MADISON, Wis. -- The No.19 Badger men's hockey team travels to East Lansing this weekend to take on the Michigan State Spartans in the last weekend series before the month long mid-season break.

Here are six quick things you need to know before tuning in.

1. DOUBLE-DIGIT CAUFIELD: After hitting multiple shots off the post in both the Minnesota and Michigan series, freshman Cole Caufield found the back of the net last Sunday versus Michigan scoring his 10th goal of the season, tops in the Big Ten. He is the first Badger to reach double-digit goals this season. Caufield sits as the top scorer for Wisconsin with a total of 18 points, including eight assists and a 15.6 shot percentage.

2. DEFENSEMEN DUO: Sophomore defenseman K'Andre Miller and junior captain Wyatt Kalynuk have been a duo to be reckoned with for the Badgers as of late. The two notch a combined 24 points on the year so far, including each scoring a goal in the win over Michigan last Saturday. At least one player of the pair has scored a point in all but two games so far this season.

3. ALL TIED UP: Not only is this weekend important hockey for Wisconsin to gain standing in the Big Ten rankings, but the long history with the Spartans goes back all the way to 1964. Wisconsin and Michigan State currently sit with an overall tied record of 55-55-4. Last year's victory over the Spartans on Dec. 7 came in the form of a 3-0 shutout to lead the overall series for the first time in school history. They will have the same opportunity this weekend to be over .500 for only the second time ever in the matchup.

4. SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans sit third in the Big Ten with an overall record of 6-7-1 and a 4-3-1 record in the Big Ten. Notable wins for Michigan State include splitting series with both Penn State and Notre Dame, then two top-10 teams. The team as a whole is only scoring 2.4 goals per game. Wisconsin is 5-0-0 when allowing two or less goals so far this season.

The Spartans are lead by three key seniors including Patrick Khodorenko leading in scoring for Michigan State with 12 points and Logan Lambdin with eight total points. The final senior is goaltender John Lethemon. Lethemon is boasting a .940 save percentage and only allowing 2.02 goals per game. He has two shutouts on the year. 

5. HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is at 6 p.m. from East Lansing both Friday and Saturday night. The games will be available to stream on BTN+ with a radio broadcast on 1310 WIBA Friday night and 1070 WTSO Saturday night. Fans can find live stats and live updates at uwbadgers.com or by following @BadgerMHockey on Twitter.

6. UP NEXT OVER BREAK: Badger hockey may be taking a break from action, but you can still follow the team around in many ways. Freshman Dylan Holloway will be compete for a spot on the Canada National Junior Team at Sport Chek Selection Camp from Dec. 9-12.

The USA National Junior Team selection camp will take place prior to the tournament which will take place from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Last season, Sean Dhooghe, K'Andre Miller and Ty Emberson were all named to the Team USA preliminary roster. Miller made the team and won a silver with Team USA.

Finally, Wisconsin will play an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 team on New Years Day in Plymouth, Michigan. The game will take place at 3 p.m. and will feature both current and future Badgers.