Wisconsin, UMass, Arizona State and Northern Michigan to play in the 2026 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off
April 07, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Teams will meet December 29-30 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off returns to Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee with Wisconsin, UMass, Arizona State, and Northern Michigan comprising the sixth annual event on December 29 and 30, 2026. Semifinal play will take place on Tuesday, December 29, with the Championship game and third-place game on Wednesday, December 30 (please note these dates are different than past events). Matchups and times will be announced at a later date.
Tickets will be on-sale at a later date. To be the first to receive updates and exclusive presale offers, follow the event on social media @holidayfaceoff or sign up for the email newsletter.
Wisconsin won the inaugural event in 2021 as well as in 2023 and 2024, and advanced to the title game of the 2022 and 2025 tournament. The Badgers have 28 NCAA Tournament appearances and six National Championships on their resume, including a Frozen Four run this season with their Semifinal game on Thursday against North Dakota.
In the 2025 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, No. 7 Western Michigan defeated No. 2 Wisconsin 4-1 in the Championship Game.
About the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off
First played in 2021, the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off has quickly become a highlight on the college hockey calendar. It attracts the top programs in the sport with an opportunity to win a championship in a state that loves hockey and in a magnificent venue – Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee.
About Kwik Trip
Kwik Trip is a family-owned company founded in 1965. Kwik Trip operates over 870 stores and employs 38,000 co-workers across six states in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and South Dakota. The stores receive daily deliveries of fresh baked goods, dairy products, soups, salads, fruit, produce, and sandwiches. Kwik Trip also sells grocery products, general merchandise, gasoline, and related petroleum products. The company operates its own bakery, dairy, water bottling line, kitchens, food safety lab, distribution center, ice plant, LP plant, blow mold facility, transportation company and health clinics. Kwik Trip makes, ships, and sells 80 percent of its own branded products and serves over 11.5 million guests per week. The C-store chain consistently ranks as a Top Workplace in each of its market areas. For more, visit www.kwiktrip.com.
About the Gazelle Group
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm specializing in coach and player representation, sponsorship sales and consulting, and event production and management. Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized college sports events, such as the Capital Showcase, Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, Greensboro Invitational, Sunshine Slam, College Basketball Invitational, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Deacon-Wolverine Challenge, Boardwalk Battle, Jersey Jam, and Holiday Hoopfest - as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Ohio State, Marquette and other institutions across the country. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit gazellegroup.com.
About Fiserv Forum
Fiserv Forum is a preeminent sports and entertainment arena in downtown Milwaukee that opened on Aug. 26, 2018. Designed by Populous, Eppstein Uhen Architects and HNTB, the venue offers incomparable sightlines, customer service, technology and amenities. Fiserv Forum includes 17,341 seats for basketball, 15,178 for hockey and up to 18,000 for concerts, with 34 luxury suites and three clubs. The world-class arena is home to the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University's men's basketball team and was selected to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention and the 2024 Republican National Convention. Fiserv Forum hosts a diverse variety of year-round events, including major concerts, family shows and other sports and entertainment events. Fiserv Forum is the anchor of the surrounding 30-acre Deer District neighborhood, which is Milwaukee's premier location for people to live, work and play. In 2021, Fiserv Forum was awarded LEED Gold Certification for sustainability performance. Founding Partners for Fiserv Forum include Fiserv, BMO, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Johnson Controls, Motorola, Potawatomi Hotel and Casino and Beechwood Sales and Service / Anheuser-Busch. For more information, please visit fiservforum.com.
