A second straight weekend away from the Kohl Center saw the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team pick up a sweep against No. 17 Michigan Tech University in Houghton last weekend.
UW (5-1-0) won by scores of 4–2 and 5–2 to pick up the sweep over the Huskies (0-3-2). At 5-1-0, they are off to their best start in 19 seasons.
They also moved into the U.S. College Hockey Online rankings in the poll that was released Monday, marking the first time they had been ranked in 51 consecutive editions, a streak dating back to the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
Here’s how it went down.
Game one: Wisconsin 4, Michigan Tech 2
The beginning of the series for both teams was calm. Each program fired 10 shots on target, but neither team would score a goal.
In the second period, the Badgers would break the ice first on the freshman William Whitelaw’s first goal of his career. Following that, UW got themselves into penalty trouble. The penalty kill, 22-for-23 entering the weekend, would go 0-for-2 in the middle frame.
First, Ryland Mosley scored on the power play for Michigan Tech, then just under five minutes later, Isaac Gordon would put the Huskies on top, 2–1.
At the twilight of the period though, the Badgers would get a response. Senior David Silye — who took one of the penalties that led to the Huskies’ go-ahead goal — tied the score at two with just eight seconds left.
The winner for the Badgers came from an unlikely source. Just over seven minutes into the period, Altoona native Daniel Laatsch gave the Badgers the lead on just his third career goal. UW would add one more on an empty netter from sophomore Cruz Lucius to polish off the game one victory.
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Game two: Wisconsin 5, Michigan Tech 2
In game two, it was UW who dominated the start of the match. They outshot the Huskies 10–3 in the first period. Despite this fact, they would trail 1–0 at the end of one after allowing a goal from Logan Pietila with just 34 seconds left in the period. The Badgers — who had won one game all of last year after trailing after one period (1-16-0) — would have to play from behind.
They responded with four unanswered goals.
First, the power play, which was just 1-for-21 entering the game Saturday, would strike. Senior Mathieu De St. Phalle scored his second goal of the season on a redirection of a Ben Dexheimer shot to tie the score at one in a 6-on-4 situation on a delayed Huskie penalty.
After that, another freshman would give UW the lead. Joe Palodichuk — who has been arguably UW’s best defenseman this year — scored his second of the season to give UW a 2–1 lead at the end of the break.
Another power play goal just 28 seconds into the third period would extend the lead for UW and another one set up by Dexheimer. This time he was able to find senior Carson Bantle, who wired one home from in tight.
UW would extend the lead further on freshman Sawyer Scholl’s first career goal just 47 seconds later. Michigan Tech would get one back to cut the deficit to 4–2, but graduate student Mike Vorlicky would ice it with a short-handed, empty-net goal to close out the 5–2 win.
Stars of the weekend
- Mathieu De St. Phalle. The senior had a hand in four of Wisconsin’s nine goals over the weekend, scoring the game-tying power play goal in game two, the first of four unanswered by the Badgers.
- Ben Dexheimer. The sophomore was the orchestrator of UW’s two power play goals in game two, taking the shot that De St. Phalle deflected on the first and made the pass to set up Bantle on the second.
- David Silye. Last year’s Central Collegiate Hockey Association Forward of the Year — a 23-goal scorer last year — finally got his first as a Badger as part of a three-point weekend.
Up next
UW, now ranked at No. 14 in the country, got the number next to their name just in time for the Border Battle. They’ll hit the road to face No. 1 ranked University of Minnesota at Mariucci Arena on Thursday and Friday. Puck drop for both games is 8 p.m. and both will be televised on Big Ten Network.
