The Wisconsin men’s hockey team has started the year strong, going 7-1-2 behind a scorching hot offensive attack.
Multiple players have scored goals at a high rate. After ten games, the Badgers have accumulated 41 total goals — averaging 4.1 goals per game — compared to the 19 total points of their opponents. The team currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in scoring.
Senior forward Christain Fitzgerald leads the team in goals with eight and has a .229 shooting percentage after the first ten games. Fitzgerald has also scored two game winning goals, as well as the team’s first hat trick of the season against the Minnesota Gophers.
“I think when you give, you get,” head coach Mike Hastings said in a press conference regarding Fitzgerald’s goal output. “And [Fitzgerald’s] been giving a lot, and it’s great to see him have some success.”
Other Badgers have also managed to score at an efficient rate this season, including junior Quinn Finley and freshman Blake Montgomery with five goals each and senior Simon Tassy and sophomore Ryan Botterill, both with four goals each.
Hastings emphasized his team’s focus on net-front presence when trying to score. “The goaltenders are so good that if you don’t take away their eyes and give them more difficulty in trying to find the puck, they’re going to stop it,” he said.
He said Tassy contributes greatly in that area. “[Tassy’s] done a really good job of going in and being rewarded for that [but] also living on the edge a little bit without going over the edge and taking penalties,” Hastings said.
Fitzgerald and sophomore Gavin Morrissey lead the team in total points so far, with 11 points each. Morrissey also leads the Badgers in assists, with a total of nine.
The Badgers have been strong on the defensive side too. Wisconsin is eighth in the league in defensive scoring, allowing opponents only 1.9 goals a game on average.
The Badgers will look to carry their electric offensive into their next game, a Kohl Center showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.
