The Wisconsin Badgers pulled off the unthinkable this past week and went into Minneapolis and took both games from the No. 1 ranked Minnesota. After moving into the USCHO rankings last week to No. 14, Badgers hockey jumps to No. 5 after an upset for the ages. They even collected five first-place votes this week, which ties No. 2 Denver for the most behind No. 1 Boston College.
First top-5 matchup this week at the Kohl Center since Feb. 2010
No. 5 Wisconsin vs.
No. 4 Michigan🎟 https://t.co/9MhOURZxCj pic.twitter.com/9efzb2ATAu
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) October 30, 2023
An Upset for Badgers Hockey
Under Mike Hastings, the Badgers have seemed to find their stride. They’re currently on a four-game win streak and toppled the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. The two wins had them improve to 7-1-0, and they’ve taken the top spot in the Big Ten at six points. It’s their best start since the 2000-01 team went 7-1-0 to open the season.
They won both games against Minnesota, allowing them only to score a pair of goals in each game. Simon Tassy sealed the deal with a goal in the third period that put Badgers hockey up for good to seal the sweep. The Badgers continue to get the best goal-tending in the Big Ten at .933, with Kyle McClellan holding down No. 14 in the nation in save percentage.
Badgers hockey also holds the third spot in the Big Ten in goals scored and the top spot in goals against, making them tough to deal with on the ice and should continue as the season progresses.
The Rink Behind Badgers Hockey
There was plenty of movement in Week 6 for Men’s hockey, and it looks like many teams started to come more in line with their records and who they played than in previous weeks. Boston College took over the No. 1 slot after their two wins against then No. 8 Michigan State. Denver remains at No. 2, with North Dakota moving up to No. 3. Michigan and Wisconsin round out the top 5, with Wisconsin and Michigan being newcomers to the top.
Check out this week’s https://t.co/2QgdyNoa0Z Division I Men’s Poll! pic.twitter.com/Za4m27dCAc
— USCHO.com (@USCHO) October 30, 2023
While Badgers hockey considerably jumped from 14 to No. 5, New Hampshire has done something similar to UW this past week. They went from unranked to No. 15, with Maine also joining the top 20. New Hampshire effectively knocked Northeastern out of the rankings with their win over them. A win over Dartmouth signified enough to rocket them up the rankings.
Northeastern fell from No. 17 to out of the rankings with their two losses to New Hampshire and Merrimack.
Minnesota falls from No. 1 to No. 6 after losing to the Badgers. They’re 3-3-0 on the year, and with four straight games coming up against ranked opponents, they could see themselves falling down the list further if they can’t muster a few wins.
