BADGERS WELCOME PENN STATE TO CLOSE OUT HOME SCHEDULE
Wisconsin (6-16-8, 1-11-4-2 Big Ten) returns to the Kohl Center for its final home series of the regular season and Senior Weekend, hosting Penn State (19-9-4, 9-6-1-1) on Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m.

In their most recent action, the Badgers grabbed two points at Ohio State with a 4-4 tie and a shootout win on Friday night before the Buckeyes edged Wisconsin 6-5 in the series finale. Wisconsin had four different players notch multi-point games in the series finale, with sophomore Cameron Hughes putting up a career-high four points in the series to earn a Big Ten Star of the Week. 

Penn State did not play last weekend, but also faced Ohio State in its most recent series. The Nittany Lions split with the Buckyes in University Park, Pennsylvania two weeks ago, topping OSU 6-1 in the series opener before a 7-4 loss the next night. 

Last Meeting: L, 4-1 -- Freshman forward Luke Kunin scored early in the second period to draw the Badges to within 2-1, but a pair of Penn State goals in the third period by Eric Scheid, the son of former Badger Jim Scheid, put the Jan. 16th game away. Matt Jurusik made 37 saves in defeat. The prior night, Jake Linhart scored on the power play in the first period to give UW a 1-0 lead. A pair of second-period goals by Penn State gave PSU a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but Luke Kunin tied the game at 5:11. PSU regained the lead at 13:13, but Linhart struck for a second time to tie the game at 3-3. Penn State's David Goodwin then scored in overtime to give PSU a 4-3 victory. Jurusik made a career-high 54 saves in goal in the loss.

Penn State Series Notes: The teams meet for the 14th and 15th times ... Penn State owns a six-game winning streak in the series after UW won six of the first seven games of the series ... 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 the 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.

THIS WEEK IN MEN'S HOCKEY
• Wisconsin (6-16-8, 1-11-4-2 Big Ten) completes its home schedule with a Friday-Saturday series against No. 14 Penn State (19-9-4, 9-6-1-1 Big Ten). Both games begin at 7 p.m., with Friday's game broadcast live on television on ASN.

• The Badgers skated to a record-tying eighth tie of the season last Friday, playing a 4-4 game at Ohio State. The Badgers won the ensuing six-round shootout, 1-0, to grab an extra point in the Big Ten standings. Frosh Matthew Freytag scored the shootout goal on his first career attempt, after also scoring a goal in the game. UW dropped the series finale, 6-5. 
    Penn State was off, but split the prior weekend at home against Ohio State, winning 6-1 and losing 7-4.

• With Wisconsin closing out its 2015–16 home schedule, it will honor senior denfesemen Eddie Wittchow and Kevin Schulze, as well as senior goaltender Adam Miller prior to Saturday's game. UW's three seniors have combined to play in 266 games, and boast two NCAA tournament appearances, as well as a WCHA tournament and Big Ten tournament championship on their resumes.

• Freshman forward Seamus Malone owns a five-game, point-scoring streak with two goals, four assists and six points during the stretch. The streak is tied for the second longest of the season for UW with Tim Davison and Ryan Wagner, who both had five-game scoring streaks earlier this year. Grant Besse's eight-game scoring streak (Oct. 17-Nov. 20 tops the Badgers this season. Malone has points in seven of his last eight contests.
    Malone has five goals and 24 points this season, which ranks third on the Badgers and fifth among all Big Ten rookies.

• Freshman forward Luke Kunin has five goals over his last five games and leads the Badgers with 15 goals. The goal total ranks second among Big Ten freshmen and is tied for sixth among all Big Ten skaters. Kunin's 10 goals in league play are tied for fourth among all Big Ten skaters.
    Kunin has 15 goals, 11 assists and 26 points to rank second on the Badgers in scoring. He is tied for second among Big Ten rookies with his 26 points. 
    Kunin is the first Wisconsin freshman to reach double figures in goals since Nic Kerdiles tallied 11 goals in 32 games as a rookie in 2011–12. Kunin has 15 goals through 29 contests. 
    Kunin is the eighth Badger freshman in the Eaves' Era (2002-present) to reach double figures in goals. The others? Kyle Turris had 11 goals as a rookie in 2007–08, Michael Davies scored 11 times during the 2006–07 season, Jack Skille (13) and Ben Street (10) reached double figures as freshmen in 2005–06, Joe Pavelski struck 16 times as a rookie in 2004–05, Robbie Earl tallied 14 times in 2003–04 and Ryan MacMurchy scored 10 goals in 2002–03.
    The last Badger freshman to lead a team in goals was Dany Heatley in 1999–2000. Heatley scored 28 times that year. The last UW rookie to lead the team in points for a season was Turris, when he had 35 points in 36 games.

• The combination of Luke Kunin (26 points) and Malone (24 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 shares second among Big Ten rookies with 26 points, while Malone ranks fifth.
    Malone leads the Badgers with 10 power-play points (1-9=10), which is good for a share of sixth among all Big Ten skaters.

• UW's sophomore class ranks fifth in the country among its peers with a 3.30 points-per-game scoring average. The group has totaled 99 points on 34 goals and 65 assists. Air Force (3.94 points per game), Notre Dame (3.56), Holy Cross (3.53) and New Hampshire (3.24) are the only schools doing better with their sophomore classes.
    UW's freshmen are 14th in the country with a 2.57 points-per-game average.

• The Badgers scored five first-period goals in the two games last weekend at Ohio State. UW had scored just 14 goals in the first period in the prior 28 games this season.
    UW's second period has been its best for most of the season, with UW scoring more than half of its goals in the second frame. Of its 81 goals this year, 41 have come in the second period. 

• The Badgers outshot Ohio State, 36-29, last Friday night, including 4-0 in overtime, and had outshot their opponent in four consecutive games and six of seven contests before OSU grabbed a 38-30 shot advantage last Saturday.
    UW has outshot its opponent 14 times this season and sits 4-5-5 in those contests.
    The last time UW outshot its opponents in four-straight games was Jan. 10-25, 2014.

• Sophomore forward Cameron Hughes posted his first career three-point game with a goal and two assists last Saturday at Ohio State. His goal tied the game at 5-5 at 14:03 of the third period, though OSU won it just over three minutes later. He also recorded a career-best four-point weekend. He has a career-high five goals and 22 points to share fourth on the Badgers.
    Hughes, who has four multi-point games over his last seven contests, is the fifth Badger to reach 20 points this season. Last season, only Grant Besse reached the mark.
    Hughes boasts eight points (two goals, six assists) over his last five games and 12 points (four goals, eight assists) over his last nine contests.
    Hughes has gone more than one game without a point just once since opening the season without a point in his first four contests.

• The line of freshman Luke Kunin, sophomore Cameron Hughes and junior Grant Besse was reunited last Saturday against Ohio State, after a one-game hiatus last Friday. They combined for three goals, five assists and eight points in Saturday's game with Kunin posting a goal and an assist, and Hughes and Besse each scoring a goal and two assists.

• Sophomore forward Matt Ustaski scored UW's third last Friday, scoring 3:10 into the second period. The goal was his second of the season, and ended an 11-game, goal-scoring drought. His last goal came Dec. 4 at Michigan.

• For the second time this season, senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow posted assists in both games of a series after he had one in each game last weekend at Ohio State. He also had assists in both games at Penn State on Jan. 15 and 16 earlier this season. He had gone over a season since collecting a point before the Penn State series. Wittchow is still looking for his first goal since Jan. 4, 2014, when he scored his only career goal against Alaska Anchorage. That was 71 games ago. 
    This season, Wittchow has four points, with a career total of 14 points in 118 games.

• Sophomore defenseman Jake Linhart scored his eighth goal of the season last Saturday, which leads UW rear guards and shares third on the team with junior forward Grant Besse. Linhart's goal total is tied for the Big Ten lead among defensemen along with Penn State's Vince Pedrie and Minnesota's Michael Brodzinski.
    Linhart also leads UW defensemen with 16 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. 

• UW's penalty kill went 3-for-4 over the weekend, has killed 13 of its last 15 penalties, and is 21 for its last 24 since allowing three goals to Minnesota on six power plays on Jan. 23. The Badger penalty kill is at 84.5 percent (93-for-110), which ranks 20th in the nation and third in the Big Ten.

• The Badger power play went 1-for-3 last weekend and now stands 19-for-101 (18.8 percent) on the season, which ranks 24th in the country and fifth in the Big Ten.

• Freshman forward Luke Kunin has eight goals and 13 points in first or last minute of a period to lead the country in both categories. Kunin has five goals in the first minute of a period and three in the final minute, and nearly had his fourth last-minute goal of the season last Saturday, scoring at 18:56 of the first period that night against Ohio State. 

• The Badgers have 19 of their 81 goals in the first or last minute of a period this year, including Seamus Malone's goal at 19:17 of the first period last Friday and Jake Linhart's goal with nine seconds left in the first period last Saturday at Ohio State.

• Freshman forward Will Johnson scored for the third time in his last seven games with a goal last Saturday at Ohio State. He also had an assist in the game to give him his first multi-point game of his career. Johnson now has four points in his last four games and is one point shy of reaching double figures. His six goals are tied for sixth on the team.

• Junior forward Grant Besse leads the Badgers with 21 assists and 29 points in 30 games, setting career highs in both categories. Besse collected 11 assists and 22 points last season for his previous bests.
    Besse's 29 points have him ranked 10th in Big Ten scoring in all games, while his 21 assists rank fifth among Big Ten skaters.

• Wisconsin is 6-7-5 when freshman forward Jarod Zirbel (Green Bay, Wisconsin) is in the lineup. The rookie has a goal and four points in 16 games played.

• 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 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.

• 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 11 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 10 times this season.    

• UW has two freshmen among the top five in the Big Ten in scoring. Luke Kunin is tied for second with 26 points on 15 goals and 11 assists, while Seamus Malone ranks fifth with 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists).

• Senior defenseman Eddie Wittchow (Burnsville, Minn.) skated in his 100th career game for the Badgers on Nov. 6 to become just the second current Badger to reach the milestone. He now has played in 118 games. Only fellow senior defenseman Kevin Schulze (White Bear Lake, Minn.), who has played in 143 games, has played in more.
    Two other Badgers could play in their 100th career games this weekend as junior forwards Jedd Soleway (98 GP) and Grant Besse (98 GP) are within striking distance.

• 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. 

• 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 seventh in the nation with an average of 2.41 blocks per game, while Schulze shares 14th with a 2.20 blocks-per-game mark. Schulze shares 19th in the country with 66 blocks, while Wittchow shares 21st with 65 blocks. 

• 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 a 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.

UP NEXT
• Wisconsin closes out the regular season with a trip to Minnesota next weekend to take on the Golden Gophers in a Friday-Saturday series. Both games are at 7 p.m. at Mariucci Arena, with Friday's contest airing at ESPNEWS and Saturday's airing on BTN.