NEW YORK—On a day filled with much hype and excitement, the Wisconsin men's hockey team pulled through in New York City.

Despite losing a two-goal lead with under two minutes to play in regulation, the Badgers (13-8-1, 6-2-0-0 Big Ten) defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes (12-6-6, 3-4-1-1) 3-2, in overtime, at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

"To walk in to it and actually participate in a game, a meaningful game, it was a special moment for them and I'm just happy to be here with them and be part of it too," head coach Tony Granato said.

The win finished off a great day for the Badgers at MSG. Earlier in the day, the Wisconsin basketball team made a furious comeback late in regulation, then went on to a 61-54 overtime win over Rutgers.

For the Badger men's hockey team, junior Cameron Hughes scored the game-winner 2:58 into the five-minute overtime period after collecting a loose puck in front of the OSU goal. Hughes made a diving effort in front of the crease to poke in the puck after Matt Ustaski forced Buckeyes' goaltender Christian Frey out of position. The secondary assist went to Jake Linhart on Hughes' fifth goal of the year.

"I thought we bounced back great and had jump, the bench had life, we still believed in ourselves and that's the bottom line," Hughes said. "You always believe in yourself and good thing happen and we were lucky enough to get the win."

Wisconsin started the scoring late in the first period as Aidan Cavallini scored his second goal of the season to put the Badgers up 1-0. The senior forward sprung a 2-on-1 with Trent Frederic after the freshman stepped out of the penalty box and Cavallini lasered the puck over Frey's glove with under two minutes to go in the first.

The score remained 1-0 through the second period as UW continued to clamp down on defense. Matt Jurusik stopped all 19 shots he faced through the first two frames.

"The first couple minutes in the first period you have a little nerves running through you," Jurusik said. "It's a pretty surreal moment stepping out there for the anthem, but once I took a couple of shots I was ready to go."  

Both teams continued to push for a goal in the final frame and the Badgers had a golden opportunity after OSU took a five-minute major on an interference call against OSU's Josh Healey just outside the Badger defensive zone.

The Buckeyes then took a two-minute boarding penalty to give Wisconsin a two-minute 5-on-3 advantage, but they were unable to cash in on the extended power play. 

Matthew Freytag finally found the back of the net with 5:03 to go in the game, netting his second goal of the series. The sophomore finished off a nice passing play started by Will Johnson, who fed Cameron Hughes, who promptly dished it to Freytag for the tally to make it 2-0.

In the final minutes of the period, Hughes was whistled for tripping and Ohio State was able to cash in on the ensuing power play to make it 2-1 after pulling their goalie with 1:40 to play. The Buckeyes then tied the game at 2-2 with 16 seconds left in the third to force the game into overtime.

"It gave someone an opportunity to step up and be a hero," Granato said. "That's what was better about tonight. Obviously we would've taken the 2-0 win and gotten out of here but they weren't going to quit. I loved the way we came out in overtime."  

Despite surrendering the 2-0 lead, the Badgers kept their composure in the overtime period and finished off the Buckeyes. Jurusik completed the game with 27 saves on 29 shots.

The win over No. 8 Ohio State marked the Badgers' third-straight victory over a ranked opponent, the first time for the accomplishment since the 2012-13 season.

The 3-2 triumph now moves the Cardinal and White into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with Minnesota, who both have 18 points through eight conference games played.

"We feel good about ourselves," Granato said. "We obviously feel good to beat Ohio State in back-to-back games but we have to focus now on continuing to improve."  

The Badgers will hit the road again next weekend to take on Michigan State in East Lansing. UW swept the Spartans earlier in the season, winning both games by a count of 5-1. Both Friday and Saturday's games will start at 6 p.m. CT, with the broadcasts available on FS Wisconsin Plus, BTN2Go and on the radio on WIBA-AM 1310 and the Badgers Sports Network.