TICKETS
MILWAUKEE – After breaking for finals and the holidays, the No. 6 Wisconsin men's hockey team is back in action at the third annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 28-29.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Wisconsin || Air Force || Northeastern || Minnesota Duluth
1 - KWIK TRIP HOLIDAY FACE-OFF: After capturing the title in the first year in 2021 with a shutout win over Providence and falling 2-1 in the championship game against Clarkson last year, the Badgers are looking for their second Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off championship trophy in the tournament's third year.Â
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Wisconsin will face off with Air Force in its first match of the tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m.. A win would send UW to the championship game to face either Northeastern or Minnesota Duluth on Friday.
The Badgers will play at 7:30 p.m. both nights no matter the first-round results.
Fans are invited both days for pregame at Good City Brewing presented by UW Credit Union from 5-7 p.m. The UW Alumni Band is scheduled to play.
2 - HATS OFF TO BANTLE: Senior forward
Carson Bantle tallied his first-career hat trick on Friday night to help the Badgers secure a 6-3 victory against then-No. 17 Penn State on Dec. 8 at the Kohl Center.
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The Onalaska, Wisconsin, native's hat trick came on 'Wisconsin Night,' one of the six nights chosen for special recognition as part of UW's 75th-season celebration.Â
He was rewarded with Big Ten Second Star of the Week honors.
3 - FINLEY HEADS TO SWEDEN: Freshman
Quinn Finley has been named to the final 25-man roster to represent the United States at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden, from Dec. 26, 2023 through Jan. 5, 2024.Â
The forward making the team extends the streak to eight consecutive years with at least one Badger competing at the World Juniors and the 37th straight event with at least one Badger competitor or staff member taking part in the tournament dating back to 1988.
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4 - NO CHANGE IN THE POLLS: The Badgers continue to secure a spot in the top-10 of the USCHO's top-20 men's hockey rankings at No. 6. For the Dec. 11 poll, the final one before the holiday break, the team received 788 votes, including one first place ballot.Â
UW also checks in at No. 6 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, which was most recently conducted on Dec. 18.
5 - SCOUTING THE TOURNAMENT: Air Force currently has an 8-9-1 record through the first half of the season, including a 5-4-1-1 record in AHA play. The Falcons head into the tournament after splitting a series against Bentley, winning game one, 3-2, in overtime, and losing game two, 3-0.Â
Sophomore defenseman Chris Hedden leads the roster with four goals and 19 points. Junior goaltender Guy Blessing has won eight of 18 starts this season and has accumulated an .885 save percentage and an average of 3.06 goals allowed per game.Â
Northeastern currently has a 5-8-1 record, including 1-8-0 in Hockey East conference play. The Huskies' top scorer is senior forward Alex Campbell, who leads the roster with nine goals and 16 points.
The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs have a 5-8-4 overall record and a 2-5-1 NCHC record. UMD's leading scorer is sophomore forward Ben Steeves with 11 goals and 17 points.
While the tournament takes place at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the Badgers do not serve as the tournament host. The Gazelle Group is a host. It is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, Sunshine Slam, College Basketball Invitational, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Barstool Sports Invitational, Holiday Hoopfest, Jersey Jam as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Nebraska, and other institutions across the country.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: The Badgers will play Air Force on Thursday, Dec. 28, at 7:30 p.m., then either Minnesota Duluth or Northeastern on Friday, Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m. depending on semifinal results. Both games will air on Bally Sports Wisconsin and stream on B1G+. Audio play-by-play for both games can be found on 1310 WIBA in the Madison area, 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network App. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
