MADISON, Wis. – For its final non-conference series of the year, the Wisconsin men's hockey team welcomes the Long Island University Sharks to the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 17-18.
Friday's game starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday's begins at 6 p.m. Both contests stream on B1G+.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Wisconsin || Long Island
1 - WELCOME HOME: The Badgers return to the Kohl Center for the first time in 40 days, most recently welcoming top-ranked Michigan State on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7. The Badgers won game one, 4-0, and lost game two, 3-2 in overtime.
Wisconsin will be running promotions on both nights of the series against LIU. Friday is NHL Night, and fans are encouraged to wear their favorite NHL team's jersey and participate in a fun round of NHL-themed intermission trivia.
Saturday is Face-Off Against Cancer, where UW will recognize the work of local doctors throughout the game. You can also show who you're fighting for throughout the game by filling out an "I Play For..." sign outside of section 115.
Fans can buy tickets to both games here.
2 - HOW ABOUT THIS TOP LINE: Wisconsin's top line of
Quinn Finley,
Gavin Morrissey and
Ryland Mosley have continued their stellar season, notching four goals and three assists in their most recent series against Michigan State. The line has scored points in 19 of 22 contests, racking up 34 goals and 75 points on the season. The Badgers as a team have 67 goals and 182 points on the year.
The three also occupy the top three individual spots in goals and assists on the team. Sophomore Finley leads in both categories with 16 goals and 29 points. He also ranks fourth in the nation and third in the conference in points and sits second in the NCAA and the Big Ten in goals.
Morrissey leads the roster with 17 assists and is the top scorer among all freshmen in the country with 24 points. Graduate student Mosley is second on the Badgers with 11 goals and third with 11 assists and 22 points.
3 - #100 FOR #12: Ryland Mosley recently reached a big milestone, scoring his 100th career point with an assist on
Quinn Finley's second-period goal in the Badgers' Jan. 4 game at Wrigley Field.
On that same night, Mosley also notched career point number 101, tallying a goal with 48.7 seconds left in the third period to send the game to overtime.
4 - LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers enter the series after a week off and come off games against No. 1 Michigan State on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 2 and 4.
Despite holding a 3-1 lead midway through the second period UW fell in game one, 4-3. Michigan State opened the scoring 5:36 into the game, but
Gavin Morrissey evened the score at one with 1:55 remaining in the period.
Owen Lindmark made it 2-1 for the Badgers 51 seconds into the second period on the power play before
Sawyer Scholl doubled UW's lead at 5:27. MSU found the back of the net 14:26 into the second period and again 57 seconds into the third to tie the game at three. The Spartans scored again with 5:05 left in the contest to complete their comeback and claim a 4-3 victory.
In game two, which was played outdoors at Wrigley Field on Jan. 4 as part of the Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series, Wisconsin overcame a two-goal and one-goal deficit, but fell, 4-3, in overtime. Michigan State got on the board 15:36 into the first period before adding another goal 4:29 into the second to take a 2-0 lead. Wisconsin battled back, with
Gavin Morrissey and
Quinn Finley each scoring in the final 10 minutes of the period to tie the game heading into the third. MSU lit the lamp 7:32 into the final regulation frame to take a 3-2 lead, but with 48.7 seconds left,
Ryland Mosley found the back of the net to send the game into overtime. With 1.4 seconds remaining in the five-minute overtime period, the Spartans scored to claim a 4-3 win and an extra conference point.
5 - SCOUTING LIU: The Sharks, who compete independently, currently have a 13-9-1 record. They head into the series after being swept by Colgate, losing game one, 2-1, and game two, 3-1.
Sophomore forward Carter Rapalje leads the roster with 11 goals and 21 points in 22 games played. Sophomore goaltender Noah Rupprecht has six wins in 10 starts, accumulating a .906 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-allowed on average.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Friday's game begins at 7 p.m., while Saturday's begins at 6 p.m. Both contests stream on B1G+. Audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA or on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
