The Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team defended home ice one final team this season against the #17 Michigan State Spartans. The Badgers walked away with the 6-2 win over the ranked opponent in spectacular style. The Badgers will now prepare to travel to Pennsylvania where they take on the Nittany Lions February 24th and 25th.
Michigan State Spartans Downed by Badgers Men’s Hockey
In the last game out against Michigan State, the Badgers fell behind early and struggled to make up ground. After losing by the same margin, the team bounced back to defeat the Spartans a day later. The Badgers got off to a hot start after Liam Malmquist netted a first period goal. Carson Bantle followed the goal up with a power play one of his own to put the Badgers on top, 2-0.
Uw Michigan State Hockey 3 Feb 17 2023
Wisconsin started the second period with the same intensity against the Spartans. Mathieu De St. Phalle scored to open the period with the help of Charlie Stramel and Cruz Lucius with the assists. Michigan State corrected themselves after four penalties in the first period by netting a goal. The Badgers responded almost immediately with a goal of their own from Jack Gorniak. Michigan State closed the second period by netting another goal to bring the score to 4-2, Badgers.
The Michigan State Spartans allowed two more goals to end the game, bringing the final score to 6-2, Badgers. Corson Ceulemans netted a goal assisted by Stramel and Lucius. Mathieu De St. Phalle scored his second goal of the game while Daniel Laatsch assisted him. Jared Moe finished with 25 saves in the net, including 13 in the third period as he got the win.
The Road Ahead for The Badgers
The Badgers men’s hockey team will now travel to take on Penn State in their final regular season games. The Nittany Lions are 19-12-1 on the season and beat the Badgers 2-1 and 4-0 earlier this year. Penn State has had a rough stretch as of late, losing three in a row to #2 Minnesota and #7 Ohio state. Penn State has been excellent at home this year, boasting a 12-6 record when playing on their own ice.
The Michigan State Spartans are a good, all-around team that has sat in the rankings all year. The Badgers were able to beat the Spartans and showcase their full potential as a unit against them. Against Penn State, the Badgers will surely have tough competition but getting two wins would be monumental for the morale of the team. Wisconsin will need to make the most of their chances against the Nittany Lions, who do not give many chances.
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