The kid can play.

And no, I’m not talking about Justin Schultz. As head coach Mike Eaves’ go-to centerman, sophomore forward Mark Zengerle showed everyone why he should be considered not only one of the WCHA’s best forwards, but also a viable candidate for the Hobey Baker.

The Rochester, N.Y., native not only assisted four of Wisconsin’s goals against Minnesota in the last series of the regular season, but he slipped in one of his own on a power play Friday night, giving the Badgers a 4-0 lead at the time, all but embarrassing the No. 4 Gophers.

Following a key grab by junior defenseman Schultz as the puck sailed through the air into the Badgers’ defensive zone, Zengerle brought the puck up the ice and dropped it between Minnesota defenseman Seth Helgeson’s legs before shooting it five-hole on one of the conference’s best goaltenders, Kent Patterson.

The coast-to-coast goal essentially quieted a once-raucous Mariucci Arena, where they live and die with their hockey team.

“I was kind of actually running out of real estate there, and I just [went] for a move and it worked out perfect,” Zengerle said. “But kind of messed up the celebration a little bit.”

With a five-point weekend, Zengerle now leads the Badgers with 49 points – seven more than Schultz, who sits in second with 42. His 49 points also place him in fourth nationally, trailing the nation’s points leader – Maine’s senior forward Spencer Abbott, who has 56 points – by only seven points. The sophomore also has the second most points in the WCHA, lagging behind UMD senior forward Jack Connolly’s 55 points by six.

At the beginning of the season, it was expected that Schultz would shine once again and have a solid bid for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. As a finalist in 2010-11 – he was the nation’s top defenseman with 47 points on 18 goals and nine assists – and an All-American tag to his name, Schultz was widely known to be the Badgers’ biggest returning threat.

In that same season, Zengerle led his class and was fifth on the team with 36 points, but he only managed five goals to his 31 assists on the season. But with several early departures, Zengerle was thrown into a leadership role this season and was no longer overshadowed by the likes of Craig Smith or Jordy Murray.

Alongside Schultz, Zengerle has become one of the Badgers’ main forces, and he quickly showed off his skills with the puck, earning a 20-game point streak earlier this season.

While Zengerle’s individual effort against Minnesota is nothing to pooh-pooh, it would not have been possible without the solid first line Eaves put together.

Welcoming junior forward Ryan Little to his first top line stint of the season, Little, Zengerle and sophomore forward Tyler Barnes combined for a total of seven points of UW’s nine in Friday night’s 4-1 victory.

Barnes started off the scoring each night, launching the Badgers’ offensive flood Friday and scoring their lone goal Saturday.

But Little admitted after the game Friday that he felt he didn’t give his best performance of the year, despite tallying his third goal of the season and his first since October. Little simply credited his linemates for setting him up.

“Personally I didn’t feel like I played a very good game,” Little said. “But when you play with those two guys, they get you the puck, they set up chances.”

If you hadn’t already guessed, Zengerle was credited with the lone assist on Little’s goal. Whether for himself or for his teammates the kid just makes things happen. He’s simply a stud.

Zengerle’s journey this year is comparable to what junior running back Montee Ball went through in 2011.

Throughout fall camp, Ball and sophomore running back James White were widely expected to share the load in the backfield and split carries on a fairly even basis. But as the season went on, Ball started to make his presence very hard to ignore. He started to rack up the yards and the touchdowns, and on a warm night in October against Nebraska, Ball lit up the scoreboard with four touchdowns and amassed 151 yards.

He emerged as UW’s premier back – and stayed that way through the end of the season and now into next season. His efforts also earned him a trip to New York with a bid at the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

In much the same way, Zengerle emerged this season as one of the Badgers’ most potent players. While he didn’t necessarily have a single performance that put him on the map, his performance Friday night certainly made a clear statement that he’s one of the leagues most talented players.

Without a doubt, Zengerle is fully deserving of his current Hobey Baker candidacy and is more than qualified to be a finalist alongside his teammate Schultz.

Kelly is a junior majoring in journalism. Think the Zengerle can lead the Badgers to a strong playoff run? Let her know on Twitter @kellymerickson.