Wisconsin men's hockey survives, advances to national title game
The Wisconsin Badgers will play for all the marbles after beating their old WCHA foe in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever
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.
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.
“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 fourth-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 top-ten unit. “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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