Wisconsin
What to watch when No. 3 Wisconsin hockey resumes Big Ten title chase at No. 14 Michigan
Wisconsin’s Quinn Finley wins gold medal, scores hat trick in one week
The Badgers freshman won a gold medal at the World Junior Championships on Jan. 5 and then scored three goals in his first game back with the Badgers, a 5-0 win over Lindenwood Friday night.
MADISON – During the first half of the Big Ten season the Wisconsin men’s hockey team demonstrated its dominance as well as its poise under pressure.
It won by two goals or more six times in 12 games. Four times it won by one goal. Three times it scored comeback wins.
The result is a 10-2 record that gives the Badgers the highest winning percentage in the league (.833) even though they’re in second place, four points behind Michigan State.
That’s a pretty good start for a team picked to finish fifth out of seven in the conference. The challenge going forward is to maintain that level of play as the Badgers go through the conference for a second time.
“The one thing that we have to understand is the Friday nights when we go into these buildings we’re going to get their A-game,” Wisconsin associate head coach Todd Knott said. “We’re not surprising anybody and we’re going to have to embrace that.”
Third-ranked Wisconsin’s second run through the Big Ten begins Friday and Saturday at No. 14 Michigan (11-8-3, 4-6-2 – 15 points). The Badgers (19-4-1, 10-2 – 30 points) beat the Wolverines 5-4 on Nov. 3 and 2-1 on Nov. 4 for their first sweep in the rivalry since the 2018-19 season.
Both games begin at 6 p.m. at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor. The contests will be broadcast on BTN+ and can be heard on 97.3 The Game or on the Badgers or The Varsity Network apps.
Here are three things to watch in the series.
What kind of start will UW have on the road?
The Badgers were off last weekend and were given a few days to go home and recharge for the second half of the season. Michigan, meanwhile, split with Michigan State and could be sharper to start.
Wisconsin might have a renewed focus, however, following its tie with Lindenwood on Jan. 13 that snapped its 10-game winning streak
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs including the last game that we played,” Knott said. “I’d like to think that we learned from that moment again that you can’t take a night off, and give Lindenwood credit on that. They came out and played a very hard game.”
Whose special teams will be better?
Michigan leads the nation in power play percentage (36.6%). Wisconsin leads the nation in penalty kill (91.7%) and has allowed only two power play goals in the last 13 games.
The Badgers killed all four of their penalties in their sweep of Michigan earlier this season. Michigan’s four power plays tied for the fewest UW has faced in a series this season.
Wisconsin is the second-least penalized team in the Big Ten, a trend that it will need to continue.
“We’ve talked a lot about that and just our discipline and it won’t just be for Michigan,” Knott said. “They’re No. 1 in the country right now. You’ve got Minnesota coming next week. I know Michigan State is a top-six power play in the country right now, so it’s really from here on out and that starts making sure that we stay disciplined.”
Kyle McClellan returns to the net
Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan is expected to return to action after getting the night off in UW’s tie with Lindenwood. In his last outing he recorded his sixth shutout of the season.
His presence is huge.
“He makes the saves that you need that should be goals, but he also calms us down a lot whether it’s stopping a puck on a power play when they’re starting to get momentum,” graduate student David Silye said. “I think it’s little things too that he’s really good at. … That really gives us confidence to be like, ‘OK, reset, get a face-off and get back to it. He really is a calming presence back there, he really is.”
A Wisconsin man has been arrested in Colorado in connection with a fatal north suburban hit-and-run earlier this year that left a 50-year-old woman killed.
According to the Winthrop Harbor Police Department, Travis Kern, 35, of Pleasant Prairie, turned himself into police in Lakewood Colorado on an arrest warrant. Kern was charged with two felonies, police said, and remains in custody in Colorado pending extradition proceedings.
About 11:10 p.m. on February 26, a pedestrian was struck in the 1400 block of Sheridan Road in Winthrop Harbor by a driver of a vehicle heading northbound. The vehicle then fled the scene, police said.
The pedestrian, later identified as Shanna White, 50, of Waukegan, was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to court documents, Kern’s next scheduled court date is set for July 22.
WHITEWATER, Wis. (WMTV) – The Kids from Wisconsin troupe is kicking off its 56th annual tour this week.
Kids from Wisconsin is a traveling show with 22 singer-dancers and 14 band members. The troupe performs across Wisconsin, hosting workshops for kids and helping fundraise for youth arts programs.
This year’s theme is “America’s Soundtrack: The Pulse of a Nation.” The theme honors the 250th anniversary of America and features music by all-American composers, bands and performers.
Kids from Wisconsin bassist and student leader Alex Coller said that range is what makes this year’s tour stand out.
“The theme is really just celebrating American music. And I think it’s definitely one of the most cohesive and like diverse shows I have played with this organization,” Coller said. “Even though its just American music it’s really cool to see. Anyone no matter who you are, or what your musical background is, or whether you like music or not, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.”
Kids from Wisconsin’s artistic and choral director, Taras Nahirniak, said audiences won’t want to miss it.
“Find a show near you, you are not going to want to miss this show. It’s just spectacular, the kids are so talented,” Nahirniak said. “We are just finishing up our camp right now, and they are just working their tails off. To really go around the state and show the state what they have.”
The tour premieres Thursday night at Young Auditorium in Whitewater. For tickets, tour dates or to find a show, visit kidsfromwi.org.
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Marquette poll shows Wisconsin voters unfocused on governor race
A Marquette University Law School poll reveals Wisconsin voters lack focus on the governor’s race, with most undecided 5 months before the primary.
MADISON – Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes is dropping out of the Democratic primary race for governor and endorsing Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.
Hughes, who was the most moderate candidate in the Democratic field for governor, suspended her campaign days after placing last in a straw poll of party delegates at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin state convention in Madison.
Her endorsement of Rodriguez comes as some Democrats are eyeing an alternative to state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who leans further left than current Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Hong and Barnes are considered frontrunners in the primary race.
In a statement, Hughes flicked at the approach of Hong and other candidates to her left who have proposed significant changes to state government.
“I believe there is great hope in these small efforts to find common ground. I wanted to make sure that Wisconsinites understand we have created something valuable and that investing in ourselves and our communities is well-deserved,” Hughes said. “We do not need to tear it all down, and there is real and important work to do to improve what we already have.”
Hughes suggested Rodriguez would make more reasonable decisions as governor than her primary opponents.
“This job is about running the state, and getting things done. As you consider what is important to you, I urge you to look beyond the talking points, social media posts, and gilded promises and consider what you think is essential to do the job,” she said. “Stop asking, ‘Who will win?’ and start asking who you trust to make big decisions that impact our families and the wellbeing of our loved ones, neighbors and communities.”
This developing story will be updated.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
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