Head coach Tony Granato is known for adjusting and switching up his offensive line pairing until he can find a combination that works. Whether it’s in-game adjustments or trying new pairings in practice, Granato always works to find a line that can gel and be dominant.
Tonight, Granato found just that, as his top line of sophomore Luke Kunin, freshman Trent Frederic and junior Matt Ustaski dominated the game from puck drop to the final horn.
The No. 20 Badgers’ (9-4-0-0, 16-10-1-0) 5-2 win against Michigan (2-9-2-2, 9-15-3-0) was a team win. Wisconsin ended up getting contributions from the top of their roster all the way through, but, the majority of the roster saw fluctuations from some dominant shifts, to some shifts that were played in their own defensive zone. That top pairing, however, rarely saw any shifts in their own zone, and, conversely, played the majority of the game in front of the Wolverine’s net.
“I thought we played pretty well. We had two nice goals and overall our line played pretty well,” Frederic said. “I think it was better than last weekend, and I think we can even bring more tomorrow, but we had more energy today for sure.”
For the last few weeks, Granato has played Kunin and Frederic together on the top line, and has searched for another player to fill the left wing slot. Tonight, Ustaski got the nod, and he did not disappoint in his first game on the top line.
“I think the size and his net front presence, his ability to keep the puck in the offensive zone really helps Freddy and Luke,” Granato said. “I think he made some great plays on the wall tonight coming out of our end with the defense punching down on him. I think he made four or five great plays on the wall. He played a real solid game.”
Putting Ustaski on the top line clearly gave the Badgers a physical boost, but the hard work of Kunin was really the main propeller for the Badgers throughout the duration of the game. Kunin is often known for his scoring, as he has scored a goal in four of his last five games, and seven of his last 10, but his effort plays on the backcheck and forecheck were a big reason why that top pairing was so dominant tonight.
“He’s our captain. One of the reasons he’s our captain is he does all the little things to set the example and the standard for how our team’s supposed to play,” Granato said. “[If] he’s got to kill a penalty in a big situation, he’s going to do it. Whatever you ask when the game’s on the line, he’s going to make the play for you.”
Not only did Ustaski and Kunin make big contributions tonight, but Frederic scored twice and played one of his best games of his impressive freshman campaign.
“He was solid. He’s been very consistent for a young player. From day one, he’s been an impact in pretty much every game and tonight certainly getting those two big goals for us says a lot about who he is,” Granato said. “He’s not a young players that’s inexperienced and needs time. He’s a player. He’s an elite player right now and for a freshman and for a kid that young to come in here and be able to contribute is something special.”
Going forward, it is likely that the Badgers line combinations are going to continue to change. For now, however, Granato has found a line that was dominant a huge part of Wisconsin’s ninth Big Ten win.
