MADISON, Wis. — After a two-week road trip, the Wisconsin men's hockey team returns to the Kohl Center this weekend to face No. 3 Ohio State in its biggest test of the season.
Both games are slated for 7 p.m. (CT) starts, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Wisconsin Plus and 1310 WIBA.
Friday's game will mark the Badgers' second annual "Face Off Against Cancer" game, creating awareness about local cancer research. Former Wisconsin assistant coach Grant Standbrook will also be honored Friday. Saturday's game will serve as "
Mark Johnson Night," honoring former Badgers' great and current Wisconsin women's hockey coach
Mark Johnson with his jersey retirement ceremony. Fans attending Saturday's game are encouraged to be in their seats prior to 6:30 p.m. to take part in the festivities (
Tickets).
Here are six notes to know ahead of the Badgers matchup with the Buckeyes.
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TIGHT RACE: With eight conference games remaining before the Big Ten tournament, the league is still anyone's game. Just five points separate five of the seven teams in the Big Ten, with second-place Minnesota holding a five-point advantage over sixth-place Wisconsin. However, the Badgers have played in fewer league games than the next four schools ahead of them in the standings. Ohio State currently leads the Big Ten with a 10-3-3-2 record and 35 points.
SHOOT YOUR SHOT: The Badgers fired 54 shots on goal at Michigan State last weekend, the first game with over 50 shots since the Badgers tallied 53 shots on March 2, 2018, at Michigan, and the most since recording 56 shots against Arizona State on Oct. 30, 2015. The 54 shots is a program best in Big Ten play.
FRESHMAN SCORING: In the last seven games, UW rookies have accounted for 12 of the Badgers' 20 goals. Notably, freshman forward
Roman Ahcan scored a goal in each game of the Notre Dame series, and center
Mick Messner achieved the same feat against Minnesota. Forward
Dominick Mersch has four points in the last five games with two goals and two assists, and defenseman
K'Andre Miller still leads all Badgers in scoring with 22 points. Â
The Badgers' freshmen corps has been hugely impactful offensively, leading all Big Ten rookie classes in scoring with 21 goals and 52 points in 16 conference games, averaging 3.25 points per game. Additionally, the nine-member class ranks fourth in the nation in scoring among freshman squads.
'KEY' NOTES TO CONSIDER: Continuing his impressive freshman campaign from the blue line, defenseman
K'Andre Miller added to his team-leading point totals last weekend with a pair of assists against Michigan State. Miller now has five goals and 17 assists for a total of 22 points on the season. Should Miller reach 25 points this year, it would mark the ninth time a Badger rookie defenseman eclipsed the mark. It would also mark the second consecutive season that a UW rear guard accomplished the feat as
Wyatt Kalynuk put up 25 points last season.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES: The No. 3 Buckeyes enter the weekend atop the conference standings with a 10-3-3-2 Big Ten record and a 17-5-4 overall slate. Currently on a five-game win streak, Ohio State notched a pair of wins last weekend against then-No. 11 Notre Dame, earning a 4-2 win over the Fighting Irish before blanking them, 2-0, to earn its sixth sweep of the season.
Senior Mason Jobst (14G, 32P) and junior Tanner Laczynski (8G, 25P) continue to lead Ohio State scoring, accounting for 25 percent of the Buckeyes' point totals. Senior Sean Romeo and sophomore Tommy Nappier have a consistent rotation in goal for the Buckeyes with Romeo backstopping series openers and Nappier finishing off the series in goal. Nappier owns a 1.64 goals against average and a .945 save clip in 14 games, while Romeo has a 2.44 goals average and an .911 save percentage.
This weekend's series marks the 36th and 37th meetings between the Badgers and the Buckeyes. The Badgers are 18-14-3 all-time and 5-6-2 at home against the Buckeyes. In its most recent match up with the OSU, UW was swept by the Buckeyes in Columbus last November. Wisconsin dropped the opener, 4-0, before falling, 3-1, in the series finale. Sophomore forward
Sean Dhooghe scored the Badgers' lone goal of the weekend on the power play.
MEMORABLE WEEKEND AHEAD: Friday's game marks the second annual Face Off Against Cancer game. In partnership with the UW Carbone Cancer Center, the event will be a celebration of the doctors and researchers working at UW-Madison to find a cure, and will recognize those who fight or have fought bravely against the disease. Former Wisconsin assistant coach Grant Standbrook, who served the Badgers on three NCAA championship-winning coaching staffs from 1976-87, recruiting players like Chris Chelios and Mike Richter, will also be honored during the game for his contributions to Badger hockey.
The festivities continue into Saturday's game against the Buckeyes as the Badgers honor Wisconsin and USA Hockey legend
Mark Johnson his No. 10 Â jersey is retired into the rafters. Johnson's storied hockey career is marked by numerous achievements, including being UW's all-time leading goal scorer with 125 goals in 125 games played. Johnson was also the leading scorer for the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team's 'Miracle on Ice' gold medal performance and is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA women's hockey history.
