Wisconsin

‘We owe them one’: Wisconsin hockey goes for a payback and a Big Ten title vs. Michigan State

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

Press Room

‘We owe them one’: Wisconsin hockey goes for a payback and a Big Ten title vs. Michigan State

MADISON – The buildup to this week has been immense everywhere but where you’d expect it most.

The Wisconsin men’s hockey team is all about its dailies, as coach Mike Hastings likes to say, so he did his best to keep the thoughts of a worst-to-first turnaround that have simmered for his team the past few weeks on the backburner as long as possible.

It wasn’t until Monday that he brought up the prospect of winning a Big Ten championship.

“I know it’s boring hearing it from us, but it is true: The group has kind of stayed present,” he said. “That is why I think they’re in the situation they are.”

Fourth-ranked Wisconsin (24-8-2, 15-6-1 – 47 points Big Ten) faces No. 6 Michigan State (21-8-3, 15-5-2 – 49) at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center. Two wins in regulation or one win in regulation and one in overtime would give the Badgers the championship outright, the first league title for the program since 2021. Two overtime wins would give them at least a share of the title.

Michigan State needs only one more win to wrap up its first conference title since winning the CCHA championship in 2001.

In November, Michigan State swept Wisconsin when the Badgers were fresh off a three-week run of six straight wins over ranked teams that included Big Ten favorites Minnesota and Michigan.

The chance for redemption has been more than three months in the making.

“We marked this one on our calendar and early on I think we were hoping it would come down to this weekend,” Badgers senior David Silye said. “It’s something you wish for and kind of fun playing as a player. We’re excited. We learned a lot, but the base thing for us is that we owe them one.”

Here’s what the Badgers need to do to win the Big Ten title.

More: Three scenarios that would give Wisconsin the Big Ten hockey title and how to watch the action

Handle the pressure, control the puck

Michigan State defeated the No. 1 UW, 4-2, on Nov. 17 and 3-2 on Nov. 18. If you take away an empty-net goal by the Spartans in Game 1, the contests were one-goal affairs.

The Spartans, however, scored first in both games, never allowed Wisconsin to hold the lead and had a plus-eight advantage in shots on goal in the second game.

Hastings admitted the Spartans set the tone for the series with their pressure on both ends of the ice. That can’t happen again.

“It was one of the first teams that kind of put it to us a bit and we learned and we grew from that,” Hastings said.

The offense continues to show its depth

In addition to simply bouncing back from a sweep by Ohio State, the positive development for UW last week at Penn State was the depth of its scoring. The Badgers dressed 20 skaters for the series. Fourteen scored at least one point. Six had a multi-point series.

The Badgers power play also converted on three of 11 chances (27%), a promising development considering UW was 0 for 8 on the power play at Michigan State.

Leading the way was the No. 1 line of Silye, sophomore Cruz Lucius and senior Mathieu De St. Phalle. The three combined for five goals and six assists at Penn State.

On Saturday, sophomore Christian Fitzgerald snapped a three-game stretch without a point with one goal and one assist in a 3-2 overtime win over the Nittany Lions.

“Those are guys that we were looking forward to being leaders for us offensively and defensively,” Hastings said in regard to his top line and Fitzgerald. “They play in every situation, top-six role, power play, penalty kill. And when those guys are going and you supplement that with Carson Bantle and some of the others … when that happens we’re a much better team and we can have depth scoring.”

Make home ice a true advantage

Wisconsin is 18-1-2 in games when it scores first. That mark is 5-0-1 when scoring first against ranked teams. The challenge for UW has been making that happen consistently. There have been 10 other occasions versus ranked teams when the Badgers gave up the first goal.

With a sellout or near-sellout crowd on hand, the situation is ripe for Wisconsin to take advantage of being at home provided it gives the crowd something to be excited about.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

Published

4 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin man accused of setting fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban gets 7 years in prison

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who allegedly told police he tried to set fire to a Republican congressman’s office last year because he was angry that the lawmaker backed a bill requiring TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell off its U.S. operations was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison.

In addition to the prison time, Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Tricia Walker sentenced 20-year-old Caiden Stachowicz to seven years of extended supervision, court records show.

Stachowicz, of Menasha, pleaded no contest to an arson charge in November. Prosecutors dropped burglary and property damage counts in exchange for Stachowicz’s no contest plea, which isn’t an admission of guilt but is treated as such for the purposes of sentencing.

Stachowicz’s attorney, Timothy Hogan, didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

According to a criminal complaint, a police officer responded to a fire outside Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, at around 1 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2025, and saw Stachowicz standing nearby.

He told the officer that he started the fire because he doesn’t like Grothman, according to the complaint. He initially planned to break into the office and start the fire inside but he couldn’t break the window, so he poured gas on an electrical box behind the building and around the front of the building, lit a match and watched it burn, according to the complaint.

He said he wanted to burn down the office because the federal government was shutting down TikTok in violation of his constitutional rights and peace was not longer an option, the complaint states. He added that Grothman voted for the shutdown, but he didn’t want to hurt Grothman or anyone else.

This undated photo provided by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Department and the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office on Nov. 10, 2025, shows Caiden Stachowicz. Credit: AP/Uncredited

Grothman voted for a bill in April 2024 that required TikTok’s China-based company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operation. The deadline was Jan. 19, 2025, but President Donald Trump has issued multiple executive orders prolonging it. TikTok finalized a deal two months ago to create an American version of of the social video platform. Trump praised the deal.

A spokesperson for Grothman’s congressional office didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

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Wisconsin

Carrington scores 18 points to lead Wisconsin’s 78-45 throttling of Maryland

Published

16 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

MADISON (AP) — Reserve Braeden Carrington scored 18 points, John Blackwell scored 14 points and Wisconsin poured it on in the second half to dismantle Maryland 78-45 on Wednesday night.

Nick Boyd scored 13 points and reserve Austin Rapp scored 11 points for Wisconsin (21-9, 13-6 Big Ten), which had 11 players enter the scoring column.

The Badgers’ Andrew Rohde passed out six of Wisconsin’s 15 assists and didn’t commit a turnover. Wisconsin turned it over only three times.

Andre Mills scored 14 points and Elijah Saunders scored 11 points for Maryland.

Wisconsin turned an already commanding 34-21 first-half stranglehold into a 21-point lead 5 1/2 minutes into the second half. The Badgers shot 48% (27 of 56) and made 42% (13 of 31) from 3-point range. The Badgers scored 44 second-half points.

It was the fewest point Maryland (11-19, 4-15) has ever posted against Wisconsin in the shot-clock era. It was also Maryland’s lowest point total of the season.

Wisconsin has won five of its last seven. Maryland has lost five of its last six.

Up next

Maryland wraps up the regular season hosting 11th-ranked Illinois on Saturday.

Wisconsin ends the regular season at No. 15 Purdue on Saturday.

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Wisconsin

Flood Safety Week runs March 9-13 as Wisconsin braces for a spring swell

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Flood Safety Week runs March 9-13 as Wisconsin braces for a spring swell

(WLUK) — As winter thaws, Wisconsinites are encouraged to think about preparing for potential flooding.

Gov. Evers has declared March 9 -13 as Flood Safety Week in Wisconsin.

During Flood Safety Awareness Week, ReadyWisconsin is asking everyone to review their flooding risk and take proactive steps to protect their families, homes, and businesses before waters rise.

Know your flood risk. Assess the potential for flooding on your property if you live in a flood plain, near a body of water, or have a basement. Plan with your family for what you will do if the floodwaters begin to rise.
Consider flood insurance. Most homeowner, rental, and business insurance policies generally do not cover flooding. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Most flood coverage requires 30 days to take effect. Find more information about flood insurance options here.
Move valuables or mementos out of the basement and store them in waterproof containers.
Elevate or flood-proof your washer, dryer, water heater, and HVAC systems. Relocate electrical outlets to three feet above the floor.
Have copies of important documents (personal identification like passports and birth certificates, medical records, insurance policies, and financial documents) in a waterproof container.
Build a “Go Kit.” Include items such as food, water, cash, and medications.
Make an emergency plan. If you can’t make it home or need to leave quickly, identify a meeting place for your family. Make a list of emergency numbers and important contacts.
Keep water out of and away from your house. Clean gutters regularly, direct downspouts away from your foundation, repair cracks in your foundation, improve grading so water flows away from your house, and cover window wells.

When flooding occurs, keep the following steps in mind:

Stay up to date on the forecast. Identify multiple ways to receive alerts about dangerous weather conditions and potential flooding, such as a NOAA Weather Radio, trusted local news outlets, and mobile weather apps. Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your smartphones.
Never drive or walk through flooded areas. Just six inches of fast-moving water can sweep adults off their feet, while just 12 inches can carry away a small car or 24 inches for larger vehicles. Moving water is not the only danger, your vehicle could potentially stall when driving through floodwater.

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Flooding could potentially impact your health as well. Avoid entering floodwaters, which can contain bacteria from human and animal waste, sharp objects, hazardous chemicals, downed power lines, and other dangerous items. If your home floods, follow cleaning and disinfection guidelines to avoid mold growth.

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