Wisconsin Badgers
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Quick Six: No. 8/7 Wisconsin set for rivalry series at Minnesota
January 29, 2026 | Men's Hockey
Badgers to play in first Big Ten road series since December 5-6
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 8/7 Wisconsin men's hockey team travels to Minneapolis for a rivalry series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Friday's game starts at 7 p.m. CT, while Saturday's contest begins at 6 p.m. CT. Both games stream on B1G+ and air on TVW in the Madison area.
Here are six quick things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Badgers || Gophers
1 - READY FOR OUR CLOSE UP: This weekend's games at Minnesota will be broadcast on TV! Catch the Badgers in action on TVW in the Madison area, available over the air on channel 3.2 or on Charter Spectrum Cable systems on channel 14.
The games will also stream on B1G+. Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti will be on the call.
"Our guys are excited about it," said Head Coach Mike Hastings about the series. "We've got a lot of guys from Minnesota. Any time you play them, whether it's here, there, outdoors or wherever it's at, there's going to be an intensity level that isn't equaled a lot during our season."
Renewing a rivalry this weekend against the Gophers
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 28, 2026
Games will air on TVW in the Madison area and stream on B1G+ pic.twitter.com/Y5awmCxKq8
2 - SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYERS: Wisconsin's special teams have been showing off lately, with its power play ranking fourth in the nation at 27.8 percent (25-for-90). It also shares fifth in the nation with 25 power-play goals.
UW scored two power-play goals in the series against Penn State last weekend, with both of them coming in the first period of Friday night's game on a major PSU penalty. Senior forward Tyson Dyck and freshman forward Oliver Tulk scored on the man advantage for the Badgers at 11:46 and 14:48 into the opening period, respectively.
FIRE US UP, TDIZZLE 🔥
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 24, 2026
The senior extends his point streak to five games!
🍎: Logan Hensler & Luke Osburn pic.twitter.com/7ZCE0SfO6V
Dyck is currently on a career-high six-game point streak, tallying a goal and five assists to total six points over the stretch.
"He's been as productive as a player we've had over the last eight to 10 games," said Hastings about Dyck. "He's taken advantage of the opportunity. When guys go down, roles change for different players because they get those opportunities. He's worked his way back onto the power play, he's worked his way back onto the penalty kill, and he's getting more five-on-five minutes and taking advantage of it. I think he's a smart hockey player, and I think he did a lot this summer to get himself into a position physically, so if this opportunity presented itself, he'd be prepared for it."
On the penalty kill, Wisconsin has short-handed goals in two of its last three series. Senior forward Christian Fitzgerald tallied his first career short-handed goal in Saturday's game against Penn State, which came 6:50 into the first period. Fitzgerald is also tied for fifth in the nation with seven power-play goals.
FITZMAAAAGIC 🪄
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 25, 2026
The senior (@13Fitzgerald) kicks off the scoring with a SHORTY!
🍎: Tyson Dyck pic.twitter.com/jD9LvPjRrP
Two weekends prior, in the series against Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 9-10, junior forward Quinn Finley notched his first career short-handed goal in the second period of Saturday's game. That marked UW's first short-handed goal this season since senior forward Jack Horbach notched one in the third period of the Oct. 24 game against Alaska.
3 - BE BACK SOON, KC: Wisconsin hits the road for its first Big Ten away series since Dec. 5-6, when it traveled to Notre Dame, Indiana, to face the Fighting Irish. To open the second half, UW had a six-game homestand, stretching from Jan. 9-24.
After its weekend at Minnesota, Wisconsin returns to the Kohl Center on Feb. 6-7 for a series against Notre Dame. Friday's game is Bucky-lympics themed, and there will be a gold medal giveaway while supplies last. Buy tickets here.
Last Saturday, UW welcomed 13,355 fans to the Kohl Center for its game against Penn State, its largest home crowd of the season and the second-highest attended game in college hockey this year. It is the highest attended game at any school's home rink; however, as the top game was held at an NHL arena, Boston University vs. Cornell at Madison Square Garden (17,478).Big time matchup on Feb. 6 at the Kohl Center and we're celebrating the Bucky-lympics that night too!!!
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 28, 2026
🎟️ https://t.co/AGzT4faVbV pic.twitter.com/gj0L1x7Ehg
Wisconsin also holds the fourth-largest crowd of the season when 12,114 people showed up for the Friday, Jan. 16, game against Michigan State. It's also had two other crowds of over 10,000: 10,963 on Nov. 15, a 6-5 overtime win vs. Ohio State, and 10,584 fans on Oct. 25, a 4-1 win over Alaska.
UW currently ranks second in the nation in total and average attendance, with 131,273 total fans walking through the KC doors across 14 home games. It averages 9,377 fans per game, behind North Dakota (11,525), which has also played 14 home games.
"They're phenomenal," said Hastings about the student section's attendance. "When you have other teams engaging with your student section the way that they did last weekend, they're passionate about coming and supporting the group and the motion W. That says a lot about their involvement and their appreciation. We don't always get to reach out to them to tell them how much we appreciate it, but the guys will sit up here and tell you what it means to them. I get to witness that one, on the bench, and two, most importantly, in the locker room, listening to the importance of the connection between that group and our team."
4 - LAST TIME OUT: Wisconsin enters the weekend after being swept by then-No. 8 Penn State on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24, at home.
In game one, the Badgers fell, 7-2. Wisconsin opened the game with two power-play goals, one from Tyson Dyck at 11:46 and another from Oliver Tulk at 14:48, on a Penn State major penalty. The Nittany Lions responded in the second period with two power-play goals of their own, one at 1:53 and another at 10:48 on a five-on-three advantage, before taking the lead at 12:49. Penn State scored four more goals in the third period, starting with a tally 15 seconds into the frame.
TULK SMASH 👊
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 24, 2026
The freshman nets his fifth goal of the year!
🍎: Christian Fitzgerald & Ben Dexheimer pic.twitter.com/oeY831Hlpm
In game two, UW entered the third period up 1-0, but was unable to hold onto its lead as it lost, 3-1. Wisconsin got on the board first, 6:50 into the first period, on a short-handed goal from Christian Fitzgerald. Neither team scored in the second, but Penn State tied the game 4:54 into the third, before it took a 2-1 lead at 13:08. An empty-net goal sealed the 3-1 victory for the Nittany Lions.
Live from the Kohl Center, it's Saturday night! 🎬 pic.twitter.com/RhNG92DbzC
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) January 25, 2026
5 - SCOUTING THE GOPHERS: The Gophers have an 8-16-1 record through 25 games, including a 4-10-0 record in Big Ten play to sit fifth in the conference with 14 points, eight behind Wisconsin, which owns 22 points for fourth place. Minnesota enters the weekend after being swept by No. 2 Michigan State in East Lansing, dropping game one, 3-1, and game two, 3-2.
Sophomore forward Brodie Ziemer (15g, 8a) and senior forward Brody Lamb (11g, 12a) are tied for the team lead with 23 points, with Ziemer also leading in goals with 15. Junior goaltender Luca Di Pasquo has five wins in 15 games played. Accumulating a .916 save percentage and 3.07 goals-allowed on average.
Wisconsin swept Minnesota earlier this season, on Thursday and Saturday, Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, at the Kohl Center. The then-No. 14 Badgers beat the then-No. 19/18 Gophers twice, posting 5-2 and 4-0 victories, to sweep its conference rival in Madison for the first time since Feb. 6-7, 2014.
Fun Border Battle series last week
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) November 3, 2025
Taking another look back at a home sweep over Minnesota with cinematic highlights pic.twitter.com/8yqrQhqmqs
"They're healthier," said Hastings on the difference between playing Minnesota now and in October. "Sometimes in our league, it's not who you're playing but when you're paying them. Last time they were in our building, they had some significant pieces missing. That doesn't get talked about a lot. I think they're healthier, and we're both in a position in our season that it just seems like when you're playing a rival, you can throw records out the window. I do think this is that type of weekend."
6 - HOW TO WATCH: Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT on Friday and 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. Both games stream on B1G+ and air on TVW in the Madison area. Listen to play-by-play on 1310 WIBA, as well as the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. You can also follow along on X/Twitter and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.
