PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Wisconsin men's hockey team is off to the NCAA tournament! The Badgers will face defending national champion Quinnipiac in the regional semifinals on Friday, March 29, at 4:30 p.m. CT at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The game airs on ESPNEWS.
Here's six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Wisconsin || Quinnipiac || Michigan Tech || Boston College
1 - LET'S DANCE: The Badgers are making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021 and officially their 27th all-time. They secured the No. 2 regional seed and No. 8 overall seed after racking up a 26-11-2 record.
No. 2-seed Wisconsin will face No. 3-seed Quinnipiac in the second of two regional semifinal match-ups in Providence on Friday. The first semifinal game will feature overall top-seed Boston College taking on No. 4-seed Michigan Tech at 1 p.m. CT.
The winner of each game will meet in the regional final on Sunday, March 31, at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
2 - FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS: Overall, the Badgers are 37-23-2 in NCAA Tournament play and have won six national championships.
This marks the first time Wisconsin will face Quinnipiac in the NCAA tournament and the first meeting between the teams since 2003. The Badgers swept the Bobcats in the only two meetings between the two schools no Oct. 24-25, 2003, at the Kohl Center. The Badgers won Game One, 2-1, in overtime and Game Two, 4-1.
If Wisconsin moves on to the regional finals, it'll face a familiar NCAA tournament opponent.
The Badgers played Michigan Tech in the consolation game of the 1970 NCAA Tournament in Lake Placid, New York. Wisconsin won, 6-5, to claim a third-place tournament finish. All-time, UW is 103-52-10 against Michigan Tech, most recently facing the Huskies earlier this season on Oct. 20-21, 2024. The Badgers swept then-No. 17 MTU on the road, winning game one, 4-2, and game two, 5-2, for its first ranked sweep of the season. UW's 103 victories against Michigan Tech are its second-most wins against any school (Colorado College - 112).
Wisconsin has faced Boston College four times in the NCAA tournament, most recently losing, 5-0, to the Eagles in the 2010 national championship game. Before that, the Badgers won the 2006 national championship in Milwaukee against BC with a final score of 2-1. All-time, UW is 13-16-0 against the Eagles with a 2-2-0 NCAA Tournament record. The last time BC and Wisconsin met was in Madison on October 11, 2019, when the Eagles took down the Badgers, 5-3.
3 - BRICK WALL: Senior goaltender
Kyle McClellan continues to be recognized for his spectacular season between the pipes, including a pair of major college hockey awards finalists honors.
On March 21, McClellan was announced as one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award, which is given annually by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) to the top goaltender in men's NCAA Division I hockey. The day before that, he was the lone goaltender named as one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which goes annually to college hockey's top men's hockey player.
The winner for both the Mike Richter and Hobey Baker Memorial Awards will be announced on Friday, April 12, in St. Paul, Minnesota, during the Frozen Four weekend.
McClellan was also recognized as the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, making him the first Wisconsin goalie to win the award in the Big Ten's 10-year history. He also became the first UW goaltender to be named first-team all-Big Ten and was one of three finalists for the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
Read more about the senior's awards and accomplishments
here.
4 - WORLD'S GREATEST FANS: Wisconsin men's hockey returns to Providence for its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in the city and it's been a great history for Badger fans. After the 1978 NCAA Frozen Four, the city of Providence awarded a trophy '"to the world's greatest fans" after Badger supporters took it by storm.
This year, join the official pregame fan event at Providence G Pub from 3-5:15 p.m. ET with other Badger fans and Bucky Badger and enjoy giveaways.
5 - SCOUTING THE REGIONAL: Quinnipiac heads into the tournament with a 26-9-2 record. Most recently, the Bobcats fell, 3-0, to St. Lawrence in the ECAC Hockey tournament semifinals on Friday, March 22. Junior forward and 2024 Hobey Baker top-10 finalist Collin Graf leads the roster with 22 goals and 48 points. Senior goaltender Vinny Duplessis has won 20 of 28 starts this season, accumulating a .918 save percentage and an average of 1.93 goals allowed per game. QU is the current defending national champion, defeating Minnesota, 3-2, in overtime in last year's championship game to earn its first national title in program history.
The Michigan Tech Huskies automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament after defeating Bemidji State, 2-1, to be crowned the CCHA tournament championship. The Huskies head to Providence with a 19-14-6 record. Their leading scorer is freshman forward Isaac Gordon, who has 18 goals and 36 points. Senior goaltender Blake Pietila has won 18 of 36 starts, accumulating a .920 save percentage and an average of 2.28 goals allowed per game.
No. 1 Boston College enters the NCAA Tournament with a 31-5-1 record and has both the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles under its belt. Freshman forward Will Smith leads the roster with 44 assists and 67 points, while the Eagles' top scorer is sophomore forward Cutter Gauthier, who's racked up 35 goals and 59 points. Freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler, a 2024 Mike Richter Award top-three finalist, has won 29 of 35 starts this season, accumulating a .925 save percentage and an average of 2.19 goals allowed per game.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: The Badgers will play Quinnipiac on Friday, March 29, at 4:30 p.m. CT. If Wisconsin wins, it'll play the winner of Michigan Tech vs. Boston College in the regional final on Sunday, March 31, at 3 p.m. CT. UW's regional semifinal airs on ESPNEWS, while the regional final airs on ESPN2.
Audio play-by-play for both games can be found on 1310 WIBA in the Madison area, as well as on the Badgers app and The Varsity Network App. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
