Coming off of a 6-3 win on Jan. 17 and a win in the shootout that Saturday against Long Island University, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team is hoping to make a statement this week on home ice against a Big Ten rival.
Sophomore Quinn Finley and graduate student Ryland Mosley had a big night Friday night against LIU. Finley scored one goal and had two assists, while Mosley had four assists. Freshman Gavin Morrissey scored two goals that night, just one short of a hat trick.
Saturday night was a slower game, with Finley, Mosley and Morrissey showing up again. Finley had another goal while Mosley and Morrissey assisted. Sophomore Sawyer Scholl scored his third goal of the season to bring the Badgers up 2-1, but the one-goal lead was lost and sent the game to overtime.
The Badgers couldn’t capitalize on the power play granted to them in overtime, so the game went to a shootout and left the team sitting at a 10-12-2 record.
Wisconsin last played No. 10 University of Michigan in mid-December, splitting the series with a shutout win followed by an overtime loss in Ann Arbor. Now, the Wolverines will arrive at Madison with a strong 14-9-1 record and coming off a bad loss to No. 1 Michigan State.
Wisconsin has historically struggled against Michigan, but the last few series have been more evenly matched. Michigan converts well on their power plays with a .275 percentage and holds their opponents to .200. For Wisconsin, keeping their game clean and penalty-free like they have been could be an important factor in this series.
In terms of scoring, the Badgers look to Finley — their leading goal scorer — to take on Michigan goaltenders Logan Stein and Cameron Korpi. Michigan plays both goaltenders throughout the season, Stein with a .889 save percentage and Korpi with a .901. It’s unclear who’ll be in net for the Wolverines this weekend, but Stein looks to be the popular pick.
On the other end, the Badgers have looked to senior Tommy Scarfone in net for 19 of 24 games played this season and will rely on his .913 save percentage to face leading Michigan goal scorer and point leader Michael Hage. T.J. Hughes, a forward Badgers defense will need to be on the lookout for, leads the Wolverines in assists.
Michigan averages three goals per game, but their opponents average 3.1. A small margin, but Wisconsin matches that with 3.1 goals per game and allows 2.5 from opponents. Wisconsin does well holding their opponents to 26.9 shots per game, so keeping pressure on their forwards could be a key in holding off Hage and Hughes.
Wisconsin has the ability to beat ranked opponents, as we’ve seen this season with Michigan State, Penn State and Michigan themselves. It took some time for the Badgers to find their footing, but wins this weekend could determine a clearer picture for the rest of the season.
The games begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Kohl Center.
