Seventh-ranked Wisconsin men's hockey completed a monumental road sweep of the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans, clinching a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory at Munn Ice Arena thanks to Ben Dexheimer's winner.
The decisive victory follows Wisconsin's 5-4 win in the previous game, cementing their dominance over the nation's top-ranked team.
After a scoreless first period, Wisconsin (10-2-2, 6-2-0 Big Ten) broke the silence midway through the second. Freshman forward Blake Montgomery capitalized on a power-play opportunity 10 minutes and six seconds into the frame. The play was set up by freshman forward Vasily Zelenov, who passed to Montgomery near the blue line. Montgomery skated up to the top of the left circle and ripped a shot past MSU netminder Trey Augustine to tally his seventh goal of the year, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead.
Michigan State (9-3-0, 4-2-0 Big Ten) battled hard, killing off four of Wisconsin’s five power plays, before eventually tying the game at one with just 39 seconds left in the third period with a power-play goal of their own, forcing the contest into overtime.
The extra period did not last long. Just two minutes and 36 seconds into overtime, Ben Dexheimer scored the game-winning goal, giving the No. 7 Badgers the sweep of the top-ranked team on their home ice.
The sweep is a huge boost for Wisconsin, which now sits in second place in the Big Ten standings with 16 points.
