MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men's hockey team returns to Big Ten action this week with a Friday-Sunday series against No. 12 Notre Dame.

Friday's contest is set for an 8 p.m. (CT) start at the Kohl Center and will air on ESPNU. Sunday's game will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the United Center and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Here are six things to know ahead of this week's series against the Fighting Irish.
 

Game 21 | Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame
Date	Friday, Jan. 18 | 8 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359)
Watch	ESPNU
Listen	1310 WIBA  |  Badger Sports Network | Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin (PDF)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com

 

Game 22 | Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame
Date	Sunday, Jan. 20 | 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Location	Chicago, Ill. | United Center (19,717)
Watch	Big Ten Network
Listen	1310 WIBA  |  Badger Sports Network | Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin (PDF)
Tickets	unitedcenter.com

WHERE THEY STAND: With 16 points and a 4-3-3-1 record in conference play, the Badgers currently sit in fifth place in the Big Ten Standings, a spot ahead of Notre Dame, and just seven points behind current league front-runner No. 4 Ohio State (13-5-4, 6-3-3-0 B1G). Freshman K'Andre Miller currently ranks second in scoring among Big Ten rookies with two goals and nine points in 10 conference games, and freshman goaltender Daniel Lebedeff ranks sixth among conference netminders in both goals against average (2.75) and save percentage (.906). Sophomore forward Sean Dhooghe ranks second in power-play scoring, tallying four goals on the man advantage, just two off the conference pace set by OSU senior Mason Jobst's six goals. 

WHAT'S AHEAD:  This week's matchup between the Fighting Irish and the Badgers marks the end of an eight-game homestand at the Kohl Center. Following their series against Notre Dame, the Badgers will hit the road for a pair of away series, facing Minnesota and Michigan State before heading back to Madison to host No. 4 Ohio State. After this week's series, half of UW's 12 remaining games will be played against ranked opponents, and eight will be played on the road.

ON THE BIG STAGE: Sunday's game against Notre Dame marks the second meeting between the teams to take place at the United Center in Chicago, the home rink of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. The last time the Badgers and the Fighting Irish met on the United Center ice, Wisconsin downed then-No. 1 UND, 5-0, ending the team's 16-game winning streak. The Badgers will serve as the home team for this year's game and tickets are available for purchase online at unitedcenter.com, in person at the United Center Box Office or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.

TRENDING UP: Wisconsin's 16 underclassmen continue to be the movers and shakers for the Badgers this season. Nearly three quarters of the Badgers' 172 points have come from underclassmen, and UW's seven-member sophomore class accounts for over 40 percent of scoring so far. In the 18 games in which UW has scored this season, at least one underclassmen has recorded a goal for the Badgers. Freshman rear guard K'Andre Miller continues to lead the team in point-scoring with four goals and 17 points, while sophomore defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk— along with senior forward Seamus Malone— accounts for 16 points.

FUTURE IS BRIGHT: Incoming freshmen Cole Caufield and Alex Turcotte shined in the U.S. Under-18 National Team's win over the Badgers last Saturday. Turcotte collected a goal and an assist while Caufield, the younger brother of current UW rookie Brock Caufield, tallied his 14th multi-point performance this season with two goals and an assist. Another future Badger in 6-0, 184-pound forward Owen Lindmark was sturdy at the faceoff spot, going 8-for-12 on puck drops.

Thanks to his two tallies, the younger Caufield tied Patrick Kane for second on the NTDP's all-time goal-scoring list with 84 goals. He has since passed Kane and with just under 20 games remaining, sits within striking distance of all-time leading goal-scorer Phil Kessel, who recorded 104 goals during his time with the program from 2003 to 2005.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH: The Badgers and the Fighting Irish meet for the 70th and 71st times this weekend. Notre Dame (12-8-1, 5-6-0-0 B1G)  enters the series on a three-game losing streak, most recently being swept by Minnesota after dropping 5-1 and 2-1 decisions to the Golden Gophers last weekend.

Junior forward Cal Burke leads the Fighting Irish in scoring with nine goals and 21 points. Senior forward Dylan Malmquist is a close second with six goals and 20 points. Goaltender Cale Morris' 2.30 goals against average ranks third among Big Ten netminders, while his .926 save clip ranks third. The junior is 9-7-1 and owns two shutouts in 17 games played for the Fighting Irish.

Wisconsin leads the all-time series 41-21-7 against Notre Dame, but has gone 4-5-1 in the last 10 games. This weekend's matchup marks the first meeting between the two teams since the Badgers shutout then-No. 1 UND, 5-0, at the United Center last January. Then-rookie Sean Dhooghe registered a goal and two assists to lead the Badgers in scoring, while defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and forward Seamus Malone each tallied a goal and an assist in the victory.