MADISON, Wis. – The No. 6 Wisconsin women's hockey team opens NCAA tournament action on Thursday with a battle against Long Island University in the regional semifinal round of the 2023 NCAA Women's Hockey Championship. 

Puck drop at the Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, New York, is set for 5 p.m. CT. The game will be available through ESPN+ for U.S. viewers and through the Patriot League website for international viewers. Fans can also listen to the game on 1310 WIBA as Reid Magnum will be on the call. Fans can order tickets through Colgate by phone (315-228-4062) or by stopping into the Reid Athletic Center ticket office between 9-4 p.m. EST. Remaining tickets will be available on gameday starting one hour prior to puck drop. 

The winner of UW/LIU will face Colgate in the Hamilton Regional Final on Saturday in a 2 p.m. CT contest at the Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, New York. The winner of the regional championship advances to the 2023 NCAA Women's Frozen Four next weekend in Duluth, Minn. 

1. AGAINST LIU: Wisconsin and Long Island have a short history of two games, only having met during LIU's inaugural season on Oct. 18-19, 2019. The Badgers swept the Sharks, blitzing them 10-2 and 12-0 in an exciting weekend of firsts. Nineteen different skaters found the scoresheet during the sweep, including Sophie Shirley who posted her first collegiate hat trick, and Chayla Edwards and Grace Shirley who recorded their first goals as Badgers in the outing. Cami Kronish earned her first collegiate action, playing the final two periods for UW in the first game of the series. 

2. IN THE DANCE: The Badgers will make their 17th appearance in the NCAA tournament on Thursday, which ranks second in the NCAA. UW also punched its ticket to the NCAA tournament for the 10th-straight season, the longest active streak in the country. 

3. A BADGER ON THE OTHER BENCH: The Badgers will see a familiar face on the LIU bench as the Sharks are led by former Badger Kelly Nash, who's in her first year at the helm of the program. A native of Bonita, California, Nash recorded 69 points during her four years with the Cardinal and White and was a part of the 2009 and 2011 NCAA championship teams. Nash scored one of the most memorable goals in program history, a game-winning overtime winner against Minnesota in the 2011 WCHA Final Faceoff Championship that completed an incredible comeback for UW as the Badgers overcame a 3-0 deficit and a 4-2 deficit before beating UM 5-4 to claim the program's fourth WCHA tournament title. 

4. NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: The Badgers hold a 16-1-0 record in New York, with their last trip to the Empire State coming with their visit against LIU during the 2019-20 season. The Badgers are also 2-0-0 in postseason games in New York as the Badgers won the 2007 NCAA Women's Frozen Four in Lake Placid, New York. 

5. THE TOURNAMENT FIELD: This marks the second year that the NCAA tournament has 11 teams as Badgers are one of four WCHA teams in this year's championship. Top seed Ohio State earned a bye and will face the winner of Quinnipiac/Penn State on Saturday, while Minnesota will face the victor of Minnesota Duluth/Clarkson on Saturday. The winner of UW/LIU will face Colgate on Saturday while Yale hosts Northeastern in a quarterfinal game on Saturday.