Badgers take on Michigan State
January 11, 2018 | Men's Hockey
Puck drops on Friday-Saturday games at 7 p.m.; Saturday on Fox Sports Wisconsin
KOHL CENTER RETURN
No. 18/RV Wisconsin (10-10-3, 4-6-2-0 Big Ten) plays host to Michigan State (8-13-1, 2-9-1-1 Big Ten) on Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center. Both games begin at 7 p.m.
Friday's game streams at BTN Plus, while Saturday's game will be shown on Fox Sports Wisconsin and online at BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go app for cable and satellite subscribers.
The Badgers fell 5-1 last Friday, then overcame a two-goal deficit for a 3-3 overtime tie last Saturday at Penn State. The Nittany Lions grabbed an extra point in the Big Ten standings with a 1-0 shootout win.
Michigan State was swept at home by Ohio State, 4-1 and 5-3.
| Game 24 | Wisconsin vs Michigan State | |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 12 | 7 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359) |
| Watch | BTN Plus | BTN Plus |
| Listen | WIBA 1310 | Badger Sports Network | Listen Live |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin |
| Tickets | UWBadgers.com |
| Game 25 | Wisconsin vs Michigan State | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 13 | 7 p.m. (CT) |
| Location | Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359) |
| Watch | Fox Sports Wisconsin | BTN2Go |
| Listen | WIBA 1310 | Badger Sports Network | Listen Live |
| Follow | Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey |
| Game Notes | Wisconsin |
| Tickets | UWBadgers.com |
SERIES NOTES
Michigan State
The teams will meet for the 109th and 110th times in the all-time series.
UW enters its series against Michigan State with a 52-53-3 series mark. With a victory on Friday, UW would get to .500 against the Spartans for just the third time in school history and the second time this year. The first and only other time UW was .500 against MSU was when they were 34-34-2 against MSU after a Dec. 30, 1987, victory. A sweep for would give UW a winning record against MSU for the first time in school history.
The Badgers swept the season series last year, going 4-0-0 against the Spartans.
UW had its program-best matching five-game winning streak against MSU snapped in its most recent contest on Nov. 11. It was the fourth time UW had a five-game winning streak against MSU.
Wisconsin-Michigan State Connections
First-year head coach Danton Cole previously coached several Badgers with the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Tyler Inamoto, JD Greenway, Trent Frederic and Sean Dhooghe all played with MSU freshman Tommy Miller and sophomore Patrick Khodorenko in the USNTDP program while UW Senior Ryan Wagner played with MSU seniors Ed Minney and Dylan Pavelek in the development program as well.
UW's freshmen Wyatt Kalynuk and Tarek Baker played with MSU sophomores Butrus Ghafari and Logan Lambdin on the USHL's Bloomington Thunder.
LAST MEETINGS
Wisconsin 6, Michigan State 3
Nov. 10, 2017
Wisconsin got first-period goals from Matthew Freytag, Will Johnson (power play) and Ryan Wagner to grab a 3-0 lead and went on to a 6-3 victory in East Lansing, Michigan.
Cody Milan scored a power-play goal early in the second period, and Mitchell Lewandowski tallied to make it a one-goal game, but UW freshman Tarek Baker scored midway through the frame to give the Badgers back a cushion.
Cameron Hughes and Wyatt Kalynuk (power play) added third-period goals, before Lewandowski scored an MSU power-play marker to finish off the scoring.
Kyle Hayton stopped 14 shots for the victory.
The Badgers held a 26-17 shot advantage, while UW went 2-for-4 and the Spartans went 2-for-6 on the power play.
Michigan State 2, Wisconsin 0
Nov. 11, 2017
Wisconsin outshot Michigan State, 38-17, but failed to score and dropped a 2-0 contest.
MSU broke a scoreless game with a Cody Milan power-play tally at 18:07 of the first period, then added a goal at 11:39 of the third period from Mitchell Lewandowski to seal the win.
The Badgers went 0-for-4 on the power play and goaltender Kyle Hayton made 15 saves.
BEHIND THE BENCH
WISCONSIN BADGERS
Head Coach: Tony Granato
Record at WIS: 30-25-4 (2nd Year)
Overall: 30-25-4 (2nd Year)
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
Head Coach: Danton Cole
Record at MSU: 8-13-1 (1st Year)
Overall: 31-72-13 (4th Year)
BY THE NUMBERS
66 - Wisconsin's freshmen scored eight points over the weekend, moving to tie for third nationally in freshmen scoring with 66 points on the season. Badger rookies have tallied 22 goals and 44 helpers.
17 - Freshman defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk's 17 points are tied for the national lead among rookie defensemen. His 0.74 points per game rank fourth among rookie rear guards.
12 - With Rene Bourque and Cody Goloubef named to Team Canada for the Olympics, that extends UW's streak to 12 consecutive Olympics with at least one player competing dating back to the 1976 games in Innsbuck, Austria.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
With 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Badgers sit in a tie for fourth place with Minnesota. Both programs boast 14 points in 12 games played. The Badgers currently hold the tie break between the two schools because of the third tie break of fewer losses.
The top four teams in the Big Ten standings after the regular season ends are guaranteed to play host to at least one round of the Big Ten playoffs.
Michigan State is coming to Madison on a four-game losing streak, going 1-8-1 over the last 10 contests. The Spartans claimed a 5-0 victory against Michigan on Dec. 8 and tied at Penn State, 2-2, on Nov. 25.
Wisconsin played last Friday night without 2017 Big Ten Rookie of the Year Trent Frederic, who was in Buffalo, New York, playing for Team USA at the World Junior Championship. Frederic scored five goals during the tournament, earning the Player of the Game nod on Friday after scoring four goals to help the U.S. to a bronze
medal.
Senior Peter Tischke scored his second goal of the season with 1:52 remaining in regulation on Saturday, forcing overtime int he 3-3 game. It was the fourth time this season that Wisconsin scored in last two minutes of play and its second time doing so to tie the game.
Wisconsin came back from a 3-1 deficit on Saturday, scoring twice in the third to tie the game. Wisconsin is 7-2-1 this season when outscoring its opponents in the third period of games, while it is 1-7-2 when losing the third period.
The Badgers have outscored opponents 74-69 this season, including 25-17 in the first period and 26-24 in the second period. UW is down 27-23 in third periods. UW has been edged 1-0 in overtimes.
The Badgers have scored first in 14 of 23 games this season and sit 8-5-1 in those contests.
LOOK BACK AT PENN STATE
Wisconsin earned one point in its trip to Penn State last weekend, falling 5-1 on Friday, then skating to a 3-3 overtime tie on Saturday. UW dropped the ensuing shootout, 1-0.
On Friday, UW fell behind just 1:36 into the game on an Evan Barrett power-play goal, and trailed 4-0 through two periods, before cracking the scoreboard on a Tarek Baker goal at 11:54 of the third period. Penn State added an empty-net goal for the 5-1 final.
Sophomore Jack Berry stopped 10 of 14 shots before giving way to senior Kyle Hayton, who saved all 17 shots he faced.
Baker's goal was his team-leading ninth of the season.
Saturday, UW overcame a 3-1 deficit in the third period for a 3-3 overtime tie.
The Badgers again fell behind, allowing a power-play goal to Liam Folkes at 13:11 of the first period, but UW frosh Linus Weissbach tied the game at 14:39.
Despite playing well, UW fell behind again after Penn State goals at 19:01 of the second period and 56 seconds of the third period, making it a 3-1 game.
A goal by frosh Sean Dhooghe at 3:41 of the third period made it a game, then junior defenseman Peter Tischke ripped a laser one-time slapshot from the point to tie the game at 18:08 and send it to overtime.
UW finished the weekend 0-for-7 on the power play.
Hayton stopped 35 of 38 shots in the contest.
COMING BACK
Wisconsin's 3-3 tie last Saturday at Penn State marked its first result this season when trailing after two periods. UW is now 0-6-1 when trailing to start the final frame.
UW trailed 3-1 in the third frame, but scored twice to grab a 3-3 tie. That marked the team's second two-goal comeback of the season. UW trailed 2-0 to Michigan in the first period on Nov. 18, but ended up skating to a 4-4 tie.
AND THE FRESHMEN SHALL LEAD THEM
Wisconsin's seven-member freshman class paces the Badgers in scoring with 66 points, three more than UW's eight-member senior group. UW's eight juniors own 50 points, while the five sophomores account for 18 points.
Badger freshmen Tarek Baker, Wyatt Kalynuk and Sean Dhooghe each tallied two points at Penn State, tying for the most points by Big Ten frosh over the weekend. Baker scored his team-leading ninth goal on Friday while Kalynuk recorded two primary assists on Saturday for a team-high 16 assists, leading all conference rookies.
With 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists), Wisconsin's freshmen are tied for third among national rookie classes in scoring this season.
FRESHMAN SCORING
| RK | TEAM | POINTS |
| 1. | Massachusetts | 84 |
| 2. | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 3t. | Wisconsin | 66 |
| Minnesota State | 66 | |
| 5. | Sacred Heart | 59 |
UW center Tarek Baker and defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk are on pace to do something rarely seen in program history. Baker, from Verona, Wisconsin, leads the team in goals with nine. Kalynuk, from Virden, Manitoba, paces the club with 16 assists. The last time freshmen led the Badgers in those two categories over the course of a full season was 1965–66 when center Chuck Kennedy and winger Tom Obrodovich had 13 goals apiece and Kennedy had 14 assists. It also happened in 1963–64 when winger Ron Leszczynski accounted for team highs with 16 goals and 18 assists.
SPECIAL TEAMS
UW is 13th nationally with its 21.8 percent power play (19-for-87), which is tops in the Big Ten.
This week's opponent, Michigan State, ranks 49th in the country with an 78.1 percent penalty kill (57-for-73).
Wisconsin's penalty kill is 73-for-89 (.820) on the season, ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally.
Michigan State's power play is 15th in the country at 21.6 percent (19-for-88).
WORLD JUNIORS
Sophomore forward Trent Frederic helped Team USA to its third consecutive medal at the World Junior Championship, the first time the Americans have won three consecutive medals. The event took place Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Buffalo, New York.
Frederic scored five goals in seven games, four of which came in the bronze-medal game against the Czech Republic.
Frederic was the 54th Badger all-time to play in the tournament since its official start in 1978.
Of Team USA four all-time gold medals, Badgers served as captain for three (Luke Kunin - 2017; Jake McCabe - 2013; Derek Stepan - 2010). The first Team USA gold in the tournament was led by then-UW head coach Mike Eaves (2004).
WHERE THEY RANK
A handful of Badgers rank among the top players in the Big Ten in various categories.
| 11t. Wagner | 20 points |
| 7t. Baker | 9 goals |
| 6t. Kalynuk | 16 assists |
| 2t. Kalynuk | 10 power-play points |
| 1t. Wagner | 5 power-play goals |
| 2t. Malone | 3 game-winners |
| 3. Kalynuk | 17 points (D-men) |
| 2t. Kalynuk | 17 points (Freshmen) |
| 4. Wisconsin | 3.22 goals/game |
| 4t. Wisconsin | 3.00 GA/game |
| 1. Wisconsin | 21.8% power play |
| 5. Wisconsin | 82.0% penalty kill |
OF PENALTY SHOTS
Freshman forward Tarek Baker's successful penalty shot against Ohio State on Oct. 6 marked the fourth penalty shot goal in the last five seasons for the Badgers. Freshman forward Sean Dhooghe made it five in five seasons with his penalty-shot goal on Nov. 4 against North Dakota. Prior to the last five years, UW went 16 seasons without a successful penalty shot.
Both Baker's and Sean Dhooghe's penalty shot goals marked their first career goals as a Badger. That makes them the first UW skaters since at least the 1989–90 season to score their first goal on a penalty shot.
DOUBLE DHOOGHE
When Sean and Jason Dhooghe each scored their first career goals in the same game on Nov. 4 against North Dakota, they became the first brothers in UW history to accomplish the feat. They also became the sixth brother combination to score goals in the same game, including most recently current UW associate head coach Mark Strobel, and his twin brother, Mike, who both scored on Nov. 19, 1993 against Colorado College. They were the third Badger twin brothers to both score in the same game.
First Occurrence
|
HEY, HAYTON
Goaltender Kyle Hayton joins the Badgers as a graduate transfer from St. Lawrence University, where he was named the ECAC Goaltender of the Year and a second-team All-American in 2016-17.
Hayton, a native of Denver, was one of 10 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award. He started 35 of the Saints' 37 contests while posting a .929 save percentage and five shutouts.
Hayton finished his time at SLU as the leader in career wins, appearances, saves, shutouts and goals-against average in just three seasons of play.
Had Hayton played his first three years at Wisconsin, he would currently rank in the top-five on the all-time UW list for career save percentage (.929, second), shutouts (13, second), wins (61, fourth), goals-against average (2.20, second) and saves (3,509, third).
Hayton entered the season with numbers that rank among the best in the country among the nation's goaltenders. His 3,079 saves were No. 1, as was his .934 save percentage. He ranked second with 54 victories in goal, while his 13 shutouts also ranked second.
B1G ADDITION
Notre Dame is now the seventh member of the Big Ten for hockey after spending the last four seasons as a member of Hockey East. The Fighting Irish were CCHA members prior to that.
UND reached the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals, before eventual national champion Denver eliminated the Fighting Irish.
UND visits the Kohl Center for a Dec. 8-9 series, while UW visits South Bend, Indiana, for a series on Jan. 19-20.
The Big Ten moves to a three-week playoff with best-of-three series on campus sites, then a semifinal game and championship game at campus sites of the higher seed. The top seed will get a first-round bye.
OLYMPICS UPDATES
Badgers' head coach Tony Granato was named head coach of the United State's men's hockey team competing in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
As a player, Granato represented Team USA in the 1988 Winter Games. He also served as an assistant coach for the Americans at the 2014 Olympics.
Joining Granato on the bench as an assistant coach will be former UW defenseman Chris Chelios, as well as general manager for Team USA Jim Johannson, who played with Granato at Wisconsin and on the 1988 Olympic team.
Granato joins Peter Laviolette, John Garrison, Jack Riley and Herb Brooks on a short list of coaches who have played in the Olympics for Team USA and later coached the American squad in the Games.
Granato joins Bob Johnson, who guided the Americans in 1976, as Wisconsin men's coaches who have been tabbed to coach Team USA.
OLYMPIC NOTES
There has been at least one Wisconsin men's hockey player competing at every Olympics dating back to 1976. In all but 1994, there have been at least two Badgers in each Olympics.
UW head coach Tony Granato is the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team head coach.
Two addition former Badgers are part of Team USA's staff as Chris Chelios serves as an assistant coach and Jim Johannson is the team general manager.
Two former Badgers will skate for Team Canada as forward Rene Bourque (2000–04) and defenseman Cody Goloubef (2007–10) were named to the squad.
Bourque and Goloubef are the fifth and sixth Badgers who will have represented Team Canada at the Olympics (Bruce Driver and Patrick Flatley (1984), Curtis Joseph (1998 and 2002), Dany Heatley (2006, 2010). Both Joseph and Heatley won gold medals.
They are the 24th and 25th Badgers to skate in the Olympics all-time.
100 GAMES
Six Badgers have skated in at least 100 games played with senior forward Ryan Wagner leading the way (129 GP). Also over the 100 games-played threshold are senior defenseman Jake Linhart (128), senior forward Cameron Hughes (125), senior defenseman Tim Davison (124) and senior forward Jason Ford (103). Graduate transfer goaltender Kyle Hayton has also played in 123 games.
Four others, including Seamus Malone (93), Will Johnson (93), Matt Ustaski (90) and Peter Tischke (85), are within striking distance of 100 games played.
UW boasted seven skaters last season with at least 100 games played, the most since the 2013–14 Badgers had 11 skaters over 100 career games played.
100 POINTS
A couple Wisconsin seniors have an outside chance at reaching 100 career points as Cameron Hughes has 86 career points and Ryan Wagner boasts 75 career points.
Should either reach the mark, they would be the first Badgers since the 2013–14 season to break the mark. That year, both Michael Mersch (120 points) and Tyler Barnes (101 points) eclipsed the mark.
CHICAGO IS MY KIND OF TOWN
Wisconsin will skate its Sunday, Jan. 21 game against No. 1 Notre Dame at United Center in Chicago.
The game marks the first of two in two years inside the home of Chicago's Blackhawks and Bulls.
This year's game is a home game for Notre Dame, while next season, it will serve as a home game for the Badgers.
Seven Wisconsin players, as well as head coach Tony Granato, call the Chicago area home. Those include Jason and Sean Dhooghe (Aurora), Tyler Inamoto (Chicago), Seamus Malone (Naperville), Peter Tischke (Hinsdale), Matt Ustaski (Glenview) and Ryan Wagner (Park Ridge). Granato is a Downers Grove native.
The game will mark the third NHL building in two seasons for the Badgers after the team skated at Madison Square Garden in New York and Joe Louis Arena in Detroit last year.
CAPTAINS
Senior forward Cameron Hughes was named team captain after serving as an alternate captain in 2016-17.
The four Badgers joining Hughes as alternate captains are senior forward Ryan Wagner and senior defenseman Jake Linhart, as well as junior forward Seamus Malone and sophomore forward Trent Frederic.
The five-member leadership crew is the largest in program history, not counting the three seasons during which the Badgers have rotated and had game captains.
UW has had combinations of four captains and assistant captains on six prior occasions, including most recently during the 2012-13 season when captain John Ramage had assistant help from Ryan Little, Derek Lee and Frankie Simonelli.
Other than Hughes, who served as one of UW's two alternate captains last season, the remaining four Badgers will wear a letter on their jersey's for the first time in their UW careers.
SCORING PUNCH
In the offensively-minded Big Ten, the Badgers scored with the best of them last season, averaging 3.39 goals per game to rank No. 9 in the country. That mark ranked fourth among Big Ten schools.
Sophomore forward and 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Trent Frederic enters the season as UW's leading returning scorer after posting 15 goals and 33 points as a rookie.
Four Badgers scored double figures, including three who return for the squad. Frederic led the returners with 15 goals, while both Seamus Malone and Will Johnson tallied 10 times last year. UW lost leader scorer Luke Kunin to the pros after the second-team All-American tallied 22 goals and 38 points last year.
The Badgers add some punch, as well, with freshman speedster Linus Weissbach joining the team. Weissbach led the USHL's Tri-City Storm last season with 47 points on 19 goals and 28 assists.
Frosh defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk enters after playing as one of the USHL's most offensive defenseman last season. With the Bloomington Thunder, Kalynuk paced the defense and ranked seventh in the USHL among rear guards with 31 points (6 g, 25 a).
DEFENSE GET TOUGH
UW ranked 46th out of 60 teams in the nation last season, allowing an average of 3.28 goals per game, but has lowered that to 2.90 goals-against per game so far this season, which ranks 28th in the nation.
The Badgers added three NHL-drafted freshmen defensemen this year, including U.S. National Team Development product Tyler Inamoto who was picked by the Florida Panthers in the fifth round (133rd overall) in 2017. Wyatt Kalynuk went in the seventh round (196th) to the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Josh Ess in the seventh round (215th).
FEELING A DRAFT
Wisconsin begins the season with nine NHL draft picks on its roster.
UW had four players selected in 2017, including three defensemen. That marks the first time since 2008 that three Badger defensemen were chosen by NHL teams.
Defenseman Tyler Inamoto (5th round, 133rd overall) was the highest pick for the Badgers in this year's draft, followed by defensemen Wyatt Kalynuk (196th) and Josh Ess (215th), both in the seventh round.
Forward Linus Weissbach was also selected in the seventh round, going 192nd overall.
This marks the second consecutive year that four Badgers were chosen in the NHL Draft.
CURRENT UW DRAFT PICKS
| NAME | TEAM | YEAR | RD./PICK |
| Trent Frederic | Boston | 2016 | 1/29 |
| JD Greenway | Toronto | 2016 | 3/72 |
| Max Zimmer | Carolina | 2016 | 4/104 |
| Tyler Inamoto | Florida | 2017 | 5/133 |
| Cameron Hughes | Boston | 2015 | 6/165 |
| Matt Ustaski | Winnipeg | 2014 | 7/192 |
| Linus Weissbach | Buffalo | 2017 | 7/192 |
| Wyatt Kalynuk | Philadelphia | 2017 | 7/196 |
| Josh Ess | Chicago | 2017 | 7/215 |
NCAA ATTENDANCE RANKINGS
Wisconsin finished the season ranked second in the country in average attendance at 10,157.7 fans per game. North Dakota led the country at 11,504.9.
Wisconsin has led the country in attendance 38 times all time, including most recently in the 2011–12 season.
COACHING THEM UP
All three Wisconsin coaches are Badgers' alumni with head coach Tony Granato (1983–87), associate head coach Mark Osiecki (1987–90) and associate head coach Mark Strobel (1991–95) all having skated for UW.
Granato, who completed his degree last year during his first season as UW head coach, will face a similar challenge this season as the 2018 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team head coach.
UW's director of hockey operations Shane Connelly gives UW two former Badger athletes with NCAA titles on their resume. Connelly was a member of UW's 2006 NCAA title-winning team, while Osiecki played for the Badgers' 1990 NCAA championship team. Osiecki also served as an assistant coach for the 2006 team during his first coaching stint at UW.
'FACE-OFF AGAINST' CANCER GAME ON JAN. 27
The Wisconsin men's hockey team invites fans to "Face-off Against Cancer" on Jan. 27 when it hosts Penn State in a game designed to raise awareness about the work of local cancer research.
In partnership with the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the event will be a celebration of the doctors and researchers working at UW-Madison to find a cure, as well as serving to recognize those who fight or have fought bravely against this disease, the community impacted by cancer and the support they provide in this fight.
The game will feature a ceremonial puck drop and fan giveaways, as well as presentations from the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the American Family Children's Hospital and The Ride. Participants of The Ride will be in attendance as we honor beneficiaries of this year's proceeds during intermission.
SKIOLD ADDED TO ROSTER
Freshman forward Oscar Skiold has been added to the roster and will wear No. 12 for the Badgers. Skiold is a walk-on who tried out for the team when the sqaud returned to practice after the holiday break. The 5-11 and 176-pound forward hails from Stockholm, Sweden.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin travels to face Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Friday, Jan. 19 before the teams match up on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the United Center in Chicago.
