Mike Hastings went home to Mankato and Wisconsin swept it
The Badgers beat No. 19 Minnesota State twice, opened 4-0 for the first time since 2004-05 and climbed to No. 5.
Mike Hastings went back to Mankato last weekend and left with two wins, a shutout and the clearest proof yet that Wisconsin is a real contender again. I'd have bet on a split. The Badgers didn't give me the chance.
No. 7 Wisconsin won 4-0 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday at No. 19 Minnesota State. That's 4-0-0, the program's best start since 2004-05, and it pushed the Badgers to No. 5 in this week's USCHO poll.
The homecoming
Hastings built Minnesota State into a national program before he left for Madison ahead of the 2023-24 season. In 11 seasons in Mankato he went 299-109-25, made eight NCAA tournaments, reached two Frozen Fours and coached in the 2022 national title game. He won the Spencer Penrose Award three times.
This was his first trip back behind the visiting bench, with three of his staff alongside him. You don't need to be sentimental to see what it meant. Beating the program you built, in the barn you built it in, is a hard weekend to win. Wisconsin made it look routine.
How they did it
Depth, mostly. Friday's first goal was Brent Solomon's first college goal. Saturday's winner was Zach Wooten's first college goal, with under a minute left in the second period. Chase Jette also scored his first NCAA goal Saturday.
Three first college goals in one weekend, and the Badgers still won both nights. That's depth, and it's the Hastings formula: roll four lines that all have a job and wait for the other bench to blink.
The goaltending is doing its share. Alexis Cournoyer posted his first shutout as a Badger on Friday, a week after Daniel Hauser blanked Robert Morris. Hauser won Saturday with 17 saves.
The Ferda number
By our count, Wisconsin outshot Minnesota State 67-31 over the two nights and allowed one goal in its last three games. The poll moved them up two spots, from No. 7 to No. 5. If anything, it's late.
Kessler's read
This is the best Wisconsin team of the Hastings era, and October already says so. The real test waits. The Badgers are off this weekend, play an exhibition at Western Michigan on Oct. 24 and host Notre Dame in a Big Ten series on Oct. 30-31.
My call: Wisconsin is still unbeaten in games that count when Notre Dame leaves the Kohl Center. Mankato was the emotional weekend. Notre Dame is the one that tells us if this is a top-five team or a top-five October.
