Not going to beat around the bush, the last few weeks have not been fun if you’re a Wisconsin Badgers fan. This hockey team has found all sorts of ways to lose, from giving up nice leads to being run out of their own barn. Worst of all, the current four-game skid is happening after ascending to No. 2 in the USCHO rankings and sitting atop the Big Ten.
The losses to Michigan State were unfortunate, but could have been a learning moment. The following series against Penn State is what leaves a bad aftertaste.
Wisconsin (15-7-2, 8-6 B1G) began the series on the power play for a steady three minutes from the opening faceoff without converting. Tyson Dyck and Oliver Tulk both scored when Penn State’s Shea Van Olm was sent off with a game misconduct for hitting from behind. It was the Nittany Lions, however, who scored the next seven goals in a runaway win.
Reeling from the loss in game one, Christian Fitzgerald put the Badgers ahead with a shorthanded goal in the first period of game two, taking a 1-0 lead into the third period before Penn State scored three unanswered.
The tumble to No. 8 in this week’s USCHO poll is probably the best-case scenario. The chase for the Big Ten regular season is all but over with Wisconsin now sitting in fourth place, nine points behind both Michigan and Michigan State, and eight points behind third-place Penn State.
Despite the turmoil, the Badgers are seventh in the PairWise ranking and still sitting pretty when it comes to a postseason berth, which means there is still time to turn it around and get back to the hockey they were playing before the holiday break.
Wisconsin will also get some reinforcements when they jump into the Gopher hole in Minneapolis. Gavin Morrissey and Finn Brink appear set to return, while Vasily Zelenov seems likely to suit up this weekend as well. Morrissey’s return hopefully signifies a return to sustained offense, something they’ve sorely lacked without their top center.
Getting Morrissey back might also provide a spark for Quinn Finley. Arguably Wisconsin’s best player, Finley has been held without a point during the losing streak, and if you remove the Notre Dame and Alaska Anchorage games sandwiched around the holiday break, he’s been scoreless in eight of his last nine games. Finley will need to play a big role going forward if the Badgers want to turn things around.
Minnesota (8-16-1, 4-10 B1G) is having a year to forget. Wisconsin swept the Gophers back on Halloween, and Minnesota is currently riding a seven-game losing streak. It’s not often that one looks at Minnesota as a prime opportunity for a bounce-back weekend, but that’s exactly what we have.
There is talent on the Minnesota roster, but as it stands, they are not a very good hockey team. Then again, Wisconsin hasn’t been a very good hockey team since 2025. Something has to give this weekend, and the Badgers have a better body of work on which to fall back.
Their four consecutive losses have come against the now No. 3 and No. 6 teams in the country, but the confidence Wisconsin has played with most of the season seems understandably shaken. They’ve played with an early lead in three of the last four losses, so the emphasis now needs to be on getting a full 60 minutes—or in the case of these next two games against the Gophers, 120 minutes.
Both games this weekend will be broadcast locally in Madison on TVW and available on B1G+ everywhere else.
Game Info
Date: January 30-31
Time: Friday – 7:00 p.m. | Saturday – 6:30 p.m.
Place: Minneapolis, Minn. | 3M Arena at Mariucci
TV: TVW/B1G+ | Radio: 1310 WIBA
