Wisconsin beats Gophers in both men’s and women’s hockey

Quinn Finley and Blake Montgomery each scored two goals to lead Wisconsin to a 4-0 victory over the Gophers men’s hockey team on Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

The victory completed a series sweep for the No. 14 Badgers (6-0-2, 2-0 Big Ten), who defeated the No. 19 Gophers 5-2 in the series opener on Thursday. The victory in the series opener ended Wisconsin’s six-game winless streak against the Gophers.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Gophers (2-7-1, 0-2).

“We can play with the effort we had tonight,” Gophers coach Bob Motzko told reporters in Madison. “Ultimately, we needed to score a goal to stay in the game and give ourselves a better chance on the road. And that was it.”

Finley, a junior, scored in the first period and added a power-play goal second period as the Badgers took a 2-0 lead into the third period.

Montgomery, a freshman, scored both goals in a 21-second span in the first two minutes of the third period.

His first goal, an unassisted power-play goal, made it 3-0 with 18:21 left in the period. He made it 4-0 with 18 minutes remaining.

The Badgers outshot the Gophers 29-22 and were 2-for-4 on the power play.

The Gophers play host to Notre Dame in a two-game series next weekend.

Kelly Gorbatenko had two goals and an assist and the top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team scored two quick goals on its way to a 7-2 victory over the No. 3 Gophers on Saturday in Madison, Wis.

The Badgers (11-1, 7-1 WCHA) earned a series split, a day after the Gophers (11-2, 6-2) beat them 5-1 for their first victory at Wisconsin since 2021. That loss ended defending national champion Wisconsin’s 37-game unbeaten streak.

“It was obviously not the result we wanted here today,” Gophers coach Brad Frost told reporters in Madison. “We were a little sluggish to start the game, unfortunately. They were able to get a good bounce there, put one away early, and put us on our heels. I’m proud of our team continuing to battle, but it was just one of those games where every time we pushed, they pushed back.”

The Gophers cut that lead in half with 3:45 left in the first period on Nelli Laitinen’s shorthanded goal, but the Badgers scored two more times in the second period and three in the third.