Next Game: Ohio State 10/6/2017 | 7 p.m. Fox Sports Wisconsin WIBA 1310

MADISON, Wis. -- Freshman forward Linus Weissbach scored two goals in his debut for the No. 11/12 Wisconsin men's hockey team, helping UW win the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame Game against Michigan Tech, 3-2, at the Kohl Center Sunday evening

This is the sixth time Wisconsin (1-0-0) has skated in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, improving to 5-1-0 in those contests.

Wisconsin outshot Michigan Tech (0-1-0), 27-22.

Junior forward Will Johnson opened the scoring 5:51 into the first period, crashing in and capitalizing on the rebound of a wraparound from junior Seamus Malone .

Five minutes later, Weissbach tallied his first goal as a Badger after MTU's Jake Jackson was called for slashing. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native collected a blocked shot and sent it over Patrick Munson's right shoulder to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead.

The Huskies capitalized on their own power play, cutting the lead to 2-1 in the second period, but Weissbach responded to regain the two-goal lead. Senior forward Ryan Wagner skated along the boards and placed a saucer pass over a MTU defender's stick and right in front of Weissbach, who slammed home the one-timer for his second goal of the night.

Michigan Tech closed in late in the second period, scoring on the power play to trail, 3-2. Despite outshooting Wisconsin 8-7 in the final frame, the Badgers' defense and senior goaltender Kyle Hayton held off the charge.

Hayton made 20 saves in his debut for the Badgers.

Notes to Know:

-The last time a Wisconsin freshman scored two goals in his debut was on Oct. 6, 2006 when Michael Davies tabbed two goals to help UW shut out Northern Michigan, 3-0.

-Freshman defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk led all players with six blocks, while Linus Weissbach , Will Johnson and Trent Frederic each recorded two points.

-The victory is Wisconsin's 100th against Michigan Tech.



Straight from the Rink:

Head coach Tony Granato

"That was a hard fought 3, 2, 1. It was a team that made the tournament last year. It was a team that when they were trailing after one period came out and threw everything at us. So, let's give them credit for getting back into the game and give us credit for being able to fight them off. So, big factors in the game for sure. Kyle [Hayton] played really well in his first game, and obviously Linus [Weissbach] had a big impact with his two goals. There are a lot of good things for the first game of the year. You're always wondering with the first game jitters how things are going to turn out, and I think all in all, you want to battle and find a way to get a win, and work from what you can learn from that first game."



On Linus Weissbach 's performance:

"Well, that's the first time you've seen him play, that's something we've seen since we started recruiting last year. His breakaway speed, quick hands, certainly a competitor for a little guy. What a great start for him. Obviously, two huge goals that probably not many players can make those plays that he did. He'll be an exciting player for us. Even defensively, I thought he played really well. A big night for him."



On Kyle Hayton 's performance:

"Great. I'm sure he'll want to take that second one back, but he made a couple pretty big saves in the first period on screen shots that he found a way to find. Great competitor, and we've seen it through the month of practice, so it was nice to get him out in a game and see him out there, I know he's been waiting a long time for this night, so great performance by him."



On next week's Ohio State games:

"That experimental thing I tried last year, and I realized when we missed by 0.04 to make the NCAA tournament that there's no such thing as small games. These are games we have to win. These are meaningful games from the standpoint that all the way to the end of the season, it goes into the end of the year rankings."



Senior goaltender Kyle Hayton

On his performance in his first UW game:

"I thought it was a good game. I think we moved the puck well and it was a good start to the season. I thought we came out with a lot of energy, got two quick and it was a good way to close off with a win there."

On the team's performance in the third period:

"We had a ton of blocks. Kalynuk had one big one in the first period and Inamoto had another big one. The D guys played well today, I thought they blocked a lot of shots. I think it's great to start the season with a battle, and it will pay off towards the end of the season going into playoffs."

Freshman forward Linus Weissbach

On his second goal:

"It was a great play by Wags ( Ryan Wagner ) there, he made a great pass and I kind of just shot it and saw the goalie sliding over, so I just tried to shoot as fast as I could."

On what he'll remember from his first game as a Badger:

"I think just the first steps out on the ice, seeing the fans. It's a great atmosphere out there, and so I think definitely that. Those first steps."

Junior forward Will Johnson

On the performance of the freshman players:

"I thought they all played unbelievable. It's tough to step in, especially at the Kohl Center, it's a tough place to play your first freshman game, but I thought they all played unbelievable. Every D was out there taking checks, getting the puck out there for us, blocking shots. The forwards were obviously scoring some pretty goals, helping us out. I think Tarek [Baker] had a great game too, they were all playing great. [Sean] Dhooghe was out there battling, it's always fun to see him. Great to see the freshmen come out and play."

Up Next:

Wisconsin hosts its first Big Ten series of the year on Oct. 6-7, welcoming Ohio State. Friday's game is set for 7 p.m. while Saturday will have a 5 p.m. puck drop.