UW WELCOMES MICHIGAN FOR "WHITE OUT" SERIES 
Wisconsin (6-12-6, 1-7-2-1 Big Ten) returns to the ice after a bye week and continues its eight-game homestand, playing host to No. 6 Michigan (17-4-4, 8-2-2-1 Big Ten) in a Friday-Saturday series at the Kohl Center. Both tilts are scheduled for 7 p.m. and will both air on the Wisconsin Channel.

The Badgers swept Alaska their last time out, with a 4-3 win on Jan. 29 followed by a 5-2 win over the Nanooks in the series finale on Jan. 30. 

The Wolverines had lost just one Big Ten game entering this past weekend, but split with in-state rival Michigan State, falling 4-3 in overtime on Friday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit before knocking off the Spartans 4-1 on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

Game 25  |  Wisconsin vs. #6 Michigan
Date	Friday, Feb. 12  |  7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis.  |  Kohl Center (15,359)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com
Watch	Wisconsin Channel  |  Watch Live
Listen	Badger Sports Network  |  Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats  |  @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin  |  Michigan

Game 26  |  Wisconsin vs. #6 Michigan
Date	Saturday, Feb. 13  |  7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis.  |  Kohl Center (15,359)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com
Watch	Wisconsin Channel  |  Watch Live
Listen	Badger Sports Network  |  Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats  |  @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin  |  Michigan

Last Meeting: T, 6-6 (0-2 SO) -- In a see-saw affair that saw Michigan hold leads of 2-0, 3-2 and 6-5, and Wisconsin see a 5-3 lead, the teams finished overtime tied, 6-6, on Dec. 5 in Ann Arbor. Freshman forward Matthew Freytag scored the game-tying goal on the power play at 15:31 of the third period to send the game to overtime. UW finished 3-for-5 on the power play, while Freytag and Ryan Wagner each scored two goals. Michigan went on to capture an extra point with a 2-0 victory in the shootout. The prior night, UW grabbed 3-0 and 4-2 leads, but couldn't hold on as the Wolverines scored the last four goals of the game for a 6-4 victory. Tim Davison, Will Johnson, Luke Kunin and Matt Ustaski scored for the Badgers.

UM Series Notes: The two teams will meet for the 136th and 137th times in the all-time series ... the Badgers are winless in the last nine meetings with the Wolverines, a stretch that dates back to a 3-1 UW win on Jan. 11, 2014 at the Kohl Center ... UW dropped both meetings with Michigan at the Kohl Center last season ... the two teams met once a year in the College Hockey Showcase beginning in the 1993-94 season, with the final installment coming during the 2010-11 season ... both schools competed for an unofficial Big Ten championship from 1959-1981, with the two schools each winning five Big Ten crowns as determined by head-to-head match-ups with the other Big Ten schools. Wisconsin didn't start competing for the unofficial title until the 1968-69 campaign. UW also played at least one game with Michigan from 1921-35 in the premodern era of Wisconsin hockey, which included a pair of losses to U of M in the Badgers inaugural campaign in 1921-22.

THIS WEEK IN MEN'S HOCKEY
• Wisconsin (6-12-6, 1-7-2-1 Big Ten) returns to Big Ten action for the home stretch of the 2015–16 regular season by playing host to Michigan (17-4-4, 8-2-2-1 Big Ten) on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.

• The Badgers play at least six consecutive weekends to close out the 2015-16 season.

• The Badgers swept visiting Alaska on Jan. 29-30 in their last action, winning 4-3 on Friday and 5-2 on Saturday.
    Michigan had an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1) heading into this past weekend, but fell to Michigan State 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The Wolverines secured a series split with a 4-1 victory at Michigan State on Saturday. 

• This weekend's series against Michigan is 'White out the Kohl Center' weekend. Fans are encouraged to wear white to both games of the series against the Wolverines. 

• The Badgers are in the midst of a stretch of 12 games during which they play 10 at the Kohl Center. This weekend continues a stretch of eight consecutive home contests. UW sits 4-4-4 at the Kohl Center this season.

• The Badgers can match their longest winning streak of the season on Friday. A victory over Michigan would give UW a three-game winning streak, matching the one UW posted Oct. 30-Nov. 6 with two wins over Arizona State and one at North Dakota.

• Sophomore Corbin McGuire skated as a defenseman for the first time in UW's last action. The move proved fruitful as McGuire scored the first goal of the weekend for the Badgers against Alaska on Jan. 29. He scored a second time later in the game, but the goal was waived due to goaltender interference. He finished the weekend at plus-4 and fired off seven shots on goal. 
    The goal gives him two for the season, matching his total from his freshman year.
• Sophomore forward Ryan Wagner posted his third multi-goal game of the season with two goals on Jan. 29 against Alaska, including his team-leading fifth power-play tally and his second game-winning goal of the year.
    Wagner now ranks second on the team with eight goals and shares second with 19 points. He had just two goals and five points as a freshman in 35 games played. He leads the team with 10 points in Big Ten action. 

• Freshman forward Jarod Zirbel scored his first career goal on Jan. 29, scoring to give UW a 3-1 lead in an eventual 4-3 victory. 
    Wisconsin is now 6-4-3 when Zirbel is in the lineup.

• Freshman forward Luke Kunin became the first Badger this season to reach double-figures in goals after scoring in UW's most recent game on Jan. 30 against Alaska. Last season, only then-sophomore Grant Besse (11 goals), reached double figures in goals. 
    Kunin is the first Wisconsin freshman to reach double figures in goals since Nic Kerdiles tallied 11 goals in 32 games as a rookie in 2011–12. Kunin has 10 goals through 23 contests. He also shares second on the team with 19 points.
    Kunin became the eighth Badger freshman in the Eaves' Era (2002-present) to reach double figures in goals. The others? Kyle Turris had 11 goals as a rookie in 2007–08, Michael Davies scored 11 times during the 2006–07 season, Jack Skille (13) and Ben Street (10) reached double figures as freshmen in 2005–06, Joe Pavelski struck 16 times as a rookie in 2004–05, Robbie Earl tallied 14 times in 2003–04 and Ryan MacMurchy scored 10 goals in 2002–03. 
        The last Badger freshman to lead a team in goals was Dany Heatley in 1999–2000. Heatley scored 28 times that year.  The last UW rookie to lead the team in points for a season was Turris, when he had 35 points in 36 games.

• Freshman forward Seamus Malone posted a pair of two assist games on consecutive nights against Alaska on Jan. 29 and 30. The four-point weekend gave him a team-leading five multi-point games this season. It also has him fourth on the Badgers with 18 points. He shares the team lead with 15 assists.

• Six different Badgers combined for seven multi-point games in UW's last series against Alaska on Jan. 29 and 30. Senior defenseman Kevin Schulze (two assists), freshman forward Seamus Malone (two assists) and sophomore forward Ryan Wagner (two goals) each had multi-point games against Alaska on Jan. 29 in the team's 4-3 victory, while Malone (two assists), sophomore forward Cameron Hughes (one goal, one assist), sophomore defenseman Jake Linhart (one goal, one assist) and sophomore forward Adam Rockwood (two assists) each posted a pair of point the next night. 
    
• Wisconsin scored its 15th power-play goal of the season in its 23rd game, then scored two more in game 24 against Alaska to give UW 17 power-play tallies. UW recorded 15 power-play goals all of the 2014–15 season.
    UW's power play climbed to 20.2 percent (17-for-84) with the weekend.  

• Wisconsin's penalty kill, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th in the country, went 6-for-6 in its most recent weekend against Alaska on Jan. 29 and 30. The Badgers are 78-for-92 on the kill this season for a 84.8 percent success rate. 

• After playing its first 21 games of the season without a major penalty, the Badgers have been called for three over the last three games, with all three resulting in additional games suspended by the Big Ten. Senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow will miss Friday's game to complete a suspension from a hit Jan. 23 against Minnesota. 

• Sophomore forward Cameron Hughes will serve as an assistant captain for three games while co-captain Eddie Wittchow is out of the lineup.
    Hughes, who has a modest three-game point-scoring streak with two goals and four points during the stretch, has matched his freshman goal total of three, and has surpassed his rookie season's point total of 13 with 14 points. 

• Sophomore defenseman Jake Linhart had the most offensively productive weekend of his career against Alaska on Jan. 29-30, scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists. Linhart leads Badger defensemen with seven goals on the season, which shares seventh in the nation among blueliners. 
    Linhart is within striking distance of double figures in goals. Should he reach the mark, he would become the first UW rear guard to reach at least 10 goals since Justin Schultz tallied 16 times during the 2011–12 season. 
    The most goals for a Badger defenseman since Schultz is eight by both Jake McCabe (2013–14) and John Ramage (2012–13).
    Since 2000, only Schultz (18 in 2010–11 and 16 in 2011–12), Jake Gardiner (10 in 2010–11), Brendan Smith (15 in 2009–10) and Tom Gilbert (12 in 2005–06) have scored at least 10 goals from the blue line. 

• Wisconsin tallied nine goals in its last series against Alaska on Jan. 29-30, the second-highest total for a weekend this season behind the 10 goals it scored at Michigan on Dec. 4-5. 
    The goals give the Badgers 63 for the season, four more than the team scored the entire 2014–15 season. 

• Junior Grant Besse boasts 21 points, one shy of his career high. Last season Besse led the Badgers with 22 points. This season, he boasts six goals and a team and career high 15 assists.

• Fan voting is underway online for the WHA-TV Jim Santulli 7th-Man Award. Named for the producer who helped start Badger hockey broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Television in the 1970's, the Jim Santulli 7th Man Award is presented to the winner in April. This is the 36th year the trophy will be awarded.
    Voting is live at http://go.wisc.edu/santulli7thman

• The Badgers have led or been tied during the third period in 17 of their 24 games this season. The Badgers are 6-6-5 in those contests.

• UW posted its sixth tie of the season on Jan. 9 against Ohio State, more than halfway to the school record of eight ties set during the 2003–04 campaign.
    The Badgers had tied 11 consecutive overtime games and were unbeaten in 12 consecutive overtime contests before losing a 4-3 overtime contest last Friday at Penn State. The Badgers went 1-0-11 over a span that dates back to March 22, 2014 and the Badgers' 5-4 overtime victory over Ohio State in the championship game of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament.

• The Badgers have overcome multi-goal holes to avoid defeat on three occasions this season.
    The most recent came Jan. 9 against Ohio State when UW overcame a 4-2 deficit for a 4-4 tie. 
    The others were Northern Michigan on Oct. 10 (3-0 deficit in third; 3-3 tie) and Michigan on Dec. 5 (trailed 2-0 in first; 6-6 tie).

• The Badgers have scored seven goals in the final minute of a period this season, five of which have factored in either a victory or a tie.
    Junior right winger Grant Besse had one in the third period vs. Northern Michigan on Oct. 9 that provided a 2-2 draw (19:18).
    Sophomore defenseman Tim Davison had one in the third session vs. Ferris State on Oct. 23 that resulted in a 5-5 tie (19:40).
    Kunin had one in the second period vs. Michigan State on Dec. 12 that gave way to a 3-0 win (19:02).
    Kunin had another in the second session vs. Ohio State on Jan. 9 (19:48). That came a period prior to one by sophomore center Ryan Wagner (19:35).

• UW has two freshmen among the top 10 in the Big Ten in scoring. Luke Kunin shares fifth with 19 points on 10 goals and nine assists, while Seamus Malone shares seventh with 18 points (3 goals, 15 assists).

• Wisconsin celebrated a pair of NCAA championship anniversaries this season, including the weekend of Nov. 20-21, when the 1980–81 team was back for the 35th anniversary of their title. 
    The 2005–06 NCAA title was celebrated on the 10th anniversary of the school's sixth NCAA title Jan. 30 during the NHL All-Star break. The UW women's team was also celebrating their 2006 NCAA title that same weekend.

• Senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow (Burnsville, Minn.) skated in his 100th career game for the Badgers on Nov. 6 to become just the second current Badger to reach the milestone. He now has played in 113 games. Only fellow senior defenseman Kevin Schulze (White Bear Lake, Minn.), who has played in 137 games, has played in more.
    Two other Badgers could play in their 100th career games this season as junior forwards Jedd Soleway (92 GP) and Grant Besse (92 GP) are within striking distance.

• UW faces one of the tougher schedules in the nation this season, with an especially grueling stretch to start the campaign. The Badgers played six of their first 12 games against teams ranked in the top five of the preaseason USCHO.com poll, with at least one game against four of the top five teams. 
    Of its 34 total games, Wisconsin will play 14 against teams ranked in the top 13 of the USCHO.com preseason poll. Only three of UW's series this year are against a team not receiving votes in the preseason poll. 

• Senior defenseman Kevin Schulze led the nation in 2014–15 with an average of 2.66 blocks per game, 0.11 shots-per-game better than Bemidji State defenseman Sam Windle (2.55). Schulze's 93 blocks were four shy of Windle's national lead.
    As a team, UW ranked 10th in the country with an average of 14.83 blocks per game.
    This season, teammate Eddie Wittchow ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 2.64 blocks per game. Wittchow ranks 15th in the nation with 58 blocks.
    Schulze still ranks among the nation's best in the category, blocking an average of 2.38 shots per game to rank ninth in the country. He has blocked 57 shots this year in 24 contests. 

• Wisconsin will serve as host school for the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four set for April 7-9 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
    The Badgers last played host to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2006 when it was held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The Badgers won the championship that season, defeating Boston College, 2-1, in the title game.

• Five Badgers were captains of their teams before arriving on campus including Kevin Schulze (Hill-Murray), Cullen Hurley (Academy of Holy Angels) and Jarod Zirbel (Notre Dame Academy), who each captained their high school teams, as well as Luke Kunin who served as a captain of the U.S. Under-18 Team and Patrick Sexton (Penticton) in the BCHL. Hurley also co-captained the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. Eddie Wittchow (co-captain) and Grant Besse (assistant captain) will earn their stripes this season as captains of the Badgers.

• Wisconsin boasts 13 skaters who have championships on their resumes. Three Badgers (Besse, Davison, Zirbel) own high school state titles, two (Rockwood, Sexton) own BCHL titles, Hughes won an AJHL championship, Malone won a USHL crown, McGuire won an EJHL championship and Keryluk owns an USPHL win. In addition, Kunin won a under-18 world title and Jurusik won the NAHL regular-season crown. Others include Wittchow's USHL western conference victory and Soleway's BCHL division triumph.

• Head coach Mike Eaves is behind the bench for his 14th season at Wisconsin. The Badgers own one NCAA title (2006), two Frozen Four appearances (2006, 2010), seven NCAA tournament appearances and two conference tournament titles (2013, 2014) during Eaves' tenure. 
    Eaves has seen 28 of his former Badgers go on to play in the NHL, as well as over 60 of his former players go on to play some sort of professional hockey (NHL, AHL, ECHL, overseas). Fifty NHL drafted skaters have played at Wisconsin under Eaves.

• Wisconsin hockey boasts five new staff members including associate head coach Luke Strand, assistant coach JB Bittner, director of hockey operations John Hamre, video coordinator Emily Engel and primary care Dr. Andrew Watson.

• For the new coaches, associate head coach Luke Strand came to UW from a year as general manager and coach of the first-year Madison Capitols of the USHL. He played college hockey for UW-Eau Claire. New assistant coach JB Bittner, who played his college hockey at Ohio State, arrived in Madison from a two-year assistant coaching stint for the USHL's Tri-City Storm in Kearney, Nebraska.

UP NEXT
• Wisconsin will finish off its eight-game homestand when it hosts Michigan State next weekend at the Kohl Center on Feb. 19-20. Both games are at 8 p.m., with Friday's contest airing on BTN.