 | 7/193 |
| Matt Ustaski | Winnipeg | 2014 | 7/192 |
GETTING YOUNGER
While Wisconsin boasted one of the youngest rosters in the country last season with regards to age, they get even younger this year. The team average 20 years, 10 months at the start of October last season. This year, the team averages 20 years, 5 months.
WHERE'S HOME?
Wisconsin's two new goaltenders, Jack Berry and Johan Blomquist, hail from places that have been rare at Wisconsin of late.
Berry comes from Holly, Michigan, The Badgers first player from Michigan since Jon Krall (2000–04), who came from Temperence, Michigan.
Blomquist, from Stockholm, Sweden, arrives as just the second Swede to play for Wisconsin. He joins Jan-Ake Danielson (1981–84), who came from Insjon, Sweden.
SEASONS STREAK
In the modern era of Wisconsin hockey (since 1963), the Badgers have never posted three consecutive losing seasons. UW had losing seasons the last two years, marking the third time that has happened in the modern era.
UP NEXT
Following the games in Colorado, the Badgers will return home for a series with another NCHC opponent, Omaha, on Dec. 2-3. Friday night's game against the Mavericks is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on ASN and available for radio broadcast on WIBA-AM 1310. Saturday's tilt will start at 8 p.m. CT and will air on the Wisconsin Channel with the radio broadcast also tentatively airing on WIBA-AM 1310 and the Badger Sports Network.Â
