UW hockey player made ESPN Top 10. Now his focus is on Ohio State. | sport

Last Sunday, ESPN co-hosts Randy Scott and Gary Striewski presented SportsCenter’s top 10 games, which primarily included college football highlights from the previous day.

An NBA preseason dunk, a field gem from the baseball playoffs and a college hockey goal were among the exceptions in the collection of eye-catching touchdown catches.

The goal was scored by University of Wisconsin sophomore Quinn Finley, who scored in the third period of the Badgers’ 3-2 overtime win Saturday against Lindenwood at the Kohl Center.

It was No. 9 among the top 10 games. It was a surprise for Finley, who responded with a “No way, I didn’t know that” when he learned Tuesday that his goal made the SportsCenter list had managed.

What made it such a unique result was the fact that Finley hit the puck out of the air and into the net, an eye-hand coordination move aided by an offseason NCAA rule change.

In the past, a shooter’s blade during such a shot attempt was not allowed to be higher than the 1.20 m high crossbar for the goal to count. The height has now been adjusted to the player’s shoulder.

UW coach Mike Hastings acknowledged afterwards that it wouldn’t have been a goal last season. Finley didn’t argue: “But they changed the rule and it’s your shoulder length that matters, not the bar.”

The goal was Finley’s second of the game. It was also his third of the young season, counting his game-winning overtime score against Omaha in a road game on Oct. 5.

He also enjoyed playing at Lindenwood University, an NCAA Division I independent in St. Charles, Missouri. Last year he scored a hat trick in a win over the Lions.

Asked if it was just increased confidence against this particular opponent, Finley said: “A little bit. But it’s something I think about every game.

“What can I do to help our team win? What can I do to contribute, whether offensively or defensively? So far it’s worked against them.”

The New York Islanders recognized enough of Finley’s goal mentality and shooting ability to take him in the third round (78th overall pick) in the 2022 National Hockey League Draft.

Last season, as a Badger freshman, Finley skated in 36 games and scored 10 goals, one of seven players to score in double figures, surpassed by senior Carson Bantle with 14.

Finley scored two goals in his first collegiate game, in a 4-0 win over Augustana in the 2023 season opener. He became the first UW player with two goals in his debut since Cole Caufield in 2019.

After the Lindenwood series that split the Badgers, Hastings sat down with Finley and broke down each of his shifts. During the two games, Finley had 25 shot attempts.

“Now I know he would like to see — and his coach would like to — a few more of those goals in the net,” Hastings said, “because when he hits the net he can beat a goalie from distance.”

It’s part of the maturation process of a young player. “And he understands that,” Hastings continued. “He looks forward to coming to the rink every day to get better.

“He understands when to move his feet, he’s really effective and difficult to defend. He has a history as a goalscorer. He has a youthful energy when it comes to playing hockey.

“He has a passion for it. You can see that.”

The foundation for 20-year-old Finley’s hockey passion was laid while he was living in Arizona. He started taking ice skating lessons at a young age. On a hot day the rink was a pretty cool place.

“I fell in love with it straight away,” he said, praising his father, Mike, for “always being there for me” and being a driving force in the sport. “That’s how it all started.”

Finley moved to Wisconsin at age five and spent formative years in Marinette. When he was in his mid-teens, the family moved to the Green Bay suburb of Suamico.

Finley’s youth career in junior hockey took him from the Green Bay Gamblers to the Chicago Steel to the Madison Capitols of the United States Hockey League. Development was his focus.

Two of his current UW teammates, Ben Dexheimer and Jack Horbach, also played with him on the Capitols, who reached the Clark Cup Final for the first time in the 2021-22 season.

“I got different perspectives and different opinions from every place,” he said of his trip. “I learned a lot from (Capitols coach) Tommy Upton and his staff there.”

In mid-January 2023, Finley was traded back to the Chicago Steel, where he had previously played on a Clark Cup title team. At that point, he had already committed to Wisconsin’s Tony Granato.

In March 23, Granato was relieved of his duties and replaced by Hastings, who had spent the previous 11 seasons at Minnesota State. Prior to that, Hastings coached in the USHL for 14 years.

“The Mindset of Attack”

When Finley arrived on the Madison campus, he weighed 175 kg. Now he weighs 185 kg on his 1.80 m tall body. The physicality of the game was part of his adjustment from juniors to the Big Ten.

“You learn how to use your body and what your strengths are as a player,” he said of the transition to a higher level of competition. “There are guys bigger, taller and stronger than you.

“So you have to be able to use your mind and your feet – and use the resources in your toolbox to your advantage. “I’m now trying to do everything I can to get better in all aspects of my game.”

Finley couldn’t say exactly when he first became aware of his ability as a scorer. “Maybe back at his hometown rink,” he said. “Maybe out by the lake with my brothers.”

But he admitted it was a state of mind. “I just have the mindset to attack and do whatever I can to get the puck in the net and in the back of the net,” he said.

Last winter, Finley earned a spot on the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships in Gottenburg, Sweden.

“Just winning the gold medal with all those guys over there is something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life,” said Finley, whose roommate was Danny Nelson, who is now at Notre Dame.

Nelson was also a draft pick of the New York Islanders, a second-round pick in 2023. In Sweden, they played on the same line and converted penalties, which strengthened their bond.

“It was nice to get to know him a little bit and build a friendship with him,” Finley said of something he can renew with Nelson in November when the Badgers travel to Notre Dame.

I’m trying to remove the bitterness from Buckeye

But the Irish aren’t employing Finley at the moment. The Buckeyes are. Believe him: “We still have a slightly bitter taste in our mouths. “No one needs to be reminded of what they did to us.”

That hurt. Especially since it took place on home ice.

In the Big Ten Playoffs last March, the No. 2 seed Badgers (25-9-2, 16-7-1 league) faced last-place Ohio State (12-18-4, 4-18-2 ). the best-of-three quarterfinals.

The Buckeyes won the first game 3-1; The Badgers won the second game 4-2, setting up a crucial tiebreaker in the third game, which Ohio State also won 3-1 in Madison.

This weekend, the teams will meet again in a Friday-Saturday series at the Kohl Center.

“Obviously we’re still working on resolving the issues, we’ll be better this weekend for sure,” Finley said. “We have a special group and I think we can do something really special (this year).”

Hastings drew on all of his past experiences, saying, “The experiences from which I drew the most were not successes, but perhaps failures.”

“Ohio State is doing what they did in our building last year. I want people to learn from these experiences. You don’t stay with them. You learn from them.

“Our job right now is to crush our day-to-day operations and continue to grow our book of business by Friday and get off to a better start in our own building.”

In each of Wisconsin’s three games, including the Omaha exhibition, the Badgers played catch-up hockey and trailed 2-0, 3-1 and 2-1 after two periods.

“Going into the Big Ten now,” Hastings said, “we have to find a way to get the lead, play with the lead and use what we have in our building.”

“I thought the student section was fantastic this past weekend,” he praised, later adding, “There are only so many home games, so you have to make them count.”

A staple on every list.