By james art 
The Wisconsin Badgers finally got a win in regulation, capping off the weekend with four points in South Bend to hopefully build some momentum before welcoming a red-hot Gopher team to Madison.
The Badgers (2-6 overall, 1-3 B1G) can definitely feel a little better after this weekend. Friday’s overtime loss was disheartening, but they bounced back with a 2-1 regulation win over No. 19 Notre Dame (5-2 overall, 1-1 B1G) and largely outscored the Fighting Irish in the final five periods of hockey.
The skipper got the Badgers on the board early in the second. Senior Owen Lindmark took a pass from junior transfer Kyle Kukonen, flipping it over the shoulder of Irish goaltender Owen Say.
Notre Dame would cut it to one just after midway through the period. Ryan Helliwell scored his first goal of the year, beating the glove of senior Tommy Scarfone with a shot from the top of the circle that the keeper probably wants back.
Wisconsin’s game-winning goal came with 35 seconds left in the second period, a nice shot by junior Simon Tassey. Junior Christian Fitzgerald chipped in with the assist, finding an awaiting Tassie at the back post to convert on the power play.
Neither team scored in the third, but there was plenty of drama. Notre Dame started to hold the offensive zone and make the Badger defense work, then Kukkonen was sent to the penalty box for tripping with 3:21 remaining. With Wisconsin hot on their heels, the Irish turned their lead into two after pulling Seay. The Badgers ended up killing the penalty.
Although it didn’t convert the empty netter, the defense limited Notre Dame’s chances and continued to get timely clearances as time expired, earning its first B1G victory and salvaging a weekend where the boys played their best hockey of the season.
Wisconsin needed a win Saturday in the worst way. We are still waiting for the burst of goals, but they seized the opportunity and played hard both nights. If you ignore the 1-5 record coming into the weekend, you’ll walk away thinking this Wisconsin team could be a solid contender in the B1G, and the good news is there’s still plenty of time for that to happen.
You can put their front line of sophomore Quinn Finley, freshman Gavin Morrissey and fifth-year Ryland Mosley against most in the country. The group continues to create chances and this weekend the other lines stepped up and scored goals.
Scarfone started both nights, showing you where head coach Mike Hastings is headed when it comes to his goalies. His .885 save percentage won’t surprise you, but he did enough to keep the Badgers in games. And there is still hope that he can return to the form of last year’s Richter Prize semi-finalist.
Wisconsin will need all of them to be ready to contribute big in next weekend’s Border Battle. Minnesota entered this weekend ranked fourth and ahead of then-#18 Penn State in Happy Valley. A split in this upcoming series will feel like a win, but anything can happen when it comes to the Gophers.
One thing’s for sure, things aren’t going to get any easier in this year’s B1G. The Badgers were the only unranked team in the league to participate last weekend. The bright side of that coin is that it means Wisconsin will have plenty of opportunities to pick up ranked wins, including eight more before we enter 2025. Buckle up, there’s still a lot of hockey to be played.