Following a two-game series against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Head Coach Danton Cole and the Michigan State Spartans are set to take on the Wisconsin Badgers for the first time this season. Their series in the first half of the schedule was postponed due to a positive test in the Badgers’ program. Coach Cole and Jagger Joshua addressed the media Tuesday, reflecting on last weekend’s series and looking forwards to a tough Badgers team.

Cole started with an opening statement. “Last weekend was a tale of two games, a tale of two teams. I thought the results were indicative of how we played in the totality of the game. Give Ohio State credit, they played hard, took a lot away from us on Saturday, I think we did a much better job responding on Sunday and played a pretty good game… The biggest thing is we have to find a way to play that hard (Sunday) every night and it doesn’t guarantee you a win but it guarantees you get a chance at the win. You’ve got to give yourself that chance every night… I was impressed with the guys’ bounceback, with the effort and the attitude, the physicality, the passing, and the speed we played with on Sunday, and hopefully, we can see more of that.”

On Sunday, Coach Cole shook up the lines, most notably playing Josh Nodler with Gianluca Esteves and A.J. Hodges on the second line. “We challenged Josh a little bit after Saturday’s game. He’s an important part of our team, just to be more physical, to skate more, to push the play, and demand the puck. (We talked about it) and I liked that line. Esteves is a smart player, brings a lot of speed, a lot of energy. I thought he did a nice job, and Hodges on that line, I thought that was one of A.J.’s better games of the year. He was aggressive and they were after it. When you talk to the guys and evaluate the game, it’s not always about goals and assists, it’s about how you play and how the four lines play, the continuity of pressure you put on another team, and they did a great job. Really happy with how Josh played and we need him to play like that every night.”

Charlie Combs was out the entire series against Ohio State, and Cole Krygier left the second game with an injury, but Cole is “hopeful” that both will be back for the series.

Wisconsin may not be as powerful offensively, but with Cole Caufield at the helm, they will still be running all four lines. “He’s a heck of a player, and has proven everywhere he’s been at that he’s an elite scorer. Some of the records he broke at the USNTDP, I was around some of the guys who had him before… a lot starts with him. They attack, they come at you hard, they come at you fast, and they do a nice job in the offensive zone. You have to be prepared for that, you have to play with pace. It’s very similar to when you play Penn State, you have to keep your speed coming back, that you’re taking care of the puck going forward… They’re going to create enough (scoring chances) of them on their own that you don’t have to create more for them. They’re a good team, they come hard, and they’ve been playing very well.”

The Badgers lost two defensemen in K’Andre Miller and Wyatt Kalynuk, and they have a new goaltending tandem in Robbie Beydoun and Cameron Rowe in net, but Coach Cole believes that they are as strong of a defensive team as they have been in year’s past. He highlighted Ty Emberson, a player who played for Cole at the USNTDP, as a “solid defenseman and a solid leader”, and he compared it to the Spartans losing Jerad Rosburg this year, and it is a part of college hockey with kids graduating and moving on to the NHL.

With the loss of Charlie Combs this past weekend, Jagger Joshua had the ability to play with Nico Muller and Mitchell Lewandowski. “If you ask Coach Cole, one of my biggest contributions to the team is I can play up and down the lineup, so when somebody goes out like that, it’s next man up, so I got the chance to play (with Lewandowski and Muller). Obviously, it’s fun, I get to be the forechecker and get them the puck. When you’re playing with players like that you just need to get them the puck and they’ll make something happen.”

Joshua embraces his power-forward mentality. “I love hitting people. There is something about making contact that I definitely enjoy. I take pride in it, but I don’t think about it, I got out there and just do me.”

The Michigan State University Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers face off tonight at 8 P.M. EST on BTN+ and FOX Sports Detroit, and tomorrow at 4 P.M. EST on BTN+ and FOX Sports Detroit Plus.

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