Friday’s matchup at Wisconsin will be the beginning of a tough final six-game stretch in Big Ten play for MSU. The Spartans finish with four games against Wisconsin and two games against No. 10 Michigan to end the regular season. Wisconsin is in second place and U-M is in third place in the Big Ten.

The green-and-white enter the series coming off the team’s first road win of the season last Saturday at Penn State. The Spartans took five of six points in the series to put MSU only one point out of third place in the Big Ten standings.

Friday’s game begins at 9 p.m. and Saturday’s at 5 p.m., with both games being played at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Both games will be televised, Friday’s on the Big Ten Network and Saturday’s on ESPNU.

Freshman forward Mackenzie MacEachern said the come-from-behind win on Saturday at Penn State was big for the Spartans because it had been them on the wrong side of the comeback lately, something that gives the team confidence going on the road.

“We’ve been on the opposite side of the spectrum this whole year,” MacEachern said. “The weekend before against Ohio State (that) was exactly what happened. We had the win in the bag and with two minutes left in the game (and) they take it away from us, so it’s good to get that (win) and helps us going forward.”

Senior forward Dean Chelios said he is excited for the opportunity to finish the season against some of the best in the league. He said MSU will be able to control its own fate in playing its way into a higher seed in the Big Ten Tournament.

“It’s kind of nice that we get to play Michigan and Wisconsin because we can determine our own destiny,” Chelios said. “The goal is second place now if we can’t get to first and beat Minnesota, so we can get that bye.”

Wisconsin (17-9-2, 8-5-1) also enters the series on a hot streak. The Badgers have won three of their last four games, including a sweep of then-No. 1 Minnesota a few weeks ago.

The Badgers are led in scoring by senior forwards Mark Zengerle and Michael Mersch, with a combined 53 points this season. Mersch also is second in the Big Ten in goals, with 16.

Wisconsin also boasts one of the best penalty kill units in the country, ranking in the top ten nationally.

Head coach Tom Anastos is expecting both games to be challenging for his Spartans, pointing out that the Big Ten preseason favorites are tough to beat at the Kohl Center.

“They’re playing really well, they’re a good team,” Anastos said. “They have a very veteran group. They play with a lot of emotion, intensity and confidence at their home, so this will be another really challenging test for our team.”