The Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team went to No. 3 Minnesota and lost both games in the border battle series last weekend. The stronger Minnesota team chipped away at any strength the Badgers had in the first two periods, creating a three-goal deficit to end each game.
The Badgers (11-14-3) fall to No. 19 in the wake of the Big Ten Conference losses, losing 2-5 on Friday and 1-4 on Saturday.
A rough weekend led to only three goals scored with two on Friday by junior Simon Tassy and graduate student Ryland Mosley, while freshman Ryan Botterill scored the lone goal on Saturday to prevent a shutout.
Friday showed low energy from Wisconsin as the game progressed. They scored the first two goals of the game but left five goals unanswered from a powerful Minnesota offense shortly after. Saturday tested the Badgers, as they went down three goals in the middle of the third period. Botterill scored late in the third, but an empty-netter for the Gophers finished the Badger effort.
Wisconsin also faced its first 10-minute misconduct of the season with a match penalty between Badgers freshman Adam Pietila and Gophers graduate student Mike Koster. Both were called for unsportsmanlike conduct just minutes before the final buzzer.
Penn State (12-11-3) is second-to-last in the Big Ten Conference standings, falling three wins behind Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions average a .213 power play percentage, a tough statistic the Badgers may struggle with. Last week, Wisconsin fell short on their power play, going 0-3 on Saturday.
Wisconsin needs to focus on its strengths: low penalty minutes, high shots on goal and preventing opponents from getting shots on Badger goaltenders. Even with the 33.8 shots per game, as opposed to 26.5 from their opponents, the Badgers let their opponents hold an advantage of .105 shot percentage over their .092.
Senior Tommy Scarfone has been consistently starting for the Badgers, playing the majority of minutes between the pipes. He holds a .904 save percentage and only faces 2.47 goals-against average. The Badgers’ defense keeps a majority of shots away from him, but the Gophers tested his ability to hold his ground when needed.
With two back-to-back losses, Badgers fans may see sophomore William Gramme in net to start this weekend.
Earlier this season, Wisconsin swept Penn State. Those two wins brought the Badgers to a seven-game win streak against the Nittany Lions. Wisconsin has an opportunity to win some games at home against this visiting team.
Penn State forward Aiden Fink is No. 3 for the NCAA in point leaders. Badgers defenders will face a player whose shot percentage is .200, while sophomore Quinn Finley leads Wisconsin at .188. Strength on the blue line and faith in their goaltenders could determine the fate of this series.
The games begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday at the Kohl Center.
