The Badgers had a rough start to the season, but are showing signs of life in conference play.
The Wisconsin Badgers are in the midst of a break from conference play, which resumes January 2nd with round two against Michigan State. It’s safe to say the 2024-25 season has been a bit tumultuous to this point, but Wisconsin has started to right the ship. They are unbeaten in regulation dating back to November 9th, a seven-game stretch featuring ranked wins over then-No. 18 Penn State, No. 1 Michigan State, and No. 9 Michigan.
When it comes to the Big Ten, Wisconsin is currently third in the standings despite their 5-7 conference record (7-10-1 overall). They sit third, in large part, for two reasons: they have played the most league games of anybody in the conference (12), and they have earned an overtime-loss point in five of their seven defeats. The Badgers will need to turn some of those overtime losses into wins (preferably regulation wins) to hold their position as the season progresses, and their recent play suggests they possess the mettle to hang with the top teams.
The last two weekends before the break were big for the Badgers, taking four of the six possible points from both Michigan State and Michigan with senior goaltender Tommy Scarfone earning 4-0 shutouts over both schools from the mitten state.
Scarfone seems like a great place to start. The RIT transfer entered the season with a heavy expectation to fill in for the recently departed Kyle McClellan after being a Richter Award semifinalist last year. Scarfone was anything but scintillating out of the gates, but the experienced netminder has found his footing and is one of the main reasons the Badgers find themselves in a position to wreak havoc in 2025.
Following his performance against top-ranked Michigan State, Scarfone was named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week. As an encore, his play against the Wolverines the next week earned him Big Ten Third Star of the Week. It’s no surprise that good goaltending can energize a team, and it seems to be the case in Madison.
Despite a paltry offensive start, the Badgers are averaging nearly four goals per game in their last four series, outpacing their 2.7 goals per game average (which has also benefited from recent play). Sophomore Quinn Finley has emerged as a star on the first line, tied for the NCAA lead in goals scored (12) and ranking second in goals per game. He also clocks in second in the nation for power-play goals with six.
The offensive resurgence as of late can also be attributed to the play of newcomer Gavin Morrissey. The freshman paces the team in assists and ranks second in overall points behind Finley. His value as a setup man is a big reason the Badgers have started to find the back of the net, and he’s just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
The duo of Michigan Tech transfers have also found their footing, with forwards Kyle Kukkonen and Ryland Mosley becoming key contributors for the Badgers. Mosley, a graduate student, came out registering points in his first five games. Kukkonen, a junior transfer, has notched six points over the last four series. Both players will need to be a big part of any sustained success heading into 2025.
The Badgers will play two more games before we put a bow on 2024, heading to Milwaukee to play Ferris State and either UConn or Alaska Fairbanks at the Fiserv Forum on December 28/29. Then it’s off to East Lansing to resume B1G play for one game before completing the series with an outdoor game against the Spartans at Wrigley Field, part of The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series.