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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Five takeaways on the Wisconsin men's hockey team following its Big Ten Conference series with Minnesota:
One: When your fourth line is productive, good things tend to happen. UW coach Tony Granato has used 12 different combinations for that unit this season and gotten a lot in return from it lately. During the series split with the Gophers at the Kohl Center — a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday and a 5-3 victory on Saturday — the fourth line accounted for four points (1 goal, 3 assists) with seven shots and a combined plus-6 rating. The second-period goal by junior center Matt Ustaski tied the series opener at 2-all, while the power-play assists courtesy of senior left winger Aidan Cavallini and senior right winger Jedd Soleway set up the decisive conversion by senior defenseman Corbin McGuire on Saturday. Granato has funneled six players through the fourth line. The last three games have seen one constant, Ustaski in the middle, with Soleway, Cavallini and sophomore Matthew Freytag working the wings. "They kind of exemplify the focus on details that we need," UW associate head coach Don Granato said of the latest fourth liners. "They've been the leaders for us in executing the details of how we want to play. Being ready to play and playing hard. Clearly you see that they want to make an impression on the game through their effort, energy and passion. They play together. They play hard. They play for each other."
Two: What about those early deficits? The Badgers (11-8-1 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten) have allowed multiple goals in the opening period 10 times this season, including both games vs. Minnesota. They are 3-6-1 in those outings and have a minus-12 scoring ratio in the first 20 minutes of a match (28-16) compared to a plus-20 in the second and third periods (57-37). Don Granato said those statistics are deceptive because they suggest a trend that UW isn't ready to play right away. While that's been the case in some games, in others the Badgers have played very well in the first period only to be victimized by bouts of iffy goaltending. "I don't know that there's a common thread," he said. "We're trying to bring two things together that I'm not so sure belong together as far as a trend."
Three: It continues to be a two-man job in goal for the Badgers. Some observers were surprised that freshman goaltender Jack Berry didn't start back-to-back nights against the Gophers. He was excellent in the opener, stopping 36 shots, before giving way to sophomore Matt Jurusik, who was similarly strong in making 32 stops in the win. This arrangement will likely hold true until Jurusik, who started all but three games last season, figures out a way to consistently outperform Berry. The rookie became a go-to guy — making seven consecutive starts — when Jurusik went down with a knee injury in November.
Four: A lengthy, frustrating wait has ended for UW junior defenseman Tim Davison. His unassisted conversion off a second-period turnover on Saturday was more than just his first goal of the season. It also ended a personal 40-game drought going back to Dec. 5, 2015. He had five conversions last season.
Five: Sustained attacking pressure is becoming the norm for the Badgers. They have outshot opponents by 10 or more in a period nine times this season, including the 17-7 edge they had on Minnesota in the second period on Saturday. They also did it in both games of the Michigan State series — 14-3 and 15-5 — on the way to a Big Ten sweep on Jan. 6 and 7. For perspective, Wisconsin had four of those instances last season and one in 2014-15.
