BADGERS DROP PUCK ON POSTSEASON WITH BATTLE AGAINST PENN STATE
Wisconsin (8-18-8, 3-13-4-2 Big Ten) starts the postseason on Thursday with a matchup against No. 19 Penn State (20-12-4, 10-9-1-1 Big Ten) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The winner of the Badgers-Nittany Lions matchup will face second-seeded Michigan in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m.
Wisconsin comes into the matchup against PSU playing some of its best hockey of the season. The Badgers closed out the regular season last weekend, splitting a pair of games with then-No. 19 Minnesota in Minneapolis. Wisconsin won the series opener 4-3 behind two goals from Grant Besse, but fell 4-1 the next night, as the Gophers scored three times in the third period.
Penn State has struggled recently going just 1-4-0 in its past five games, which included a series sweep at the hands of Michigan this past weekend. The host Wolverines topped the Nittany Lions 7-1 on Friday night, and then blitzed PSU 6-1 on Saturday night.
Last Meeting: W, 4-3 -- Penn State scored first at the 4:49 mark of the first period, but goals by Jedd Soleway, Jason Ford, Matthew Freytag and Corbin McGuire
built the Badgers a 4-1 lead in the second period. Penn State pushed in the third, as they outshot UW 21-2 and scored twice, but UW held on for the 4-3 win. Frosh goalie Matt Jurusik stopped 46 shots for the March 5 win. The game followed one night after a 2-1 Penn State victory. Luke Kunin scored UW's lone goal, while senior Adam Miller stopped 28 saves in defeat for UW.
Penn State Series Notes: The teams meet for the 16th time ... UW snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series with its 4-3 victory on March 5 at the Kohl Center ... UW head coach Mike Eaves has connections to Pennsylvania, having spent two stints as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers (1989–90 & 1993–94), two seasons as head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears (1991–93) and three seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1997–2000) ... four Badger letterwinners have hailed from Pennsylvania, most notably goaltenders Mike Richter and Shane Connelly ... PSU forward Eric Scheid is the son of Jim Scheid, who played at Wisconsin from 1977-81. Jim passed away last August ... Wisconsin's last conference sweep was at Penn State, coming March 7-8, 2014, with a 4-2 victory and 3-2 overtime win ... UW met Penn State in UW's first-ever Big Ten Tournament game, winning 2-1 on March 21, 2014 at the Xcel Energy Center on the way to the 2014 crown.
THIS WEEK IN MEN'S HOCKEY
Sixth-seeded Wisconsin (8-18-8, 3-13-4-2 Big Ten) begins its postseason at the 2016 Big Ten Tournament, opening up with third-seeded Penn State (20-12-4, 10-9-1-1 Big Ten) on Thursday at 4 p.m. CT in the quarterfinals. The winner will play second-seeded Michigan (22-7-5, 12-5-3-2 Big Ten) in the semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m.
All games of the tournament, which take place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, will air on BTN.
The Badgers are on an eight-game winning streak at Xcel Energy Center, winning the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, the 2013 WCHA Final Five and the 2010 NCAA West Regional in the building during the streak. UW's last loss at Xcel Energy Center was a 2-0 defeat to St. Cloud State on March 19, 2010 in the 2010 WCHA Final Five semifinals.
Wisconsin closed out its regular season last weekend by splitting at Minnesota. The Badgers won 4-3 last Friday, before falling 4-1 last Saturday.
Penn State was swept last weekend at Michigan, losing 7-1 and 6-1. PSU owns a three-game losing streak, all on the road, and has dropped four of its last five contests.
Wisconsin and Penn State met two weeks ago at the Kohl Center, with the Badgers defeating the Nittany Lions on March 5 by a 4-3 score. PSU won the night before, 2-1.
UW is 1-3-0 against Penn State this season, winning the most recent game, 4-3, dropping a pair of one-goal games, including one in overtime, and losing 4-1.
UW freshman goaltender Matt Jurusik (La Grange, Illinois) has totaled 137 saves in three appearances against Penn State this season to average just under 46 saves per game against PSU. That total including a 54-save, 4-3 overtime loss and a 46-save, 4-3 victory.
UW freshman forward Luke Kunin (Chesterfield, Missouri) leads the Badgers with three goals and five points in four games against PSU, scoring UW's lone short-handed goal of the season in those contests. Sophomore defenseman Jake Linhart (Brookfield, Wisconsin) is the only other Badger with more than one goal against the Nittany Lions with two goals. Linhart's three points against PSU are tied with Cameron Hughes (3 assists) for UW's second-highest total against Penn
State.
KUNIN-HUGHES-BESSE LINE
The line of freshman Luke Kunin (8 goals, 4 assists), sophomore Cameron Hughes (3 goals, 8 assists) and junior Grant Besse (4 goals, 8 assists) have played together in 10 of the last 11 games and have combined for 35 points during those 10 games, including 15 goals and 20 assists.
Freshman forward Luke Kunin tallied two goals last weekend at Minnesota, giving him eight goals in his last nine games and nine goals in his last 11 contests.
Kunin leads the Badgers with 18 goals and is in position to become the first UW rookie since Dany Heatley scored 28 goals in 1999–2000 to lead the Badgers in goals. The 18 goals are also the most for a UW freshman since Heatley's 28.
Kunin's 31 points make 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 31 points are good for second among Big Ten freshmen, while his 0.94 points per game ranks seventh nationally among freshmen.
Kunin sits one back of UW's point lead. The last UW rookie to pace the Badgers in scoring was Kyle Turris, who had 35 points during the 2007–08 season.
Kunin has points in a career-best six games, tallying five goals and eight points during the active streak. He scored another goal in the last minute of a period last Friday, giving the Badgers 12 goals in the final minute of a period. Kunin ranks second in the country with four of those, while his seven points in the last minute are also second. He has nine goals and 14 points in the first and last minute of periods, which both lead 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.
Junior Grant Besse's two-goal game last Friday gave him nine goals and 12 points over his last nine games against Minnesota, including his scoreless night last Saturday. Besse has five multi-point games in the last nine games against the Gophers. In seven of those nine games, he has at least one goal. He is also 2-for-2 against Minnesota in shootouts, including a shootout winner on Jan. 16, 2015.
The junior forward leads the Badgers with a career-high 32 points on 10 goals and a career-high 22 assists. He is one goal off his career goal-scoring high.
Besse has six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games.
Besse's power-play goal last Friday was his first of the season, while his empty-net goal marked the team's first empty-net tally of 2015–16 and marked his first game-winning score of the year.
Sophomore forward Cameron Hughes (Edmonton, Alberta) had points in four-straight games and nine of his last 11 contests, before going pointless last weekend at Minnesota. He has four goals, 10 assists and 14 points over that stretch.
Hughes recent stretch gives him five goals and 24 points in 31 games this season, which ranks fourth for the Badgers.
ALL ABOUT THE TEAM
Wisconsin's victory last Friday over No. 19 Minnesota gave it consecutive victories over ranked opponents for the first time since the Badgers swept then-No. 1 Minnesota at the Kohl Center on Feb. 6-7, 2014.
UW has been tied or in the lead during the third period in 25 of its 34 games, sporting an 8-9-8 record in those contests.
Wisconsin is 7-0-4 when entering the third period with a lead.
UW's second period has been its best for most of the season, with UW scoring 44 of its 91 goals in the second frame.
The number has balanced out lately, with UW scoring 17 first-period goals, 16 second-period goals and 14 third-period goals in games since the start of January.
UW's sophomore class ranks fourth in the country among its peers with a 3.18 points-per-game scoring average. The group has totaled 108 points on 36 goals and 72 assists. Air Force (3.94 points per game), Notre Dame (3.53) and Holy Cross (3.36) are the only schools doing better with their sophomore classes.
UW's freshmen are 12th in the country with a 2.53 points-per-game average.
The Badgers have 20 of their 91 goals in the first or last minute of a period this year.
The Badgers have overcome multi-goal holes to avoid defeat on three occasions this season.
The most recent came Jan. 9 against Ohio State when UW overcame a 4-2 deficit for a 4-4 tie.
The others were Northern Michigan on Oct. 10 (3-0 deficit in third; 3-3 tie) and Michigan on Dec. 5 (trailed 2-0 in first; 6-6 tie).
The Badgers have scored 12 goals in the final minute of a period this season. Three of the last-minute goals were scored with UW skating with an extra attacker and resulted in ties.
Junior right winger Grant Besse had one in the third period vs. Northern Michigan on Oct. 9 that provided a 2-2 draw (19:18).
Sophomore defenseman Tim Davison had one in the third session vs. Ferris State on Oct. 23 that resulted in a 5-5 tie (19:40).
Freshman left winger Luke Kunin had one in the third period vs. No. 6 Michigan on Feb.13 that gave UW 4-4 tie (19:33).
The Badgers have pulled their goaltender looking to tie at the end of games 12 times this season.
UW posted its eighth tie of the season on Feb. 26 at Ohio State, tying the school record of eight ties set during the 2003–04 campaign.
The Badgers had tied 11 consecutive overtime games and were unbeaten in 12 consecutive overtime contests before losing a 4-3 overtime contest on Jan. 15 at Penn State. The Badgers went 1-0-11 over a span that dates back to March 22, 2014 and the Badgers' 5-4 overtime victory over Ohio State in the championship game of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament.
PLAYER NOTES
After going 18 games without a game, junior forward Jedd Soleway now has goals in consecutive contests after scoring on the power play last Friday night.
Soleway's sixth of the season is one shy of his career high from last season. His 10 points are a career best.
The Badgers are 4-0-2 when Soleway scores a goal.
Soleway leads the way in the faceoff circle for the Badgers, ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 17th in the country with a 58.8 percent win percentage. He is 201-141 on faceoffs this season. His 58.3 percent success rate last season ranked 11th in the country.
Frosh forward Seamus Malone has points in seven of nine games (2 goals, 6 assists). He shares sixth among Big Ten rookies with 26 points.
Sophomore forward Ryan Wagner, who is tied for second on the Badgers with 10 goals, has gone eight games without a goal, recording just one assist during the stretch. He still ranks fifth on the Badgers with 22 points. He had two goals and five points as a frosh.
Corbin McGuire (Ridgefield, Connecticut) has played four consecutive games on defense, as well as eight of the last 12 games as a blue liner after skating his first 52 career games as a forward.
He has two of his three goals and points this season while playing on the blue line. That includes his first-career, game-winning goal against No. 14 Penn State on March 5. He has five goals and seven points in 64 career games. He has two goals and is plus-3 in his eight games on defense.
The combination of Luke Kunin (31 points) and Malone (26 points) gives UW two freshman with at least 20 points in a season for the first time since 2009–10 when Craig Smith (8-25=33) and Justin Schultz (6-16=22) both eclipsed the mark.
Kunin sits second among Big Ten rookies with 31 points, while Malone shares sixth.
Malone leads the Badgers with 11 power-play points (1-10=11), which is good for a share of eighth among all Big Ten skaters.
Sophomore defenseman Jake Linhart's (Brookfield, Wisconsin) eight goals leads UW rear guards and ranks fourth on the team. Linhart's goal total is tied for second among Big Ten defensemen behind Michigan's Zach Werenski, who has nine. Linhart also leads UW defensemen with 18 points, which is tied for sixth among Big Ten blue liners.
Kevin Schulze led UW defensemen last season with 11 points.
With two more goals, Linhart would become the first UW rear guard to reach at least 10 goals since Justin Schultz tallied 16 times during the 2011–12
season. He is tied for most goals for a Badger defenseman since Schultz with Jake McCabe (2013–14) and John Ramage (2012–13).
Since 2000, only Schultz (18 in 2010–11 and 16 in 2011–12), Jake Gardiner (10 in 2010–11), Brendan Smith (15 in 2009–10) and Tom Gilbert (12 in 2005–06) have scored at least 10 goals from the blue line.
Wisconsin is 8-9-5 when freshman forward Jarod Zirbel (Green Bay, Wisconsin) is in the lineup. The rookie has a goal and four points in 22 games played.
Senior defenseman Kevin Schulze led the nation in 2014–15 with an average of 2.66 blocks per game, 0.11 shots-per-game better than Bemidji State defenseman Sam Windle (2.55). Schulze's 93 blocks were four shy of Windle's national lead.
As a team, UW ranked 10th in the country with an average of 14.83 blocks per game.
This season, teammate Eddie Wittchow ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 2.48 blocks per game. Schulze ranks 24th with a 2.03 blocks-per-game mark. Wittchow ranks 14th with 77 blocks, while Schulze ranks 25th in the country with 69 blocks.
Four Badgers have skated in at least 100 career games, with senior defenseman Kevin Schulze leading the way at 147 games played. He has missed just one game his entire Badger career, the second one his freshman season. He has played in 146 consecutive games.
Senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow (122 GP), and junior forwards Grant Besse (102 GP) and Jedd Soleway (101 GP) are the other current Badgers in the 100 games played club.
No other Badger has played in more than 69 career games.
Senior Eddie Wittchow has four assists in his last six games and has six points in 31 games this season. He was pointless in 25 games last season as a junior. He is still looking for his first goal since sophomore season, a stretch of 75 games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
UW's power play went 2-for-5 last weekend at Minnesota, as special teams played a large role in the outcome of both games. Last Friday, UW was 2-for-3 on the power play, while also scoring a goal 4-on-4 and on an empty net. Saturday, the Badgers allowed two power-play goals, a short-handed tally, and an empty-net goal, in their loss to Minnesota.
For the season, UW is 22-for-114 on the power play for a 19.3 percent success rate, good for fourth in the Big Ten and 24th in the nation. UW is 10-for-60 (16.7 percent) on the power play in Big Ten action, which also ranks fourth.
Over the last six games, UW has had more than two power plays in a game twice, with the high, the seven power-play chances it got in its 4-3 victory over Penn State on March 5. During that same six-game stretch, UW has been whistled for more than two power plays twice, including seven last
Saturday in its 4-1 loss at Minnesota.
Like this week's opponent Penn State, the Badgers have allowed nine short-handed goals this season, which is tied for the second most in the country.
UW's penalty kill was a strength for much of the season, but has allowed at least one power-play goal in each of the last five games, including two in its most recent game. UW's penalty kill still ranks third in the Big Ten at 82.3 percent (102-124). In Big Ten games, UW's kill is fifth at 78.6 percent (55-70).
Wisconsin's lone short-handed goal of the season came against Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead the nation with 12 short-handed tallies, with three of those coming against UW.
MISCELLANY
Fan voting is underway online for the WHA-TV Jim Santulli 7th-Man Award. Named for the producer who helped start Badger hockey broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Television in the 1970's, the Jim Santulli 7th Man Award is presented to the winner in April. This is the 36th year the trophy will be awarded.
Voting is live at http://go.wisc.edu/santulli7thman
UW faces one of the tougher schedules in the nation this season, with an especially grueling stretch to start the campaign. The Badgers played six of their first 12 games against teams ranked in the top five of the preseason USCHO.com poll, with at least one game against four of the top five teams.
Of its 34 total games, Wisconsin will play 14 against teams ranked in the top 13 of the USCHO.com preseason poll. Only three of UW's series this year are against a team not receiving votes in the preseason poll.
Wisconsin will serve as host school for the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four set for April 7-9 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The Badgers last played host to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2006 when it was held at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The Badgers won the championship that season, defeating Boston College, 2-1, in the title game.
Five Badgers were captains of their teams before arriving on campus including Kevin Schulze (Hill-Murray), Cullen Hurley (Academy of Holy Angels) and Jarod Zirbel (Notre Dame Academy), who each captained their high school teams, as well as Luke Kunin who served as a captain of the U.S. Under-18 Team and Patrick
Sexton (Penticton) in the BCHL. Hurley also co-captained the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the USHL. Eddie Wittchow (co-captain) and Grant Besse (assistant captain)
will earn their stripes this season as captains of the Badgers.
Wisconsin boasts 13 skaters who have championships on their resumes. Three Badgers (Besse, Davison, Zirbel) own high school state titles, two (Rockwood, Sexton) own BCHL titles, Hughes won an AJHL championship, Malone won a USHL crown, McGuire won an EJHL championship and Keryluk owns
an USPHL win. In addition, Kunin won an under-18 world title and Jurusik won the NAHL regular-season crown. Others include Wittchow's USHL western conference victory and Soleway's BCHL division triumph.
Head coach Mike Eaves is behind the bench for his 14th season at Wisconsin. The Badgers own one NCAA title (2006), two Frozen Four appearances (2006, 2010), seven NCAA tournament appearances and two conference tournament titles (2013, 2014) during Eaves' tenure.
Eaves has seen 28 of his former Badgers go on to play in the NHL, as well as over 60 of his former players go on to play some sort of professional hockey (NHL, AHL, ECHL, overseas). Fifty NHL drafted skaters have played at Wisconsin under Eaves.
Wisconsin hockey boasts five new staff members including associate head coach Luke Strand, assistant coach JB Bittner, director of hockey operations John
Hamre, video coordinator Emily Engel and primary care Dr. Andrew Watson.
For the new coaches, associate head coach Luke Strand came to UW from a year as general manager and coach of the first-year Madison Capitols of the USHL. He played college hockey for UW-Eau Claire. New assistant coach JB Bittner, who played his college hockey at Ohio State, arrived in Madison from a two-year assistant coaching stint for the USHL's Tri-City Storm in Kearney, Nebraska.
2014–15 vs. 2015–16
Wisconsin surpassed its win total from last year's 35-game season through 34 games. UW is 8-18-8 this year, doubling last year's total.
Wisconsin scored 15 power-play goals last season (15-for-129 in 35 games) and has 22 power-play tallies this year (22-for-114 in 34 games).
Wisconsin scored 59 total goals last season in 35 games. The Badgers have 91 goals in 34 games this season.
Four Badgers scored at least five goals last season (Besse - 11, Soleway - 7, LaBate - 6, Zulinick - 5), while UW has 10 with at least five goals this season (Kunin - 18, Wagner - 10, Besse - 10, Linhart - 8, Freytag - 8, Johnson - 6, Soleway - 6, Davison - 5, Malone - 5, Hughes - 5).
Wisconsin's defensemen finished with 11 total goals last year, and have 16 so far this year (Linhart - 8, Davison - 5, McGuire - 2, Schulze - 1).
Wisconsin has had 51 total multi-point games this season, with 13 total players registering at least one multi-point outing through 34 games. The 51 multi-point
games this year surpasses the 22 multi-point outputs from the 2014-15 season in 35 games.
UP NEXT
Wisconsin's season will continue if it can win the Big Ten tournament this weekend. The NCAA Selection Show airs Sunday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPNU. The NCAA tournament begins with regionals the weekend of March 25-27, and continues two weeks later with the NCAA Frozen Four on April 7-9 in Tampa, Florida. UW will serve as the host school for this year's Frozen Four.
