Jack Gorniak's memorable final series at the Kohl Center highlights our look at Wisconsin men's hockey

MADISON – A weekly look at the Wisconsin men’s hockey team.

FOR THE RECORD

The Badgers earned a split with No. 17/14 Michigan State last week to raise their record to 12-20 overall and finish the Big Ten season with a 5-17 mark. They lost to the Spartans, 6-2, on Friday and rebounded for a 6-2 win on Saturday.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jack Gorniak shines bright on Senior Night

An upper-body injury sidelined Jack Gorniak for five games, but the senior returned to the ice against Minnesota on Feb.10-11 and then showed his impact last weekend in the final series of the season at the Kohl Center. His power-play goal at the 6:02 mark of the second period provided brief hope that UW could spark a comeback. His two-point night Saturday was his first since Oct. 21 in a win over Minnesota-Duluth. He helped stake the Badgers to a 1-0 lead with an assist to Liam Malmquist on UW's first goal in the fifth minute and helped keep the Spartans at bay with his fifth goal of the season in the sixth minute of the second period.

“We missed him when he wasn’t in the lineup, his experience, his speed, his ability to affect the other team with his forechecking and his tenacity on the puck,” Wisconsin coach Tony Granato said. “To be able to contribute offensively the last couple of games is exciting.”

NOTEBOOK

Looking ahead to next week

Much could change by the end of the week, but it looks like the Badgers will head to Ohio State or Michigan for the first round of the Big Ten playoffs, which begin next Friday. The Buckeyes and Wolverines are tied for second in the standings with 36 points. If those teams are still tied after series with Minnesota and Notre Dame, respectively, Ohio State will get the No. 2 seed based on head-to-head results.

Playoff-like feel

The Badgers have gotten a feel for what they can expect in the Big Ten tournament during the past two weekends, when they faced a Minnesota squad closing in on the conference title and played host to Michigan State, which is among the hoard of teams chasing home ice for the playoffs.

That vibe won’t change with Penn State. The Nittany Lions are also desperate for wins as they make a run for home ice in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.

Reinforcement for the defense

Junior defenseman Anthony Kehrer returned for the final game of the Michigan State series, his first action since Jan. 7. He is expected to play both games this week.

BY THE NUMBERS

11 Freshmen to reach 30 points since the 1999-2000 season, a club Cruz Lucius joined last weekend.

4 Freshmen who scored points in the win against Michigan State: Lucius, Charlie Stramel, Tyson Jugnauth and Ben Dexheimer.

29.2 Percentage of goals scored by freshmen this season, the highest of any class on the team.

COMING UP

A chance to complete cycle vs. Penn State

At No. 10 Penn State, 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday: Wisconsin has a victory over every team in the league except the Nittany Lions, who swept the Badgers by scores of 2-1 and 4-0 on Oct. 28-29. Though Penn State is ahead of UW in the standings, the Badgers own a better mark 4-8 vs. 2-7-1 since the start of the new year.

"You can’t fall asleep," Granato said in reference to Penn State's attacking style of play.. "Things happen fast in that building, not only because the ice is fast and the building is smaller but the way they play is a wide-open style."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jack Gorniak's Senior Night special leads our look at Wisconsin hockey