(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – Two goals from both Kyle Kukkonen and Gavin Morrissey helped the Wisconsin men’s hockey team to a 7-1 victory over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Friday night at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin (5-8-0, 3-5-0 Big Ten) got off to a hot start as Ryland Mosley scored the game’s first goal 3:56 into the contest. Kyle Kukkonen doubled UW’s lead after scoring on a penalty shot to send the Badgers into the second period with a 2-0 lead. The Badgers scored four goals in the second period, with Quinn Finley, Gavin Morrissey (x2) and Kyle Kukkonen finding the back of the net. Alaska Anchorage (2-10-1) got on the board with 11 seconds left in the middle frame, but Cody Laskosky added a goal 7:03 into the third period to end the game with a final score of 7-1, Wisconsin.
How it Happened
Graduate student forward Mosley got Wisconsin on the board first 3:56 into the first period. From deep in the Seawolves’ zone, sophomore forward Finley made a short pass to freshman forward Gavin Morrissey at the left of the net. Morrissey made another quick pass to Mosley in front of the goal who tapped it home to give the Badgers an early lead.
With 2:02 left in the first frame, junior forward Kukkonen was awarded a penalty shot, which he capitalized on to make it 2-0, Badgers.
Finley extended UW’s lead 1:47 into the second period on the power play. From the middle of the left faceoff circle, Mosley took a shot that went wide and into the boards. Morrissey picked up the puck and sent a pass diagonally to Finley in the middle of the right dot, who waited before flicking a shot past the UAA goaltender to tally his ninth goal of the year.
With 14:03 remaining in the middle frame, Wisconsin was called for a five-minute major penalty, which it killed off to maintain its 3-0 lead.
In the final six minutes of the period, the Badgers scored three times to make it a 6-0 game.
At 14:13, Morrissey scored UW’s second power-play goal of the game. Finley took a shot from the right circle, which rebounded off of the goaltender’s pads and into Mosley’s possession. Mosley then sent a backward, between-the-legs pass to Morrissey, who shot the puck into an open net to make it 4-0, Wisconsin.
Three minutes later, Morrissey lit the lamp again. Freshman defenseman Logan Hensler passed across the neutral zone to Mosley, who rushed into Seawolves’ territory before sending the puck to Morrissey in the slot. He then let a quick wrister fly to put home his fourth goal of the season.
With 37 seconds remaining in the second, Kukkonen scored his second goal of the evening. Junior forward Christian Fitzgerald skated into the UAA zone and up to the net before taking a shot on goal, which rebounded off the goaltender and into the crease. Kukkonen spotted the loose puck and quickly shot it into the goal to tally his fourth goal of the year and third in two games.
In the final 11 seconds of the period, Alaska Anchorage got on the board after Dylan Contreras beat UW goaltender Tommy Scarfone after a quick rush into the zone.
Graduate student forward Laskosky added a goal 7:03 into the third period to make it 7-1, Wisconsin. Fitzgerald skated from deep in the Badgers’ zone to the blue line where he passed across up to Kukkonen in neutral ice. Kukkonen rushed into Seawolves’ territory and took a shot before Laskosky cleaned up on the rebound to score his third goal in three games.
Wisconsin went 2-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 37-19 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
– This is the third game in a row in which the Badgers have scored five goals. In the past three games, Wisconsin has scored 18 goals after tallying 18 through the first 10 games of its season
– The last time UW had five-plus goals in three-straight games was from Nov. 23-28, 2020
– Ryland Mosley (1g, 3a) and Gavin Morrissey (2g, 2a) each had four points, marking the first time a Badger had a four-point night since Quinn Finley (1g, 3a) at Michigan on Jan. 27, 2024
– The last time the Badgers attempted and made a penalty shot was on Dec. 1, 2023, when Quinn Finley scored against Ohio State at the Kohl Center
– Tonight’s seven goals mark the most scored in a game since UW’s 7-4 win at Notre Dame on Jan. 6, 2024
– The Badgers have four power-play goals in their last six power-play attempts
Straight from the rink
Head Coach Mike Hastings
On managing a lead
“I thought the guys did a really good job. I thought we kept playing offense. We possessed the puck, we made some plays, but we didn’t do it in areas to kick Alaska [Anchorage] into transition. I thought we made good decisions with the puck. We were much better on our changes in the third period.”
On Gavin Morrissey’s excellence as a freshman
“He brings it every day. He’s consistent. The game rewards you when you put the work in consistently. The other piece with it is whether it’s going well for him or not going well, you don’t see an emotional rollercoaster out of the young man. He’s mentally stable.”
Freshman forward Gavin Morrissey
On starting to find his groove
“My line has been a big help. I’ve got two great players on my line and finding chemistry with those guys has been big for me. Personally, I think it all comes down to the work we did in the offseason and preparing for the start of the season. I think that’s why me and those guys have been ready to go and I think have still done pretty well for the start of the season.”
Junior forward Kyle Kukkonen
On closing out the game strong
“You have to just do the little things. We’ve been talking about playing a game for 60 minutes, and I take pride in doing the little things and working together and doing our job. It’s kind of a thing that we preach throughout the week. Do your job and do little things, and that leads to controlling games and learning how to win games. Eventually, when it comes to playoff time and important games, you can close it out in the third period.”
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Nov. 30. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.
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