Badgers ranked No. 14, De St. Phalle named B1G Third Star
October 24, 2023 | Men's Hockey
Badgers return to USCHO rankings for first time since 2021-22 preseason
MADISON, Wis. – It's been a big week for Wisconsin men's hockey, with the team earning a spot in the USCHO rankings and Mathieu De St. Phalle being named Big Ten third star of the week.
Following a sweep of then-No. 17 Michigan Tech and and achieving an impressive 5-1-0 record, the Badgers have returned to the USCHO.com top-20 poll as the 14th best team in the nation, according to voters.
This marks the first time in over two years UW owns a ranking, since the program sat at No. 11 team for the 2021-22 preseason poll.
The Badgers received votes for the first three USCHO polls of the 2023-24 season, but finally cracked the list on Oct. 23 with 277 points.
Wisconsin's five wins and one loss through six games is its best start since the beginning of the 2004-05 season, when the team began the year with the same record.
De St. Phalle earns B1G accolades
An individual player also received recognition this week with senior Mathieu De St. Phalle earning Big Ten Third Star of the Week honors. This is his third career Big Ten weekly award with all three as third star, including most recently on Feb. 15, 2022.
The forward had a strong performance during the series at at Michigan Tech, tallying back-to-back multi point nights, including notching two assists in game one and a power-play goal and assist in game two. He provided the game-winning assist in both games and finished plus-three on the weekend.
Four-point weekend for @mattydsp28
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) October 24, 2023
B1G ⭐️⭐️⭐️ of the Week#75thSeason || #NextChapter pic.twitter.com/LszC2eoGUW
De St. Phalle currently leads the Badgers with seven points, racking up two goals and five assists through six games.
Wisconsin continues their season with its Big Ten season-opening matchup at No. 1 Minnesota in Minneapolis on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 26-27. Both games begin at 8 p.m. and are broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
