What’s the latest with the Badgers ahead of the major tournament this weekend?
Saturday is setting up to be a big day for the Wisconsin Badgers, as both the men’s and women’s hockey teams will be featured in back-to-back outdoor games at Wrigley Field as part of The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series. The college hockey slate this weekend comes on the heels of the NHL’s Winter Classic between the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, played on New Year’s Eve.
The Wisconsin women (20-1 overall, 14-1 WCHA) travel to Wrigley riding a seven-game winning streak. The top-ranked Badgers took care of No. 2 Ohio State (13-5-2 overall, 8-5-2 WCHA) on Thursday night in Madison, scoring just one minute into the game and never looking back.
Graduate student Lacey Eden got the scoring started after a flurry of loose pucks in front of both nets. The Buckeyes had a golden opportunity to get on the board first when a loose puck settled in the crease with an open net before junior Caroline Harvey swept in for a clearance, allowing the Badgers to score on their next trip down the ice.
The onslaught continued throughout the first and second periods as Wisconsin built a five-goal lead before Eden capped the scoring in the third to give the Badgers a 6-0 victory.
Sophomore Ava McNaughton made 18 saves on the way to her NCAA-leading seventh shutout of the season. She is now allowing just over one goal per game while saving over 95 percent of shots faced.
The men’s team traveled to East Lansing for a quick road tilt ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Spartans. Wisconsin (9-11-1 overall, 5-8 B1G) surrendered the first goal, but scored the next three to jump out to a two-goal advantage over No. 1 Michigan State (16-2-1 overall, 7-1-1 B1G) in the second period. The Spartans made it a 3-2 deficit before the end of the second before scoring the equalizer less than a minute into the third period.
Wisconsin was ultimately done in by ex-Badger Charlie Stramel, who netted the game-winner with just under five minutes remaining. Stramel has been very good against his old team this year, posting two goals and two assists in three games against the Badgers.
Losing to the nation’s top team is nothing to hang your head about, but this one undoubtedly leaves a bad taste for the Badgers. Wisconsin has held a two-goal lead in all three games against Michigan State this season, yet has just one regulation win to show for it. By failing to get a point, the Badgers ended their streak of 11 straight games without a regulation loss.
With Thursday’s games out of the way, Badger fans can now set their sights on Saturday. The Frozen Confines will start on Friday at 4 p.m. with men’s games featuring No. 13 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Michigan, followed by Penn State vs. Notre Dame. But Saturday will be a full slate of Wisconsin hockey. The women are set for a rematch against Ohio State, their final meeting of the regular season, at 4:30 p.m. Following the conclusion of that game, the men will take the ice against Michigan State, tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m.
This will be the second outdoor game in the history of Wisconsin women’s hockey, the first coming nearly 15 years ago, a 6-1 win over Bemidji State at Camp Randall. The men will look to remain undefeated in outdoor games, this being the fourth in program history. Their last outdoor game came nearly 12 years ago, a 3-2 win over Minnesota at Soldier Field.
You can catch the entirety of The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series on Big Ten Network, which will carry both doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. For anyone heading to Wrigleyville, UW Credit Union will be hosting a Badgers pre-game event at Sluggers Bar, where you can find yourself among the sea of Badger faithful starting at 1 p.m.
Game Info
Game 1
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (WCHA)
Date: Saturday, January 4
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Chicago, IL | Wrigley Field
TV: BTN | Radio: 100.9 FM
Game 2
Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 1 Michigan State Spartans (B1G)
Date: Saturday, January 4
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Chicago, IL | Wrigley Field
TV: BTN | Radio: 1310 WIBA