MILWAUKEE – A hat trick from Simon Tassy and another perfect outing from Kyle McClellan helped the No. 6 Wisconsin men's hockey capture the 2023 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off with a 3-0 victory over Northeastern on Friday Night at Fiserv Forum.
Sophomore forward Tassy scored all three goals in the contest to record his first-career hat trick as Wisconsin (16-4-0, 8-2-0) secured its second Holiday Face-Off championship title in the tournament's third year. Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan was perfect in net, stopping all 28 of Northeastern's (6-9-1, 1-8-0) shots on goal to earn back-to-back shutout victories for the second time this season.
Tassy put the Badgers on the board 12:13 into the first period. The sophomore forward battled with a Northeastern player to gain possession of the puck in the neutral zone before using a boost of speed to rush into Husky territory. Tassy finished top shelf for his second of the tournament.
Cruz Lucius found the back of the net nine minutes into the second period on the power play but the goal was waived off due to goaltender interference.
Three minutes later, while Wisconsin had an extra attacker on the ice during a Northeastern delayed penalty, Tassy notched his second goal of the evening. Senior forward
Mathieu De St. Phalle passed the puck from the top of the Huskies' right circle to find Tassy in the middle of the zone, who let a shot fly past Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead to make it 2-0 in favor of the Badgers.
With 3:28 remaining in the game, Tassy completed the hat trick. The forward dumped the puck into the Huskies' zone and won the race to the ricochet in front of the net before pushing it through the goaltender's five-hole.
All-Tournament Team:
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Kyle McClellan, Most Outstanding Goaltender
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Daniel Laatsch, Most Outstanding Defenseman
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Simon Tassy, Most Outstanding Forward
Notes to know:
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Kyle McClellan recorded his nation-leading fifth shutout of the season
- This is the second time this season that McClellan has earned back-to-back shutouts
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Simon Tassy recorded his first-career hat trick and set a new single-game career-high in goals
- UW's current seven-game win streak marks the most consecutive victories this season
- Tonight's contest lowered UW's national-leading scoring defense number to 1.55 opponent goals per game
Straight From the Rink
Head Coach Mike Hastings
On the team's performance
"We didn't quite come out of the gates the way we wanted to. They were on our heels a little bit and our puck management early in the game wasn't as good as it was in the back half. Then, we got to the second period and I thought we did a much better job. They're a transition team, they can come at you in waves and they've got guys who can make some plays. I thought our guys did a really good job at getting back and staying inside and giving Kyle a little more help in the back half of the game."
On participating in the Holiday Face-Off tournament
"What a great experience this was. Thank you to all the people who dug into their pockets to come out and watch us play. It was important coming into Milwaukee and doing well because we're representing a state. [It's a] really important thing for us to go through."
Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan
On the team's defensive effort
"I think it's just [the team's] commitment. All season we've had defensemen and forwards step up and block shots that I can't see. It's just an all-around team effort, and I'm glad that they're able to step up and make some big-time blocks."
On the team's mentality
"I think it's just never being satisfied. It's always wanting to get better. We can enjoy [the win] for now, but come next practice we've got to be ready. I think this is just our approach and the whole team has that mindset, so that's definitely moving us in the direction we're in."
Sophomore forward Simon Tassy
On the significance of winning this tournament
"For me, it's about getting a good start and getting two good games, but I think it's more important for the team to do well this weekend so we can start out [the second half of the season] on the right foot."
Up Next: The Badgers return to conference play with a series at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 5-6. Puck drop for Friday's game is scheduled for 6 p.m. while Saturday's game will start at 4 p.m. Both games will stream live on Peacock while audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA in the Madison area, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
