Big Ten play resumed last night for the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers, who dropped their first conference game after a nearly three-week hiatus to the No. 4 Michigan State Spartans. The Badgers are back in action
at the Kohl Center tonight, looking to salvage a split to remain ahead of the Spartans in the conference standings.
Wisconsin (15-4-2, 8-3 B1G) entered the series trailing Michigan in the Big Ten standings, though the Badgers were first in win percentage with two fewer games played than the Wolverines. Michigan State (16-5-0, 7-4 B1G) moved into third place with its win on Thursday, with a chance to overtake Wisconsin barring Friday night’s result.
Thursday was not Wisconsin’s night, as Michigan State used a three-goal second period to jump out to a 4-1 lead before fending off the Badgers’ comeback effort in the third. Trailing by three goals, Kyle Kukkonen and Tyson Dyck scored in the final frame to pull within one, but it was Michigan State who held on for the 4-3 win.
Ben Dexheimer nearly pulled Wisconsin even in the third, but had a shot ricochet off the post. Dexheimer feels snakebitten in that regard, as he also bounced one off the pipe that could have tied Western Michigan late. The post is a cruel thing, and it seemed to be the bane of Wisconsin’s existence last year when they had plenty of close calls in tight games.
The Badgers swept then-No. 1 Michigan State in East Lansing back in November; now the Spartans are looking to return the favor. The Spartans got their first look at Daniel Hauser on Thursday night after Eli Pulver started both games in East Lansing. Hauser allowed four goals on 23 shots, including three unanswered goals in the second period. Winning in the Big Ten is hard to do when you concede four goals, despite the Badgers doing just that on three occasions already this year. Still, not the way you want to make a living in this league.
Pulver will presumably get the nod in game two. The sophomore has been a breath of fresh air this year after transferring from Minnesota State, taking some of the pressure off Hauser, who was previously the full-time starter. Pulver has objectively been the stronger goaltender since the two began splitting duties, and it will be interesting to see what Friday night brings. I don’t think head coach Mike Hastings wants to exclusively ride one goaltender, but if Pulver proves to be the more consistent option, there may be more questions about the timeshare in the crease going forward.
Former Badgers continue to have success against their old team, as Charlie Stramel notched two points for the Spartans on Thursday night. He now has four points in three games against Wisconsin this season.
Wisconsin relies on its power play and volume shooting. They were technically 0-for-2 on the power play last night, their first goal coming two seconds after the man advantage expired. They struggled to consistently get pucks toward the net before registering 13 of their 27 shots on goal during their surge in the third period. If they want to earn a split, they’ll need to muster up more consistent pressure to flip the ice and control the game.
A win on Friday night would ensure Wisconsin remains in at least a share of second place in the Big Ten. If No. 8 Penn State sweeps Notre Dame in regulation, they could move into a tie with the Badgers, though Wisconsin would hold the advantage in win percentage. A loss for Wisconsin could drop them as far as fourth place.
The Badgers have plenty to play for with Penn State coming to town next week. Salvaging a split against Michigan State would put them in the driver’s seat with 10 regular-season games remaining, six of which are against teams vying for a Big Ten regular-season title.
It’s fun to be in the mix, but you only stay there by winning big games. Wisconsin is no stranger to big wins this season, and they’ll need to get another one Friday night in order to hold serve.
Game Info
Date: January 16
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
