Thus far, the second act has been a challenge for Wisconsin men’s hockey coach Mike Hastings.

A year ago, the northern Minnesota native who previously took Minnesota State Mankato to new heights, burst from the gate in Madison, starting the season 9-1-0 and earning a top ranking in polls on the way to a Big Ten runner-up finish.

But a rash of injuries, especially on defense, has made Year 2 a struggle for the Badgers, who are 2-6-0 heading into their “Border Battle” series versus the Gophers this weekend at the Kohl Center.

Still, Minnesota coach Bob Motzko, friends with Hastings since they were teammates at St. Cloud State in the 1980s, said the sub-.500 record is deceptive for a Wisconsin team he’s not taking lightly.

“We broke down their tape. They’re way better than their record shows, and I think they’re smart enough to know it,” Motzko said. “So, don’t anybody feel sorry for Mike Hastings right now. He’s got enough wins in his life. He’ll have that ship going in a good direction.”After a hard-fought home sweep of Penn State in their conference-opening series last weekend, the Gophers moved up to No. 3 in the national polls.

They had to fight through on Saturday, when two Gophers left the game early due to injury, scoring star Jimmy Snuggerud was tossed due to a major penalty in the second period, and still they found a way to win, getting the only goal in the final minute of the game.

“I was pretty proud of how we kept digging in and fighting,” said defenseman Mike Koster, one of the Gophers’ co-captains. “Being able to dig into a defensive hockey game is the biggest thing. It’s not relying on one line or one guy to find the goal. Coach always says you have to have a 1-0 win in your holster too. That’s the way it is come playoff time, once you get into the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament.”

The Gophers will be without veteran defenseman Cal Thomas and rookie forward August Falloon this weekend after both were injured versus the Nittany Lions.

Emphatic return for Eagan’s Hallum

Michigan junior forward Jackson Hallum was injured in a game exactly a year earlier and the former St. Thomas Academy standout’s season was done.

As the Wolverines made a run to the Big Ten title game and played in the Frozen Four in St. Paul, just a few miles from Hallum’s family home in Eagan, all he could do was watch from the stands.

By contrast, last weekend in a notable upset at Boston University, Hallum recorded his first career hat trick — capped with the overtime winner — and was named one of the Big Ten’s three stars of the week.

“I feel like my body has been there basically for the whole season. It’s more the mental part of being in a game situation and making fast decisions, making plays with my hands,” he said. “The skill plays, I’ve noticed, have come back a little slower than I wanted to. Things like that take time with more games, but my body is really good. I feel great.”

Healthier Tommies clash with Mavericks

St. Thomas is 2-4-1 overall following a home split with Augustana last weekend in Mendota Heights, and is notably in better health than last season, as the Tommies head into a home-and-home with in-state rival Minnesota State Mankato.

Coach Rico Blasi is a man of faith coaching the state’s only top-level hockey program at a Catholic school, but he’s not ready to credit higher powers for the good health.

“I go to mass every day, and I don’t know if the good Lord is listening or not, but if he is, maybe we’ll stay healthy,” said Blasi, taking a moment to knock on the wooden desk where he sat for his weekly media availability.

MSU has wins over Michigan and North Dakota already this season, and brings a 6-4-0 mark to the weekend series. They are led offensively by Rhett Pitlick, who was the Gophers’ leading goal-scorer last season before transferring to Mankato in September.

“We’re going to have to play some defense. We can’t give them any easy ones,” Blasi said. “They’re as good a team as I’ve seen in the early part of the season. We’ve got our hands full.”