Wisconsin men’s Hockey Remains Undefeated, Completes Sweep of Minnesota with 4-0 Shutout
Wisconsin’s dominant performance continues as the No. 14 Badgers shut out No. 19/18 Minnesota 4-0 on Saturday night at the Kohl Center, extending thier unbeaten streak to eight games and establishing a 2-0 record in Big Ten play. A stellar offensive showing, spearheaded by Quinn Finley and Blake Montgomery, coupled with a 22-save shutout from Daniel Hauser, secured the decisive victory and a Border Battle sweep for the Badgers.
The badgers (6-0-2, 2-0-0 Big Ten) wasted no time establishing control, with Finley finding the back of the net just 8:17 into the first period. He doubled the lead at 5:43 of the second period, capitalizing on a power play prospect.A flurry of goals in the third period, courtesy of Montgomery – scoring twice within 21 seconds – sealed the fate of the Golden Gophers.
Finley opened the scoring with a shot from the slot, assisted by Jack Phelan and Oliver Translator. A celebratory post on X/Twitter showcased the goal: https://twitter.com/BadgerMHockey/status/1728519999999999999. His second goal of the night came on another power play, with assists from Simon Tassy and Ben Dexheimer.
wisconsin capitalized on the power play, going 2-for-4, while successfully killing off their only penalty. The Badgers also held a 29-22 advantage in shots.
This victory marks Wisconsin’s first sweep of Minnesota at the Kohl Center as Febuary 6-7,2014,when they secured a pair of 2-1 wins over the then-No.1 ranked Gophers. It’s also their first sweep over Minnesota since October 26-27,2023,with scores of 5-2 and 3-2. Notably, this shutout represents UW’s first against Minnesota at the Kohl center and their first at home since November 12, 1983, at the Dane County Coliseum.
The Badgers’ eight-game unbeaten streak to start the season is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the 1981-82 team’s remarkable 13-0-1 start. Furthermore, Finley and Simon Tassy are the only two Badgers to have registered a goal in every series played thus far.
“He’s one of those guys who comes to the rink with a smile on his face,” a senior official stated regarding Montgomery’s development. “He plays with a calmness, but he’s agreeable with the puck on his stick… He doesn’t throw a lot of pucks around without purpose.” The coach also emphasized the importance of fan support, stating, “We need [the fans] for this place to be special, as they are such a big part of it. When you can go through a six-game homestand and not lose a hockey game,I think you want to give people a reason to come back.”
Montgomery, reflecting on the sweep, shared, “It just fuels our confidence really well moving forward, especially with a big weekend next week. So it’s just that mindset, we can keep it. We can keep it rolling.” Finley echoed the sentiment, noting, “Hearing all the fans and the students come tonight, the white out is super nice, and when that place is packed, it’s loud. It definitely helps us and gives us energy, and we build off that.”
Up Next: The Badgers will face a challenging road series against No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday and Saturday, November 7-8. Both games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.Audio coverage will be available on the Badger Radio Network, the Badgers app, and the Varsity Network app, with live updates also available on X/Twitter and instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
