Scarfone shines with a shutout over No. 1 Michigan State

The Badgers earned a big conference win, knocking off the top-ranked Spartans at the Kohl Center.

When senior Tommy Scarfone announced he was transferring to Wisconsin it instilled hope among the Badger faithful for some stability after graduating Richter Award-winning goaltender Kyle McClellan. The talented netminder took some time to adjust in Madison after pairing some early struggles with a nagging injury, but on Friday night he kicked down the door to announce his arrival.

Scarfone shut down one of the nation’s top offenses and led the Wisconsin Badgers (6-8-1 overall, 4-5 B1G) to a 4-0 win over No. 1 Michigan State. This was the Tommy Scarfone that was named a semifinalist for the Richter Award last season at RIT. He made 26 stops on the night, including a few acrobatic saves as Wisconsin clung to a 1-0 lead for most of the game. The shutout was the tenth of Scarfone’s career and first as a Badger.

Sophomore Quinn Finley contributed two goals, including a power-play goal that featured a picturesque between-the-legs pass from graduate transfer Cody Laskosky.

Owen Mehlenbacher added his first goal of the season when the sophomore cleaned up his own rebound to beat Spartan goaltender Trey Augustine, who struggled to control loose pucks throughout the night.

It was the first conference loss of the season for the Spartans (11-2 overall, 7-1 B1G) and a much-needed win for Wisconsin, who has now won three straight B1G games and registered at least a point in seven of their nine conference tilts.

I’ve noted throughout the season that Wisconsin’s record is not an accurate reflection of the team we see on the ice. On Friday night they put it all together and showed that this team still has plenty of good hockey left to play. They have been in almost every game, with five losses by one goal and three overtime losses. It’s not inconceivable to say the Badgers are a few bounces away from being a firmly ranked team.

Wisconsin’s ability to grind out points has them sitting at second place in the B1G despite their record, though they have also played more conference games than anyone in the league. Still, there are plenty of games left and the Badgers will have ample opportunity to make some noise in a loaded B1G.

First, they’ll see if they can get another favorable result against the top-ranked Spartans on home ice tonight. Opening faceoff is slated for 7 p.m. and will be televised on the Big Ten Network.