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MILWAUKEE – After breaking for finals and the holidays, the Wisconsin men's hockey team is back in action at the fourth annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 28-29.
Both games start at 5 p.m. CT and stream on B1G+.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Wisconsin || Ferris State || UConn || Alaska
1 - KWIK TRIP HOLIDAY FACE-OFF: After posting back-to-back 3-0 shutouts against Air Force in the semifinals and Northeastern in the finals last year, Wisconsin heads into the 2024 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off ready to defend its tournament title.
The Badgers also captured the inaugural trophy in 2021 with a shutout win over Providence and own two of three championships.
Wisconsin faces off with Ferris State in its first match of the tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. A win would send UW to the championship game to face either UConn or Alaska on Sunday. The Badgers will play at 5 p.m. both nights no matter the first-round results.
On both days from 2-4 p.m., fans are invited to a pre-game event at Good City Brewing presented by UW Credit Union.
2 - SCARFONE STAYS HOT: Goaltender
Tommy Scarfone has continued his hot streak, picking up his second shutout of the season and making 56 total saves in Wisconsin's 4-0 win-win and 3-2 overtime loss at then-No. 8 Michigan on Dec. 13-14 in the Badgers' most recent action.
The senior was rewarded with his second-consecutive conference weekly honor, earning the Big Ten's
Third Star of the Week on Dec. 17 after earning First Star honors the week prior.
Over 13 games played this year, the Montreal, Quebec, native owns six wins, accumulating a .917 save percentage and a 2.12 goals-against average. His two shutouts are tied for the conference lead, and his save percentage and goals-against average rank fourth in the Big Ten among goaltenders who have played at least 10 games.
3 - HENSLER HEADS TO CANADA: Freshman
Logan Hensler is on the
final 25-man roster for Team USA at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa, Ontario, from Dec. 26, 2024 through Jan. 5, 2025. Hensler and USA opened the tourney on Thursday with a 10-4 victory over Germany.
The defenseman making the team extends the streak to nine consecutive years with at least one Badger competing at the World Juniors and the 38th-straight event with at least one Badger competitor or staff member taking part in the tournament dating back to 1988.
All time, 60 Badgers have played in the World Junior Championship to date. Most recently, sophomore forward
Quinn Finley helped Team USA to a gold medal in the 2024 tournament.
4 - TAKING THINGS OUTSIDE: Following the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, the Badgers return to Big Ten play on Jan. 2 at Michigan State, before skating in the Frozen Confines against the Spartans on Jan. 4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago at 8 p.m.
The Badgers are 3-0-0 in outdoor hockey games beginning with a 4-2 triumph over Ohio State at Lambeau Field on Feb. 11, 2006, in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Badgers also beat Michigan by a 3-2 score in the Camp Randall Hockey Classic on Feb. 6, 2010 and and Minnesota by the same 3-2 count over Minnesota in the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field in Chicago on Feb. 17, 2013.
Starting at 1 p.m. on Jan. 4, fans are invited to a pre-game event at Sluggers Bar, presented by UW Credit Union. There will be Wisconsin swag giveaways and food and drink available to purchase, among other activities. Fans can buy tickets to the Frozen Confines
here.
5 - LAST TIME OUT: Prior to its two-week holiday break, the Badgers split a series at then-No. 8 Michigan in Ann Arbor, recording a win and an overtime loss on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14. Through 18 games, UW has a 7-10-1 record (5-7-0 Big Ten) and is tied for second place in the conference with 19 points.
In game one of the series, UW blanked Michigan, 4-0. Wisconsin opened the scoring 8:35 into the first period when
Kyle Kukkonen redirected a
Christian Fitzgerald shot home on the power play. The Badgers extended their lead 20 seconds into the second period on a short-handed goal from
Cody Laskosky. With 2:43 left in the second period,
Ryland Mosley found the back of the net to make it 3-0. UW's special teams stayed hot as
Quinn Finley added another power-play goal with 2:04 remaining in the contest to give Wisconsin the 4-0 win. Michigan was unable to find the back of the net as Scarfone stopped 23 shots on goal to record his second shutout in three games.
In game two, the Badgers fell, 3-2, in overtime. After a silent first period, Michigan lit the lamp 7:34 into the second period to take a 1-0 lead. UM scored again with 27 seconds left in the frame to skate into the third period with a two-goal advantage. Wisconsin started its comeback 3:34 into the third period after
Jack Horbach scored his first goal of the year to cut the Wolverine's lead in half.
Gavin Morrissey tied the game at two at 8:58 in the third period to force overtime. At 1:21 of extra time, Michigan found the back of the net during 3-on-3 play to claim a 3-2 victory and the extra conference point.
6 - SCOUTING THE TOURNAMENT: Ferris State currently has a 6-10-2 record through the first half of the season, including a 4-6-0 record in CCHA play. The Bulldogs head into the tournament with wins in four of their last five games after sweeping Northern Michigan on the road, winning game one, 3-1, and game two, 2-1.
Junior forward Caiden Gault leads the roster with eight goals and 10 points in 18 games played. Graduate student goaltender Noah West has six wins in 16 starts, accumulating a .914 save percentage and 2.61 goals-against average.
UConn currently has a 7-7-1 record, including 4-6-1 in Hockey East conference play. Junior forward Ryan Tattle leads the roster with 11 points (6g, 5a) while junior forward Jake Percival ranks first with seven goals.
The Alaska Nanooks, who compete independently, have a 5-8-3 overall record. Four different skaters are tied for the roster lead with nine points, including junior forward Kyle Gaffney who ranks first with five goals.
While the tournament takes place at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the Badgers do not serve as the tournament host. The Gazelle Group is a host. It is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, Sunshine Slam, College Basketball Invitational, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Barstool Sports Invitational, Holiday Hoopfest, Jersey Jam as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Nebraska, and other institutions across the country.
OVERTIME - HOW TO WATCH: The Badgers will play Ferris State on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m., then either UConn or Alaska on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. depending on semifinal results. Both contests stream on B1G+. Audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA on Saturday and 1070 The Game on Sunday, or on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app both nights. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
