November 04, 2026 | Men's Hockey
The Badgers take on their first Big Ten road series
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 1 Wisconsin men's hockey team heads to a border battle with No. 18 Minnesota this Thursday and Saturday, with both games starting at 7 p.m.
The series opens Big Ten play for the Badgers, who are 6-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the conference.
Rosters: Wisconsin | Minnesota
Here are six quick things to know before game day:
1. Goal, Goals and More Goals – Wisconsin had a 16-goal weekend against Notre Dame last weekend. This marked the most goals tallied since the Badgers had 16 goals at Notre Dame Dec. 5-6, 2025, in 7-4 and 9-2 victories.
Amongst the 10 different goal scorers from the weekend, Penn State transfer JJ Wiebusch notched his first goal as a Badger and freshman forward Eetu Orpana scored his first NCAA goal and first as Badger.
The Badgers also recorded four power-play goals in the third period, the most in a period since the first period at Colorado College on Jan. 14, 2026. And the Badgers' six power-play goals scored on Saturday against Notre Dame marked our most in a game since six on March 3, 1979, vs. Notre Dame - one shy of the school record.
Still thinking about those nine goals 🤭 https://t.co/aghBAMW7ne
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 2, 2026
2. A root canal and mama's cookies – Besides Grady Deering going through a root canal procedure four hours before puck drop on Friday Oct. 30, he was able to tally three assists in the game. One of which was the forward pass to Gavin Morrissey for his first goal of the season.
Croatia sensation Bruno Idžan became the ninth Badger to record a natural hat trick with his performance on Saturday. He scored the three goals in a span of 7:59 of the second period. Cheering him on in the crowd, his mother Ivona, who was visiting the United States for the first time. And her visit came with some delicious surprises: freshly baked cookies the night before Idžan's hat trick.
3. Hot Start – The Badgers are having their best start since the 2000-01 season when they opened 7-0. The Badgers are yet to trail in a game this season. Wisconsin has outscored opponents 29-5 through six games, ranking fifth in the nation at 4.83 goals per game and second in the country at 0.83 goals against per game.
4. On the road – Last season the Badgers thrived on the road. Going 10-4-0 as compared to the home record of 10-7-1. The Badgers were also 8-4-0 on the road in Big Ten play and just 6-6-0 at home.
Two of the Big Ten road losses came from the Minnesota series Jan. 30-31, 2026.
5. Scouting the Gophers – After tying and securing an overtime win last weekend against Penn State, No. 18 Golden Gophers currently sit 3-3-2, 1-1-0 in the conference.
Currently, Christian Humphrey leads the team in points with five goals and one assist. Two of those goals came in the 4-3 overtime win over Penn State Saturday. In goal for the Golden Gophers is Luca Di Pasquo, who sits 1-3-2 with 2.66 goals against and .908 save percentage.
6. How to watch – Thursday's game (Nov. 5) airs on Big Ten Network, and Saturday's game (Nov. 7) streams on B1G+. Both can be heard on the Badger Radio Network. Follow along on X and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey. Friday's game airs on 1310 WIBA with Saturday on Fox Sports 1070.
