Madison, WI — A college hockey offseason is plenty eventful for a head coach. In the coming weeks, Mike Hastings will learn exactly how many roster holes he needs to fill as players make decisions on whether to turn pro, enter the transfer portal, or return to Madison. Already, Wisconsin men’s hockey has a spot to fill behind the bench.

Wisconsin Badgers assistant Nick Oliver is departing his role as an assistant coach at UW to lead his alma mater. The former St. Cloud State Huskies captain has been with the Badgers since Hastings arrived in Madison.

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When hiring Oliver three years ago, Hastings said “Nick has earned the reputation as one of the best young coaches in our game through his work ethic and ability to develop meaningful relationships with his players.”

Now, the 34-year-old is the second-youngest head coach of any NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey program.

St. Cloud Huskies hire Wisconsin hockey assistant Nick Oliver

Less than 24 hours after his season ended at Wisconsin with a loss in the national title game, St. Cloud announced its hire of Oliver. The assistant who wore the earpiece behind Wisconsin’s bench to communicate with the Badgers video review team will be formally introduced as the Huskies head coach in a Monday press conference.

“I’m humbled and honored for the opportunity to be the next head coach of St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey,” Oliver said in a statement. “I appreciate the support of President Tomso, Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner and the entire search committee for putting their trust in me. I’m excited to start the process of building relationships and connecting with our current and incoming players. We have tremendous alumni and supporters of the program that I look forward to speaking with. My family and I couldn’t be more excited to call St. Cloud home again.”

Oliver played four seasons for the Huskies beginning in 2011, serving as captain in his final season. After concluding his collegiate playing career, he immediately joined the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach and director of scouting.

The Minnesota native returned to St. Cloud where he spent four seasons as an assistant under former SCSU head coach Brett Larson. Larson departed St. Cloud this offseason to take the Minnesota Golden Gophers head coaching gig.

Between his assistant coaching stints with the Huskies and Badgers, Oliver spent his sole season as a head coach at any level with the USHL’s Fargo Force. In that 2022-23 campaign, he led the Force to a regular-season championship and was named the USHL Coach of the Year.

Long Island Sharks head coach Brendan Riley is the only head coach currently younger than Oliver at the helm of a DI men’s ice hockey program.

This story has been updated.

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Las Vegas, NV — The 2025-26 Wisconsin men’s hockey season ended in heartbreak. But that devastating feeling cannot exist without hope and expectations. For far too long, and far too recently, Wisconsin Badgers fans lacked both. Finally, UW alumni need not yearn for the past or hope for the future because head coach Mike Hastings has gifted them in the present.

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It was not long ago that Wisconsin was at a crossroads. The program was in the midst of its worst stretch in modern history. At that moment, UW turned off the beaten path and hired a head coach without Wisconsin ties for the first time in over half a century.

On Friday, Hastings acknowledged the weight of the decision to hire him and the responsibility “of just trying to get the program to where they envision where we should be.”

On Saturday, Wisconsin fell just short of realizing that vision. Still, in just three short years, the Badgers went from miles away to just inches from the mountaintop.

Inches separate Wisconsin hockey from national title

The 2026 Frozen Four national championship game was played on a sheet of ice measuring 200 feet long by 85 feet wide. In a 2-1 contest, every inch mattered.

Unrelenting offensive pressure helped the Badgers double up the Pioneers 30-15 in shots on goal and dominate shot attempts 81-41. With that extended possession, UW kept DU off the scoreboard until nearly midway through the third period. Even then, goaltender Daniel Hauser nearly did enough to keep the puck in front of him.

Hauser stopped an initial shot from the point by Pioneers defenseman Garrett Brown, but gave up a rebound. The netminder got his left leg on an initial follow-up attempt by DU alternate captain Rieger Lorenz, too. When Lorenz picked up the puck again, Hauser sprawled across the crease and got a piece of his glove on the shot, but it was not enough to keep it out of the net.

If that puck had been just an inch to Hauser’s right, perhaps it would have never crossed the goal line.

Even after Wisconsin fell behind, it came within an inch of the equalizer. With only 4:21 remaining on the clock, defenseman Ben Dexheimer snapped a shot from the low slot. Badgers fans jumped out of their seats as the light behind the net turned on to signal a good goal, but the puck hit the crossbar.

“I thought it definitely had a chance to go in,” Dexheimer said of the attempt. “There’s a little bit of traffic in front. It all happened so fast. It unfortunately did not.”

If that puck had been just an inch lower, perhaps it would have crossed the goal line.

“I know it wasn’t for lack of effort on our end,” UW’s leading scorer Gavin Morrissey said of the struggle to get a second goal. “Maybe just give credit to the other team.”

When ‘shock’ wears off, Badgers captain feels proud

Wisconsin’s close call in the national title game left its captain “a little shocked,” but he also acknowledged a more positive sentiment at the close of the season.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this team from the ups and downs throughout the year,” the senior added. “I just love every one of those guys in that room.”

Dexheimer experienced plenty of ups and downs in Madison, not just this year, but throughout his tenure. The Edina High School product committed and played his first season under former UW head coach Tony Granato. Wisconsin amassed a lackluster 13-23 record in Dexheimer’s freshman season, but he returned to UW and helped Hastings lead the program’s resurgence.

“It’s been amazing,” Dexheimer said of his time with the Badgers. “I couldn’t have asked for a better four years. I don’t think there’s a better place to do it at. From where this program was my freshman year to where we are now, I couldn’t be more proud to wear the ‘W.’”

Before Hastings arrived on campus, the Badgers had achieved just one winning season in their last six campaigns—the worst stretch in the program’s modern history. Now, UW has posted a winning record in two of its last three seasons—a measure of consistency Wisconsin had not met in over a decade.

“I think we’ve kind of set the standard for Wisconsin now,” Dexheimer added. “I couldn’t be more proud to leave a place in the hands of the guys that are coming back next year and the coaching staff that will keep this program afloat.”

Dexheimer’s defensive partner, Joe Palodichuk, similarly committed under the last regime. After the change in leadership, the Cottage Grove, Minnesota native maintained his commitment to UW and became a member of Hastings’ leadership group. He had a front-row seat to a turnaround that delivered Wisconsin’s first NCAA Tournament win in 16 years.

“Our seniors, what they’ve done for this program, it wasn’t easy,” the alternate captain said after the title game. “I mean, I’m just so thankful to be a Badger, share this experience with all 26 guys and staff and alumni, everyone involved in the whole institution.”

‘Special group’ fights through peaks and valleys

When Dexheimer and Palodichuk first committed to Wisconsin, the program was miles away from a national title. As one of only four programs with six or more men’s DI ice hockey championships, UW’s goal should be to inch across the finish line, but this group should be commended for coming so close—even if the short distance makes it sting that much more.

“We’re really proud of all the guys in the room, every member of the Wisconsin Badgers organization,” Morrissey said. “It sucks in the moment. I know our guys will carry this into next year. This one’s hard to forget. At the end of the day, just proud of the team.”

Morrissey initially committed to Hastings and Minnesota State. At the time, the Mavericks were coming off back-to-back Frozen Four appearances and a runner-up finish in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. When UW hired Hastings, Morrissey flipped his commitment and followed the head coach to Madison.

Much like seniors Simon Tassy and Christian Fitzgerald, who transferred from Minnesota State when Hastings took the Wisconsin job, Morrissey has helped lead the way for a team that was long stuck in the mud.

Even after a disappointing 13-win campaign a year ago, a six-game losing streak in January, and the second-worst home playoff loss in program history, this Badgers team collected itself and put forth a championship-worthy product.

“They put a kick at the can,” Hastings said of Wisconsin’s performance on Saturday. “I thought effort, attitude, discipline—I thought was good. We couldn’t find a way to get it to two.”

Fans flock back to Wisconsin hockey

In a tale as old as The Strip itself, Badgers fans left Las Vegas without hitting the jackpot. Still, as they turned out in droves for a sold-out Frozen Four, passion for their proud program has clearly been reignited.

On February 21st, UW played in front of a Big Ten record 15,511 hockey fans inside the Kohl Center. It was Wisconsin’s 47th sellout in program history, but just its second in seven years.

Earlier this season, Hastings detailed one of the first conversations he had with program alumni after taking the job in Madison. Getting the “Kohl Center rocking again” was one of the top priorities. The two-time national coach of the year added that the UW student section is “one of the most important pillars of that.”

On that night back in February, over 2,700 Crease Creatures were inside the building—the most Wisconsin students to attend a men’s hockey game since at least 2014.

Whether the final distance was measured in miles or inches, Badger fans’ hearts may be broken all the same today. That gap between gloom and glory, however, narrowed at an unexpectedly rapid pace to its thinnest in two decades.

As the book closes on the 2025-26 college hockey season and Wisconsin extends its longest title drought in program history, hope—not for the future, but in the present—springs eternal. The team Hastings called “phenomenal to coach” added an important chapter in the story of bringing Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey back—even if the ending remains unwritten.

“They’re a special group,” Hastings reflected. “Life is hard sometimes. I’m not diminishing anything other than—I thought they did what they could do tonight. [We] weren’t rewarded for it; up until this point, we had been.”

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Las Vegas, NV — The rollercoaster Wisconsin men’s hockey season ends in heartbreak. A full-throated effort to knock off the Denver Pioneers fell just short. Despite UW outshooting DU 29-13, carrying a lead into the third period, and allowing just three total goals in the Frozen Four, the Wisconsin Badgers’ title drought will stretch past two decades. A 2-1 Wisconsin loss gives Denver its third title in five seasons.

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“The ones that leave the scars are the ones you remember the most,” Badgers head coach Mike Hastings said.

Wisconsin might head home with emotional scars, but it will be Denver who figures to leave with the bruises. A standout defensive performance, as all of DU’s top four defenseman blocked four shots, thwarted a barrage of Badger attempts.

“I thought the effort, attitude, discipline, I thought was good,” Hastings said of his team’s play on the biggest stage. “We just, we couldn’t find a way to get it to two.”

First period pressure and Wisconsin Badgers lead

Wisconsin successfully killed one penalty in the opening frame, only allowing one Denver shot attempt that went wide. UW leading scorer Gavin Morrissey’s shorthanded attempt was the best opportunity either enjoyed during the two minutes Oliver Tulk was in the box.

The other 18 minutes in the first period were much of the same. DU did not manage a single shot on net until over nine minutes had passed. Pioneers winger Sam Harris fired a wrist shot at the Badger net on a point-blank attempt in transition from near the top of the left faceoff circle, but goaltender Daniel Hauser got just enough of his glove on the puck to turn it aside.

Wisconsin managed 10 shots on goal to Denver’s 2 in the opening period, but no shot was more impactful than the wrister from Vasily Zelenov. After carrying the puck through the neutral zone, the former Green Bay Gambler considered passing on a 2-on-2 rush to Ryan Botterill on the wing. Instead, the freshman opted to shoot and banked the puck off the post for his sixth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Denver hockey blocks crucial opportunities

Neither team got a puck into the back of the net in the second period. While the SOGs were again lopsided in favor of the Badgers (11-3), the numbers could have been much different if it were not for both teams stopping pucks before shots reached their goaltender.

The Badgers blocked 10 of the Pioneers’ first 23 attempts, including half of Denver’s shots in the middle frame. More consequential, though, was the Pioneers’ effort. Through 40 minutes, UW logged a combined 50 shot attempts. DU blocked 19 of those — more than it had in all but two games this season.

In all, the Pioneers blocked 31 of the Badgers’ 81 shot attempts. Denver’s previous season-high was 21 blocks.

“Their commitment level, just like our commitment level, is at an all-time high when you get to this moment,” Hastings said of DU’s effort.

Wisconsin entered the day with an 18-2-0 record when leading after 40 minutes. Failing to get a second goal on the board in that time, however, left the door open.

Wisconsin hockey lead evaporates in Las Vegas heat

Before the midway mark of the third period, a defensive zone turnover proved costly for the Badgers. Denver alternate captain Rieger Lorenz forced a puck off the stick of Tulk below the goal line before Pioneers defenseman Garrett Brown hammered a slapshot from the left point.

Hauser stopped the initial attempt. He stopped the puck again after giving up the rebound to Lorenz. The netminder even got a piece of his glove on a third chance after UW blue-liner Aiden Dubinsky came within inches of clearing the puck from the crease.

Despite the effort, it was not enough. Lorenz knotted the game at 1-1 with 12:29 to play in regulation on his second try.

Denver was the beneficiary of more Wisconsin miscues in the third. First, an extended offensive Pioneers possession turned into the go-ahead goal after Hauser seemingly lost grip on his stick early in the sequence. He sent his stick soaring from right to left before a Denver freshman Kyle Chyzowski put his team in front by creating traffic in the crease and tipping in a shot from the point by Boston Buckberger.

Then, after Badgers captain Ben Dexheimer hit the crossbar on a shot from the slot, Wisconsin freshman Blake Montgomery committed a holding penalty with 4:14 remaining in the game. Nearly half the time UW had left to mount a comeback was spent on the penalty kill.

Finally, Wisconsin did get the opportunity to call Hauser to the bench in favor of the extra attacker after a successful kill, but only temporarily. A pass by Dexheimer that missed the mark, however, forced Hauser back to his net with under 30 seconds remaining after an icing call. Morrissey, UW’s best player on the draw, lost the ensuing faceoff in front of Wisconsin’s net. The Pioneers managed to hold the puck along the boards for a period of time, preventing the Badgers from setting up another prime opportunity for an equalizer.

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Las Vegas, NV — Ahead of their appearance in the 2026 Frozen Four national championship game, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team arrived in style. With a swath of fans waiting to greet them, the Wisconsin Badgers stepped off the bus and took to the red carpet.

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Old WCHA conference foes meet in a rematch of the 1973 national title game as No. 4 Wisconsin (24-12-2, 14-10-0 Big Ten) and the No. 3 Denver Pioneers (28-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC) square off in a blue-blooded battle for a national championship. UW is seeking its seventh national title and first since 2006. DU boasts an NCAA-record ten national titles in ice hockey and hopes to claim its third in five seasons.

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Las Vegas, NV — On the penultimate day of the college hockey season, the Wisconsin Badgers put finishing touches on its preparation ahead of the 2026 Frozen Four national championship game. Wisconsin men’s hockey will try to win its first national title since 2006 when it takes on the Denver Pioneers on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.

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In a press conference on Friday, UW head coach Mike Hastings mentioned that the final practice of the year “gives you an idea of perspective” after speaking to former Boston College Eagles head coach Jerry York.

York won four national titles at BC (plus one more at Bowling Green) and more games than any head coach in the history of college hockey. He is the only coach to win 1,000 games behind the bench.

Hastings said York reminded him over text to enjoy the practice.

“We always thought it was the best practice of the year,” the legendary coach added.

That reminder from the winningest head coach in the history of the sport helped Hastings craft his team’s “good 25-minute skate” before the final 60 minute battle.

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Las Vegas, NV — First, it was Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey capturing its ninth national title. Then, the UW-River Falls Falcons women’s hockey team completed a D3-peat. Now, Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey sits one win away from finishing off the third leg of the parlay.

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It has been two decades plus three days since No. 4 Wisconsin (24-12-2, 14-10-0 Big Ten) won its last national title. In 2006, Badgers fans sat atop the college hockey world as Wisconsin women’s hockey won its first national title, followed by the men capturing their first since 1990. The 20 years that followed have been decidedly different as the women won more national championships (8) than the men posted tournament appearances (7).

But just 60 minutes with the No. 3 Denver Pioneers (28-11-3, 17-6-1 NCHC) stand between Wisconsin and third-year head coach Mike Hastings making “a lot of alumni happy.”

Wisconsin Badgers on double hockey national championship watch

After its best start in 44 years, later followed by a six-game losing streak that nearly ended UW’s Frozen Four chances before they began, this Wisconsin men’s hockey season has been defined by its “peaks and valleys.”

“That’s what makes this so special, you know? I haven’t been a part of too many 32-1 teams. [Badger women’s hockey coach] Mark Johnson can say that,” Hastings said with a smile on Friday. “But I can’t.”

After Johnson has had the women’s program operating at the peak of the sport for much of the last 20 years, and the men’s team has made its way out of a deep valley, the Badgers are eager for the opportunity to join their counterparts on the mountaintop.

“With the women’s team, what they’ve done is so impressive over the last however many years,” Wisconsin alternate captain and leading scorer Gavin Morrissey said. “Just to catch up with them a little bit would be great.”

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Las Vegas, NV — One of the few glaring weaknesses this Wisconsin men’s hockey team has is seemingly growing into a strength at just the right time. Despite entering the Frozen Four with the second-worst penalty kill in men’s Division I college hockey, the Wisconsin Badgers leaned on their PK to great success to reach the national title game, proving their special teams units are good enough to win it all.

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When looking ahead to the path Wisconsin would potentially face to reach Saturday’s national championship game, its lackluster penalty kill appeared to be its predictable Achilles heel. Two of the country’s best power plays tested the Badgers, and UW emerged from the challenge better than before.

“There’s a lot of things that go into it,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings said of his team’s newfound penalty kill success. “At the end of the day you have to go execute.”

Perfect kill in the Frozen Four

Wisconsin’s PK was on full display in its 2-1 win over the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the national semifinal. To “survive and move on,” Wisconsin had to kill a handful of minor penalties. Despite UW’s struggles on the kill this season, it kept UND’s top-ten power play unit off the board in all five attempts.

“We spent a lot of time preparing against their power play, watching a lot of film,” Badgers captain Ben Dexheimer said of the effort.

The Fighting Hawks set up one-time opportunities on the faceoff circles throughout the night, but sent five of their 13 shot attempts on the advantage sailing wide. Second-chance opportunities were few and far between for North Dakota as Wisconsin quickly got pucks out of the zone.

“When you get a one-timer, you got to hit your spot,” UND head coach Dane Jackson said in a postgame interview. “They got some clears on us. Especially five-on-three, we should be tenacious enough to keep that puck alive generally. We just didn’t quite have that. Weren’t in sync quite enough there.”

Hastings admitted that needing to kill 1:57 of five-on-three penalty time in the second period “wasn’t a great recipe for success,” but that key moment showcased just how far his team’s PK has come. With Luke Osburn and Joe Palodichuk in the box, not to mention NHL Draft picks Logan Hensler and Zach Schulz still sidelined with lower-body injuries, the Badgers kept the Fighting Hawks off the scoreboard despite limited defensemen.

Wisconsin hockey PK arrives just in time for NCAA Tournament

The success UW enjoyed on Thursday on the kill was not just a blip. It appears to be part of a larger trend. In Wisconsin’s final game before the NCAA Tournament, the Badgers allowed three power-play goals in one of its worst home playoff losses ever. In UW’s final three games before Selection Sunday, opposing PPs went 5-11.

Since the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, it has been a different story, allowing only 2 PPGs on 10 chances.

The Badgers were perfect against a lackluster Dartmouth Big Green power play in the regional semifinal. The Michigan State Spartans (who boast the second-best PP in the nation) converted both their chances on the advantage against Wisconsin in the regional final, thanks, in part, to a funny bounce off Dexheimer’s stick that sent a puck up and over UW netminder Daniel Hauser‘s head.

That 80% clip is far from among the college hockey elite. Still, the noticeable difference has propelled a Badgers squad that was already excellent at even strength and among the very best on the advantage.

“Honestly, at the end of the day, I think this time of the year it comes down to the want to get the puck out, the want to block shots. I think that was the difference with our kill tonight,” Dexheimer said Thursday. “Guys took a lot of effort on blocking shots, getting in lanes.”

Against UND, Wisconsin logged 19 blocks, more than it had in all but two games this season. Dexheimer personally blocked a game-high five shots, including a “stinger” during that 5-on-3 kill that temporarily sent him to the bench in pain.

“You need a lot of selflessness,” Hastings said Friday of his team’s recent PK efforts. “You saw our captain lay out and take an absolute seed in an area that wasn’t protected and continued to fight through it.”

Badgers have proven they can handle penalty kill adversity in Frozen Four

The third-year head coach of the Badgers often espouses the notion that no matter what is going on in front of the net, “if you’re going to kill penalties, you need really good goaltending,” and Hauser has shown he can do enough to lift UW past DU’s power play.

In three NCAA Tournament games, the Alberta native has posted a 1.67 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. Both numbers are far better than his season-long marks of 2.56 and .899.

Despite Wisconsin’s fits and starts on the PK all season long, it appears the UW kill may be a key advantage in Saturday’s national title game. After the Badgers proved capable of keeping one of the country’s best PP units off the board, they have reason to carry additional confidence into their matchup with the Pioneers.

Denver’s middling power play is ranked 37th nationally, converting only 18.8% of chances. DU went 0-5 on the PP in its national semifinal against the Michigan Wolverines, is 1-10 on the advantage in the NCAA Tournament, and 1-12 in its last four games.

Wisconsin and Denver meet in the national title game on Saturday, April 11th. The contest will be televised on ESPN with puck drop scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Central.

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Las Vegas, NV — Before the puck dropped on Thursday inside T-Mobile Arena, the Wisconsin Badgers were winless against North Dakota in the NCAA Tournament in three tries. Apparently, the Frozen Four(th) times a charm for Wisconsin men’s hockey.

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A pair of first-period goals in quick succession proved to be the difference as No. 4 Wisconsin (23-12-2) bested old WCHA rival No. 2 North Dakota (29-9-1) 2-1 in the national semifinal before riding a standout performance by goaltender who made eye-popping saves throughout the night.

Although Wisconsin entered the day with just a 1-9-2 record in games when it scores two or fewer goals and a 4-10-2 mark when scoring three or fewer, the Badgers found a way to win.

“Getting off to a good start, I think, is really important for momentum,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings said in a postgame interview. “And then, how long can you hold on to it?”

Blink and you might miss Badger goals

For nearly 13 minutes, North Dakota goaltender Jan Špunar and his Wisconsin counterpart Daniel Hauser traded standout saves. Over half the period went by without a goal or penalty.

It was a slow start until Wisconsin suddenly had a multi-goal lead.

After Badgers captain Ben Dexheimer dumped the puck into the offensive zone, Simon Tassy capitalized on defensive zone turnover forced below the goal line by Vasily Zelenov. Zelenov muscled the puck away from a pair of Fighting Hawks and delivered it to Tassy who skated in from the top of the circle before firing a wrist shot from the high slot past Špunar.

Merely 27 seconds later, Wisconsin doubled up. Dexheimer threaded a long-range pass from the blue line in front of the UW bench and through the neutral zone to Ryan Botterill. The sophomore winger, streaking through center ice, picked up the puck in stride. He then skated into the offensive zone on the right wing, just out of reach of both UND defenders, and beat Špunar with a wrister five-hole.

The quick pair were the first goals the college freshman goaltender had allowed in the NCAA Tournament after posting back-to-back shutouts in the regional weekend.

Wisconsin hockey ride stellar defense in second

The Badgers outshot the Fighting Hawks 18-4 in the first period, dominating possession throughout. It would not, however, be the same story in the middle frame.

Officials assessed three minor penalties against Wisconsin in the second period, pitting UW’s penalty kill, the second-worst in the country, against UND’s top-ten ranked power play. No test was greater than a 1:57 span in which the Fighting Hawks enjoyed a 5-on-3 advantage.

Luke Osburn went to the box for holding North Dakota alternate captain Ben Strinden on a zone entry. Seconds after the ensuing faceoff, UW’s Joe Palodichuk went to the sin bin for interference. After that, Dexheimer was hobbled after blocking a shot by North Dakota winger Will Zellers, putting three of Wisconsin’s six defensemen off the ice.

Dexheimer said the puck caught him between his skate and shin pad, but he is “doing just fine.” The Badger captain returned in the third period.

With do-it-all senior Jack Horbach playing the backline to close the period, UW managed to kill the penalty, allowing only two shots on goal during UND’s two-man advantage.

“We spent a lot of time preparing against their power play watching a lot of film” Dexheimer said of North Dakota’s PP. “Honestly, at the end of the day, I think this time of year, I think it comes down to the want to get the puck out, the want to block shots, and I think that was the difference.”

UW blocked 19 shots on Thursday, its third-most in a single game this season.

With less than a minute before the second intermission, Oliver Tulk committed what could have been a costly error before correcting his own mistake. While attempting to set up the Badgers’ offense, the freshman turned the puck over at the Fighting Hawks’ blue line. North Dakota center Ollie Josephson poked the puck away, giving himself an opportunity all alone against Hauser.

A highlight-reel backcheck by Tulk, however, stopped Josephson from getting a clean shot off. The British Columbia native poked the puck loose, Hauser stopped the interrupted attempt, and defenseman Aiden Dubinsky cleared the puck away from the front of the net, keeping the score 2-0 before the third period.

“Plays like that really are the difference in the game,” Hauser said of Tulk’s “huge backcheck.”

Hastings added that not every player would have made the same effort Tulk did to get back in the play, but “he just put it in 4WD and went right back to our net.”

Wisconsin Badgers survive and advance

After killing another pair of penalties, UW kept the lead at 2-0 until the final minutes of regulation. The Badgers outshot the Fighting Hawks 12-3 to open the period, but Wisconsin did not log a shot on goal in the final 5:08. With 3:34 remaining, Špunar made his way to the bench in favor of the extra attacker.

In the next few minutes, Wisconsin’s defense limited North Dakota’s offense to six shot attempts, with only three reaching Hauser. The 2025 Western Hockey League Goaltender of the Year finalist made one miraculous save after another, including one with Strinden providing a miraculous screen. Even with the Nashville Predators prospect draped all over him, Hauser made the stop.

“Luckily I found a sight line and l was lucky enough to get a glove on it,” Hauser said.

The 22-year-old freshman’s 21 stops, including five on the PK, proved integral to Wisconsin’s victory.

“Your best penalty killer’s gotta be your goaltender,” said Hastings. “And he definitely was tonight.”

The final stretch was more than a formality after Fighting Hawks senior Ellis Rickwood found the back of the net with 51.8 seconds remaining. Unlike Wisconsin in the first period, North Dakota could not get another goal in quick succession, and the Badgers advanced to the national championship game for the first time since 2010.

“We knew North Dakota would be a little difficult out, and they were,” Hastings said. “And at this time, you just gotta find a way to survive and move on.”

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Las Vegas, NV — A six-game losing streak, a disastrous loss in the Big Ten Tournament, and a two-goal deficit in the third period of the NCAA Tournament regional final gave Wisconsin men’s hockey plenty of opportunities to cut its losses and walk away. Yet, despite Wisconsin Badgers head coach Mike Hastings’ doubts, his team is playing on the final weekend, renewing a historic rivalry in the blue-bloodiest Frozen Four possible and playing with house money.

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“As early as four weeks ago, I didn’t know if we would be here,” Hastings said. “But we found a way to get here.”

First, it is Wisconsin and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. In the opposite semifinal sit the only two programs that boast more national titles than UW or UND: the Denver Pioneers and Michigan Wolverines. As a foursome, the college hockey powerhouses boast a combined 33 national titles. As teams put the finishing touches on game plans, injury reports, and conversations about rivalry games played forty years ago, fans, players, and coaches alike dream of walking away with the jackpot.

“We’re here with three of the premier programs in college hockey. We’re excited to be here,” said Hastings. “All four teams have earned it, which you have to do at this time of the year.”

Frozen Four: How to Watch & Game Info

• Matchup: #4 Wisconsin (23-12-2, 14-10-0 Big Ten) vs. #2 North Dakota (29-9-1, 17-6-1 NCHC)

• Puck Drop: Thursday, April 9 | 4:00 PM CT

• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV

• TV Channel: ESPN2

• Live Stream: ESPN

• Radio: 1310 AM WIBA / Varsity App

• Injury Update: Zach Schulz (Game-time decision) / Ollie Josephson (Available)

Who to watch: Ollie Josephson

While Wisconsin fans anxiously await the potential return of an NHL Draft pick from injury, North Dakota fans already know the fate of an NHL prospect of their own. On Wednesday, Fighting Hawks head coach Dane Jackson confirmed the return of Ollie Josephson to his lineup.

The four-year veteran of the Western Hockey League centers UND’s third line and contributes as a penalty killer. The college freshman suffered a lower-body injury in the Fighting Hawks’ eventual 5-1 loss in the NCHC tournament semifinal. He did not play in either game during the NCAA Tournament regionals, but is “good to play” today.

“He’s healthy. He’s ready to go. So he’ll be in,” North Dakota head coach Dane Jackson said Wednesday. “It’s a huge benefit for us. Ollie brings a ton of two-way game, he’s one of our best penalty killers. A reliable centerman. Plays with a lot of pace and tenacity.”

What the Seattle Kraken prospect lacks in eye-popping scoring numbers, he makes up for in physicality. He has tallied six goals and 14 assists for UND, but the 6-foot-1, 191-pound British Columbia native is excellent on the forecheck.

What to watch: Freshmen goaltenders go to battle

For the first time, four college freshmen will start for their respective squads in the men’s Frozen Four. The history-making group would not be here, however, if not for a late offseason change to NCAA eligibility rules that allowed collegiate teams to add former Canadian Hockey League players to their rosters.

Coming from major juniors, “freshman” is something of a misnomer for this group of goaltenders, however. Michigan Wolverines netminder Jack Ivankovic is only 18, but the other three standing between the pipes are all at least 20 years old. Wisconsin’s Daniel Hauser is the elder statesman of the bunch, having turned 22 in January.

North Dakota goalie Jan Špunar, who turns 22 next month, split time with Gibson Homer (who at 6-foot-6 is the tallest goaltender in UND history) throughout the regular season. After Homer started for the Fighting Hawks in their first five games of the season, Špunar “earned everything he’s got.”

“When he went in, he was outstanding right from the start,” Jackson said of the first freshman to win NCHC Goaltender of the Year. “He gives our team a lot of kind of belief and confidence to play our game.”

The Olomouc, Czechia native has enjoyed an outstanding season thus far, allowing 1.90 goals per game with a .917 save percentage.

Hauser “came out of the gates hot,” helping Wisconsin to its best start in 44 years, Hastings said, before “a little bump in the road” gave the Chestermere, Alberta native the least-impressive numbers among the remaining goaltenders. He has posted a .899 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average this season. Hastings has, however, credited the 2025 WHL Goaltender of the Year finalist for giving his team a chance to pull off a miraculous comeback in the NCAA Tournament regional final.

“That’s a winner,” the third-year head coach of the Badgers added. “He’s done that over time. We feel comfortable with him being the guy leading us out tomorrow.”

Why to watch: Rivalry renewed

Former WCHA conference foes meet when Wisconsin and North Dakota take to the ice. With the Badgers holding a 73-87-13 record over the Fighting Hawks, Jackson pointed out that UW is among the few programs that hold a winning record against UND. Lately, and at the NCAA Tournament, however, it has been a different story.

Since November 7, 2015, the rivals have met six times. North Dakota won five of the six matchups and played the other to a draw. UW is 1-11-2 in its last 14 contests against UND dating back to January 27, 2012.

In the NCAA Tournament, Wisconsin is winless in three tries against North Dakota. UW lost the 1982 national title game, dropped a first-round matchup in 2014, and fell in the 2008 regional final to UND.

Along with some footage of the infamous Water Bottle Game, Jackson (a North Dakota alum and longtime assistant) showed his team that regional final matchup in which UND erased a two-goal third-period deficit before winning in overtime inside the Kohl Center in an effort to familiarize his players with the days of the old WCHA.

Hastings added his own appreciation for the rivalry’s history before renewing it on its biggest stage in over four decades.

“There is a genuine, let’s just say—I don’t want to say hatred, but—I’m going to say one that—when you play somebody that many times, that many meaningful games, it’s the same thing that’s going to happen tomorrow,” Hastings said. “We’ll keep the water bottles on the bench. I know both teams are going to try and represent their university so they can be proud. Maybe that game gets played all over again tomorrow. I don’t know.”

How, when, where to watch Wisconsin Badgers hockey in Frozen Four against North Dakota: TV, radio, streaming

Where: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, Nevada

When: Thursday, April 9, 2026 — 4:00 p.m. Central

Watch/TV/Streaming: ESPN2 (Play-by-play: John Buccigross; Analyst: Colby Cohen; Reporter: Quint Kessenich)

Radio: Badger Sports Network — 1310 AM WIBA — The Varsity App (Play-by-play: Brian Posick; Analyst: Paul Capobianco)

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Las Vegas, NV — After a collision sent Wisconsin hockey defenseman Zach Schulz into the boards on December 6th, he has remained sidelined with a broken fibula, but not out for the season. As the Wisconsin Badgers prepared to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the Frozen Four on Wednesday, head coach Mike Hastings left the door open to the possibility of the NHL Draft pick’s return.

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Schulz twice underwent surgery in December, but the Badgers have long remained optimistic about his chances to return to the ice. As early as January 13th, Hastings alluded to the possibility of Schulz playing in the NCAA Tournament.

“When it happened, we were hoping that would be the case,” Hastings said. “And that’s the case.”

Zach Schulz injury update

Schulz participated in Wisconsin’s open practice inside T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday. He skated in five-on-five and small area drills, appearing to be a full participant.

Hastings has praised Schulz’s continued leadership this season while the blue-liner has been away from the ice. One of UW’s alternate captains, Schulz and his teammates were motivated to have an opportunity to play on the final weekend of the season.

“He asked them to do the work. He has done all the work,” Hastings said. “Now we’ve been talking daily, checking in.”

The third-year head coach of the Badgers admitted that, as recently as four weeks ago, he was unsure his team would be in the Frozen Four. But they “found a way to get here,” and Schulz, similarly, worked with training staff to get back on the ice despite the odds.

Will Zach Schulz play in the Frozen Four for Wisconsin hockey?

Hastings could not definitively say whether the junior would be available for tomorrow’s national semifinal matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Hawks. The Spencer Penrose Award finalist also emphasized that he and Schulz have had “a boatload of conversations” about preparing for this moment, and those talks are not over yet.

“We’ll talk tonight and figure out what we’re going to do for tomorrow, but we try not to put the cart ahead of the horse,” Hastings said. “This has been a process that both of us committed to with our unbelievable training staff and doctors that are here.

“With his effort, he’s put himself in a position to be in that conversation.”

Schulz logged three points, all in Big Ten play, before suffering his injury.

Wisconsin’s embattled blue line is currently missing a pair of NHL Draft picks due to injuries. In addition to Schulz (a sixth-round selection by the New York Islanders in 2023), Ottawa Senators first-round pick Logan Hensler is out for the year with a lower-body injury.

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River Falls, WI — A standout Wisconsin Badgers graduating class fueled a dynastic run to four-straight Frozen Fours and three national titles. A few hours northwest of Madison, another crop of seniors made their mark on another college hockey power in the state. Now, after the UW-River Falls Falcons captured a third-straight national title, there is no doubt about it: Wisconsin is home to not one, but two women’s college hockey dynasties.

“We just won three national championships, and it’s because of these guys,” Joe Cranston said about forward Megan Goodreau and defender Makenna Aure following his team’s 4-0 victory in the 2026 national title game. “They’re crazy good hockey players, and they’re awesome people, so I’m very proud of them.”

Before Goodreau and Aure arrived on campus, the Falcons had never won a national championship. In the fall of their rookie year, UWRF traveled out east and beat the reigning undefeated national champion Middlebury Panthers and the Plattsburgh State Cardinals on back-to-back days. Before Middlebury’s title, Plattsburgh had won five of the previous six NCAA Tournaments.

Cranston and Goodreau called that weekend “a big turning point.”

“That was the first time, I think, that we really did something unique,” the two-time American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year added. “Ever since then, we’ve been playing really well.”

Since the beginning of that Thanksgiving weekend, the Falcons are 105-7-3.

That 2022-23 UWRF squad was later ousted in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal by the eventual national champion Gustavus Adolphus Golden Gusties. Since then, however, the Falcons have enjoyed an unblemished record in postseason play and their most successful stretch in program history.

Falcons senior standouts add yet another feather to the cap

Several members of Cranston’s squad turned down scholarship offers from DI programs to play for the Falcons in western Wisconsin. Playing close to home (26 of the 27 players on UWRF’s roster hail from Wisconsin or Minnesota), they helped make River Falls the team every other DIII program is trying to beat.

Goodreau, the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer, and Aure, the program’s only four-time All-American, are among the list of players who, despite scholarship options, chose River Falls. With that decision came unimaginable individual and team success.

In 2024, UW-River Falls completed a perfect 31-0 season by winning its first national championship in program history. In 2025, UWRF again won a national title on home ice after the Falcons were selected as the first pre-determined championship site in over a decade. With their third title in 2026 (again won inside UW-River Falls’ Hunt Arena), the Falcons have posted a combined 87-4-2 record in the past three seasons.

Before that run of national titles, the Falcons enjoyed plenty of NCAA Tournament success, qualifying 12 times and reaching the Frozen Four on five occasions. It still took a special group to get one of the winningest programs in DIII history over the hump.

Goodreau has rewritten UWRF’s record book, claiming nearly every individual scoring record. In Sunday’s title game, she assisted on the game-winning goal, putting her single-season points total at 77. That mark had only ever been reached before by Laura Hurd (Elmira 2001-05), for whom the National Player of the Year Award is named.

Cranston noted that accomplishment “is something that people talked about forever, and saying that will never happen.”

Aure, a remarkable two-way player, is one of just four DIII women’s ice hockey blue-liners over the past 20 seasons to tally 40 or more points in a single campaign, and boasts a reputation among her teammates that precedes her.

“She’s something. She’s crazy,” Goodreau said of her teammate. “I call her Mrs. Clutch, because every time we need a goal, she just is there to score.”

With a pair of assists in the national title game, Aure finished her career on an eight-game point streak and earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.

“She worked hard this summer. She worked her butt off, and really came in in shape,” Cranston said of the four-time first-team All-WIAC honoree. “And she worked so hard this year to be that player, to finish the year like she did. And, you know, I don’t make any secrets about it. [Goodreau]’s the best goal scorer that’s ever played for me, and Makenna Aure’s the best hockey player that I’ve ever coached in 42 years.”

Hard work and family define the UW-River Falls women’s hockey experience

Before accepting the MOP award, the Alexandria, Minnesota native took a tumble on the ice while attempting to corrall a loose puck in the corner behind the Falcons’ net.

“We almost had to get the shovel and dig her a grave there,” Cranston joked.

Aure said that team training staff wanted to take her off the ice and away from the rink because she was already positioned near the UWRF team tunnel. She insisted, however, that she spend the last few minutes of her senior season on the team bench, even as she was unsure whether she would be able to return to the ice.

The 5-foot-3 talent did wind up returning to play, blocking a shot in the final minute to help finish the improbable run for a senior class she described as “family.”

Goodreau noted that those seven graduates have also lived together for the past four years.

Aure said that the lasting memories of her graduating class come from the adversity they overcame together, including some intense drills Cranston put them through in practice. Although the coach, in his 27th year leading the Falcons, calls those skating sessions “all fun.”

“But, no, we’ve had—I’d say that we’ve had a lot more good times than we’ve had bad times in our senior class, and that’s what makes us so close. I’m definitely going to miss them for sure.”

“They know they’re not going to get anything for free,” Cranston said. “They’re going to work their butts off. Anything worthwhile has a price tag, and they show up, and, like, we don’t ever talk about winning national championships.”

For the players and coaches inside UWRF’s standout facilities, hard work on and off the ice has come to define the Falcons even more than the results that follow.

“It always just comes down to great kids,” Cranston added when discussing his team’s work ethic. “They’re all awesome, and they all work for each other. And we don’t have selfish players. We don’t have lazy players. There’s just no me, me, me, it’s all, ‘what can I do to have success?’ And that’s what happens. You end up doing that.”

Future remains bright for the Falcons

That wildly accomplished senior class will be moving on soon, but the future remains bright in River Falls. The Falcons boasted a program-record four first-team All-Americans this season, including rookie forward Sophia Hess.

Despite Hess never having played center before, Cranston moved her to the middle this season because he wanted to put her on a line with Goodreau. The decision proved wise as Hess finished the season as the nation’s second-leading scorer, trailing only Goodreau.

“To put those two on a line together, and I mean, they’re, they’re—Well, they are unstoppable,” Cranston remarked about the offensive combination.

After contributing two goals on Sunday, Hess has already logged one of just 15 60+ point seasons in DIII women’s ice hockey history. Only Hurd and Plattsburgh State’s Elizabeth Gibson (2001-05) tallied more in their first season of play.

“She pushes hard, she’s a great kid, great hockey player,” Cranston of UWRF’s young star.

Hess could in line to be the next great Falcons player. She was a finalist alongside Goodreau for this year’s Laura Hurd Award. Goodreau wound up taking the honors, making her the third-consecutive winner from UW-River Falls and the fourth in five years.

Alongside Hess on the opposite wing sits Alexa Niccum, a sophomore who just posted a 33-point season in her own right. Rookie defender Brooklyn Riley added 24 points from the blue line this season, and her 5-foot-9 frame figures to make her a threat for years to come.

A tremendous senior class and a happy coincidence allowed UW-River Falls women’s hockey to bourgeon into a dynasty at just the right time to host the national championship on home ice three seasons in a row. Although a tweak to the DIII championship structure means that might not happen again, the Cranston will likely have the Falcons right back in the mix to compete for a national title again next year in Plattsburgh.

“It just takes so many people to get that one thing,” Cranston said of the accolades piling up for his team. “You know, it’s like Coach of the Year. Well, that’s—that’s all about them. They’re the ones that go out on the ice and sweat and work their butt off every day so that we have that respect for our program.”

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River Falls, WI — One of the most accomplished college hockey players to ever hit the ice almost never played the collegiate game at all. After a recruiting process during which Megan Goodreau admits she dragged her feet, she committed to the UW-River Falls Falcons, where she has become one of only three players in NCAA Division III women’s ice hockey history to log over 200 career points.

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Often, athletes commit to hockey programs multiple years in advance of their enrollment, but Cranston jokes that Goodreau “committed a week before school started.”

A product of Centennial High School, just north of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Goodreau chose to forgo Division I opportunities out east to stay closer to home. She considered not playing college hockey and enrolling at the University of Minnesota or the University of St. Thomas. A plethora of DIII programs in the Midwest could have been options, but a late commitment to head coach Joe Cranston and the River Falls Falcons “all worked out.”

In reality, Goodreau’s decision finally came in January of her senior year of high school, but that late-breaking commitment helped change the course of the Falcons’ next four years and has Goodreau in position to finish that journey with a third-straight national title in River Falls.

Megan Goodreau breaks records, but improves her game for four years

Following her commitment, Goodreau made an immediate impact on the ice. As a rookie, she led all first-year players nationally in goals, assists, and total points (19-16-35) en route to first-team All-WIAC honors.

That was a jumping-off point for a player who has gone on to become a three-time All-American and laid claim to nearly every scoring record in the UWRF book, but she is still on a record-breaking spree.

The forward’s power-play goal in Friday’s national semifinal set three more new benchmarks. Her 97th career goal surpassed former UW-River Falls captain Callie Hoff’s (2017-22) 96 for a new program record. Plus, Goodreau’s 18th power-play goal of the year and 35th overall are new single-season and career NCAA DIII bests. Fewer than ten players in the nation have ever hit the back of the net 100 or more times in a career.

Goodreau found the net on that record-setting play after salvaging a broken play. A disrupted zone entry forced her to fight for the puck on the boards before getting it back to the middle of the ice. It was a fitting way to set another milestone, because winning board battles like that is one facet of the 5-foot-5 winger’s game that she has been working on for years.

“How many times you heard me say get the puck off the boards for four years?” Cranston remarked when breaking down the play.

“Too many,” Goodreau joked in response.

“Thousands, and thousands,” Cranston added.

Never one to take too much credit for her own success, Goodreau pointed to lessons learned from watching her former linemate on the Falcons’ power play, Maddie McCollins (2019-2024), and another former UWRF captain, Kora Torkelson (2017-2022), for her continued development as a hockey player.

“Just the way they play hockey, I feel like I learned a lot being there from them,” Goodreau said. “Because last year, I feel like I kind of struggled on the wall.”

200-point scorer with a chance to win third national title

Goodreau has been rewarded in her quest for constant improvement. She leads the nation in goals, assists, and points (37-40-77), and is one helper shy of breaking UWRF’s single-season assist record (she already surpassed the previous-best marks for goals and points in a single campaign).

“She’s just a smart hockey player,” Cranston said. “She makes plays that other people don’t even see.”

Those assists, comprising a slight majority of the Lino Lakes, Minnesota native’s 208 career points, are where her game perhaps shines the brightest, according to Cranston. Only DIII all-time leading scorer Laura Hurd (Elmira 2002-05) has tallied more career assists (117) than Goodreau’s 111.

“She’s a better playmaker than she is a goal scorer,” the head coach in his 27th year said. “And that’s kind of crazy to say because she’s had a million goals, but, just, she always makes—she’s a great decision-maker and playmaker.”

Goodreau has had a plethora of teammates able to capitalize due to her elite “vision of the ice.” Since 2023, the Falcons have boasted 15 All-Americans. This season, a program-record four UW-River Falls standouts received first-team All-America honors. Additionally, Goodreau received the Laura Hurd Division III Women’s Hockey Player of the Year Award. She joins McCollins and Bailey Olson (2021-25) as the third-straight recipient from UWRF. No program has ever had three consecutive winners of the honor.

“It isn’t about a player, it’s what players does it take,” Cranston said of his program’s run of winners. “I mean, I look at—the previous ones wouldn’t have been Laura Hurd if they weren’t skating with [Goodreau].”

Those players together have helped define the greatest stretch of success in program history. After breaking through and winning UWRF’s first national title two seasons ago, the Falcons followed up with another in 2025 and look to do the same again this weekend inside a sold-out Hunt Arena.

On Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Central, Goodreau looks to cap her time in college hockey the same way McCollins and Olson did: by captaining the UW-River Falls Falcons women’s hockey team to a national title on home ice.

You can watch Goodreau and the top-ranked Falcons take the ice against the No. 3 Nazareth Golden Flyers streaming for free on NCAA.com

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In year three of the head coach Mike Hastings era, Wisconsin men’s hockey is one win away from the Frozen Four. To get back there, the Wisconsin Badgers will have to win a Big Ten rubber match with a Michigan State Spartans program trying to snap an even longer drought of appearances in the NCAA Tournament semifinal.

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A pair of empty-net goals capped Wisconsin’s 5-1 victory in the opening round of the big dance, vaulting the Badgers (21-12-2, 14-10-0) into the regional final. There, UW faces Michigan State (26-8-2, 16-6-2 Big Ten) after the conference foes split four games earlier this season.

Just before Thanksgiving, Wisconsin earned a road sweep over MSU in East Lansing. In January, the Spartans returned the favor in Madison, thanks, in part, to a face that Badgers fans recognize from his stint in Cardinal and White.

Regardless of how games one through four went, it will be game five that figures to leave the lasting impression on at least one of these Frozen Four hopefuls.

Who to watch: Still Charlie Stramel

The former Badger is still doing it for the Spartans. The MSU alternate captain’s three points (1G, 2A) tied for a series-high when Michigan State visited the Kohl Center in January. Now, in Michigan State’s first meeting with Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament since 2001, the senior looks to knock off his former team.

A first-round NHL Draft pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2023, Stramel anchors a dangerous MSU top forward line. He and goaltender Trey Augustine are top-ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award after leading the Spartans to a third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.

Beyond his speed and 6-foot-3 size, Stramel has helped Michigan State become a top-seven team in both scoring offense and defense by excelling at the faceoff dot. The Rosemount, Minnesota native’s 478 wins on the draw this season are second-most nationally. Going 17-26 in his team’s regional semifinal game against UConn, Stramel logged some timely faceoff wins on special teams during a game in which officials called seven penalties against MSU.

That battle for initial puck possession could come to a head against Wisconsin center Gavis Morrissey, whose 422 wins at the dot trail Stramel’s, but Morrissey’s 58.1% faceoff success rate beats his former teammate’s 53.6%.

What to watch: Wisconsin’s penalty kill

In its regional semifinal matchup with the Dartmouth Big Green, Wisconsin’s special teams units took center stage. The Badgers boast a top-five unit on the advantage (converting on 27.34% of opportunities) and used it to get on the board first, beating Dartmouth’s penalty kill that ranks third nationally.

On the flip side, the Badgers were perfect on the afternoon, killing three penalties. UW’s often embattled PK unit, sixth-worst in the country at keeping opposing offenses off the scoresheet, might need to show up just as big against an even better MSU PP.

The Spartans are one of the few teams in the country scoring PPGs more often than Wisconsin. Michigan State forward and leading scorer Porter Martone has tallied eight of his 25 goals this season on the power play, helping the Spartans become the most dangerous unit on the advantage in the second half of the season. Since January 1st, the MSU power play has converted on a national-best 36.5% of its chances.

Why to watch: Is it finally time?

For 16 years, Wisconsin Badgers hockey fans watched, waited, twiddled their thumbs, sat tight, and inevitably agonized over a drought of games won in the NCAA Tournament. After a stretch of one tournament appearance in nine seasons marked the close of the Mike Eaves era and the span of Tony Granato’s tenure, Hastings has Wisconsin moving up.

Two tournament appearances in three seasons are signs of progress. Winning a game in the big dance for the first time since 2010 is progress. Could the UW’s first appearance in the Frozen Four since the advent of the Big Ten hockey conference be just on the other side of 60 minutes?

Whether it is Wisconsin or Michigan State, one of these two programs, each boasting multiple national titles, will make its first appearance in the national semifinal in the B1G hockey era. The Badgers last made the Frozen Four in 2010, falling in the national title game 5-0 to the Boston College Eagles. The Spartans’ last appearance was capped by capturing the 2007 national championship.

How, when, where to watch Wisconsin hockey vs Michigan State NCAA Tournament: TV, radio, streaming

Where: DCU Center — Worcester, Massachusetts

When: Saturday, March 28 — 3:30 p.m. Central

Watch/TV/Streaming: ESPN2 (Play-by-play: Kevin Gehl; Analyst: Angela Ruggiero)

Listen/Radio: Badger Sports Network — 1310AM WIBA — Varsity Network App (Play-by-play: Brian Posick; Analyst: Paul Capobianco)

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River Falls, WI — For the third-straight season, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls women’s hockey team will compete for a national title on home ice. The Falcons are one win away from a third consecutive national title, thanks to an impressive offensive showing against a stalwart defense and by winning a best-on-best goaltending matchup.

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“I thought it was a great game, very intense, great crowd, great atmosphere,” River Falls Falcons head coach Joe Cranston said of his team’s 3-1 win over the Amherst Mammoths in front of an above-capacity crowd inside UW-River Falls’ Hunt Arena.

The victory in the NCAA Tournament semifinal sends River Falls (29-1, 11-1 WIAC) back to the national championship game, where it will enjoy the advantage of, once again, having that rowdy crowd behind it. The significance of having earned that right, particularly by defeating a worthy opponent, is not lost on the coaching veteran.

“Just, hats off to Amherst, they’re a phenomenal team,” Cranston said of the program his Falcons have eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. “I thought they played really good and I thought my team played really well too, so very, very proud of my girls.”

Amherst starts fast before penalty

Out of the gate, Amherst controlled the game. Mammoths head coach Jeff Matthews described his team’s start as “excellent.” Amherst logged 12 of the first 13 shot attempts and frustrated the Falcons’ top-ranked offense’s attempts to skate through the neutral zone.

“I thought we were playing with speed, playing fast, playing hard, and creating some scoring chances,” the coach in his 14th season behind the bench added. “I thought we had more scoring chances in the first six, seven [minutes than UWRF]. We had more shots.

“And then, obviously, we took that penalty, and that changed the course.”

River Falls forward Madison Kadrlik drew a body-checking penalty just before the midway point of the opening frame, sending Mammoths starting winger Natalie Fu to the penalty box. It proved to be a moment in which the game swung on its head, as the Falcons’ struggles getting the puck through neutral ice quickly disappeared.

“I feel like we were kind of just throwing the puck, not moving our feet, not looking for the wings and the centers,” Goodreau said about the initial challenge of moving her team across the opposing blue line. “But we figured it out and got the puck out of the zone.”

Power play and breakaway break-throughs

The Amherst Mammoths entered the final weekend of the season leading the way in nearly any defensive metric imaginable. Goaltender Natalie Stott backstopped a defense to a DIII-best 0.69 goals-allowed per game, while her personal 0.63 GAA, .973 save percentage, and 12 shutouts all led the country.

“That’s where the success of any hockey team starts: in net,” Matthews remarked. “And when you have someone of her character on top of her talent, it leads to being here, doing what we’ve done over the last four years.”

Graduating this season, Stott represented the Mammoths as a first-team East All-American for the fourth consecutive year. In DIII, there are separate All-American selections for players from schools in the East and Western halves of the country. In that time, Amherst reached three Frozen Fours in four seasons, twice finishing as national runner-up.

Faced with the task of getting pucks past that stout defense, Cranston told his team they would likely need to score a power-play goal or one on an odd-skater rush. The Falcons got two PPGs and another on a breakaway on Friday night.

UWRF boasts the nation’s best unit on the advantage, scoring on 45.5% of its opportunities. Cranston, in his 27th season leading the Falcons, says his strategy is simple: getting MaKenna Aure, Megan Goodreau, and Sophia Hess, three first-team All-Americans in the west, on the ice.

Goodreau, one of only three players in DIII women’s ice hockey history to tally 200 or more points, helped her team convert on the power play after Fu’s penalty. The 5-foot-9 forward tallied an assist with a backdoor feed to sophomore Alexa Niccum with little room to spare. It was a broken play, but making something out of nothing is just what the senior from Lino Lakes, Minnesota does.

“She can see the ice so well, and that’s something that I really look up to her for,” Kadrlik said. “It’s incredible to see like that small pass and then Alexa just knocking it right in. I mean, [Niccum] obviously had a great hold on her stick, but it was Megan getting it to her and then it was an easy tap-in.”

Matthews said that sequence “changed the momentum” inside Hunt Arena.

First-team All-American goaltenders duel

In the second period, Goodreau scored early, adding her 18th PPG of the season, a women’s DIII record. Just past the halfway point of the middle frame, Kadrlik added a breakaway goal. After she caught Amherst’s defenders watching the puck, she got behind everybody, hit Stott’s right leg on an initial shot, but tucked the rebound around her toes for a 3-0 lead.

Friday’s national semifinal featured both first-team All-American goaltenders. Between the pipes opposite Stott stood UWRF’s Jordan O’Kane, the representative for the west. Regardless of River Falls’ initial offensive sputtering, the Alexandria, Minnesota native was the constant throughout.

“I thought she was the best player in the rink,” Cranston said about his netminder’s near-perfect outing.

A late power-play goal thwarted the 5-foot-5 netminder’s shutout bid, but 30 saves was just enough to get the Falcons over the finish line, stopping the initial flurry all the way up to a late wraparound attempt, preventing Amherst from getting within striking distance.

“She was just seeing pucks very well, and she was just outstanding,” Cranston added. “She’s been outstanding for two years, but I thought [tonight was], probably, her best performance that I’ve ever seen since she’s been here.”

The senior is up to 26 wins on the season, including eight shutouts, holding a steady 1.00 goals-against-average.

“I think we had just as many good chances as they did,” Amherst defender and co-captain Emily Hohmann said. “Watching from the blue line at times, there were literally pucks sitting on the goal line that we just couldn’t get a good swat at.”

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Madison, WI — After capping your senior season of college hockey by scoring the game-winning goal in the national championship game, when would you be ready to take off your jersey one last time? Before being the first table seated when doors open for brunch on Monday, or after closing down State Street?

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“I haven’t taken it off,” Wisconsin women’s hockey center Marianne Picard said on Monday evening in Madison, more than 24 hours after her final game with the Wisconsin Badgers concluded. “I don’t think I will either for a long time.”

Picard assisted on that third-period game-winner. Her linemate, Claire Enright, scored the goal and is holding onto her sweater even more tightly.

“I did sleep in my jersey,” Enright remarked.

Wisconsin has now won an NCAA record nine women’s ice hockey national championships, including three of the last four and four of the last six titles. With plenty of reps in, the Badgers have the art of throwing a championship-worthy celebration down to a science: taking the party to air, land, and sea (or, lake, at least).

Wisconsin women’s hockey celebrates national title in Madison

After UW won the national title in 2025, captain Caroline Harvey described the bus ride back from the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in a word: ‘loud.’

On one mode of transport or another, that tradition endures. When asked about her favorite part of the 24 hours after Wisconsin’s 3-2 victory in the 2026 national title game, Picard pointed to the plane ride from State College, Pennsylvania to Madison and then the bus ride from the airport to campus.

During that bus ride, the Badgers partook in some lively chants, but Picard, for one reason or another, declined to share specifics.

“I’m not going to tell you what the chants are,” she said with a chuckle, “But I like the chants on the bus.”

After Wisconsin’s late-night arrival home, the celebration continued into the early-morning hours.

“I feel like you don’t sleep, but you’re not tired,” Picard remarked. “You’re like, running on the high. I think I probably closed my eyes for like two minutes in the last 24 hours, but the excitement is there.”

That adrenaline kept the Badgers ready for another one of the fifth-year senior’s favorite post-championship traditions: Team breakfast when Bassett Street Brunch Club opens, bright and early.

“We got back at 3:00 a.m. I think,” UW’s alternate captain said. “And then we told the girls in the group chat, we’re getting brunch. 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. Set your alarm, 7:30.”

Lacey Eden’s lake-bound rollerblading

No one has had more opportunities to perfect the craft of the national championship celebration than Lacey Eden. The Wisconsin Badgers captain is the only player to win four NCAA national collegiate women’s ice hockey titles in history.

On Monday, the fourth 100-goal scorer in program history pulled off one of her signature moves: rollerblading into the frigid waters of Lake Mendota.

Eden’s teammates are familiar with the maneuver that has become a personal tradition of the Annapolis, Maryland native. So, after four trips off the pier for Eden, who takes the mantle if and when the Badgers capture national title number ten?

“Lacey’s coming back,” Enright said about the sixth-year senior. “I don’t really care.”

“A seventh year?” Picard responded.

“No, I know she’s not going to be on the team,” Enright admitted. “But I’m bringing her back no matter what, because nobody’s gonna do it like she does.”

Picard and Enright did point to sophomore forward Hannah Halverson, who followed Eden into the lake this year, albeit without rollerblades, so she is “one step” away, potentially preparing for the honor.

The duo that made the game-changing play in the national title game tossed around a couple of other names, including sophomore Finley McCarthy and rookie Charlotte Pieckenhagen, as potential candidates before Enright made a declaration.

“There’s a lot of people that could take over, honestly, but no one will ever be as famous as Lacey in that. So she’ll have to come back every time it happens again and we’ll have to video it again until she gets to be a grandma.”

One last ‘bittersweet’ celebration with fans inside LaBahn Arena

Wisconsin women’s hockey fans know the drill, too. Ahead of Monday evening’s celebratory event open to the public inside LaBahn Arena, the Wisconsin Badgers faithful lined up long before doors opened to see their national champions one more time.

Players do not take that dedication for granted either.

“These fans are the best in the country,” Enright said. “It’s just amazing to feel their support and see them come out once again, to even just celebrate us. Like, we’re not even playing a game now; they’re just coming to celebrate a win with us.”

“On a Monday afternoon!” Picard added.

With that welcome home celebration, capped by one final rendition of the UW-Madison alma mater, however, comes the realization that it is all coming to an end, a feeling Enright described as “bittersweet.”

“I was sad when it was the last ‘Varsity,’” Picard said of her last championship-go-around as a Badger. “During the game, the emotions are so high, and you’re kind of focused on the hockey part. And I feel like now that the dust is kind of settled, and then you see the fans, it’s like, okay, this is it. I’m never going to put this jersey on again after this week. So, yeah, I feel like today was kind of an emotional moment.”

“Each time I put this jersey on, it never gets old,” Enright added later. “It is just insane that we have all this support, and no one will ever have this in college hockey like we do.”

‘Water’ for everyone

The event at the rink is not where the team’s celebration ended, though. One of Enright’s favorite post-championship traditions still awaited. Wisconsin is accustomed to the calendar of winning a national championship and then going to an aptly named establishment the following evening.

“I feel like we always play on Sundays,” Enright began. “And so I feel like we always go to Mondays.”

“On Monday!” Enright and Picard declared in unison about the State Street establishment.

“The Neighborhood Bar on State” boasts a tagline on its website reading, “Generously poured, Graciously served,” along with a photo of the Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team celebrating the 2021 national championship.

“They have really good water at Mondays,” Picard said.

“Well, yeah, we eat food there,” Enright added.

“Yeah, great restaurant, great institution,” Picard said at the interview’s close.

Per a Badger Breakaway investigation, the only food Mondays serves is popcorn.

Thank you for visiting BadgerBreakaway.com – With your support, we are quickly becoming a leading independent source for news, analysis, and intel on the Wisconsin Badgers hockey and basketball teams.

University Park, PA — Following the Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s 3-2 win in the NCAA Tournament national championship game at the 2026 Frozen Four, players and coaches representing the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers addressed members of the media.

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The matchup was the fourth-consecutive meeting between Ohio State and Wisconsin in the national title game. OSU took home the trophy in 2024; UW earned the crown in 2023 and 2025.

In total, the Badgers have now won an NCAA-best nine women’s ice hockey national championships. With its win in 2026, Wisconsin has won back-to-back titles for the second time in program history. Its first stint as repeat national champions was after winning the 2006 and 2007 tournaments.

In the postgame press conference, Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall (left) is joined by Buckeyes captain Jocelyn Amos (middle) and sophomore defender Mira Jungåker (right). Amos and Jungåker played crucial roles in forcing a 2-2 tie after the Badgers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Jungåker’s shot from the point in the third period provided the primary assist on OSU winger Kassidy Carmichael’s goal that cut the lead in half before Amos knotted the game up little over two minutes later.

Following the Buckeyes, Wisconsin head coach Mark Johnson (left), captain Caroline Harvey (middle), and goaltender Ava McNaughton recap their season and victory in the national title game. Earlier in the weekend, Harvey received the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. McNaughton, who made 34 saves on 36 shots, earned tournament Most Outstanding Player honors for her performance.

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Thank you for visiting BadgerBreakaway.com – With your support, we are quickly becoming a leading independent source for news, analysis, and intel on the Wisconsin Badgers hockey and basketball teams.

University Park, PA — On Sunday, the Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team won its ninth national title in program history. Thanks to UW senior forward Claire Enright’s game-winning goal in the third period, Wisconsin defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 3-2 inside Penn State University’s Pegula Ice Arena in the 2026 NCAA Tournament championship game.

After the final buzzer of the Frozen Four sounded, the Wisconsin Badgers celebrated going back-to-back.

Big thanks to Badger Breakaway contributing photographer Darren Lee for capturing the celebration.

Thank you for visiting BadgerBreakaway.com – With your support, we are quickly becoming a leading independent source for news, analysis, and intel on the Wisconsin Badgers hockey and basketball teams.

University Park, PA — “All I remember is being so out of breath, basically having a panic attack.”

When you score a game-winning goal in the national title game, with one of your best friends and teammates, after you both nearly retired due to injuries, the emotions can be overwhelming, or so Wisconsin women’s hockey forward Marianne Picard says.

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“Assisting Claire [Enright] was the best way to go out,” the fifth-year senior added.

“Me and [Picard] have been through so much together,” Enright added. “We were just in disbelief that we were the ones to do it when we’ve always had belief in each other.”

Wisconsin women’s hockey needed everyone

In 124 games with the Wisconsin Badgers, Enright had only ever scored one game-winner in a regular-season contest last January.

The Farmington, Minnesota native said she does not remember that goal “at all.”

Her second game-winner for UW, one that came in the final minutes of the 2026 national title game, is a different story.

“I will remember this one forever,” the senior said. “Especially with this team. I’m just so proud of everyone.”

The player who had only scored nine goals all season, and 20 in her career, brought her head coach’s pre-game speech and prediction to life.

“When I talked to them this morning, it was that we’re going to need a team effort today,” Mark Johnson said. “It’s going to take everybody.”

“I gave her a big hug at the end of the game,” Johnson added. “And I said, you probably don’t realize that, you know, you scored the game-winning goal in the national championship game. And, like, two or three years ago, we didn’t know she was going to play any more hockey in her career.”

Unlikely hero nearly gave up hockey

Every season Enright has played for Wisconsin, she has ended it with a national title. Now a senior, she missed her sophomore year with a knee injury, one that almost ended her career.

“You have no idea how close I was,” Enright said about her consideration given to medically retiring during a year-long recovery process.

Instead, she opted to undergo surgery again, taking “one more shot” at a return to the ice.

“It was very tough mentally, but I’m so glad that I came back,” Enright added. “I can’t thank [athletic trainer] Stef [Arndt], [strength and conditioning coach] Paul [Valukas] enough. The whole training staff, all the doctors, everyone, they really pushed me and they believed in me.”

After Wisconsin surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period of the 2026 national title game, Enright put UW back in front, with an assist from Picard—a duo with a shared history of season-ending knee injuries that the longtime linemates have “bonded through.”

“Once you’ve worked through an injury, you kind of understand each other on a deeper level,” Picard added. “That’s why I think me and Claire are so close and we have a special chemistry, because we understand what it takes to get back.

“It’s hard to miss a year and then come back to that level of play, playing against Olympians. So I’m happy, I’m so happy for her, and no one deserves it more than her.”

Claire Enright shares praise for Marianne Picard

Enright was not short on compliments for Picard either. Earlier this season, it appeared that Picard had suffered another season-ending, and thus career-ending, knee injury in her final season of eligibility.

After further medical evaluation, doctors found that Picard had suffered an MCL injury rather than an ACL tear. So, the Quebec native, who had already accepted a full-time job on campus at UW-Madison for after her graduation, gave hockey one more shot. She rehabbed the injury and returned to the ice just a month later.

“It’s honestly just so inspiring to see her go through it too,” Enright said about Picard. “I’m just so happy for her, and we just—we did it together!”

In an interview before the Frozen Four, Picard admitted that the month of recovery was hard, and her knee still hurt “a little bit, but when you play, you kind of forget about it with the adrenaline.”

When you tally a hard-earned assist from your backhand in the waning minutes of the national championship game, the knee probably feels just fine.

“I didn’t have to come back to play those last few games,” Picard said in an interview after winning Wisconsin’s ninth national championship.

“Thank goodness she did, bro!” Laila Edwards added, shouting from the background.

“But I knew this group was special,” Picard continued with a chuckle. “And the only reason why I came back is for the girls, to get to spend my last hockey games with them and I don’t regret a thing.”

Another ride for Claire Enright?

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