Coach Mike Hastings said it best.

“We had peaks and we had valleys,” Hastings said. “I’m glad we ended on a peak.”

Two nights in a row, this sentiment rang true, and for the over 10,000 fans packed into the Kohl Center those peaks likely felt as high as Mount Kilimanjaro.

A series sweep of the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines (5-4-1, 1-2-1 Big Ten) in two thrilling games gave the No. 5 Badgers (9-1-0, 4-0-0 Big Ten) sole possession of the top of the Big Ten after the sweep of Minnesota last week.

That makes two straight sweeps over the teams projected to finish in the top two spots in the Big Ten this year in the preseason poll.

Here is how the series unfolded this weekend.

Men’s Hockey: Red-hot Badgers down top-ranked Minnesota in shocking road sweep

Game 1: Wisconsin 5, Michigan 4

Michigan came into the series ready to play. It felt like it took the Badgers a little while to find their footing, but it was Wisconsin who would strike first. Quinn Finley took a great feed from Simon Tassy on a two-on-one to give the Badgers an early 1–0 lead just under five minutes into the game. The first period fireworks were just beginning.

Michigan would respond on a goal from Garrett Schifsky after he was left alone out front. That tied the score at one.

The Badgers would jump back out front later less than two minutes after. Owen Lindmark, in his first game back after missing the last five games, played with a concussion and scored to make it 2–1.

The Wolverines would again respond. Gavin Brindley showed why he heard his name called in the second round of the NHL Draft last year with blistering speed and a pinpoint shot on the game-tying goal. The first period would end 2–2.

In the second, Michigan would strike twice and lead 4–2. The first came off the stick of Frank Nazar III after minutes of relentless pressure from UW. The opportunistic Michigan offense would make it 4–2 on another ridiculous shot from Brindley through traffic found the back of the net.

That’s when things started to unravel for the Wolverines. Michigan started to take penalties — many of them after the whistle had blown — and UW would make them pay.

A Cruz Lucius power play goal after Nazar took a cross-checking penalty cut it to 4–3. Tyler Duke would then take a roughing penalty after getting a little too aggressive out front, but Michigan would kill that one off.

In the third period, Luke Hughes would take the first of two killer penalties for Michigan. The first was a hold on Mathieu De St. Phalle with 6:11 to play in the game with his team still up 4–3. In the waning moments of the ensuing power play, Tassy, who has scored big goal after big goal for UW this year, added another one to his list with the game-tying goal on a one-time shot.

Before the fans even had time to relish in the fact the Badgers came back from two down, Lindmark gave them the lead. Just 29 seconds after the Tassy tally, Lindmark found himself all alone against Michigan goalkeeper Jake Barczewski on a great feed from Tyson Dyck and beat him to give UW a 5–4 lead.

Hughes would later take the second of his two penalties in the period after the whistle to help UW drain the rest of the game and hold on to that 5–4 win.

UW goalkeeper Kyle McClellan made 28 saves in the win for the Badgers.

Men’s Hockey: Wisconsin continues hot start, picks up sweep over No. 17 Michigan Tech

Game 2: Wisconsin 2, Michigan 1

Topping game one in entertainment value would be tough. Yet, somehow game two did just that.

Aside from a meaningful uptick in physical play, the fireworks weren’t quite as plentiful. A power play goal from Wisconsin’s Carson Bantle with 6:52 remaining in the first period would be the only goal until the third period.

That’s not to say the teams did not have great chances. Michigan’s Rutger McGroarty hit two posts. Barczewski, somewhat surprisingly getting the nod after a rough game the night before, was much sharper in game two. He made high-level saves all night long. Until he didn’t.

With 1:40 to play, McGroarty took a one-time shot from the right side that might have beaten McClellan. At the same time, one of his own players went barreling into the goal and dislodged it from its moorings.

McGroarty thought he scored. Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato agreed and challenged the call. After a tense review in the Kohl Center, the refs determined the puck never crossed the goal line. The challenge was unsuccessful.

To make matters worse for Michigan, they had already used their timeout earlier in the game, meaning a failed challenge became a power play for UW. That’s where they made magic happen. 

With just 6.5 seconds left, De St. Phalle cleaned up a wild scramble out front. His sixth goal of the season threw the over 12,000 fans in the Kohl Center into a frenzy and gave the Badgers a 2–1 victory.

Somehow, even crazier than the last.

Stars of the Weekend

1 – Mathieu De St. Phalle. He notched a goal and an assist in the game two victory, including the winner with 6.5 seconds to play.

2 – Owen Lindmark. He carried the load in game one with two goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal.

3 – Kyle McClellan. The Badgers goalkeeper was credited for keeping the team in the game down 4–2 in game one by his head coach and allowed only one goal on 29 shots in game two.

Quick Hitters

• Charlie Stramel and Lindmark both made their way back from injuries this week. They both played in game one, but Stramel did not suit up for game two.
• UW moved up to number three in the USCHO rankings released Monday. It’s their highest ranking since 2013.

Up Next

The Badgers get a much-deserved week off this week before hitting the road again for East Lansing and a date with No. 11 Michigan State.