MADISON, Wis. — Roman Ahcan broke a 1-1 tie with just over two minutes left in the third period to propel the Badgers (9-12-1, 4-9-1-1 Big Ten) past the No. 20 Michigan Spartans (12-11-1, 8-5-1-0), 3-1, on Saturday night at the Kohl Center.

After getting shutout last night, Wisconsin didn't take long to get on the board Saturday night. Twenty-six seconds to be exact. Freshman forward Owen Lindmark found the back of the net and gave Wisconsin from the start.

Michigan State tied it up later in the first and the score would sit there until just over two minutes left in the third.

Sophomore forward Roman Ahcan shot in his fourth goal in the last four games to give Wisconsin the lead and there was no turning back. Junior Ty Pelton-Byce added an empty-net goal shorty after and sealed the victory for the Badgers.

Sophomore goaltender Daniel Lebedeff was back between the pipes, only allowing the one goal and totaling 24 saves on the night, including some crucial stops down the stretch after Michigan State brought on an extra skater. 

While all three goal-scorers also earned assists, junior defenseman Tyler Inamoto recorded two assists on the night.

Notes to know:

• Wisconsin's line of Ahcan, Pelton-Byce and Lindmark scored all three goals for the Badgers.
• Wisconsin improved to 8-1-0 when Ahcan scores a point.
• Wisconsin killed of 1:39 of five-minute major with puck possession during a Michigan State delayed penalty, to the delight of the Kohl Center crowd.
• Jamie Sauer, widow of legendary Badger head coach Jeff Sauer, dropped the ceremonial puck on Face-Off Against Cancer night.

Straight from the rink:

Head Coach Tony Granato:
"I really liked our third period tonight. When the game was on the line we didn't sit back. We got on the attack, we were smart and stayed out of the box. We got enough shots on their goalie, who, again was sensational. I thought tonight's performance at the net front from our forwards was probably the best of the year."

"Again, Roman, who has been sensational all year, took a few weeks where the puck didn't go in the net for him before Christmas, but man is he playing good hockey. He competes as hard as anybody, he's scared of nothing, he wants to be on the ice because he loves the game of hockey and he's as intense as any player I've been around. You put that into a kid that's got some really good skill, that's what you're going to get."

Sophomore Forward Roman Ahcan:
"It's always great getting the win. It feels great because we did the right thing for 60 minutes and we just stuck to our game plan and it ended up working out for us."

Sophomore Goaltender Daniel Lebedeff:
"I think Michigan State got a lot of lucky bounces where they got chances and sometimes you just have to sprawl to make a save. It really doesn't matter how you make the save, you just have to do it."

Freshman Forward Owen Lindmark:
"We all believe in ourselves. We have unbelievable talent and it just shows that when we put it all together and we stick to the game plan that we're going to be a really hard team to beat."

Up next: Wisconsin will travel to Notre Dame next weekend to take on the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. Puck drop is at 6 p.m Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday with broadcasts available on NBC Sports Chicago Plus both nights. A radio broadcast will be available on 1070 WTSO and 1310 WIBA on respective nights.