MADISON, Wis. – For its final home series of the semester, the Wisconsin men's hockey team welcomes No. 1 Michigan State to the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7.
Both games start at 7 p.m. CT. Friday's game streams on B1G+ and Saturday's game is televised on the Big Ten Network.
Here are six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Spartans
1 - TOSSIN' TEDDIES AND HONORIN' GREATS: Wisconsin's final two home games of the year will each have a little extra going on.
Friday's game features the annual UW Teddy Toss presented by BMO. Fans are encouraged to bring new teddy bears or stuffed animals to throw on the ice after the game for donation to Toys For Tots. The Dec. 6 game is also Military Appreciation Night as we remember Pearl Harbor and honor all those who served.
Saturday's game is Joe Pavelski night. Join us as we recognize the recently retired 18-year NHL veteran and Wisconsin native's outstanding hockey career. Additionally, the first 500 students in attendance will receive a free holiday beanie.
Fans can buy tickets to both games here.
2 - MOSLEY MADNESS: Forward
Ryland Mosley had a weekend to remember against Alaska Anchorage. On Friday, the graduate student recorded his first-career four-point night, tallying one goal and three assists against the Seawolves.
On Saturday, Mosley scored the game-tying goal with 19 seconds left in regulation and put home the exhibition shootout-winning shot. The forward is currently on a five-game point streak beginning Nov. 9, scoring a goal in each contest to total nine points.
The Arnprior, Ontario, native's efforts over the series earned him a Big Ten Second Star of the Week honor, the first of his career as a Badger.
3 - NO. 1, WE MEET AGAIN: The games against Michigan State are the third and fourth for UW against the No. 1-ranked team this season. The Badgers are 20-23-3 in 46 contests against the nation's No. 1 team since the USCHO.com poll began in 1997. UW dropped 4-2 and 6-1 contests at Denver earlier this fall.
The Badgers sit at 0-3-0 against No. 1-ranked Michigan State teams but haven't skated against a No. 1 MSU squad since March 25, 2001, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
4 - LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin welcomes MSU to the Kohl Center for its first Big Ten series in three weeks. The Badgers most recently earned a win and a tie against Alaska Anchorage on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30.
In game one against the Seawolves, UW won, 7-1. Wisconsin got off to a hot start as
Ryland Mosley scored the game's first goal 3:56 into the contest.
Kyle Kukkonen doubled UW's lead after scoring on a penalty shot to send the Badgers into the second period with a 2-0 lead. The Badgers scored four goals in the second period, with
Quinn Finley scoring,
Gavin Morrissey tallying twice and
Kyle Kukkonen finding the back of the net. Alaska Anchorage got on the board with 11 seconds left in the middle frame, but
Cody Laskosky added a goal 7:03 into the third period to end the game with a final score of 7-1, Wisconsin.
In game two, the Badgers tied UAA, 1-1. The game was silent until Alaska Anchorage tallied a fluky power-play goal with 26 seconds remaining in the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Wisconsin remained relentless, putting up 45 shots on goal during the contest, and Mosley was rewarded with 19 seconds left in the third period when he scored his seventh goal of the year to send the game to overtime. Neither team found the back of the net during the extra time and the game ended as a 1-1 tie. Wisconsin scored twice and made two saves to win the exhibition shootout, 2-1.
5 - SCOUTING THE SPARTANS: No. 1 Michigan State (11-1-0, 4-0-0 Big Ten) enters the series on a nine-game winning streak after skating to a 4-0 victory last Friday, then a 2-0 win on Saturday at home against Lindenwood.
Junior forward Isaac Howard leads the roster with 15 points (6g, 9a) in 12 games played, while junior forward Daniel Russell leads the team with eight goals. Sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine has 10 wins in 10 starts, accumulating a 1.70 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. both nights. Friday's game streams on B1G+ while Saturday's game can be found on BTN. Audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA as well as on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
