MADISON, Wis. – The No. 5 Wisconsin men's hockey team returns to the Kohl Center after its three series road trip for a Big Ten matchup against the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 3-4. Friday's game begins at 7 p.m., with Saturday a 6 p.m. start.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Wolverines
1 - CLIMBING THE CHARTS: After clocking in at No. 14 in last week's poll, the Badgers climbed nine spots in USCHO's top-20 men's hockey rankings to No. 5. The team received 760 votes, including five first-place ballots.
The Badgers' four consecutive wins give them a 7-1-0 record, which is the program's best through their first eight games since the 2000-01 team opened with the same record. UW also checks in at No. 5 in the USA Today/The Rink Live Poll.
UW's ranking is its highest since March 16, 2021, when it ranked No. 4.
2 - DOWN GOES NO. 1: Wisconsin heads into this series after sweeping the then-No. 1 team in the nation, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, in Minneapolis. The Badgers won game one, 5-2, and game two, 3-2.
Standout players from the series include sophomore forward
Cruz Lucius (2g, 1a), senior forward
Mathieu De St. Phalle (2g, 1a) and sophomore forward
Simon Tassy (2g, 1a), who scored the game-winning goal with less than three minutes left in game two to complete the series sweep.
It marked the first Badger sweep over a No. 1 team since Feb. 6-7, 2014, when UW won a pair of 2-1 games at the Kohl Center against Minnesota.
3 - POWER PLAY STRIKES AGAIN: The Badgers have scored four power-play goals over the last three games, including two in the final game of their series at Michigan Tech and one in each game at Minnesota.
Both power-play goals versus Minnesota were Wisconsin's first tally of each respective game.
Mathieu De St. Phalle scored the goal in game one, which made it back-to-back games with a power-play goal for the senior forward.
Simon Tassy scored the opening power-play goal in game two.
The Badgers had a slow start to the season with the man advantage, but are now up to 16.7 percent (5-for-30) to rank 35th in the nation.
4 - HOME, SWEET HOME: Wisconsin returns to Madison for a home series for the first time since opening weekend on Oct. 7-8 when the team swept the Augustana Vikings with back-to-back shutouts.
UW will be running promotions on both nights of the series versus Michigan. Friday, Nov. 3 will be Skaters Night, one of the six nights chosen for special recognition as part of the Wisconsin men's hockey 75th season celebration.
Geoffrion Book Signing
2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award-winner Blake Geoffrion will be in attendance on Friday for a pregame book signing for "Legacy on Ice: Blake Geoffrion and the Fastest Game on Earth" written by Sam Jefferies. The signing begins for general public season tickets holders when gates open at 5:30 p.m. and for everyone else beginning 6 p.m. The Hobey Baker Memorial Award will also be out for photos. A limited supply of books will be available in Bucky's Locker Room.
On Saturday, Nov. 4, all fans are invited to donate food and hygiene products to the Goodman's Thanksgiving Drive. There will also be a pre-game t-shirt giveaway to the first 750 students who arrive.
5 - SCOUTING MICHIGAN: No. 4 Michigan is off to a strong start with a 5-2-1 record through eight games, including a 1-0-1 record in Big Ten play. The Wolverines are heading into the weekend off of a huge pair of victories versus Lindenwood, winning 9-1 and 10-1.
Sophomore forwards T.J. Hughes (six goals, nine assists) and Rutger McGroarty (five goals, 10 assists) lead the roster with 15 points. Graduate student goalie Jake Barczewski has had an impressive performance in net, winning four of his seven starts and accumulating a .921 save percentage.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop for Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. while Saturday's game will start at 6 p.m. Both games are available to stream live on B1G+. Audio play-by-play will be available at 1310 WIBA on the Badgers app or The Varsity Network App. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
