Brianna Reynolds
- Box Score
LindenwoodLIN3-14-2
5
WinnerWisconsinWIS19-4-0
Final
5
WisconsinWIS
19-4-0
Winner
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood LIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin WIS | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Game Recap: Men's Hockey | | Kali Mick
Quinn Finley nets first-career hat trick
MADISON, Wis. – Quinn Finley netted his first-career hat trick and Kyle McClellan had another perfect performance in net as the No. 3 Wisconsin men's hockey team shut down the Lindenwood Lions, 5-0, on Friday Night at the Kohl Center.
Finley's hat trick comes in his first game back in the Badgers' (19-4-0, 10-2-0 Big Ten) lineup after winning a gold medal with Team USA at the 2024 World Junior Championshipin Gothenburg, Sweden. Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan, who was just named to the Mike Richter Award watch list, recorded his nation-leading sixth shutout of the season, stopping all 19 of Lindenwood's (3-14-2) shots on goal.
Freshman forward Quinn Finley found the back of the net 11:42 into the first period. Freshman defenseman Joe Palodichuk gained possession of the puck in the middle of the ice and passed to Finley on his left. All alone, Finley skated into the Lindenwood zone and sunk a hard shot past Lions goaltender Trent Burnham for his sixth goal of the season.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 13, 2024FINLEY (@QuinnFinley2) WITH A ROCKET! 🚀
🍎: Joe Palodichuk pic.twitter.com/tgfYFtWIvM
With 1:13 remaining in the opening frame, Cruz Lucius doubled the Badgers' lead on the power play. Sophom*ore defenseman Ben Dexheimer passed from the Badgers' zone to senior forward Mathieu De St. Phalle at center ice. De St. Phalle then rushed into Lindenwood territory and passed behind him to find Lucius, who skated from the left side of the zone to the bottom of the right circle before snapping a shot home through a screen to make it 2-0, Wisconsin.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 13, 2024Nothin' but net 😤
🍎: Mathieu De St. Phalle & Ben Dexheimer pic.twitter.com/mbm0WCnKDI
The Badgers lit the lamp again on the power play 1:17 into the second period. Mathieu De St. Phalle passed across the blue line to senior forward David Silye, who sent the puck up to senior forward Carson Bantle stationed in front of the net. Bantlespun and flicked the puck over the goaltender's head and up into the net for his ninth tally of the season.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 13, 2024Bantle (@BantleCarson) really did that. 🤯
🍎: David Silye & Mathieu De St. Phalle pic.twitter.com/xC2RIyevRN
Just over a minute later, Quinn Finley notched his second goal of the evening. From deep in Wisconsin territory, junior defenseman Dan Laatsch passed to sophom*ore forward Simon Tassy, who was waiting in the neutral zone. Tassy sauced a pass to the middle of the Lions' blue line to meet Finley, who used his speed to earn a breakaway chance and sent it five hole to make it 4-0 in favor of the Badgers.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 13, 2024FINLEY'S (@QuinnFinley2) ON HATTY WATCH 👀
🍎: Simon Tassy & Dan Laatsch pic.twitter.com/QpqsOe4qhy
Finley completed the hat trick with 35 seconds left in the game. Sophom*ore forward Tyson Dyck intercepted a Lindenwood player's pass near the Lions' blue line and sent the puck to Quinn Finley who was all alone in the middle of the zone. Finley showed off his stick-handling abilities before shooting the puck between the goaltender's legs for his third of the night.
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 13, 2024TOSS THOSE HATS! 🎩🎩🎩
First-career hat trick for Quinn Finley (@QuinnFinley2)!
🍎: Tyson Dyck pic.twitter.com/Vwka6dO5si
The Badgers went 2-for-6 on the power play and killed off four penalties. UW finished the contest with a 48-19 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
- UW's current 10-game win streak marks Wisconsin's longest since winning 11 from Dec. 4, 1982- Jan. 21, 1983
- Kyle McClellan earned his nation-leading sixth shutout of the season, putting him second all-time in Wisconsin single-season history behind Brian Elliott's eight shutouts during the 2005-06 season
- Quinn Finley tallied his first-career hat trick and UW's third of the season
- The last time the Badgers recorded at least three hat tricks in a season was in 1995-96
- Finley and sophom*ore forward Christian Fitzgerald each recorded new single-game career-highs in shots on goal with six and nine, respectively
- Wisconsin lowered its national-leading scoring defense number to 1.57 opponent goals per game
Straight From the Rink
Head Coach Mike Hastings
On the team's mentality about their success this season
"If you have some success, you can get caught getting a little comfortable. Then when you have a lot of negative, you can get caught in that valley also. The guys have done a good job, going all the way back to this last summer, about working on just what happens in the 24 hours, and we talked about it and I congratulated them on tonight's win. I told them to enjoy it until we get back to the rink tomorrow because we've got work to do. The leadership group has done a really good job at absorbing the message and distributing it through our group. They've been really good at just staying on what they get to control, which is what's going to be in front of them, not behind them."
On the fans and the band braving the snow storm to watch the game
"I wanna make sure that gets brought up because I think it says a lot. Before we came up for the game, I told the guys, 'Hey, there's gonna be a lot of people that aren't here. So we're not gonna have the environment. I truly believe the band's not gonna be able to get to the rink. So let's not count on the band.' And as we were walking around the corner, you could hear them. I've always been impressed with the Wisconsin Badger band because it's just a staple to any sport that you have here and them being a part of it. I want to say thank you to them for coming out and braving the snow and allowing us to have as good an atmosphere as we could, as well as the other people that came in and watched us at the Kohl Center tonight. Pretty special."
Freshman forward Quinn Finley
On returning tothe Badgers after World Juniors
"It's been a good two weeks. Just glad to be back and see all the guys, see all the fans and we're at the 10th of our own now. Just keep it going."
On being comfortable with the teamafter time away
"I've played with Fitzy (Christian Fitzgerald) and Tass (Simon Tassy) a lot this year, so a lot of things just mesh really well while talking to those guys before the game, throughout the week and at practice as well. It was kind of just a comfortable thing coming back."
Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan
On bouncing back after letting in four goals at Notre Dame
"Obviously, you gotta bounce back after a game like that, so a good start really kind of gave me some extra confidence going into it. I think getting my feet settled early on has helped me a lot this year. The guys stepped up in front of me too. It was a good team effort and glad we got it done."
On staying focused
"Something that we kinda get used to in practice is with three goalies, you kinda have some time off, so you're able to cool down while still staying focused. And that's translated to the game."
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series against Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 13. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m and will feature a special post-game autograph session for fans. The contest will stream for free live on B1G+ (this weekend only) while audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA in the Madison area, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
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