ST. PAUL — Jefferson Dahl scored two shorthanded goals and Tyler Barnes added a pair of goals as No. 14 Wisconsin beat No. 8 Minnesota State 7-2 in the first round of the WCHA Final Five tournament on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Badgers, who have won eight of their past 10 games, got 38 saves from goaltender Joel Rumpel to advance to Friday’s semifinals against St. Cloud State, the WCHA’s co-regular-season champions with Minnesota.

This year’s tournament marks the final time the Final Five will be played in its current format, with Minnesota and Wisconsin joining the Big Ten conference next season.