BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Long before Matthew Freytag became a member of the Wisconsin men's hockey team, he was being hard-wired for the role.
Freytag grew up in Minnesota, in the Twin Cities suburb of Wayzata, but made regular trips to Madison with his family to watch the Badgers play football at Camp Randall Stadium and hockey at the Kohl Center.
No surprise there. Jim Freytag, his father, is a UW graduate whose mid-1980s campus experience included a stint as Bucky Badger and as Homecoming king. Chris Freytag, Matthew's mother, was born in Madison and is a UW grad as well.
Matthew said his first memory of coming to Madison was with his parents when he was 10 or so.
"I remember coming here as a kid and them telling me the stuff they used to do and where everything was and what's changed," he said. "We walked up and down State Street. My mom said, 'I used to sit on that bench with your dad.' That was like 30 years ago."
No one knew at the time that the road would lead Matthew to a place in the Wisconsin lineup.
No one knew at the time that he would become a link in a remarkable chain either.
A sophomore winger who turns 20 later this month, Freytag is coming off an award-winning performance during a Big Ten Conference series sweep of Ohio State. He scored goals in consecutive games — 3-1 and 3-2 (overtime) wins — was named second star of the week by the league and tightened his grip on a third line slot with junior center and assistant captain Cameron Hughes and sophomore Will Johnson.
That unit — which produced the winning goals in both outings against the Buckeyes — will look to continue its productivity Friday and Saturday night when the 18th-ranked Badgers (13-8-1 overall, 6-2 in the Big Ten) play a conference series at Michigan State (5-15-2, 1-6-1) in East Lansing, Michigan.
A point of emphasis for first-year UW coach Tony Granato is making sure his players are focused on the moment. Yes, they're back in the national rankings for the first time since 2014. Yes, the club has three straight wins over top-10 opponents. Yes, things seem to be going well.
But handling success — Wisconsin won 12 of 70 games over the previous two seasons — can be a challenge if you haven't had to do so in a while.
"There's been different hurdles that we've chased along the way and this is a different one," Granato said.
"I don't think they need to be told that this is a team that you don't want to overlook. I think they know this is important. We like where we're at. We like where we're going. We're going to have to prepare the same way we prepared for these other teams and be ready to battle."
Freytag learned recently that he's part of an immense legacy. He's one of 20 family members — the fourth generation — to attend Wisconsin since the 1930s.
His father began compilation of names and details last month and arrived at that astounding total, which spans nearly 100 years.
"It's kind of a cool list, I think," Jim said.
"It's pretty awesome," Matthew said.
The rundown goes back to 1931 when great grandparents Marion K. Freytag and William H. Freytag graduated.
Grandfather Jack Linehan received his PhD while grandfather Pete Freytag, great uncles Bill "Smiles" Freytag and John Perrigo and great aunt Joan Freytag received their diplomas in 1958.
Jim graduated in 1986 and Chris in '87, both on the heels of second cousin Jeff Perrigo in '83.
Second cousin Scott Perrigo also graduated in 1986, while aunt Elise Linehan Sass graduated in 1983 and uncle Dan Linehan and aunt Kim Linehan in '84.
Aunts Colleen Linehan Berto and Katie Linehan Kerrigan graduated in 1995 and '98, respectively.
Cousin Caitlin Linehan graduated in 2013, while cousin Michael Linehan is a freshman at UW projected to graduate in 2020.
How did this seed get planted?
Jim Freytag said his father grew up in Williams Bay and "back in those days you went to the university that was closest."
That morphed into something much grander.
Jim Freytag was living in Bloomington, Illinois, when it came time to go to college. His mother graduated from Northwestern, but he elected to retrace his father's footsteps to UW.
"I thought, 'It's a great school to go to. Beautiful campus. Big Ten. Great academics," he said. "What I didn't know at the time is that we were engraining this Wisconsin heritage into our kids."
Matthew's older brother, Nick, attended St. Thomas, but has long rooted for Wisconsin. Matthew took that lead.
"My parents being Badger fans, I always watched them as a kid," Matthew said.
"He's wanted to play at the University of Wisconsin since he started to skate," Jim Freytag said.
When Matthew was being recruited, his final choices came down to UW and archrival Minnesota. He visited the campus in Minneapolis and insists he gave the Golden Gophers strong consideration. He also maintains that his parents gave him no directives about where to cast his college hockey lot.
"They let me make my own decision," he said. "I came here and fell in love with the school."
Discussions with relatives were fairly one-sided, though.
"They all say the same thing: This is the best school," Matthew said. "They love it."
Jim Freytag said he spent the 1985 and '86 seasons as one of the students who dressed up as Bucky Badger. He remembers skating at UW games at the Dane County Coliseum, which would have meant he crossed paths with Granato, who starred for the Badgers from 1983 to '87.
"I knew a couple of guys who were Bucky and they encouraged me to try out," Jim said. "It was awesome."
There are so many moving parts to this legacy that sometimes surprises come to life. Jim said he arrived for a game at the Kohl Center last season and noticed an older couple looking for their seats, so he offered to help. Turns out it was his uncle Bill and aunt Joan Freytag, who happened to be visiting Madison.
"A cool moment," Jim said, noting that Bill passed away last spring.
Matthew, listed at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, came to Madison after one season with Tri-City of the U.S. Hockey League. He debuted with eight goals in 31 games as a freshman. He has three goals in 16 outings this season.
Matthew admits coming to UW and playing for the Badgers "probably had something to do with the family blood."
"I knew right away it was the place I wanted to go," he said. "I just felt more at home."
With lots of family on hand.
