Wisconsin stuns Michigan State to advance to first Frozen Four since 2010
The Wisconsin Badgers were only the fourth-best team in the Big Ten this season, but that hasn’t stopped them from making a big run at the NCAA men’s hockey tournament.
Captain Ben Dexheimer scored 24 seconds into overtime to give the No. 3-seeded Wisconsin a 4-3 come-from-behind win over top-seeded Michigan State in the Worcester, Mass., regional final on Saturday.
The win over its Big Ten rival sends Wisconsin to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2010.
Trailing 3-1 with five minutes left, Wisconsin scored two goals in 34 seconds to tie it before Dexheimer beat Michigan State star goalie Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings prospect) on a shot from the point early in OT.
Quinn Finley (New York Islanders), Luke Osburn (Buffalo Sabres) and Gavin Morrissey also scored for Wisconsin.
Gavin O’Connell, Patrick Geary (Sabres) and Matt Bagsall scored for Michigan State.
Wisconsin will face the winner of Saturday’s Quinnipiac-North Dakota Sioux Falls, S.D., regional final in a Frozen Four semifinal on April 9 in Las Vegas.