MADISON, Wis. – The fifth-ranked Wisconsin men's hockey team opened its four-game homestand with a statement, securing a 4-2 win over St. Lawrence on Friday night at the Kohl Center.

Senior goaltender Kyle Hayton, who graduated from St. Lawrence (0-7-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) this summer before joining Wisconsin, made 17 saves to earn the win against his former teammates. The Badgers (6-2-0, 1-1-0 Big Ten) outshot the Saints 40-19.

Senior forward Ryan Wagner kicked off the game with a goal just 58 seconds in, dangling through the legs of an SLU defender before scoring high blocker on Saints' netminder Arthur Brey.

The lead wouldn't hold long though, as Keenan Cusinato picked the Badgers' pocket in front of Hayton and scored at the 1:43 mark. The tie would hold into the first intermission.

Wisconsin struck again early in the second on the man-advantage when freshman Wyatt Kalynuk sent a shot from the point into traffic and it redirected off of sophomore Trent Frederic for the 2-1 lead.

Cusinato scored his second of the night at the 9:38 mark, but UW regained the lead on another power play five minutes later. With just five seconds remaining in the advantage, junior Seamus Malone grabbed a rebound near the goal line and banked it off of Brey's pad and into the net.

Freshman Tarek Baker added an insurance goal at the 12:55 mark after a two-on-one rush with junior Will Johnson.

Johnson and Kalynuk each recorded two assists on the night.
 
Notes to Know:
- The Badgers took 40+ shots on net for the second time in as many games.
- UW has scored four-or-more goals in its last five contests.
- Wisconsin has six wins in its first eight games for the first time since the start if the 2005-06 season.
- The Badgers went 2-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
 

Straight from the Rink:
Head Coach Tony Granato
On the power play:
"I thought we moved the puck really well on the power play. I thought we did last week as well. That's been encouraging and it was the difference in the game, two power-play goals tonight, that's the difference. I thought we played really well in the offensive zone. I thought we had a lot of loose pucks there that we were close to jumping on and burying, so we'll have to be stronger in that area tomorrow and try to get a few more by them. I think we played a really solid game pretty much from start to finish."
 
On Kyle Hayton's emotions:
"Well, when you give up your first one you're probably more on the nervous side and jittery. He didn't have a ton of action and there weren't a ton of chances for him to get in the game early. I think there was a dump that he kind of mishandled. He was probably more nervous than I thought he'd be. I thought with his composure and his confidence and his demeanor, I thought he'd be a little bit more relaxed. He played very well. I know when you give up that first shot you're always a little bit worried on how you're going to respond to that and fortunately he played really well for us."
  
On the top line:
"They protected the puck well and didn't make blind plays through the slot. They got it to the net when they had the opportunity a little bit more so than the other lines. They're all skilled players. They all can protect it and hold off defenders and I thought all three of them were outstanding in the offensive zone.  I think Frederic and Wagner are probably thinking they could've had three or four tonight so they played a really solid game for us."
 
On Tarek Baker's goal:
"That's his (Will Johnson) third one like that. Baker made a really nice one-timer across his body and but Johnson made a great play 2-on-2. They had a great gap and he chipped it behind him deep and beat him with his speed. Johnson's made some big plays for us all year and that one to get a two-goal lead was really important."
 
Forward Ryan Wagner
On the hockey IQ of Seamus Malone:
"Yeah he's really smart. Like you said most players will try and corral the puck and kind of see their other options. But Seamus saw the goalie was kind of out of position and he did what he needed to do and it worked out for him." 

Goaltender Kyle Hayton
On emotions from first 10 minutes of the game/game as a whole
"It was a weird start, I guess. When I got up on the blue line obviously it was a little weird. Coming out with the first shot, first goal is tough. The guys did well to come back and score some big goals and I just hung in there and battled for 60 minutes.

"There's obviously a lot of emotion. I don't think it could possibly not be (emotional). But in the end, it's another game. I prepare just like any other game. I want to win this game just as bad as any other game so I really didn't change my routine, change the way I play."

On staying engaged when the puck is in the other zone so often:
"Getting (only) 19 shots, it's tough to hang in a game like that. But as a goalie, it's part of your job. You have to focus all the time. In the end, you always have to be ready. There were a couple times when we had some defensive breakdowns and I'd come up with a decent save. You always have to be ready for those type of plays."

On being more nervous to play against St. Lawrence:
"I don't think I'm more nervous, it's just another game. Excited, I think there's a little added excitement for sure. Just to play those guys again, emotion was there for sure."
 
Junior Will Johnson
On Baker's goal and how hard it is holding the puck in scoring situations:
"With my hockey skill, it's pretty tough. I think I just saw the D dropping right away when I entered the zone so I just kind of had to make a split-second decision and I decided to go around him because it's worked the last couple times. I tried it again and it worked."

On changing the style of the power play
"I think we've been working a lot. Coach Strobel has been really putting us through the paces. I think we did the power play every practice this week. He's been really focusing on getting shots off and attacking the net on the puck and entering the zone well. I think it's going to be something that pays off in the long run. If we just keep putting the puck on net and we have players in front of the net, it's going to come. We just need to keep working on it."
 
Up Next:
The Badgers return to the Kohl Center on Saturday for the series finale with St. Lawrence at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on BTN Plus and will be broadcast on 1310 WIBA.