MADISON, Wis. – To begin its first of two straight weekends of road series, the No. 4 Wisconsin men's hockey team heads to Columbus, Ohio, for a Big Ten series against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17. Friday's game begins at 5:30 p.m. CT (B1G+), with Saturday a 3:30 p.m. start (BTN).
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Buckeyes
1 - SWEPT THE IRISH: Last weekend, the Badgers swept Notre Dame at the Kohl Center, winning game one, 4-2, and game two, 3-2.
The victories helped UW complete its season sweep of the Fighting Irish, winning four games against Notre Dame and capturing all 12 possible Big Ten points. The Badgers became the first team to beat the Fighting Irish four times in a season since they joined the Big Ten in 2017.
2 - HOME ICE ADVANTAGE FOR PLAYOFFS: With its wins over Notre Dame, Wisconsin clinched a top-four Big Ten finish, meaning that the Badgers will have home ice advantage for at least one conference playoff game.
This marks the first time since 2013 that a conference playoff game will be held at the Kohl Center.
If the Badgers win two more games, they'll clinch a top-two spot in the conference.
Teams that finish in second through fourth place in the regular season will play host to a best-of-three quarterfinal series at their home arena between Friday and Sunday, March 8-10.
The Big Ten regular-season champion earns a bye into the semifinal, which takes place the following weekend on either March 16 or 17. If the Badgers host a semifinal game, it will take place on Sunday, March 17.
The Big Ten title game will take place at the home rink of the highest remaining seed on March 23.
3 - BRING ON THE BUCKEYES: This weekend's series marks the second time that Wisconsin and Ohio State will meet this season. On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2, the then-No. 6 The Badgers swept the Buckeyes at the Kohl Center.
The Badgers won game one, 3-0. Freshman defenseman
Zach Schulz and sophomore forwards
Christian Fitzgerald and
Cruz Lucius each tallied a goal as senior goaltender
Kyle McClellan stopped 29 shots to blank the Buckeyes.
Wisconsin took the second game of the series with a final score of 6-1. The Badgers scored in five different ways – power-play goals from senior forward
David Silye and sophomore forward
Simon Tassy, a short-handed tally by graduate student forward
Owen Lindmark, a penalty-shot goal from freshman forward
Quinn Finley, a tally from
Cruz Lucius during four-on-four play and an even-strength goal from sophomore forward
Jack Horbach.
4 - VOTE FOR KYLE: Senior goaltender
Kyle McClellan is a nominee for the 2024 Hobey Baker Memorial Award fan vote. The award is given out annually to college hockey's most outstanding player.
McClellan sits among the nation's leaders in all major goaltending statistical categories, tying for first with 20 victories, third with a 1.89 goals-against average, and leading with a .932 save percentage and six shutouts. His six shutouts rank second on UW's single-season list.
Vote for McClellan here. The first phase of fan balloting runs now through March 10. Fans can cast their vote once per day during the initial phase.
5 - SCOUTING OHIO STATE: Ohio State currently boasts a 9-15-4 record, including an 1-15-2 ledger in Big Ten conference play. The Buckeyes head into the weekend after a week off. OSU dropped a pair of home games to Michigan on Feb. 2-3 in its most recent action, losing game one, 4-2, and game two, 4-1.
Sophomore forward Stephen Halliday currently leads the roster with nine goals and 27 points. Junior goaltender Logan Terness has won seven of 21 starts this season, accumulating a .895 save percentage and an average of 3.39 goals allowed per game.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Friday's game starts at 5:30 p.m. while Saturday's game begins at 3:30 p.m. Friday's contest streams on B1G+ and Saturday's airs on Big Ten Network. Audio play-by-play airs on the Badgers Radio Network, including 1310 WIBA in the Madison area and on Friday on 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee. It also airs on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. Follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
