Wisconsin

Wisconsin men’s hockey keeps scrapping against ranked foes, taking ‘baby steps’ in playoff quest

Published

1 year ago

January 26, 2025

Wisconsin men’s hockey keeps scrapping against ranked foes, taking ‘baby steps’ in playoff quest

MADISON – When the story is finally written on this Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey season, the chapter about having trouble winning in overtime will be the longest.

They added another page Saturday.

But their ability to find positives and be resilient also will be a valuable passage.

“I think we should be really proud of ourselves,” UW defenseman Ben Dexheimer said after the Badgers earned a 4-4 tie with 10th-ranked Michigan at the Kohl Center.

“We got eight of 12 points against a top-10 team in the season series, and I think we’re taking baby steps every single weekend, building some momentum for the end of the year.”

After a 5-4 comeback victory Friday night, UW found itself in a two-goal deficit midway through the first period. After fighting back to tie in the second, the Badgers fell behind in the third again before Dexheimer poked in a bouncing puck in front of the net with less than four minutes left in regulation.

Neither team scored in the five-minute, three-on-three overtime period. Michigan freshman center Michael Hage put the puck past Wisconsin senior goaltender Tommy Scarfone in the third round of the shootout.

While a shootout doesn’t affect the teams’ records, the winning team does earn an extra point in the Big Ten standings.

The Badgers missed a chance to reach the .500 mark

Wisconsin, chasing a playoff berth after a 2-8 start, sits at 11-12-3 overall and 6-9-1 in league play. Michigan is 14-10-2 and 8-7-1.

The teams split in December in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines’ victory coming in overtime.

UW has split six series with teams that were ranked at the time, including No. 1 Michigan State.

“We talk about the beginning of the year, you want to win series,” Badgers coach Mike Hastings said. “Obviously we want to win and we’d love to sweep teams. It’s difficult to do it for us, to put ourselves in that hole again and again.

“I credit Michigan. I thought they were better than we were in the first period, and then the guys went in and – you know what? – they went to work in the second period and got right back after it.”

Wisconsin sits 16^th in the Pairwise rankings, which approximate the formula used to decide the 16-team field for the NCAA Tournament.

Badgers’ top scorer Quinn Finley returns after scary injury

Quinn Finley, the sophomore from Suamico, was back in the lineup after being banged up in extracurriculars Friday, and he did what he so often does. Finley gave the Badgers a boost when his goal 4:46 into the second period cut the deficit to 3-2.

Finley, who has been the top-line left wing all season, entered the weekend series tied for the goal-scoring lead in NCAA Division I with 18.

He suffered an apparent upper body injury Friday night when he was pulled to the ice in a skirmish after the whistle early in the game. That brief appearance was only the fifth time he was held without a point this season.

A stone-faced Finley downplayed any doubt about his ability to play Saturday against an extremely physical opponent, but Hastings made it sound more like a minor miracle. UW needs what Finley provides.

“I give Quinn credit because obviously he’s not 100% so I think that says a lot about him and his intestinal fortitude to say, you know what, I need to play if I can play,” Hastings said. “Now our job and our medical staff’s job is to make sure that he’s not putting himself in a bad spot.

“And obviously him playing in the game, he had an impact in the game. That’s a big-time goal and a big-time moment in the game.”

Tommy Scarfone back in goal

After Hasting pulled struggling senior goaltender Tommy Scarfone midgame Friday, sophomore William Gramme got his first start of the season Saturday.

But Scarfone was off the bench early, this time after Gramme gave up three goals on five shots. Scarfone allowed only one goal, Evan Werner’s freaky go-ahead score that bounced off Dexheimer’s skate and into the net behind Scarfone as he stretched to his right for the initial save.

Tie leaves Wisconsin with a 2-6-3 overtime record

The Badgers have gone to overtime 11 times this season and have just two victories to show for it, the most recent Nov. 15 at Penn State.

The two most recent ties have come in a span of eight days, the previous against Long Island University a week ago. That was a nonconference game, so winning the shootout didn’t even gain Wisconsin a point.

What will it take for the Badgers to get over the hump after 60 mintues?

“I don’t know. Keep practicing it,” Finley said. “That’s something that we work on during the week. And obviously they didn’t score either. So we just got to get it done in overtime or in the shootout. Their goalie made three saves.”

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Wisconsin

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

Published

50 minutes 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

13 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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