Wisconsin Badgers
15-4-2, 8-3-0
Michigan State
16-5-0, 7-4-0
Late comeback falls short, Badgers fall 4-3 to Spartans
January 15, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Tulk, Kukkonen, Dyck score in loss
MADISON, Wis. – A third-period goal from Tyson Dyck wasn't enough to complete a comeback as the No. 2 Wisconsin men's hockey team fell, 4-3, to the No. 4 Michigan State Spartans on Thursday night at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers fell behind 4-1 in the second period, but goals by Kyle Kukkonen late in the second period and Dyck in the first half of the third period gave UW a chance to tie. A late post by Ben Dexheimer was as close as the Badgers would get.
Michigan State (16-5-0, 7-4-0 Big Ten - 21 points) opened the scoring, 18:51 into the first period. Wisconsin (15-4-2, 8-3-0 Big Ten - 22 points) battled back in the second when an Oliver Tulk scored at 2:50, but Spartan goals at 3:57, 12:17 and 16:51 gave them a 4-1 advantage. Wisconsin kept fighting, with Kukkonen scoring 17:59 into the second and Tyson Dyck lighting the lamp, 6:39 into the third, to make it a 4-3 game.
How it Happened
First Period
The first period was quiet, with each team trading shots until Wisconsin earned the first power play of the night at 15:30. Michigan State killed off the first penalty of the night to keep it a 0-0 game until 18:51, when Ryker Lee lit the lamp for the Spartans to give them the lead heading into the second.
Second Period
Less than a minute into the second period ,at 48 seconds, MSU took a penalty.
Two seconds after the penalty expired, at 2:50, freshman forward Tulk scored to get Wisconsin on the board.
The Incredible Tulk gets us on the board 👊
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 16, 2026
🍎: Luke Osburn & Logan Hensler pic.twitter.com/TNO1jCp0Oe
Just over a minute later, at 3:57, Gavin O'Connell restored Michigan State's lead.
Michigan State got its first power play of the night, 8:28 into the second, but Wisconsin killed it off.
At 12:17 into the second, Daniel Russell scored to give the Spartans a two-goal advantage.
MSU got its second power play of the period at 13:35, but wasn't able to convert on any scoring chances and it remained a 3-1 Spartan lead.
Using its offensive momentum, MSU made it a three-goal game, 16:51 into the second, with a goal from Charlie Stramel.
Wisconsin continued to battle, with senior forward Kukkonen adding a tally 17:59 into the frame to cut MSU's lead in half heading into the third.
Come for the goal, stay for the celly 💥
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 16, 2026
Second goal of the year for Kukkonen!
🍎: Grady Deering pic.twitter.com/jlDPEgxrht
Third Period
To continue its comeback effort, senior forward Dyck lit the lamp, 6:39 into the third, after rushing the puck into the offensive zone.
TDIZZLE WITH THE SIZZLE 😤
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 16, 2026
Third goal of the year for the senior!
🍎: Joe Palodichuk pic.twitter.com/2hMYC51PtJ
The Spartans had a third power-play opportunity, 8:58 into the third, but Wisconsin killed it off to remain perfect on the penalty kill in the game.
UW fought hard in the final period to try and tie the game, putting up a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal in the final frame, but it wasn't enough as it fell, 4-3.
Wisconsin went 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 28-23 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know
-This marks Kyle Kukkonen's first goal since Oct. 24 vs. Alaska – a 10-game drought
-Wisconsin has a 3-2-0 record when playing top-five teams this year
Straight from the rink
Head Coach Mike Hastings
On the team's third-period effort
"We did make the push, but not enough. Sometimes the ones that hurt the most, you learn the most from."
On preparing for tomorrow's series finale
"I don't expect our group to do anything other than what they've done before. They've been okay looking in the mirror, and we'll look in the mirror. It's gonna be that way the rest of the season in our league."
Junior defenseman Joe Palodichuk
On his role as a leader on the team
"I think all year, our team has been very good at dealing with adversity. We haven't had much of it, but when it's hit, we've been good at responding. To the leadership piece, I think everyone on our team knows what to do, and as leaders, we just push that. I don't think it's anything special. We come out tomorrow with a good start, and the chips will fall where they fall. The way our group handles adversity like tonight, I'm not worried about tomorrow."
Senior forward Tyson Dyck
On Wisconsin's third-period performance
"It was a build-up of the way we played the first five minutes of that period. We looked at ourselves in the mirror in the locker room, and everyone took a jump going into that third period. I thought we played a really good third, so it's nice to get the goal that maybe pushes us over the edge a little bit. I thought our whole third period was really good, and we can use that going into tomorrow."
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series against Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 16. The game begins at 7 p.m. and streams on B1G+. 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. Buy tickets here.
