MADISON, Wis. – For the first time since October 21, Wisconsin men's hockey ranks in the USCHO.com top-20 poll as the 17th-best team in the nation, according to voters.

Following its 5-4 win and 4-4 tie against then-No. 10 Michigan last weekend, Wisconsin received 118 votes to earn the No. 17 ranking. The last time UW found itself in the rankings was the Oct. 21 poll when it was ranked No. 20 with 81 votes. 

Wisconsin is also ranked No. 18 in this week's USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll with 64 votes. 

The Badgers have gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 games, including six games against top-10 foes. UW sits 9-5-3 in their its last 16, with only one regulation loss to then-No. 1 Michigan State over that period. UW currently sits in fourth place in the Big Ten with 24 points as it fights to secure home ice in the Big Ten tournament with four conference series remaining. 

Wisconsin also ranks 16th in the PairWise Ranking, a system that attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the 16-team NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament. 

This weekend, the No. 17 Badger men's hockey team heads to Minneapolis for a series at No. 4 Minnesota on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Friday's game starts at 7 p.m., while Saturday's begins at 5 p.m. Both contests stream on B1G+. Audio play-by-play can be found on 1310 WIBA as well as on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.