UW OPENS HOME SLATE WITH BC
Wisconsin (1-1-0) plays in it home-opening series when Boston College (1-1-0) visits the Kohl Center for a Friday-Sunday series. Friday's game begins at 7 p.m., while Sunday's game is a 3 p.m. start.

Friday's game airs live on Fox Sports Wisconsin, while Saturday's game will air on ESPNU. 

Wisconsin sits 32-18-3 in modern era (since 1963) home-openers with UW last taking the opener with a 5-2 victory over Northern Michigan to start the 2013–14 season on Oct. 11. 

SERIES NOTES
Wisconsin has lost the last five games against Boston College since the Badgers won the 2006 NCAA title game, 2-1, over the Eagles.

Wisconsin trails 9-14-0 in the all-time series, including 1-3-0 at the Kohl Center.

The team's have met twice in NCAA title games, with UW winning in 2006 in Milwaukee and Boston College taking the 2010 championship game.

The coaching matchup is noteworthy on several fronts. Granato has one career win at the college level, which puts him 1,012 behind Jerry York, the BC legend who ranks No. 1 on the all-time list. But despite being at the opposite ends of that spectrum, the 52-year-old Granato and 74-year-old York have similar backgrounds. Both coach at their alma maters. Both were born July 25. Both played center. Both totaled 67 points when they led their teams in scoring the first time. Both paced their teams in scoring twice. Both had two hat tricks in their careers. Both were captains as seniors.

WISCONSIN-BC CONNECTIONS
A handful of players from both Wisconsin and Boston College skated together as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program, many of them under UW associate head coach Don Granato, who served as one of the program's head coaches. 

UW freshmen Trent Frederic and JD Greenway were teammates of BC rookies Joe Woll, Graham McPhee, Zach Walker and Michael Campoli last season with the U.S. Under-18 Team.

UW sophomore Luke Kunin played with BC's Colin White and Casey Fitzgerald with the U.S. Under-18 Team two years ago under Granato.

LAST MEETINGS
Wisconsin 0, BC 6
Oct. 16, 2015
Boston College scored 12 seconds into the game in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, then scored a short-handed goal 4:39 into the first period to grab a 2-0 lead that turned out to be plenty. BC added three goals in the second period and one more in the third period to seal a 6-0 win. 

Boston College outshot the Badgers, 27-20 in the game, going 1-for-5 on the power play. The Badgers went scoreless on four power-play chances. 

Senior Adam Miller started the game, but was replaced by Matt Jurusik after the second goal of the first period. Jurusik went on to make 19 saves on 23 shots in relief. 

BEHIND THE BENCH
WISCONSIN BADGERS
Head Coach: Tony Granato
Record at WIS: 1-1-0 (1st Year)
Overall: 1-1-0 (1st Year)

BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES
Head Coach: Jerry York
Record at BC: 546-265-76 (23rd Year)
Overall: 1013-600-110 (45th Year)

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER
The Badgers captured their first victory of the season and of the Tony Granato coaching era with their 6-5 win last Saturday against Northern Michigan. UW fell, 3-2, the previous night to open the season.

The victory in just the second game gives UW its earliest win in a season since opening the 2013–14 campaign with a victory. In 2015–16, Wisconsin won its first game in its seventh contest. During the 2014–15 slate, the Badgers first win came in game No. 10. 

The Badgers' win on Saturday was the first regulation victory when allowing 5+ goals since March 1, 2003, when they won a 9-5 context against Michigan Tech. Like last Saturday, the game against Michigan Tech was also played at the Resch Center.

Saturday's loss to NMU put head coach Tony Granato in good company. A loss in his first game behind the bench matches the debut's of Bob Johnson and Mike Eaves, who both lost their debuts and went on two win three NCAA titles and one NCAA title during their coaching careers, respectively.

Freshman defenseman JD Greenway, one of four Badgers who made their debuts last weekend, led the way among the rookies with three points. Greenway put up one assist last Friday, then added a pair of assists on Saturday. He also lead all Badgers with a plus-3 rating for the weekend, one of just two Badgers in the pluses. 

Sophomore forward Will Johnson tallied a pair of power-play goals last weekend, scoring one in each game. That performance surpassed his freshman season total of one power-play goal in just one weekend. Johnson recorded six goals and nine points in 34 games last season as a rookie. Johnson led the USHL in scoring at one point during the 2014–15 season with nine goals and 36 points in 30 games for the Madison Capitols, before an injury ended his campaign.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Wisconsin's power play went 5-for-13 last weekend against Northern Michigan for a 31.2 percent success rate, which ranks third in the country. If you add that to UW's 3-for-6 power-play performance in its exhibition game, the Badgers are 8-for-19 on the power play this season (42.1 percent). 

UW allowed two short-handed goals to Northern Michigan's Robbie Payne last Saturday. The Badgers are tied for the most short-handed goals allowed with Maine, Alaska and Union after the first weekend. The Badgers allowed nine short-handed goals last season, which was tied for second with Penn State. Colorado College led the nation last season, allowing 10 short-handed tallies.

The Badgers' penalty kill went 9-for-11 (81.8 percent).

FACEOFFS
After UW and NMU split in the faceoff circle last Friday, 25-25, the Badgers dominated draws on Saturday, 40-29. Freshman forward Trent Frederic led the way with a 15-5 record on faceoffs. Junior forward Cameron Hughes was pretty good to, going 13-7 on draws.

OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE
Wisconsin's defenseman accounted for nine of the team's 24 points last weekend.

The team's 4.50 points from the defense ranked third among all teams in the nation. 

CAPTAINS
Sophomore forward Luke Kunin was named team captain, the second sophomore captain in school history. Mike Eaves was a sophomore captain for the 1975–76 season. 

Joining sophomore forward Luke Kunin as alternate captains are senior forward Grant Besse and junior forward Cameron Hughes. Besse served as alternate captain last season, while Hughes filled in at that capacity for a handful of games last year.

BESSE TO 100 
Should senior forward Grant Besse match his point total of 33 from last season, he would become the 74th skater in UW history to reach 100 career points, and would become the first since Tyler Barnes (2010–14) reached the mark with 101 points for his career. He actually needs 31 to reach 100.

Besse currently boasts 30 goals, 41 assists and 71 points in 105 games played.

Besse's 105 games played makes him one of just two Badgers who have played 100 career college games, joining fellow senior forward Jedd Soleway, who has played 103 games.

CAPTAIN KUNIN 
Luke Kunin ended the 2015–16 season with points in a career-best seven straight games, tallying six goals and nine points during the active streak. He has points in the first two games of this season with a goal and an assist. That give Kunin a nine-game point streak dating back to last year. He has seven goals and 11 points in that stretch.  

Kunin scored the first goal of the game last Saturday to give UW a 1-0 lead against Northern Michigan. The goal was his team-leading fourth game-opening goal of his career.

Luke Kunin finished the 2015–16 season as the Badgers leading goal scorer with 19 goals, the first UW rookie since Dany Heatley scored 28 goals in 1999–2000 to lead the Badgers in goals. The 19 goals are also the most for a UW freshman since Heatley's 28. 

Kunin's 32 points made him the first UW rookie to reach 30 points since Nic Kerdiles tallied 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 32 games during the 2012–13 season. The 32 points were good for second among Big Ten freshmen, while his 0.94 points per game ranked seventh nationally among freshmen.

Kunin finished one back of UW's point lead, narrowly missing becoming the first UW rookie to pace the Badgers in scoring since Kyle Turris, who had 35 points during the 2007–08 season.

He scored four goals in the last minute of a period last season to rank second in the country, while his seven points in the last minute were also second. He had nine goals and 14 points in the first and last minute of periods, which both led the country.

Kunin finished conference play as UW's leader with 13 goals and 21 points in Big Ten play. His 13 goals ranked fourth among all Big Ten skaters, while his 21 points shared eighth. Both ranked second among Big Ten freshmen.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS 
Wisconsin returns 96.8 percent of its goals (90 of 93 goals), 80.4 percent of its assists (135 of 168 assists) and 86.2 percent of its points (225 of 261 points). The Badgers also return 100 percent of their power-play goals (22) from last season.

NEW COACHING STAFF
Tony Granato returns to Wisconsin after 13 years as a head and assistant coach in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. That followed a 13-year NHL playing career that included stops with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. 

Don Granato arrives in Madison after nearly five seasons as head coach with the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) helping develop the nation's best young hockey players. He also spent one season as an assistant coach with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, in addition to over 10 years as a head coach in junior and minor-league hockey. 

Osiecki returns to Madison, where he previously spent six seasons (2004–10) as an assistant coach. While at UW, he helped the Badgers win the 2006 NCAA Championship, as well as a runner-up spot in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four. Since his time at UW, Osiecki spent time as the head coach at Ohio State, as well as an assistant coach with the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

All three coaches went to school and played hockey for Wisconsin. 

20/20 VISION
Wisconsin welcomes five skaters back from last year who had 20 points, including Grant Besse (33), Luke Kunin (32), Seamus Malone (26), Cameron Hughes (22) and Ryan Wagner (22). This marks the first time UW returns five 20-point scores since the 2013–14 team welcomed six 20-point scorers back. That year, Michael Mersch (36), Nic Kerdiles (33), Mark Zengerle (32), Tyler Barnes (30), Joseph LaBate (23) and Jake McCabe (21) each returned to the Badgers. Prior to 2013–14, UW had last returned at least five 20-point scorers for a season when seven began the 2009–10 campaign.

FEELING A DRAFT
Wisconsin begins the season with eight NHL draft picks on its roster, including two first-round picks in Luke Kunin and Trent Frederic, third-round pick JD Greenway, fourth-round pick Max Zimmer, fifth-round selection Grant Besse, sixth-round choice Cameron Hughes and seventh-round picks Jedd Soleway and Matt Ustaski. 

UW's top four picks were all chosen in the 2016 draft.  

This year marks the first time since the 2010–11 season that UW boasts a first-round draft pick on its roster (Jake Gardiner), and the first team since the 2009–10 squad to boast more than one first-round pick (Gardiner, Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith).

Forwards Kunin and Frederic give UW its first first-round draft picks at the forward position since Kyle Turris played for UW during the 2007–08 season.
Kunin and Frederic give Wisconsin two first-round draft picks on the same team at forward for the first time in school history. 

CURRENT UW DRAFT PICKS    

LINHART AND SOUL
Junior defenseman Jake Linhart's led UW rear guards and ranked fourth on the team last season with eight goals. Linhart's goal total was tied for second among Big Ten defensemen behind Michigan's early-departure Zach Werenski, who finished with 11. That means Linhart shares the title the "Big Ten's top goal-scoring defenseman returning." 
Linhart also led UW defensemen with 18 points, which was tied for ninth among Big Ten blue liners.  

GOOD TO HAVE GOAL(IES)
Sophomore Matt Jurusik returns to the Badgers as their only experienced netminder after playing in 33 games last season as a freshmen. Jurusik went 8-16-7 with a 3.46 goals-against average, .892 save percentage and one shutout. 

Jurusik will be pushed this season by a pair of freshmen in Jack Berry and Johan Blomquist. who played last season in New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively.

GETTING YOUNGER
While Wisconsin boasted one of the youngest rosters in the country last season with regards to age, they get even younger this year. The team average 20 years, 10 months at the start of October last season. This year, the team averages 20 years, 5 months.

WHERE'S HOME?
Wisconsin's two new goaltenders, Jack Berry and Johan Blomquist, hail from places that have been rare at Wisconsin of late.

Berry comes from Holly, Michigan, The Badgers first player from Michigan since Jon Krall (2000–04), who came from Temperence, Michigan.

Blomquist, from Stockholm, Sweden, arrives as just the second Swede to play for Wisconsin. He joins Jan-Ake Danielson (1981–84), who came from Insjon, Sweden.

SEASONS STREAK
In the modern era of Wisconsin hockey (since 1963), the Badgers have never posted three consecutive losing seasons. UW had losing seasons the last two years, marking the third time that has happened in the modern era.

UP NEXT
Wisconsin takes part in its second exhibition contest of the year when it welcomes the U.S. Under-18 Team to the Kohl Center on Friday, Oct. 21 for a 7 p.m. tilt.