Wisconsin’s dominance of the Fighting Irish reached its peak as the Badgers weathered a fierce back-and-forth contest to clinch a 5-4 victory at the Kohl Center. The win marks a significant milestone for the 13/11 ranked Wisconsin side, as they successfully completed a four-game season sweep of their Big Ten rivals.
The decisive moment arrived 9:52 into the third period when senior forward Christian Fitzgerald found the back of the net to break a 4-4 tie. Blake Montgomery and his teammates showed remarkable composure in the final frame, holding off a late surge from Notre Dame to secure all three points.
The game began at a frantic pace, with Wisconsin’s Ben Dexheimer opening the scoring just 1:54 into the first period. Notre Dame responded at the 6:33 mark to level the score, but Quinn Finley quickly reinstated the Badger lead. The opening frame remained chaotic as the Fighting Irish equalized again at 13:28, only for Simon Tassy to redirect a shot with just 23 seconds remaining in the period to give Wisconsin a 3-2 advantage.
The middle frame proved to be equally unpredictable. Notre Dame mounted a spirited comeback, scoring at 8:22 and 10:19 to take their first lead of the night at 4-3. Facing a deficit, the Badgers responded through Ryan Botterill, who leveled the game at four apiece at 13:35.
The goaltending switch for Wisconsin also played a pivotal role. After Notre Dame took the lead, freshman Daniel Hauser replaced Eli Pulver and remained perfect for the rest of the evening, making 13 crucial saves to preserve the win.
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