Photo by: Dan Garcia
Matchups set for 2026 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off
August 14, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Badgers open with Northern Michigan on Dec. 29 in Milwaukee
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MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin will open the 2026 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off presented by Toyota on Dec. 29 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee against Northern Michigan.
The Badgers and Wildcats will meet in the semifinal round on Tuesday, Dec. 29, beginning 7:30 p.m. The sixth annual event will open at 4 p.m. when Arizona State and UMass clash.
The Semifinal winners will meet for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off presented by Toyota title game on Wednesday, Dec. 30, along with the third place game.
Tickets for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off are currently on sale. Both single-day and two-day packages are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com.
To be the first to receive updates on the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, sign up for Gazelle Updates and follow on Twitter @HolidayFaceoff and Instagram @HolidayFaceoff.
FULL SCHEDULE
Semifinal Doubleheader
Tuesday, December 29 –Streaming on BTN+
UMass vs Arizona State 4 p.m. CT
Wisconsin vs Northern Michigan 7:30 p.m.
Championship Doubleheader
Monday, December 29 – 4 p.m. CT** Streaming on BTN+
Third Place Game
Championship Game
**Wisconsin will play in the second game on both days of the event no matter the results on December 29
The Badgers own three Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off titles, winning the inaugural event in 2021, as well crowns in 2023 and 2024. The Badgers have reached the title game in all five years of the event.
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.
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin will open the 2026 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off presented by Toyota on Dec. 29 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee against Northern Michigan.
The Badgers and Wildcats will meet in the semifinal round on Tuesday, Dec. 29, beginning 7:30 p.m. The sixth annual event will open at 4 p.m. when Arizona State and UMass clash.
The Semifinal winners will meet for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off presented by Toyota title game on Wednesday, Dec. 30, along with the third place game.
Tickets for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off are currently on sale. Both single-day and two-day packages are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com.
To be the first to receive updates on the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, sign up for Gazelle Updates and follow on Twitter @HolidayFaceoff and Instagram @HolidayFaceoff.
FULL SCHEDULE
Semifinal Doubleheader
Tuesday, December 29 –Streaming on BTN+
UMass vs Arizona State 4 p.m. CT
Wisconsin vs Northern Michigan 7:30 p.m.
Championship Doubleheader
Monday, December 29 – 4 p.m. CT** Streaming on BTN+
Third Place Game
Championship Game
**Wisconsin will play in the second game on both days of the event no matter the results on December 29
The Badgers own three Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off titles, winning the inaugural event in 2021, as well crowns in 2023 and 2024. The Badgers have reached the title game in all five years of the event.
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.
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