Baggot’s 4Check: Freshman firepower heating up
November 19, 2017 | Men's Hockey, Andy Baggot
Four takeaways from Wisconsin’s series vs. Michigan
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Here are four takeaways on the Wisconsin men's hockey team following its Big Ten Conference series with Michigan:
1. If the UW offense seems a bit more lethal — 11 goals during a 7-3 win and a 4-4 overtime draw with the Wolverines would bear that out — it might be because two freshmen have found a groove after slow starts. Defenseman Wyatt Kalnyuk has 10 points in his last eight outings, including a four-point showing over the weekend. He has a team-best 10 assists and almost all have come on meaningful conversions: four on game-tying goals, two on go-ahead conversions and one on a game-winner. Meanwhile, winger Sean Dhooghe has seven points (one goal, six assists) in his last six outings, including a pair of assists vs. the Wolverines. That's a pretty heady recovery from the first nine games of the season when he was point-less.
We scored early and never looked back.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 17, 2017
2. All told, the ninth-ranked Badgers are getting contributions out of every corner of their seven-man rookie class. In addition to Kalynuk and Dhooghe, center Tarek Baker has six goals and is plus-7; winger Linus Weissbach has five goals, including a pair of multi-goal outings; winger Jason Dhooghe has a goal and impressed with his no-nonsense grit; and defensemen Josh Ess and Tyler Inamoto look more and more comfortable by the shift.
"I think this is what you are going to see a lot this season in Big Ten play: two teams that are evenly-matched, competing for every inch of ice." - @TonyGranato
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 18, 2017
3. Wisconsin (8-5-2 overall, 3-2-1 in the Big Ten) was credited with 50 blocked shots during the series with the Wolverines. The Badgers had 26 in the opener, including a team-best five from Jason Dhooghe, and 24 in the second game, led by junior defenseman Peter Tischke with seven. In all, 31 of the 50 blocks in the series were recorded by defensemen, which no doubt got a smile out of associate head coach and defensive guru Mark Osiecki.
4. Michigan came to town with a dangerous power play and the Badgers were mostly up to the task, killing off eight of nine chances (88.9). Next up is a non-conference home series with Atlantic Hockey entry Mercyhurst, which owns the No. 3 power play in the nation (29.1). The Lakers (4-4-2) have scored 35 goals this season and 16 have come via the man-advantage.
