CANTON, N.Y. — The Wisconsin men’s hockey team is youthful by almost every metric, and their young talent was on full display in their 5-2 win over No. 18 St. Lawrence on Friday. Rookie Trent Frederic combined twice with junior Ryan Wagner to score the Badgers third and fourth goals. Freshman J.D Greenway was stout defensively and sophomore Luke Kunin recorded a pair of goals in the road victory.
Frederic scored a shorthanded goal early in the third to put Wisconsin up 3-2, burying a loose puck in the crease off a Wagner shot
“I had some good speed, and I had a feeling what move he was gonna do, and instead of staying back, I went for it,” said Frederic. “I beat the two D, and the puck was just lying there, I was able to poke it home.”
“I’m playing with pretty good linemates,” said Frederic, whose goal was the third of the season. “Stuff is falling for me right now, and I’ll just keep working hard and hopefully it stays like this.”
Frederic also set-up Wagner’s goal that put Wisconsin up by two, bringing him to eight points on the season, and Tony Granato had high praise for the Boston Bruins first-round pick.
“Frederic, since the day he walked in, hasn’t acted like a freshman,” said Granato. “Obviously he’s a big body that can make plays, and he’s gaining confidence. He’s got eight points in five games for a freshman, that’s pretty good.”
Another big bodied freshman for the Badgers had a big game Friday, but not on the scoresheet. For Canton native JD Greenway, the return home was a successful one.
“I was definitely excited, playing in front of my friends and family, and there were some nerves in there, but I used it to my advantage,” said Greenway with a smile. “It felt good to get the win because it showed people I made the right decision [to leave Canton].”
Granato recognized the contributions that Greenway has made to the defensive corps of the Badgers.
“The D, he’s made a big impact on that blue line, he’s done a lot of things for us,” said Granato. “He’s a big body, and I think that alone has really helped us, but he skates well. He’s been really good. You expect young guys to make mistakes and be a little inconsistent, but as the season goes on, we’ll get more and more out of him.”
The analysis was not as positive for Saints coach as Mark Morris after the hosts were outshot 38-20.
“That was a rough outing for us, it really was,” said Morris. “We had some chances to score and either over-passed or hit posts, and those are the ones you want to capitalize on. I’m interested to see how we respond, this is the time you look to your older leaders to step up.”
Big Ten Roundup
No. 12 Minnesota 4, Clarkson 3 (OT)
Leon Bristedt’s goal 1:57 into overtime — his second of the game — completed the comeback for Minnesota, who trailed 3-0 after the first period.
No. 15 Ohio State 10, Niagara 2
Nick Schilkey recorded a hat trick and two Buckeyes had multiple goal games as Ohio State flattened Niagara 10-2.
No. 19 Penn State 4, Canisius 1
Two power play goals in the first period from Brandon Biro and Vince Pedrie drove the Nittany Lions to a 4-1 win against Canisius.
Michigan State 6, Princeton 2
Four goals in the second period propelled Michigan State to a 6-2 win over Princeton. Alex Riche had two goals for the Tigers. Mason Appleton had a pair of assists for the Spartans, who earned their first victory.
Vermont 3, No. 11 Michigan 0
Tom Forgione’s goal just 22 seconds into the first period held up as the game-winner for the Catamounts. Stefanos Lekkos made 21 saves for the shutout.
