Wisconsin men's hockey vs #1 Michigan State: Time, TV, radio

After splitting a road series against the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines two weeks ago, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team is back in the Great Lakes State. This time, the Wisconsin Badgers (8-2-2, 4-2-0 Big Ten) are taking the difficulty up one final notch. This weekend, UW faces the nation’s unanimous No. 1 team: the Michigan State Spartans.

The two-game series could be a turning point in a hotly contested race for the Big Ten title. Michigan State (9-1-0, 4-0-0 Big Ten) has won the past two conference championships. As of now, the Spartans are tied atop the standings with the Badgers and Wolverines.

For Wisconsin to leave East Lansing with a win or two, it will require a full-throated effort.

“You don’t get a win in less than 60 minutes and win a hockey game in our conference,” Badgers head coach Mike Hastings said in a Tuesday press conference previewing the matchup. “There’s so many things that go into it.”

Sweeping the Minnesota Golden Gophers and fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a split against the Ohio State Buckeyes has put UW in striking distance of the cream of the crop in the Big Ten. But Hastings knows, with the mid-season break just around the corner, his team will need to play its best hockey to beat MSU.

“We had a pretty good homestand in the first half. It’s putting us in a decent position, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t buy a cup of coffee,” the third-year Wisconsin head coach said. “We gotta go on the road and now play in that building where they’ve had an awful lot of success in.

“So they’re going to be comfortable in their own beds doing what they do. But our guys are excited about the opportunity to go out and play a really good hockey team.”