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Wisconsin hockey captain bounces back, sends Badgers to Frozen Four

For the first time since 2010, the Wisconsin Badgers will compete in the national semifinal
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin defenseman Ben Dexheimer (4) handles the puck as Michigan State forward Anthony Romani (21) chases him in a game Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin defenseman Ben Dexheimer (4) handles the puck as Michigan State forward Anthony Romani (21) chases him in a game Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A couple of late empty-net goals in Thursday's regional semifinal gave Wisconsin men's hockey its first win in an NCAA Tournament game since 2010. When the Michigan State Spartans took a 3-1 lead over the Wisconsin Badgers midway through the 3rd period of Saturday's regional final, it appeared that UW's postseason run would stop at one win, a miraculous comeback put the Badgers back on college hockey's biggest stage.

Wisconsin (23-12-2, 14-10-0 Big Ten) is back in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2010, thanks to Badgers captain Ben Dexheimer's game-winning goal in overtime. The deflected wrist shot from the point came just 24 seconds into the extra frame. UW closed the game by getting three unanswered goals past Michigan State (26-9-2, 16-6-2 Big Ten) netminder and two-time reigining Big Ten Goaltender of the Year Trey Augustine.

In 12 tries, it was the first game Wisconsin won this season when trailing after two periods.

Special teams put Wisconsin hockey behind

After a scoreless first period, forward Quinn Finley put Wisconsin up 1-0 early in the 2nd. UW center Gavin Morrissey cleanly won a faceoff back to the top of the left circle and the waiting Finley. The Suamico native ripped a wirst shot past Augustine glove side for his seventh goal in 11 games.

That lead did not survive the period. A shot by MSU sophomore Gavin O'Connell from near the right half-boards with three seconds remaining on a power play deflected off of Dexheimer's stick before flying up and over the head of Badgers goaltender Daniel Hauser. A goal by on the rush by Spartans defenseman Patrick Geary just 31 seconds later quickly put Wisconsin behind.

MSU's one-goal lead held through the latter half of the second and the opening eight minutes of the third period, but a penalty against Dexheimer allowed Michigan State the opportunity to put itself further ahead.

Third period penalty and comeback

Spartans forward Porter Martone, the sixth-overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, got behind all Badgers defenders and was looking for a chance in alone on Hauser. Instead of giving the heralded freshman the opportunity, Dexheimer hooked Martone from behind.

Dexheimer's move denied Martone the immediate scoring opportunity, but it put Michigan State's potent power play on the ice. Since January 1st, MSU converts on the advantage more often than any team in the country. Meanwhile, Wisconsin's penalty kill is the sixth-worst in the nation. Spartans defenseman Matt Basgall was the beneficiary of the PP, putting his team up 3-1 with 11:27 to play.

Facing a two-goal deficit, needing to get three more goals past the goaltender boasting a .929 save percentage (the fifth-best mark in men's Division I), Wisconsin went to work. The Badgers outshot the spartans 18-6 in the third period, eventually breaking through.

First, it was Luke Osburn cutting the lead in half with a shot just outside the crease. UW defenseman Aidan Dubinsky's initial shot from the point went wide, but sophomore forward Ryan Botterill corralled the puck after it bounced off the back wall. Botterill dropped the puck to Oliver Tulk, who cycled to the front of the net from the right wing. Tulk's initial shot was stopped before Osburn scored on the ensuing rebound with 4:47 to play.

Then, it was the Badgers' turn for two quick goals. 24 seconds later, Dexheimer fed a cross-ice pass from left to right as winger Christian Fitzgerald crept into the slot. Fitzgerald's shot was stopped, but UW's leading scorer and alternate captain Gavin Morrissey buried the rebound, knotting the score at 3-3.

Up next for Wisconsin hockey: Frozen Four in Vegas

Despite the odd bounce off his stick in the second, and the penalty in the third period, Dexheimer brought Wisconsin back from the brink, assisting on the late equalizer and scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.

The Badgers now advance to the 2026 men's Frozen Four in Las Vegas, Nevada at T-Mobile Arena. The national semifinal games will be played on Thursday, April 9th. UW's opponent will be the winnier of the Sioux Falls regional, where North Dakota and Quinnipiac are competing in the regional final.

UW has not reached a Frozen Four since a national runner-up finish in the 2010 NCAA Tournament where Wisconsin fell 5-0 to the Boston College Eagles in the national title game.

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Kedrick Stumbris
KEDRICK STUMBRIS

Kedrick Stumbris has covered the Wisconsin Badgers since 2022 with a focus on the Badgers football, men's basketball, and women's hockey programs. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

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