MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team hits the road this week for a two-game conference series against the Michigan State Spartans on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5.
Here are six quick things to know before tuning in:
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Michigan State
1 - CAPTAIN MERSCH: Graduate forward and Badger captain netted his first goal of the season in the first period against Penn State last Friday.
2 - MOE-TIME: Goaltender
Jared Moe has been a strong point for the Badgers with four consecutive games with 35 or more saves. He notched his second career shutout in a 3-0 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Oct. 22 to help the Badgers sweep the series and was named the Big Ten's second star of the week.
3 - BADGERS IN THE NHL: A few former Badgers in the NHL are off to a hot start this season. Joe Pavelski netted a hat-trick Saturday, Oct. 22, to help the Dallas Stars to a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on the road, marking the seventh three-goal performance of his pro career. He also notched an assist on the game-winning goal for a four-point performance.
Despite a loss to a pair of fellow former Badger and the Dallas Stars, Canadiens' forward Cole Caufield has also been making NHL headlines lately. The 2021 Hobey Baker winner started off the season with a pair of goals to help Montreal to a 4-3 win over historic-rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
4 - FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS: The Badgers lead the series with the Spartans in all-time matchups at 62-61-4. Wisconsin has claimed seven of their last nine meetings with a five-game win streak from Jan. 2020 to March, 2021, and both of the last two meetings.
5 - SCOUTING MSU: Michigan State is coming off a 5-0 loss and 1-1 tie at Notre Dame last weekend. They won the shootout. The Spartans are 4-3-1 this season and 0-1-1 in Big Ten matchups. Freshman Daniel Russell leads the roster with three goals and six assists in eight games, followed by fellow freshman Karsen Dorwart with one goal and six assists in the same amount of games.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. CT on Friday and 5 p.m CT on Saturday. Watch live on BTN+ and follow along on Twitter at @BadgerMHockey
