Following-up on a 7-1 blowout victory on Friday, the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team delivered again on Saturday. Power-play execution, team communication, and storybook goal-scorers, lifted Wisconsin to a 9-1 victory and a sweep over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to open Big Ten play.

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No. 2 Wisconsin (6-0-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) opened Friday night’s series opener with what head coach Mike Hastings called “one of our best 20 minutes that we’ve had in a young season,” outshooting Notre Dame 25-7. Saturday, however, the Badgers were locked with the Fighting Irish in a one-goal game midway through the second period, but knew they could be performing at a higher level.

“What I liked is the guys came back to the bench, and they’re the ones that kind of figured it out,” Hastings said in a post-game interview. “That wasn’t coaching; that was those guys communicating and just talking about a couple of looks that they were looking to get.”

A second-period natural hat-trick, a first-as-a-Badger for a heralded transfer, and six power-play goals later, UW capitalized on those looks. It was the first time Wisconsin scored six goals on the advantage in one game since doing so in 1979, also against Notre Dame.

“It’s hard to sweep in the Big Ten,” said Hastings. “And so for us to be able to get off to the start that we did, that wasn’t perfect, but it was decent, and find a way to get a lead and then extend it was really good weekend for us.”

Bruno Idžan has storybook night

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With the caveat that it is not quite November, it appears the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey program is following-up its breakout national runner-up campaign with another impressive season. A lopsided victory on Friday night gave UW its best start in over 20 years. Although an injury to its co-captain may have marred the evening.

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“Tonight was a growing moment. Tomorrow is going to be a reset. They’re going to be better. We’re going to have to be better,” Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings’ said of his team’s early offensive success en route to a 7-1 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Twelve Badgers (5-0-0, 1-0-0 Big Ten) found their way on the scoresheet in the blowout victory as Wisconsin improved to 5-0-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

“It was a good start tonight, and to see different guys on the score sheet is really important for our growth,” Hastings added. “And I was happy with some of the guys that got rewarded because there’s been some guys that have been grinding pretty hard without being rewarded for their efforts.”

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Much to Head Coach Mark Johnson’s chagrin, his Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team entered the third period tied with the Minnesota State Mavericks on Friday night. Just like its previous two contests, Johnson’s squad was in a “tight” one late. Unlike the previous two, the Badgers wound up on top.

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The winningest coach in the history of women’s college hockey lamented his team’s start and wished they had generated more scoring chances. Still, he recognized that his roster with several newcomers and three players returning just the day prior from Hockey Canada training camp has time to grow.

“You know those little things that that maybe early in the season you want to have in place, you know, just aren’t there,” said Johnson in a post-game interview. “So you just have to deal with it.”

Eventually, Wisconsin (5-2-0, 1-2-0 WCHA) did enough things right to generate a four-goal third period and pull away with a series-opening 5-1 victory.

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The Minnesota State Mavericks were unable to sour Wisconsin men’s hockey head coach Mike Hastings’ return to Mankato. A shutout victory on Friday night eventually turned into another lopsided game on Saturday as the No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) remained unbeaten on the young season.

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UW assistant coach Andy Brandt said in a post-game interview after the series finale that his team gave a “60-minute effort” on Friday and was hoping to build off that. Despite a slower start on Saturday, he thought Wisconsin “did a great job just kind of re-racking and sticking with it.”

“For our group, just their ability to not get rattled at a start we probably want back and stick with it, I think speaks volumes towards our leadership in that locker room,” Brandt added.

Third star: Zach Wooten

In his second weekend with the Badgers, freshman Zach Wooten earned the promotion to the top line. Playing alongside standout juniors Gavin Morrissey and JJ Wiebusch, Wooten made the most of his opportunity and tallied his first collegiate points.

Friday, the Wooten recorded his first-career assist on a power-play goal by defenseman Logan Hensler. Wooten added his first-career goal and multi-point game on Saturday.

On what Brandt called “a great, great line rush,” the Winnipeg Jets prospect perfectly located a wrist shot short-side to the top corner, giving the Badgers a 2-1 lead just before the 2nd period expired.

“What a finish by Wootz to be able to put that underneath the bar,” Brandt remarked. “That was a pretty goal.”

In the third, Wooten directed a pass in a crowded area on the power play to Vasily Zelenov to double that lead.

Zelenov celebrated that goal by emphatically pointing to Wooten, who proved himself by performing on the top forward group and top power play unit. The Apple Valley, Minnesota native has a knack for knowing just how much time and space he has to operate.

Second star: Wisconsin Badgers hockey goaltending

A battle for the role of UW’s starting goaltending position that Hastings had declared to be “hot and heavy” remained intense over the weekend as netminders Alexis Cournoyer and Daniel Hauser combined to make 30 saves on 31 shots by the Mavericks.

Cournoyer logged his first shutout as a Badger in Friday’s 4-0 victory. Hauser allowed the lone goal of the weekend in Saturday’s 4-1 contest when a shot from MSU defenseman Sam Court ricocheted off the back wall, to Hauser’s right skate, and into the back of the net.

Regardless of the awkward bounce, Hauser played a critical role in helping Wisconsin gain and maintain a first-period lead. The Mavericks outshot the Badgers 10-6 in the opening frame on Saturday, the only period in which Minnesota State had such an edge in the series. Brandt agreed with the notion that the sophomore was the MVP of the first period and acknowledged that Wisconsin “probably didn’t have our best 20 to start the game.”

“[Hauser] made some huge saves,” Brandt commented. “Our transition game just wasn’t there in that first period and Daniel gave us the opportunity to get going. And when you have goaltending like that, it gives your club confidence to get going after a slow start.”

UW is surely entering games confident regardless of who is starting in net.

First star: Vasily Zelenov

An injury in the championship game of the 2025 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off put a pause Zelenov’s freshman season just as he was hitting his stride. At the time of the injury that led to the Buffalo Sabres prospect being sidelined for over a month, he had tallied six points in his last five games. Down the stretch of the second half, he found his stride again finishing with 10 points in 13 games, including a goal in the national title game.

Now a sophomore, Zelenov has picked up right where he left off.

The Russian logged a weekend-highs with three assists and four points. His six helpers and seven total points also lead the Badgers so far this season.

Zelenov not only dished out on assist through traffic on the rush for Wooten’s first collegiate goal, he did the same for Chase Jette’s first NCAA goal.

It was a highlight-reel assist as the 6-foot center put the puck between the skates of Minnesota State defenseman Easton Hewson to put the Badgers up 1-0 on Saturday.

The impressive fashion in which Zelenov and Grady Deering (who added his second goal of the season on Friday night) have played early this season should put Wisconsin hockey fans at a bit of ease for how the duo of sophomore centers will fare this season for UW’s middle six.

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After a 2-1 loss in Friday’s series opener, things turned from bad to worse for Wisconsin women’s hockey Saturday afternoon in Columbus. What, for 40 minutes, appeared to be a back-and-forth tilt between the two top-ranked teams in the country turned lopsided in the final 20 minutes as the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (4-2-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) fell 5-3 to the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes.

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Although UW faltered down the stretch in Friday’s series opener, it took an immediate lead just 34 seconds into the series finale, courtesy of the nation’s leading goal-scorer Cassie Hall.

Three first-period goals by Ohio State put the Buckeyes on top. The Badgers managed to battle back to a 3-3 tie, even outshooting OSU 12-5 in the second period (the only period all weekend UW came out ahead in shots-on-goal).

But, things turned sour in the third, putting Wisconsin in an unfamiliar 0-2 hole in conference play.

Wisconsin women’s hockey outplayed in 3rd

Despite Wisconsin coming hot out the gates and battling back in the second period, Ohio State, much like it did on Friday, controlled possession and pace of play throughout the third period. The Buckeyes also took advantage of uncharacteristic mistakes by the Badgers.

OSU retook the lead just ten seconds into the final frame. An apparent miscommunication by UW defenders Laney Potter and Emma Cerruti left both Buckeyes forwards Joy Dunne collecting a loose puck behind the net and Hilda Svensson in front of the net all alone.

With goaltender Ava McNaughton on an island against two Olympians, Ohio State retook the lead and did not give it back.

Mistakes continued to plague the Badgers. Nearly midway through the period, Wisconsin lined up for a faceoff with only four players, prompting a timeout called by Mark Johnson. The miscue occurred after an icing call and a long shift, so perhaps the timeout was planned, but the visual was odd.

That moment was not, however, the last time Wisconsin would be caught with too few skaters on the ice. Amidst a comeback bid with McNaughton pulled in favor of the extra attacker, UW wound up with only five skaters for roughly ten seconds after Nela Lopušanová went off the ice and nobody else came off the bench.

With its short bench, perhaps the Badgers were facing some mental fatigue along with physical fatigue as time wound down on their sixth period of the weekend against another one of college hockey’s premier programs. Wisconsin carried a lead into the third period on Friday and was tied at the end of two period on Saturday, but Ohio State was simply the better team through 60 minutes in both games.

OSU outshot UW by a combined total of 36-9 across third periods this weekend.

Rare winless WCHA start

The pair of losses put Wisconsin in unfamiliar territory. The most-remarkable graduating class in program history led the Badgers to just five combined losses over the last two seasons combined. Much like UW was shorthanded this weekend due to national team commitments, two of those five losses came during the 2026 Winter Olympics when Wisconsin was without a handful of its best players.

The Badgers have not taken consecutive losses since December 2023, when UW lost to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs to close one weekend and dropped the following weekend’s series opener to the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The last time any opponent had swept UW before this weekend was just before that Duluth series in November 2023. Ohio State earned a two-game sweep of Wisconsin in Columbus. That season eventually concluded with the Buckeyes winning the national title with a 1-0 win over the Badgers.

This is only the third time in program history that Wisconsin women’s hockey is 0-2 in WCHA play, and only the second time since UW’s inaugural 1999-00 season. Minnesota handed Wisconsin a pair of losses to begin the Badgers’ conference slate in 2003-04.

Krissy Wendell was a sophomore on that Gophers team. Her daughter is committed to joining the Wisconsin Badgers next fall.

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Despite carrying a lead into the third period, Wisconsin women’s hockey fell at the hands of the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night. A tremendous performance in net was not enough for the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (4-1-0, 0-1-0 WCHA) as they battled to overcome injuries, absences, and penalties.

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Game 1 of this two-game series as Wisconsin opened WCHA play in Columbus, Ohio showcased an Ohio State program that remains as physically imposing as any in the sport. The Buckeyes’ approach appeared to get under the skin of the rival Badgers early, often, and throughout.

As UW resets for Game 2, its top contributors are likely trying to maximize their rest and recovery ahead of an early 2:00 p.m. CT start on Saturday after playing big minutes in the series opener.

Kelly Gorbatenko dresses, but does not play

Badgers forward Kelly Gorbatenko exited Wisconsin’s series finale against the Boston University Terriers last week with an apparent left arm/wrist injury after blocking a shot and did not return to play. The captain did return to the bench to provide much-lauded moral support to her teammates and she seemed to play that same role in Columbus on Friday night.

With the Badgers already missing defenders Ava Murphy and Emma Venusio and forward Rosalie Tremblay at Hockey Canada training camp, Gorbatenko slid down the line chart. Usually lining up at left wing on Wisconsin’s top group, the Chicago Mission product was penciled in, at least theoretically, as UW’s fourth-line center.

In reality, Badgers head coach Mark Johnson rolled through his top three lines of forwards and his top two defensive pairings. Union College transfer Lauren Johnson was an occasional presence on the blue line, but the fourth forward line and defender Shayla Beaudette remained on the bench for all sixty minutes of play.

Sophomore Mackenzie Jones made her season debut after missing Wisconsin’s first four games.

Ava McNaughton keeps Wisconsin women’s hockey afloat

As a consequence of Wisconsin’s missing personnel, the Badgers often struggled to break out of their defensive zone, turn defense into offense in transition, and generate quality scoring opportunities. When the third period started, OSU seemed to have a significant endurance advantage and dominated possession.

Before the final minute, Wisconsin attempted just two shots in the third period. Ohio State, meanwhile, managed 30 shots, landing 19 of them on goal.

While Badgers shifts often consisted of long attempts to successfully break out of the defensive zone, getting a line change, and repeating, goaltender Ava McNaughton made save after save in a game Wisconsin needed the Olympian to play spectacularly to give her team a chance. Both goaltenders were perfect at 5-on-5.

McNaughton made 38 saves on the evening, tying a career-high set in the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff championship game against Ohio State. It was the fourth time in the senior’s career that she made 35 or more saves in a contest. All four of those were against the Buckeyes.

Third-period penalties prove costly

Officials blew their whistles early and often in this tense rivalry matchup. Nela Lopušanová and Jenna Raunio’s cross-checking infractions 79 seconds in were the first of 17 total penalties on the night. After Cassie Hall scored a power-play goal in the second period to put Wisconsin up 1-0, a trio of third-period penalties against the Badgers paved the way for an Ohio State victory.

As the OSU offensive pressure began to get the better of UW, Hannah Halverson put the Badgers on the penalty kill as she went to the box for slashing with 14:09 remaining. Buckeyes defender Swedish Olympian Mira Jungåker converted on the advantage with a slapshot from the point as Team USA’s Joy Dunne provided a screen, tying the game at 1-1.

Later, it was sophomore center Adéla Šapovalivová with a pair of costly penalties that helped put Ohio State on top and stymie the Wisconsin comeback bid. With just under five minutes to play, Šapovalivová put the Buckeyes back on the power play when officials assessed a roughing minor for her post-whistle shove of OSU forward Kaia Malachino in front of the Badger net.

Then, Jungåker found her Team Sweden teammate, Hilda Svensson, with loads of time and space on the faceoff dot, who beat McNaughton glove side with a back-breaking wrist shot to give Ohio State its first lead of the night.

Despite the penalties and struggle to overcome the Buckeyes pressure, Wisconsin had a late chance at a comeback. A cross-checking penalty against Sydney Sawyer gave the Badgers a power-play, an offensive zone faceoff, and (after pulling McNaughton in favor of the extra attacker) a 6-on-4 advantage with 1:03 remaining.

That two-skater advantage was ultimately cut short. OSU forward Kassidy Carmichael cleared the puck with 18 seconds remaining, officials called Šapovalivová for a high-sticking penalty well behind the play, and the ensuing faceoff in front of the UW net eliminated any chance of a last-second rush going the other way that could have tied the game.

Just as it did a season ago, Ohio State leads the country with its players serving over 11 penalty minutes per game. On Friday night, the Buckeyes successfully dragged the Badgers, typically one of the least penalized teams in the country, into the muck.

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After closing out the first portion of its non-conference schedule undefeated, the top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey team is headed on the road to open conference play to defend its position atop the polls. The Ohio State Buckeyes opened up the season at No. 2 in the national rankings, but earned the nod as the preseason favorite to win the conference in the WCHA coaches poll to win the conference.

Neither powerhouse will be at full-strength this weekend, but the programs that have combined to take the last seven national titles are back for another bout.

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The Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) travel to Columbus this weekend as Ohio State prepares for its home opener. UW has bested OSU in back-to-back national title games, but the perennial title contenders have evenly split their last four meetings: both teams have gone 2-2 in those contests, both scoring a combined nine goals.

What typically is assured to be a dramatic, high-level series however, has fallen under a bit of a cloud as national team absences and injuries will challenge both head coaches to get the best out of their available talent.

Who to watch: Cassie Hall in transition

With four games as a senior under her belt, Cassie Hall is tied for the national lead in goals (5) and points (8). The center is consistently creating offensive opportunities with her speed, tallying five of her eight points in transition, and her coaches are taking notice.

“She’s skating well. I mean, she’s skating really well,” UW head coach Mark Johnson said following his team’s 4-1 victory over the Boston University Terriers. “And you know, she scored a couple nice goals last weekend, but, you know, she’s doing some things that, you know, we’ve asked her to do and she’s executing on them. Where she’s cutting into the, you know, the offensive zone around a defenseman and taking it into the blue paint and creating opportunities with that.”

The South Lyon, Michigan has been creating goals in exactly the fashion Johnson described with regularity. Whether it is a power-play assist by taking the puck coast to coast or getting the puck midway through the neutral zone and just tucking it past a goaltender (twice!), Hall is seemingly executing exactly in ways the Wisconsin Badgers staff believes she can.

Equally impressive to Hall’s speed, is her awareness when the skating skill is not enough to get behind a defense. First, see this goal scored in transition thanks to an excellently-placed shot to the far side of the net.

And later on opening night, Hall tallied an assist by completely redirecting a play at the bottom of the faceoff circle and feeding Kelly Gorbatenko in front of the net.

Whether or not Hall can replicate this early-season success against a team in Ohio State that is more equipped to match Wisconsin’s speed is yet to be determined. If UW does manage to return to Madison with WCHA points in its pocket, Hall will have to play an active role in creating and facilitating offensive opportunities, especially with Kelly Gorbatenko’s uncertain injury status.

What to watch: Wisconsin hockey vs. Ohio State forecheck

Under head coach Nadine Muzerall, the Ohio State women’s hockey team has developed a reputation for its unrelenting forecheck. Throughout the past handful of years as UW and OSU have battled for supremacy, the Buckeyes have often caused the Badger breakout fits.

With that challenge on the horizon, Wisconsin heads to Columbus missing a few pieces of its new-look blue line.

Life without former Badgers defenders Caroline Harvey and Vivianne Jungels in the WCHA begins in earnest this weekend, meanwhile, Hockey Canada is leaving the Badgers down two of its top four defenders still on the roster.

Ava Murphy and Emma Venusio both received invitations to Canada’s development camp ahead of next month’s IIHF Women’s World Championship. Mackenzie Jones has yet to make her sophomore debut and was wearing a boot on her right foot while sitting in the stands during Wisconsin’s win inside LaBahn Arena on Friday.

If Jones does not play this weekend, Laney Potter will be the lone defender with more than four games of experience in a Badgers jersey in the lineup as Wisconsin faces perhaps the most uniquely challenging opponent in the sport.

UW rookie forward Rosalie Tremblay, and OSU forwards Jocelyn Amos and Hayley McDonald will also be out of the lineup to attend Canada’s development camp. Amos was the Buckeyes’ second-leading scorer a season ago with 27 goals and 25 assists.

Why to watch: It’s still No. 1 vs No. 2!

Just as it was last time, and the 16 times before that, when Wisconsin and Ohio State share the ice this weekend, they will do so as the top-ranked teams in the country. Regardless of who is in and who is out, if the game is played indoors or outdoors, the game counts just the same in the conference standings and NPI.

There will still be tremendous players on both sides. Badgers goaltender Ava McNaughton and Buckeyes single-season scoring record holder Joy Dunne won Olympic gold earlier this year for Team USA and will likely join forces again for the US at the World Championships. Ohio State has started all three of its goaltenders on its roster this season as Muzerall tries to determine what life after Hailey MacLeod looks like while Wisconsin rookie Nela Lopušanová is living up to sky-high expectations.

When these teams meet next, in the final weekend of the regular season. The line charts might be unrecognizable, but the conference points earned this weekend in October will almost certainly play a significant role in the race for the Julianne Bye Cup in February.

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Early in the second period of an eventual 4-1 victory over the Boston University Terriers on Friday, Wisconsin women’s hockey captain Kelly Gorbatenko suffered an injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the game. The injury could interrupt what was quickly shaping up to be a promising season for one of the Wisconsin Badgers’ most-important contributors.

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Just over five minutes into the second period, Gorbatenko blocked a shot from BU defender Peyton Blaney. After doing so, Gorbatenko appeared to be in pain, grabbing her left arm. The forward returned to the Wisconsin bench under her own power before eventually walking down the Badger tunnel with athletic trainer Stefanie Arndt.

Gorbatenko eventually returned to the bench, but did not return to play the rest of the evening. In a postgame interview, Badgers head coach Mark Johnson provided an update on Gorbatenko’s status.

Wisconsin women’s hockey: Kelly Gorbatenko injury update

By scoring 28 goals in her junior-year campaign, Gorbatenko returned to college hockey as the top returning goal scorer in the WCHA. Already at the start of her senior season, the Barrington, Illinois native had scored four goals in three games. Dating back to last season, she had tallied 10 goals in UW’s last eight contests and 14 goals in Wisconsin’s last 13, including a goal in the 2026 national title game.

This past offseason, three of Wisconsin’s top-ten all-time leading scorers exhausted their eligibility. Because of that, Gorbatenko was expected to shoulder a significant scoring load.

On Friday evening, Johnson seemed unsure whether Gorbatenko would have the opporrunity to continue that hot streak.

“She’ll get examined Sunday, and we’ll see that, but yeah, didn’t need that,” he remarked.

The Chicago Mission product appeared to be grabbing at her left wrist when she returned to the bench. That could prove significant as Gorbatenko previously broke her left wrist in high school.

Although she could not play during the remainder of the game on Friday, Gorbatenko returned to the bench to cheer on her teammates.

“She wasn’t going to play, but she’s that type of leader,” Johnson said. “You know, wanted to be around her teammates. Kept encouraging them, and so that that says a lot about who she is.”

Gorbatenko’s continued presence left an impression on her teammates, including linemate Cassie Hall.

“It just shows what such how such a good captain she is,” said Hall. “Just wanting to be out there, cheer us on, and I mean, it’s the little things. She’s cheering every block shot, every dump into the zone. I mean, it’s huge having her on the bench, and her wanting to be out there is just it says everything about her and just the person she is.”

Kelly Gorbatenko injury could leave Wisconsin Badgers significantly shorthanded

Next weekend, top-ranked Wisconsin women’s hockey faces a significant challenge as it travels to face the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. UW and OSU have met in each of the past four national championship games. If Gorbatenko is unable to play, she will join a growing list of players unavailable during the two-game series for the Badgers.

Ahead of the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championships in November, Hockey Canada will host its national team selection camp in Quebec City next week. Hockey Canada invited three current Badgers to the camp: rookie forward Rosalie Tremblay, senior defender Ava Murphy, and junior defender Emma Venusio.

Additionally, UW defender Mackenzie Jones’ status remains uncertain. The sophomore has yet to suit up for a game this season. She skated during Wisconsin’s championship banner raising ceremony on Thursday, but was seen wearing a boot on her left foot inside LaBahn Arena on Friday.

Ohio State forwards Jocelyn Amos and Hayley McDonald also received Hockey Canada camp invites.

In addition to playing on Wisconsin’s top forward line, Gorbatenko plays on UW’s top power-play unit and is a regular penalty killer. On Friday, junior winger Finley McCarthy slotted into Gorbatenko’s spot on UW’s top forward line in the third period, impressing her coach and teammates as Johnson lauded her forecheck.

“She was she was great for us,” Hall added. “She’s always hard on the puck, a really good F1. She can dig the puck out of the corner, so it’s nice to have her on our line. I mean, I’ve never really played with her, but the for the third period, it was fun. I mean, she was great to play with.”

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Seven first-period penalty minutes, a game in which Wisconsin women’s hockey did not have a lead until the latter half of the third period, and an injury to their captain to boot could have ended much worse for the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA), but they persevered for a 4-1 victory and a series sweep of the Boston University Terriers.

“I mean, it’s, you know, early in the process, and so you know a bunch of things are coming at us early on, and how do you respond?,” Johnson said of his team’s come-from-behind victory on Friday. “And so everything’s been really positive in that aspect. You know, I like the way we played for most of the game today, and you know just found a way to to get a goal.”

As Johnson continues the early-season push to discover what his new-look team featuring nine newcomers to UW can be, he got a new critical data point when his team entered the third period in a tie game.

“It comes down to a 20 minute game, third you know, fourth game of the season, and what what are you made of?” he remarked.

Badgers spend much of first period on PK

Johnson got an extended look at one of his special teams units during the first period, but likely not the one he would have preferred. The Badgers successfully killed a minor slashing penalty committed by winger Finley McCarthy early in the second period, but a boarding major that sent rookie Haley Box to the sin bin cost UW the first goal of the game.

“When you take seven minutes in penalties. It gets you out the out of rhythm real quick,” Johnson noted.

For a moment, it appeared Wisconsin would escape unscathed. With 15 seconds remaining on the infraction, defender Ava Murphy put a shot on the BU net, leaving the puck deep in the Terriers’ zone. As BU’s Eden Bergman turned up ice with the puck, however, Murphy and UW center Cassie Hall skated into one another, preventing either Badger from getting back on defense to slow a 2-on-1 rush the other way.

“We just got overzealous as Murphy went in, and you know looked at the offensive opportunity, said Johnson.” “And you know they popped out.”

Bergman passed the puck to fellow Terrier Lo LaChapelle in the neutral zone, Murphy attempted to disrupt LaChapelle’s possession of the puck by attempting a stick check from behind. LaChapelle managed to keep the puck on her stick, shed off Murphy, and scored on a flat-angle shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle.

“The girl made a nice shot,” Johnson added.

Four Badgers making their debut inside LaBahn Arena this weekend featured as part of the major penalty kill, giving Johnson an opportunity early in the season to test his young roster.

Wisconsin women’s hockey captain injured

Wisconsin eventually knotted the game at 1-1 with a power-play goal of their own when Maggie Scannell’s pass gave Hall a wide-open look at the net with 10:26 remaining in the second period. Earlier in the middle frame, however, the Badgers lost their captain to an apparent injury.

5:19 into the second period, Kelly Gorbatenko blocked a shot from the point by Terriers defender Peyton Blaney. After preventing the puck from reaching goaltender Ava McNaughton, Gorbatenko appeared to grab her left arm. The senior then skated to the bench before heading down the Badgers tunnel with athletic trainer Stefanie Arndt.

Arndt initially returned to the bench without Gorbatenko, but the Chicago Mission product eventually came vato sit on the UW bench for the remaining handful of minutes to end the period. She also skated onto the ice after the period ended to meet McNaughton.

Johnson said Gorbatenko “will get examined Sunday and we’ll see that, but, yeah. Didn’t need that.”

Gorbatenko previously broke her left wrist when she was 14-years-old. She entered Saturday’s contest as the team’s leading goal-scorer with four and tied for a team-high six points. After scoring 28 goals a season ago as a junior, Gorbatenko is the WCHA’s top returning goal-scorer.

‘Funny goal’ gives Badgers the win

After forty minutes of up-and-down play, Wisconsin ramped up the offensive pressure in the third period. Over the first eleven minutes of the final frame, UW attempted 20 shots to BU’s four. After ten saves to open the frame by Terriers goaltender Sydney Fogu, it seemed the Badgers might have been bested by a netminder having a day to remember.

But, an odd bounce in front of the BU crease turned out to be just the luck Wisconsin needed to get the third-period scoring started. During an extended offensive zone possession, Murphy fired a slapshot from the point that hit off Scannell. Hall coralled the puck in the right corner, sending it to the front of the net where it deflected off the stick of a BU defender and into the net.

“In between the second and third period, we kind of settled down, played as a team,” Hall said of her team’s performance.

With a bevvy of scoring opportunities, it took an awkward bounce to get a puck through. Johnson looked at that fact as a learning opportunity for his team. No matter how many chances his team generates, sometimes it will not be enough.

“Some nights, you know, there’s nights that you do get that bounce, and you get a funny goal to maybe win a game or to get a lead,” the winningest coach in the history of women’s college hockey noted. “But there’s other nights where it doesn’t happen.”

Later in the third period, Wisconsin added a goal off the faceoff by Nela Lopušanová for her third of the weekend and continuing her line’s dominance before Laney Potter scored an empty-netter to deliver the final 4-1 result.

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Ahead of the Wisconsin women’s hockey home opener against the Boston University Terriers, the Wisconsin Badgers raised another national championship banner to the rafters. Commemorating the 2026 NCAA national championship-winning team one final time, head coach Mark Johnson added a twist for their ninth banner-raising celebration, and he has big plans if Wisconsin raises a tenth.

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A handful of alumnae from UW’s 2025-26 squad returned to LaBahn Arena for the ceremony. Appleton, Wisconsin native McKayla Zilisch, first-round PWHL draft pick Vivian Jungels, Minnesota native Claire Enright, and former alternate captain Marianne Picard were in attendance. Bella Vasseur, who medically retired in the offseason, joined as well.

Current members of Wisconsin’s leadership group led by captain Kelly Gorbatenko and alternates Maggie Scannell, Laney Potter, and Ava McNaughton, carried the banner from the far end of the ice to the opposite blue line where the banner was raised.

In past years when the Badgers have celebrated adding another national championship banner, they have unfurled a banner from the rafters and dropped it below. This year, physically raising it in front of the fans was a special request from Johnson himself, and he has more dreams he would like to see realized.

“The next step is—knock on wood, never know if we’re going to win another one, but if we happen to—get the lights off. Get the spotlight as it goes up,” the winningest coach in the history of women’s college hockey remarked. “We’ve been spoiled around here; we’ve got nine of them. So, it’s like you try to make each one special because they’re hard to do, hard to get.”

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The emotions of a national championship banner raising ceremony are never predictable. Although Wisconsin women’s hockey is used to the routine, now having captured an NCAA-record nine national titles, even Wisconsin Badgers head coach Mark Johnson admits he was “not sure” what he was going to get on Thursday night against the Boston University Terriers.

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“A lot of festivities, a lot of distraction, things like that,” Johnson said after his team’s 7-0 win. “And, overall, you know, again, it’s early in the season, so there’s some things that you like and things that we need to work on.”

Johnson’s maligned “distractions” may have contributed to an imperfect first period, but No. 1 Wisconsin (3-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) gathered itself for its second shutout victory of the season.

“It’s just a learning opportunity for everybody,” Johnson said of the performance. “You know, we get to show some video tomorrow and then see what we look like again tomorrow afternoon and keep moving forward.”

Wisconsin women’s hockey overcomes slow start

The Badgers, known year-over-year for their speed for their ability to quickly exit their defensive zone and turn up ice, struggled to do so when early on Thursday. That, along with some extended defensive zone time after an icing call against Wisconsin, left shots on goal knotted at three a piece as UW and BU entered the first media break midway through the first period.

Then, Wisconsin appeared to flip a switch, outshooting Boston University 10-1 the remainder of the period, and entering the first intermission with a 1-0 lead thanks to a one-time goal by sophomore Finley McCarthy.

In that media break Johnson emphasized his team’s need to eliminate neutral zone turnovers and beating the Terriers forecheck. Until that point, the Badgers had struggled to cleanly enter the offensive zone.

“After that, I think it settled down a little bit,” Johnson said. “And then we started to manage the puck a little bit better, especially through the neutral zone. And again, you know, the early part of the second period, then we started to do a lot of positive things.”

Nela Lopušanová shines in long-awaited debut

It was just over two years from Nela Lopušanová’s commitment to the Badgers to her debut wearing the Cardinal and Red inside LaBahn Arena. The heralded prospect made it worth the wait.

A backhand assist on a goal by Lopušanová’s linemate Maggie Scannell was prologue to her pair of goals that followed. The Slovak national team standout tallied her first-career goal in the second period on a one-timer assisted by Scannell. In the third period, Lopušanová showcased her wrist shot, sniping the top corner and the final goal of the night.

“You go back last year, or the previous year and, you can pick out videos of things that she’s able to do and sometimes you just sort of shake your head beacause your comments are like—you know, most kids aren’t able to do those things,” Johnson said.

The talented forward who burst onto the scene at 14-years-old by scoring a “Michigan goal” at the Under-18 World Championships impressed with her patience by taking advantage of a significant amount of time and space in front of the net. Before shooting, Lopušanová gathered the puck to ensure she would hit her mark. It was a veteran-like move that even left Johnson impressed.

“She’ll pull you out of your seats, so keep an eye on her out there,” the winningest coach in the history of women’s collegiate hockey remarked.

3 stars of the game

Third Star: Maggie Scannell

The alternate captain tallied a goal and two assists as her standout line continued to shine.

Second star: Hannah Halverson

The junior forward set a new career-high with three assists and tied her career-high three points.

First star: Nela Lopušanová

The 5-foot-8 winger was the game’s only multi-goal scorer.

This story has been updated to correct the final score.

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For the first time since advancing to the 2026 Women’s Frozen Four, Wisconsin women’s hockey plays games this weekend inside LaBahn Arena. A Thursday evening national championship banner raising ceremony will officially close the books on UW’s most-dominant class in program history. Then, it will be time for Wisconsin to acquaint itself with the Boston University Terriers (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East).

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The Terriers open their season in Madison after having an exhibition matchup with the Long Island University Sharks canceled due to inclement weather last weekend. The No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) look to win their 14th-straight home opener.

To extend that streak, Wisconsin will have to manage the emotions of a banner raising ceremony, and continue to lean on young talent throughout its new-look roster that features 11 players who have yet to play a game inside LaBahn.

Who to watch: Wisconsin women’s hockey forward Charlotte Pieckenhagen

As a rookie, Charlotte Pieckenhagen scored her first-career goal in her collegiate debut. Now a sophomore, Pieckenhagen flashed again in UW’s season opener, tallying a career-high four points, including a career-high three assists while playing alongside captain Kelly Gorbatenko and center Cassie Hall atop the line chart.

“Charlotte took a big jump for us,” Badgers Associate Head Coach Dan Koch said on Tuesday. “You know, she was a top-nine forward last year, but then, you know, got pushed up to playing with Cassie and Kelly and took advantage of that opportunity.”

Pieckenhagen spent most of her first season playing on Wisconsin’s third line, racking up five goals and nine assists while appearing in 40 of UW’s 41 games. It was during the eight games in which Wisconsin was without its Olympians that Pieckenhagen proved she could be a reliable contributor. During that stretch she contributed six points on for the Badger ‘B-Squad,’ including a run of five points in three games.

After a summer of putting in the work, the 5-foot-10 winger looks primed for more.

“She stuck around all summer; she did a lot of work with Paul [Valukas] our strength coach,” Koch said of the Ontario native. “She’s a very driven individual that has aspiration, you know, higher aspirations.”

Pieckenhagen attended the Hockey Canada National Women’s Development Team camp this summer, but, after not making the final roster for the 2026 Collegiate Select Series against Team USA, Koch said Pieckenhagen “probably came away not as happy as she wanted to be” from the camp.

“But she got some good feedback,” Koch added. “And she took that feedback and criticism and worked on it for the last three weeks prior to coming in in August, at the end of August, and it paid off for her.”

What to Watch: The Badgers’ new third line

The trio of talented forwards listed third on Wisconsin’s line chart on last weekend actually earned a spot in UW’s starting lineup on Saturday. No matter where they are listed, forwards Maggie Scannell, Adéla Šapovalivová, and Nela Lopušanová, burst with offensive potential. In last Friday’s contest, maybe they let that energy get the best of them and failed to get on the score sheet.

“I thought, you know, Friday they started out a little slow, honestly, and then they started you know to connect a few passes,” Koch said. “I thought they were maybe trying to be a little bit too creative and use a lot of skill, and sometimes you just got to get pucks on the net. You got to you got to go to those dirty areas.”

Crashing the net and getting “to those dirty areas” helped Scannell score a pair rebound goals on Saturday when she followed up on shots by Šapovalivová. Lopušanová earned her first collegiate points by also assisting on both goals.

“Obviously, they all bring some special skill level,” Koch said of the group. “There’s their puck protection, their release, their passing and vision. And you know, I think they left the game on Friday knowing that they could do better and and they wanted to you know get on the score sheet and they were hungry and you saw them on Saturday just really simplify things.”

Based on that “special skill level,” this line listed third on the chart could become a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. Scannell captained the Team USA squad that captured a U-18 World Championship in 2024 and she served as captain during the 2026 Collegiate Select series. Šapovalivová competed for the Czech Olympic team in February, and Lopušanová led the Slovak national team in scoring at the 2026 IIHF Division IA Women’s World Championship in April.

Scannell has turned to the language learning app Duolingo for Czech lessons in order to better communicate with her teammates, but hockey is turning out to be something of a universal language with her linemates.

“They’re both such amazing players,” Scannell said of Šapovalivová and Lopušanová. “And it’s just incredible to be able to have like-minded individuals out there where I know exactly where they’re going to be, even though we’re from such different areas of the world. So it’s just so incredible.”

Why to watch: One final send-off for the 2026 champs

Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:40 p.m. for Thursday’s home-opener as Wisconsin raises its record ninth national championship banner to the rafters. The first 1,000 fans in the building will receive a miniature replica of the banner.

Scannell and Gorbatenko said that, for players returning from last year’s championship-winning team, it will be a moment to soak in memories, see alumni, and celebrate with fans.

“We wouldn’t be here without them,” Scannell said of the Badger faithful. “So I think that being able to experience that and just, you know, be able to look around and soak it all in with them, I’m just so excited.”

For the 11 newcomers to the Wisconsin women’s hockey roster, the banner raising is a moment players get to witness firsthand what it would be like to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

“We have a sign in our locker room that, you know, says, ‘leave a lasting legacy,’” Koch noted. “So I think that gives them the first kind of inspiration to doing that, seeing that banner drop. Even though they weren’t a part of that team, they want to continue that success, our tradition.”

So get to LaBahn early and give one last nod to the ninth title, before the Badgers go to battle for the tenth.

“I’m excited to just kind of you know remember that moment and raise the banner,” Gorbatenko said. “But then you know we got to turn the page and focus on this year after that.”

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A pair of road wins over the St. Lawrence Saints to open the Wisconsin women’s hockey season had their fair share of drama. Eleven players making their Wisconsin Badgers (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) game-day debut, an early 0-2 deficit, and an injury that sidelined UW’s standout starting goaltender.

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In the second period of a game knotted at two goals apiece, Ava McNaughton suffered an apparent lower-body injury in Friday’s season-opener. She fell to the ice after a collision with Saints forward Barbora Jurícková. McNaughton appeared to reach toward her right leg as she laid on the ice for roughly two minutes before being helped to the bench by an athletic trainer.

The Olympian did not return to the ice on Friday and did not dress for Saturday’s series finale. On Tuesday, Associate Head Coach Dan Koch provided an update on McNaughton’s status.

Wisconsin women’s hockey goaltender Ava McNaughton injury status

McNaughton appeared to fully participate in a practice open to the media on Tuesday morning. Afterwards, Koch said his team’s starter “has been out there in practice all week.”

“Ava’s doing great. Ava wanted to play on Saturday,” he added. “You know, whenever you tweak something, you never know the severity of it. I think. There’s a little bit of shock that happens, but once she was able to wake up the next morning, not have any swelling and seem to have some more movement.”

The positive news for McNaughton should put Badgers fans, who are used to seeing the 6-foot senior mind UW’s net. McNaughton missed eight games at Wisconsin last season to compete with Team USA at the Winter Olympic Games. Before that break, she had started 70 of the Badgers’ previous 73 contests dating back to her rookie season.

Koch mentioned the two-time national champion’s competitiveness and that the strength in the area area McNaughton injured “wasn’t quite at 100%, but she felt like she could have gone on Saturday if we needed her.”

Wisconsin Badgers coach says Rhyah Stewart will ‘have more opportunities’

Giving a look behind the curtain into the minds of the Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff, Koch noted his team was prepared to give the start in net on Saturday to backup goaltender Rhyah Stewart regardless of McNaughton’s status.

“Going into the weekend, we thought we would give her the Saturday night start,” Koch said of his team’s plan for the sophomore. “You know, we don’t usually decide that until after we see how Friday goes, but that was kind of our plan.”

Regardless of the plan for Saturday, Stewart went into Friday night’s game off the bench and stopped all 11 shots she faced en route to a 6-2 victory.

“She got thrown into the fire a little bit quicker than we had hoped,” said Koch. “And she really came in and made some quality saves without being warm early in that match.”

She followed-up on Saturday making another 15 saves in a 6-0 victory and notching her first-career shutout.

“There were spurts where we broke down defensively, and she again came up with some really good saves,” Koch said of his team’s performance in the series finale. “Really happy that she got her first career shutout, and that’s just a testament to her and her working in the off season.”

The Antigonish, Novia Scotia native started nine games as a rookie, including all eight games McNaughton was away from the Badgers during the Olympics. Stewart posted posted a .924 save percentage with a 1.79 goals against average in her first collegiate season, amassing a 7-2 record in her nine starts and helping UW capture the WCHA regular-season title. The two losses came in series openers at the hands of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

That stretch gave Wisconsin’s coaching staff a lot of confidence in Stewart, and Koch says they “definitely want to get her in more games this year. She’s going to have more opportunities.”

UW appears likely to turn to Stewart for a pair of games against the St. Thomas Tommies on November 14th and 15th. Assuming McNaughton is again invited to compete with Team USA, she will likely miss that WCHA conference series as it takes place during the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Denmark. The tournament’s semifinal and medal-round games are scheduled for November 15th and 16th.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.