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Wisconsin men’s hockey ready for its revenge season

Posted on by angelo
Wisconsin men’s hockey ready for its revenge season

The University of Wisconsin-Madison men’s hockey team finished No. 2 in the Big Ten rankings last season under first-year head coach Mike Hastings, with a major leap after a last place the previous season.

The Badgers saw major improvements on both offense and defense and witnessed a historical candidate for last season’s senior goaltender Kyle McClellan, who won Wisconsin’s first Mike Richter Award since the award was introduced to college hockey in 2014.

Last year, the Badgers finished their season with a 26-12-2 overall record, finishing 16-7-1 in conference play and sitting just behind No. 1 Michigan State at 16-6-2.

Notable departures

One face that won’t be returning to the Kohl Center this year is forward Cruz Lucius, who led the Badgers last year in scoring and recorded 13 shots and 21 assists for a total of 34 points in 36 games played in sophomore last season. You can see him in ASU’s National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) debut this year at Mullet Arena for the Sun Devils’ junior year.

As a star in front of the posts last year, McClellan signed a one-way contract with the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

Last year, senior forward Mathieu De St. Phalle opted not to take a fifth year and instead chose the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. De St. Phalle, who combined for 11 shots and 16 assists for 27 points in 38 games played, wore an A last year for the Badgers.

Faces of Ice, New and Old

See goals per match increase to 3.2 against the 2.0 rating of the Badgers’ opponents gives hope for this season, in addition to the 12 new freshmen and incoming transfer players.

THE team looks older this year than in the past, with several players coming from junior leagues and bringing more playing and leadership experience to the eight first-year additions to the team.

Wisconsin also signed new players through the transfer portal, including 2022-23 CCHA Rookie of the Year Kyle Kukkonen from Michigan Tech and teammate Rylan Mosley, a graduate student.

Cody Laskosky is a new face alongside teammate Tony Scarfone – the goaltender expected to start in net for the Badgers this year – a six-foot senior transfer from RIT who last year recorded a .925 save percentage and a 2.26 goals-against average.

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Returning guard William Gramme posted a 0.959 SV% and 1.13 GAA in six games last year as a rookie, so we’ll see how the departure of McClellan, the addition of Scarfone and the new face of freshman guard Anton Castro affect the starting positions. .

Watch next calendar for the 2024-25 season

After a one-game exhibition trip to Omaha, the Badgers will face Lindenwood for the home opener at the Kohl Center on Oct. 11, then host the OSU Buckeyes next week.

Starting off quickly in Week 4, the Badgers will face reigning Frozen Four champions University of Denver. The Pioneers just won their 10th championship in their history last April.

The following week, the Badgers will face their Big Ten rivals No. 6 Minnesota in early November for a border battle at home.

In late November, Alaska Anchorage returns to Madison, continuing a 34-year streak that the Badgers lead 55-17-9.

The Badgers will face Ferris State just days before the New Year in Milwaukee for the Kwik Travel vacation face to facewhere the winner will then face the winners of the UConn/Alaska game the following day.

The 2025 schedule begins in East Lansing before the Badgers travel to Chicago for the Frozen Confines, the Big Ten Hockey Series at Wrigley Field, where they will once again face Michigan State. Tickets are available now for fans, but it will also be televised by Big Ten Network.

The season ends with Long Island University and other Big Ten opponents determining seeding for the Big Ten Championship tournament, and eventually, seeding to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four where the Badgers hope to have another chance to bring home a national title for the first time since 2006.

The regular season concludes at the Kohl Center on Feb. 22, where the Badgers hope to move beyond their 10th place finish in the season standings.

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