MADISON, Wis. – For its first road trip of the season, Wisconsin visits No. 1 and defending NCAA champion Denver for a series at Magness Arena on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26.
Friday's game starts at 8 p.m. CT and Saturday's game starts at 7 p.m. CT. Both games stream on NCHC.tv.
Here are six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Pioneers
Game Notes: Badgers
1 - WEEKEND RECAP: Wisconsin heads into its third series of the year with a 1-3-0 record (0-2-0 Big Ten) after being swept by conference opponent Ohio State at the Kohl Center last weekend.
UW outshot the Buckeyes both nights and by a 67-43 total for the weekend.
In game one, Wisconsin fell in overtime, 2-1, and gained one point in the Big Ten standings.
The Badgers opened the scoring early in the first period on the power play, but the Buckeyes found the back of the net with 12.9 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game at one. Neither team scored again until 17 seconds remained in overtime when OSU lit the lamp to earn the extra conference point.
In game two, the Badgers lost, 2-1, in regulation. Ohio State got on the board first 21 seconds into the game before adding another tally 1:01 into the third period to make it 2-0. UW tried to generate offensive momentum in the third period, but
Quinn Finley's goal with 11:43 left in the contest was not enough for Wisconsin to force overtime.
2 - FAN FRENZY: Through its season-opening four-game homestand, Wisconsin has an average attendance of 9.377, welcoming 37,508 fans to the Kohl Center so far. UW currently ranks third in average attendance behind North Dakota (11,703) and RIT (10,566), who have played one home game each.
Wisconsin returns to the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8-9, for a border battle series against Minnesota. Friday's game starts at 7 p.m. and is Denim Night – students are encouraged to wear 'Canadien Tuxedos,' and the first 800 students in attendance will receive a customizable denim hat. Saturday's game starts at 6 p.m. and is 'White Out' themed. Attendees should wear white clothing to the game, and the first 7,000 fans in attendance will receive a Wisconsin Hockey foam glow stick and the first 1,000 students will receive Wisconsin Hockey light-up glasses.
Buy tickets here.
3 - A HISTORIC FOE: This weekend marks the first time in five years that the Badgers and Pioneers will face each other. The most recent meeting took place on Jan. 5, 2019 at the Kohl Center, a 4-3 overtime defeat for the Badgers. The teams last met in Denver on Nov. 26, 2016, a 6-5 DU victory.
UW's last victory coming in the series came on Dec. 1, 2012, in a 3-1 triumph at Magness Arena in Denver. All-time, UW leads 76-64-13 against its former WCHA Conference opponent, including a 38-30-6 record when playing in Denver.
Coincidentally, the Badgers play games at the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time in almost exactly a year. On Oct. 26-27, 2023, Wisconsin swept at then-No. 1 Minnesota, winning 5-2 and 3-2 in Minneapolis.
4 - BATTLE OF THE COACHES: This weekend's matchup marks a battle of the most successful two head coaches in current men's college hockey as UW Head Coach
Mike Hastings and Denver Head Coach David Carle rank first and second, respectively, in win percentage among active coaches. Hastings' .712 win percentage and Carle's .696 percentage are good for fourth and fifth, respectively, in the all-time NCAA head coach win percentage rankings.
The last time Hastings and Carle-coaches teams faced off was in the 2022 national championship game when Denver overcame a 1-0 third-period deficit to down Hastings-led Minnesota State, 5-1, to win its ninth title in program history.
5 - SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: No. 1 Denver (4-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) enters the weekend after sweeping No. 19 Northeastern in its home-opening series. The Pioneers won both games by a final score of 5-2.
Senior forward Jack Devine leads the team in points with nine assists, while senior forward Carter King and sophomore forward Sam Harris lead with four goals each. Senior goaltender Matt Davis has four wins in four starts, accumulating a 1.76 goals-against on average and a .916 save percentage.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. CT on Friday and 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. The games will be available to stream live on NCHC.tv while audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA in Madison on Friday and 1070 the Game on Saturday, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
