The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team (10-17-1, 5-14-1-1 Big Ten) was in Ann Arbor this weekend where they were swept by the Michigan Wolverines (13-12-3, 8-8-2-1) to extend their losing streak to five games, their longest of the season.
The Badgers went into Ann Arbor looking to turn things around after losing their previous three games, including being swept by Minnesota at home last weekend. Unfortunately, the Wolverines, who are 6-1-1 in the new year, were too much for the Badgers to handle.
Men’s Hockey: Badgers swept by Minnesota in final border battle of regular season
Game one of the series started slow with just one goal in the first period from the Wolverines. The Badgers scored early into the second period to tie up the score, but unfortunately, the Wolverines offense would pick up from there.
Sophomore goalie Daniel Lebedeff struggled as the first game of the series was dominated by Michigan offensively. Lebedeff allowed five goals through 39 minutes of play before being replaced by senior Johan Blomquist. The Wolverines led the entire time in their 8–4 win, including a hat trick from freshman Nick Granowicz and goals from five other players on the team. The eight goals scored by the Wolverines were the most allowed by the Badgers all season.
The Badgers looked to even up the series and avoid a sweep Saturday night. Michigan was up 4–1 in the third period, but the Badgers were able to cut the lead to just one following goals from sophomores Linus Weissbach and K’Andre Miller. Michigan went on to score with just six seconds left in the game, ending the Badgers weekend with another loss, this time by a score of 5–3.
Following their fifth straight loss, the Badgers are likely to finish the season at the bottom of the Big Ten standings. The team has two more Big Ten series left this season, one against the Penn State Nittany Lions and the other in two weeks against The Ohio State University Buckeyes in Columbus to cap off the regular season.
The Badgers look to end their losing streak as they face Penn State this coming weekend at the Kohl Center in a two-game series. Game one will take place Friday night, followed by game two on Saturday night. Both games are set to begin at 7:00 p.m. and can be listened to on WIBA. Saturday night’s game will also be broadcast on FSW.
