MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin hockey welcomes Minnesota for the annual border battle at the Kohl Center. Here are six quick things you need to know before tuning in:
1. HAT TRICK CAUFIELD: Last Friday at Notre Dame, freshman forward
Cole Caufield recorded his first career hat trick. Caufield had three goals in the first two periods alone, scoring all three on Irish goalie Cale Morris. Caufield now sits tied for third in the nation with 16 goals on the season, leads the nation's freshmen as well as all Big Ten players.
Caufield's hat trick was the first for a Badger freshman since Robbie Earl scored three in a memorable 4-3 overtime victory on Feb. 6, 2004. The hat trick was the first on the road for a UW rookie since Dany Heatley scored three at Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 19, 2000.
2. 100 CAREER GAMES x3: Defenseman
Wyatt Kalynuk anf forwards
Sean Dhooghe and
Tarek Baker all left last weekend's series against Notre Dame notching 98 career games played in a Badger uniform. This weekend provides an opportunity for all three of the juniors to claim their 100th game as a Badger. This trio of ironman Badgers have played every single game together since their freshman year in 2017, skating in all 37 contests in the previous two seasons and all 24 so far this year.
3. IT'S GOING TO BE LEGENDARY: This weekend marks the debut of Wisconsin's Legends Race.
4. LAST TIME OUT: The last time Wisconsin faced Minnesota was on the road in a weekend series in November. The Badgers lost Friday night and tied Saturday, taking the extra point in the shootout. Senior
Max Zimmer was the hero of the weekend, winning the shootout for the Badgers in exciting fashion. The forward also scored his first goal of the season versus Notre Dame last Friday, bringing momentum into a series against his home state school.
5. SCOUTING MINNESOTA: The Gophers boast two forwards with 17 points each in Brandon McManus and Ben Meyers while their leading goal scorers are Sampo Ranta and Scott Reedy with 10 goals each. Each of these four players scored points on the Badgers in their last series this season.
As a team, the Gophers are coming off of a two-win weekend against Ohio State. Minnesota scored 10 combined goals in the series, only allowing four. Gopher goalie Jack Lafontaine is nearing the 300 saves mark on his season and Wisconsin will need to attack often in order to put up goals on the juniors goalie.
6. HOW TO WATCH: Tickets are still available for this weekend's series and can be found here. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday with a broadcast available on Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus and Fox Sports Wisconsin on respective nights. Fans can also tune in by listening to 1310 WIBA, the Badger Sports Network, the iheart radio app and checking live updates at @badgermhockey on twitter.
