TICKETS
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 6 Wisconsin men's hockey team concludes its fall semester schedule at the Kohl Center with a Big Ten match-up against the No. 17 Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9. Friday's game begins at 8 p.m., while Saturday is a 7 p.m. start.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Nittany Lions
1 - DEPTH ON DISPLAY: The Badgers showed off their depth last weekend, with eight different skaters tallying the nine total goals scored over the series against Ohio State.
Freshman defenseman Zach Schulz notched his first NCAA goal on Friday, with sophomore forwards Chtistian Fitzgerald and Cruz Lucius also scoring in Wisconsin's 3-0 win.
Six skaters scored in five different ways during Saturday's 6-1 victory, with senior forward
David Silye and sophomore forward
Simon Tassy netting power-play goals, graduate student forward
Owen Lindmark tallying a short-handed goal, freshman forward
Quinn Finley capitalizing on a penalty shot,
Cruz Lucius notching his second of the weekend during four-on-four play and sophomore forward
Jack Horbach finding the back of the net while both teams were five-on-five.
2 - DEFENSE MASTERCLASS: Wisconsin is currently the nation's stingiest defense, allowing 1.69 goals-against per game.
Part of this success can be attributed to goaltender
Kyle McClellan, who allowed only one goal on 51 Ohio State shots last weekend. The senior is currently leads the nation in with a 1.75 goals-against average, shares the national lead with three shutouts and has the second highest save percentage in the nation at .934.
3 - TOSS THOSE TEDDIES: This series is the final of three straight weekends of home games to round out the fall semester schedule of Wisconsin men's hockey. The Badgers played host to Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 24-25 and Ohio State on Dec. 1-2, before welcoming Penn State this weekend.
Friday's game serves as 'Wisconsin Night,' one of the six selected nights to honor the 75th season of Wisconsin men's hockey. Badger men's hockey history is full of homegrown talent, and on this night, the Kohl Center will host a display of hockey jerseys from high schools around the state outside Section 107. This same night, former and longtime Badger play-by-play announcer Paul Braun will partner with Bill Howard to call the game on the radio. Braun began calling Badger hockey 50 years ago.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, the annual UW Teddy Toss presented by BMO will take place. Fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals to throw on the ice following the conclusion of the game. All stuffed animals will be collected and donated to Toys for Tots.
This game will also be PJ Party themed, with attendees encouraged to wear their pajamas for a cozy night at the Kohl Center. The first 750 students in attendance will receive a free flannel beanie.
4 - LUCKY NUMBER SIX: The Badgers continue to secure a spot in the top-10 of the USCHO's top-20 men's hockey rankings with their third week at No. 6. The team received 745 votes.
UW also checks in at No. 6 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll.
5 - SCOUTING PENN STATE: No. 17 Penn State currently has a 9-5-3 record through 17 games, including an 2-3-3 record in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are heading into this weekend after splitting a Big Ten series against Minnesota at home, losing game one, 4-1, and winning game two, 6-3.
Freshman forward Aidan Fink leads the roster with nine goals and 22 points. Senior goaltender Liam Souliere has won six of 11 starts this season and has accumulated a .864 save percentage and an average of 3.13 goals allowed per game. Germantown, Wisconsin, native Noah Grannan has split the duties of late and boasts a 4-2-0 mark with a 2.60 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop for Friday's game is scheduled for 8 p.m. while Saturday's contest will start at 7 p.m. Friday's game will be televised on BTN and Saturday's game is available to stream live on B1G+. Audio play-by-play for both games can be found on 1310 WIBA in the Madison area, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network App. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey,
