BUY EXHIBITION TICKETS
MADISON, Wis. – Following an season-opening road series sweep last weekend, the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team welcomes the U.S. National Team Development Program's (US NTDP) Under-18 Team to the Kohl Center for an exhibition game on Thursday, Oct. 9.
The game starts at 7 p.m. and streams on B1G+.
Here are six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || U.S. Under-18 Team
1 - RED, WHITE AND BLUE BADGERS: All-time, 44 Badgers are products of the U.S. Under-18 Team, including two current defensemen: sophomore Logan Hensler (USA years: 2022-24) and junior Zach Schulz (2021-23).
Wisconsin boasts a 6-5-0 record against the U.S. Under-18 Team, last skating against them on March 2, 2025, in Madison. Its last victory against the NTDP came on Jan. 1, 2020, when the Badgers won, 3-2, at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
"At the end of the day, our season started," said Head Coach
Mike Hastings on having an exhibition game early in the season. "So, it's a little different when you have this game at this time of the year compared to when we've had it before. For us, we're focusing on trying to make sure we're continuing to get better after last weekend."
2 - HATS OFF TO FITZY: Senior forward
Christian Fitzgerald tallied his first career collegiate hat trick on Saturday at Lindenwood, UW's first since junior forward
Quinn Finley had three against Lindenwood on Jan. 12, 2024.
He scored two power-play goals in the first period before completing the hat trick early in the second frame to total a career-high four goals and five points on the weekend.
"It's great to see him get off to the start he did," Coach Hastings said. "I just thought his overall composite weekend from start to finish was pretty complete."
Fitzgerald's impressive weekend earned him his second career Big Ten Star of the Week nod, earning the conference's third star after a four-goal and five-point weekend.
3 - SERIES OF FIRSTS: It was also a weekend of milestones for Wisconsin's newcomers, with many of them tallying their first goal and assist(s) as a Badger.
On Friday, freshman goaltender
Daniel Hauser had a perfect performance in net, making 22 saves in UW's 3-0 season-opening victory. He became the first Badger since
William Gramme and the sixth UW goaltender all-time to post a shutout in his collegiate debut. Gramme's shutout came on Nov. 25, 2023, when he posted 25 saves in a 5-0 win over Alaska Anchorage. Jack Berry (2016), Bernd Bruckler (2001), Jim Carey (1992) and Wayne Thomas (1968) are the other Badgers who accomplished the feat.
"Daniel is the first guy that will say thanks to the rest of the crew, but he made some saves he shouldn't – we need that," Coach Hastings said.
Freshman forward
Oliver Tulk notched his first Badger assist in the first period, before adding another in the third frame and a third on Saturday to total three points on the weekend.
In the second period, freshman forward
Grady Deering notched his first collegiate goal, with senior defenseman and transfer
Aiden Dubinsky also earning his first point as a Badger with an assist on the goal.
On Saturday, two freshmen – defenseman
Luke Osburn and forward
Finn Brink – also tallied their first collegiate goals. Osburn's goal came in the first period, before he added an assist on Brink's third-period power-play goal to notch his first-career multi-point night.
Finally, freshman forward
Vasily Zelenov recorded his first collegiate point with an assist on senior forward
Simon Tassy's goal in the third period.
4 - LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin enters the exhibition game after earning 3-0 and 7-2 victories at Lindenwood to open its season on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3-4.
In game one, a perfect 22-save performance from Hauser helped the Badgers shut down the Lions, 3-0. Wisconsin opened the scoring 9:27 into the first period when Fitzgerald found the back of the net on the power play. Deering extended UW's lead 17:12 into period two, before sophomore forward
Ryan Botterill sealed the win with an empty-net goal 19:46 into the third frame.
In game two, UW won, 7-2, to come home with a sweep. Wisconsin got on the board first, 5:23 into period one, when Fitzgerald scored his first goal of the evening on the power play. UW added two more goals in the first period from Osburn and another Fitzgerald power-play goal to skate into the second with a 3-0 lead. Lindenwood scored its first goal of the series at 4:16 of the second period on the power play, before Fitzgerald completed his hat trick 8:22 into the middle frame. The Lions struck again at 17:32 of the second period during a five-on-three power play to make it a 4-2 game heading into the third. The Badgers scored three more times in the third period, including a power-play goal from Finley, a goal from senior forward
Simon Tassy and a power-play goal from Brink to earn the 7-2 victory.
5 - SCOUTING TEAM USA: The U.S. Under-18 Team has a 0-2-0 record against NCAA Division I teams this year, most recently falling, 7-0, after paying the defending national champions, Western Michigan, a visit in Kalamazoo. The squad also fell to Notre Dame last Friday.
Forward Victor Plante leads the roster in goals and points with three and seven, respectively, in eight games played. Goaltender Brady Knowling has one win in four games played, accumulating a .879 save percentage and 3.44 goals-allowed on average.
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is set for 7 p.m., and the game will 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.
OVERTIME: Secure your tickets to the Badgers' home opener on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16 and 17, against Minnesota State Mankato at the Kohl Center! Both games will start at 7 p.m.
