No. 1 Wisconsin’s hopes of becoming the first team in WCHA history to win four consecutive regular season titles were dashed on the season’s final day, as the Badgers (18-4-2 WCHA 28-4-2 overall) were only able to manage a tie against No. 10 Ohio State (12-10-2, 18-12-2).
No. 22 Wisconsin (11-5 Big Ten, 19-8 overall) bested Northwestern (3-13, 12-15) 69-64 in a tight game at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston. The Badgers struggled against a Wildcats team that has now lost eight straight, demonstrating the parity that has characterized the Big Ten all season. Here are the main takeaways from the victory:
After Wisconsin’s defeat of Illinois on Monday, you may have credited Brad Davison’s 18 points or Khalil Iverson’s season-high 16 for the victory. You wouldn’t have been wrong, but you’d be overlooking Brevin Pritzl.
With just over two minutes left in regulation Annie Pankowski streaked down the ice, sized up Ohio State goaltender Andrea Braendli with a quick hesitation and went left, opening up a lane to the goal.
With her 11th point of the game, Sunday against Ohio State, senior forward Marsha Howard became the 26th Badger to reach 1,000 career points.
Revenge was swift and sweet for Wisconsin as the Badgers (4-11 Big Ten, 13-14 overall) won confidently against Illinois (2-14 Big Ten, 10-17 overall) in a 75-67 grudge match Wednesday night. The game knots the overall series record at 37-37 as both teams have exchanged wins with each other this season.
After a nail-biting loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers (3-11 Big Ten, 12-14 overall) look for revenge against Illinois (2-13 Big Ten, 10-16 overall). In their earlier matchup this season, the Illini throttled the Badgers in a 78-68 victory.
On Monday night, the Badgers showed in both halves that it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish.
After a first half that featured hordes of missed jumpers and a stagnant offense, the No. 22 Badgers (10-5 Big Ten, 18-8 overall) entered the second half with basketball’s most efficient shot.
In its final away series of the regular season, No. 2 Wisconsin (18-4-0 WCHA, 28-4-0 overall) swept University of Minnesota-Duluth ( 9-11-2, 13-15-2) on the shores of Lake Superior. Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Badgers lead the WCHA with 54 points, just ahead of No. 1 Minnesota’s 52.
The struggling Badgers (5-8-5 Big Ten, 9-14-5 overall) travel to No. 15 Notre Dame (8-8-2 Big Ten, 15-10-3 overall) this weekend, hoping to snap a four-game winless streak.
Wisconsin (3-10 Big Ten, 12-13 overall) defeated No. 24 Michigan St. (7-6, 17-7) at home with ease during its Valentine’s Day showdown, its first win over a ranked opponent in six years.
Nearly everyone knows what Mark Johnson did on Feb. 22, 1980. With a pair of goals in an Olympic hockey game against the Soviet Union, Johnson took center stage in one of the most famous sporting events in history.
With six minutes and two seconds remaining in the second half on Tuesday, senior big man Ethan Happ scored his 2000th point as a Badger, joining rare company and bringing No. 20 Wisconsin within one point at 56-55. It wasn’t a harbinger of things to come.
After a back-and-forth game that featured a remarkable 12 lead changes, Michigan State (11-3 Big Ten, 20-5 overall) pulled out a thrilling 67-59 victory over Wisconsin at the Kohl Center.
After a tough road loss against Illinois, Wisconsin heads back home Thursday to take on Michigan State.
75 seconds into the game, Sophie Shirley got a step on her defender, turned the corner and crashed the net with the puck on her stick. The freshman forward crashed into Minnesota State goalie Abigail Levy and though the initial shot didn’t go, a second attempt forced it across the goal line.
In his three years with Wisconsin, Mark Johnson racked up a program-record 125 goals through a combination of accurate shooting, elite skating, smart play with the puck and timely hockey instincts.
After paying back rival Minnesota for a home-court defeat on Thursday night, No. 19 Wisconsin traveled to Ann Arbor to face a seventh-ranked Michigan team looking to exact similar vengeance for Wisconsin’s thrilling victory three weeks ago that sparked the Badgers six-game win streak.
When athletic director Barry Alvarez hired Tony Granato to replace Mike Eaves as head coach of the Wisconsin men’s hockey team, the reception inside and outside the program was nearly unanimous: The Badgers had swung big, and got their guy.
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