Third-period dominance has helped Wisconsin men’s hockey post a nation-best 16 victories

MADISON – For as much as the Wisconsin men’s hockey team has accomplished, the Big Ten season hasn’t officially reached its midpoint yet.

As Mike Hastings says, there is a lot of meat on the bone when it comes to areas the Badgers can improve.

One area where UW has especially excelled, however, has been in the third period. No team in the Big Ten has been better in the final 20 minutes, a major reason the Badgers (16-4) lead the nation in victories, winning percentage (.800) and hold the No. 5 ranking in the USCHO poll this week.

Not only is UW’s plus-16 goals margin the best in the conference, but no team in the league has scored more goals (25) or allowed fewer (nine).

Hastings said the team’s leadership group, which includes captain Mike Vorlicky and assistant captains Mathieu De St. Phalle and David Silye, and veterans have played a key role in how the team is closing games.

“They’re taking ownership as a group on what we’re doing or what we’re not doing on the rink from a responsibility standpoint,” Hastings said. “They’re doing it in a positive way, not calling guys out, just reaffirming what we need to be doing to be successful at that time in the game. We’re going to continue to lean on those guys because they’ve done a really good job.”

Wisconsin resumes Big Ten play Friday and Saturday at Notre Dame. The series will officially complete the first half of the Big Ten season for the Badgers, who are 8-2 in league play and with 24 points trail first place Michigan State by one point.

The puck drops at Notre Dame at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. Both games can be seen on the Peacock app or heard on the Varsity Network app.

Wisconsin setting itself up for late-game success

UW is riding the wave of a seven-game winning streak that includes the championship at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off last week.

The back-to-back shutouts raised Wisconsin’s season total to six, the most for the program since 2006-07.

The performance raised senior Kyle McClellan’s save percentage to a nation-best .939. Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel (.932) is No. 2.

“I feel like we’re in each and every game from the start and I think when you have that throughout the lineup (and) everyone is thinking that, that is pretty impactful,” Vorlicky said. “That’s pretty beneficial for you down the stretch and you’re not going to have much panic when guys are thinking like that.”

Wisconsin has set itself up nicely for success in the third period. It has led 13 times heading into the final period and won each time. Conversely, the team lost three of the four times it trailed after three periods.

And though the Badgers lead the Big Ten in scoring margin (plus-1.90), many of their games have been tight after two periods. Six times it has owned a one-goal advantage heading into the third. In wins over Minnesota on Oct. 26  and Michigan on Nov. 4, UW allowed tying goals before scoring the game-winner.

Maintaining that advantage will be key this week for Wisconsin as it faces an opponent in Notre Dame that is tied with Michigan State for second in the league in third-period scoring margin (plus-11). The Fighting Irish are 9-4 at home.

As for Wisconsin, Hastings sees the team’s attitude toward closing out games spreading throughout the team.

“It’s starting to come from the bench whether that’s Mike Vorlicky down at the defensive core, (Anthony) Kehrer,” Hastings said, “guys who have been around who understand if we stay on it and don’t allow them to gather momentum, we’ve got a better chance to finish out games or whatever.”