52 // VARSITY March 6, 2014
SCHEDULE (19-9-2, 10-5-1-0)
LAST TIME OUT
Feb. 21 Michigan State W, 5-2
Feb. 22 Michigan State W, 2-0
COMING UP
Friday at Penn State 6 p.m.
Saturday at Penn State 6 p.m.
March 14 at Michigan State 6 p.m.
March 15 at Michigan State 3 p.m.
Simonelli streaking
Defenseman quietly leads Big Ten D in scoring
F
rom his history as a Bad-
ger, his name is not one
you would expect to see
at the top of the list, but if
you check the Big Ten scoring
leaders in conference games,
you will see Wisconsin senior
captain Frankie Simonelli at
the top of all Big Ten defense-
men. It is actually not just the
defensemen he's pacing, but
he sits tied for fourth among
all skaters and is tied for the
league lead in assists. He has
four goals in Big Ten games,
which is the best among all the
league's defensemen, while
his 10 assists are tied with
Ohio State's Ryan Dzingel, the
Big Ten's overall scoring lead-
er, and OSU's Tanner Fritz, for
the most of any league skater.
Simonelli had eight points in
28 league games last season,
14 as a sophomore and five in
his rookie season, so he's tak-
en a step up with the offensive
side of his game.
"It is interesting that Frankie
finds himself in this position
because he plays against the
other team's best players," said
head coach Mike Eaves. "His
primary job is to shut them
down. Him and and his part-
ner Kevin Schulze are going
to be playing agianst the other
team's first or second line. So
him having the production,
what it is saying is that they
are shutting them down and they are
getting the puck and making good things
happen with the puck. His point produc-
tion is the byproduct of how well he is
playing without the puck and getting it
back."
With a career-high six-game points
streak, Simonelli is one short of the Bad-
ger team high for consecutive games
with a point this season. All this while
serving as team captain.
SANTULLI 7TH MAN AWARD
● Voting ends March 31 for Wisconsin
Public Television's Jim Santulli 7th
Man Award. Vote here.
INSIDE
MEN'S HOCKEY
BY PAUL CAPOBIANCO @BADGERMHOCKEY
