Quick Six: Badgers battle Spartans for Big Ten title

Friday, March 1

Madison, WI

8 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Michigan State

Buy Tickets

Members of the Wisconsin men's hockey team celebrate winning a game at the Kohl Center.

Photo by: Tom Lynn

Quick Six: Badgers battle Spartans for Big Ten title

February 28, 2024 | Men's Hockey

No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 6 Michigan State close out regular season

By: Kali Mick

TICKETS

MADISON, Wis. – It comes down to the final series of the season at the Kohl Center for the 2024 Big Ten champion coronation. The No. 4 Wisconsin men's hockey team welcomes the No. 6 Michigan State Spartans on Friday and Saturday, March 1-2 with the title on the line. Both games begin at 8 p.m. and stream on B1G+.

Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:

Rosters: Badgers || Spartans

1 - FOR THE BIG TEN TITLE: The Badgers' series against Michigan State will decide the Big Ten regular season champion.

This weekend is going to be B1G

It's a battle for the Big Ten championship at the Kohl Center

🎟 https://t.co/UcyeHoxWIL #75thSeason || #NextChapter pic.twitter.com/IPKXsof78p
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) February 26, 2024

Wisconsin currently sits two points behind Michigan State in first place and will finish among the top two schools. To win the regular-season title, UW must capture at least five of six conference points available this weekend. It can do this by winning twice in regulation or once in regulation and once in overtime/a shootout.

If the Badgers earn four of six points, UW and MSU will be Big Ten co-champions. In that scenario, the Spartans will earn the top seed for the conference tournament due to tiebreakers and would earn a bye into the semifinals.

Wisconsin will open at home for the Big Ten tournament no matter what happens this weekend. If UW finishes second, it will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series March 8-10 at the Kohl Center against Ohio State. If the Badgers win the league, they will play their first tournament game on Sunday, March 17 at the Kohl Center in one single-game semifinal.

This marks the first time since 2013 that conference playoff action will take place at the Kohl Center.

2 - HONORING OUR FANS AND OUR SENIORS: UW will celebrate both nights during the series versus Michigan State. Friday, March 1, serves as 'Fan Appreciation Night,' one of the six nights selected to honor the 75th season of Badger men's hockey. Wisconsin hockey is nothing without its fans. On this night, we want to say thank you to all of our fans' loyal support over the previous 75 seasons! The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a '75 Seasons of Wisconsin Hockey' rally towel.

The Saturday, March 3, game is Senior Night. The Badgers will honor it's seniors during a pregame ceremony. Fans can also join the Crease Creatures for a pre-game live stream outside of section 116.

3 - WEEKEND RECAP: The Badgers head into its final series of the season after winning twice at Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24. In 11 series at PSU, this marks Wisconsin's second trip with a pair of victories at Pegula Ice Arena and first in 10 years as its most recent road sweep of the Nittany Lions came March 7-8, 2014.

Wisconsin won game one, 6-0. Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan made 27 saves to post his seventh shutout of the season, placing him second in the UW record books for shutouts in a single season behind Brian Elliott's eight in 2005-06. Sophomore forward Cruz Lucius and senior forward Mathieu De St. Phalle each put up two goals, while freshman forward William Whitelaw and senior forward Carson Bantle tallied one to give the Badgers the win.

Highlights from a 6-0 win at Penn State

Kyle McClellan's national-best 7th shutout of the season, one shy of @KidElls1 single-season school record#75thSeason || #NextChapter pic.twitter.com/7cLpxzq9Bf
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) February 24, 2024

UW earned two more points with a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday night. Penn State took a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but Wisconsin battled back, scoring goals in the second and third to make it a 2-1 game. The Nittany Lions tied it back up midway through the third frame to send the game to overtime. Two-and-a-half minutes into the extra time, sophomore defenseman Ben Dexheimer scored the game-winning goal to send the Badgers home victorious.

The highlights from an OT win at Penn State

Sets up B1G final weekend at the Kohl Center#75thSeason || #NextChapter pic.twitter.com/1b14OlZbTE
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) February 25, 2024

The two wins extend Wisconsin's win streak over Penn State to five, tying its longest over the Nittany Lions in the 53-game history between the two schools. Previously, UW won five games over PSU from Dec. 6, 2013, through March 21, 2014.

4 - BRING ON THE SPARTANS: This weekend's series marks the second time that Wisconsin and Michigan State will meet this season. On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18, the then-No. 1 Badgers got swept at then-No. 11 Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, at Munn Ice Arena.

Wisconsin lost game one, 4-2. Graduate student forward Owen Lindmark tied the game at one midway through the second period, but the Spartans tallied two more in the middle frame to head into the third with a 3-1 advantage. Freshman forward Sawyer Scholl scored eight minutes into the third to try and spark a comeback for Badgers, but it wasn't enough as MSU added an empty-net goal with two minutes left in the contest to seal the victory.

Second goal of the season for @sawyer_scholl ! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/tiDid4jex9
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 18, 2023

The Spartans took game two, 3-2. Wisconsin and MSU skated into the final frame tied 1-1 after Owen Lindmark scored his second goal of the weekend, but Michigan State's two third-period goals gave the Spartans the edge. The Badgers fought until the end, adding an extra-attacker goal from sophomore defenseman Ben Dexheimer with a minute left in the game, but it wasn't enough.

Congrats, @BenDexheimer ! First career NCAA goal!

🍎: David Silye pic.twitter.com/U55SbcguvM
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 19, 2023

5 - SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: No. 6 Michigan State currently boasts a 21-8-3 record, including a 15-5-2 ledger in Big Ten conference play. The Spartans head into the weekend after splitting a series at home against Ohio State on Feb. 23-24, losing game one, 6-2, and winning game two, 5-2.

Sophomore forwards Joey Larson (15g, 15a), Karsen Dorwart (13g, 17a) and Isaac Howard (8g, 22a) and freshman defenseman Artyom Levshunov (8g, 22a) all lead the roster with 30 points. Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine has won 19 of 29 starts this season, accumulating a .915 save percentage and an average of 2.95 goals allowed per game.

6 - HOW TO WATCH: Both games begin at 8 p.m. and stream on B1G+. Audio play-by-play airs on the Badgers Radio network, including 1310 WIBA in the Madison area and 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee. It also airs on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. Follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.