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MADISON, Wis. – After breaking for finals and the holidays, the No. 2 Wisconsin men’s hockey team is back in action at the fifth annual Kwik trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 28-29 in Milwaukee.
UW will play at 4 p.m. CT on Sunday and 7:30 p.m. CT on Monday.
Here are six fast things to know before tuning in:
Rosters: Wisconsin || Lake Superior State || Western Michigan || Boston College
1 – KWIK TRIP HOLIDAY FACE-OFF: After posting an 8-0 win over ferris State in the semifinals and a 4-3 victory over UConn in the final last year, No.2 Wisconsin heads into the 2025 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off ready to defend its tournament title for the second year in a row.
Kwik Trip @HolidayFaceoff starts Sunday
– Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) December 24, 2025
The Badgers also captured the inaugural trophy in 2021 with a shutout win over Providence, and also the 2023 title with a pair of 3-0 wins over Air Force and Northeastern, and own three of four championships.
Wisconsin faces off with Lake Superior State in its first match of the tournament on Sunday, dec. 28, at 4 p.m. A win would send UW to the championship game to face either defending NCAA champions and seventh-ranked Western Michigan or No. 12 Boston college on monday. This year’s field includes three ranked teams for the first time in tournament history.
The Badgers will play at 4 p.m. on sunday and 7:30 p.m. on Monday, no matter the first-round results.
On both days, fans are invited to a pre-game event at The New Fashioned presented by UW Credit Union. sunday’s event runs from 1-3 p.m., and fans are encouraged to come back on Monday between 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Heading to this year’s Kwik Trip@HolidayFaceoff on Dec. 28 and 29 in Milwaukee?
pregame with fellow Badger fans this year at The New fashioned, presented by @UWCreditUnion! 🍻
Badgers Head into Holiday Break with Players Competing on International Stage
Table of Contents
The Wisconsin men’s hockey team enters the holiday break with several players representing their countries and a U.S. Collegiate Selects team competing in international tournaments.
Freshmen forward William Osburn and sophomore defenseman Ben Hensler have been named to the U.S. National Junior Team for the 2026 World Junior Championship, currently underway in Sweden. This selection extends Wisconsin’s streak to 10 consecutive years with at least one Badger competing at the World Juniors and the 39th-straight event with at least one Badger competitor or staff member taking part in the tournament dating back to 1988. Osburn will become the 63rd Badger to play in the World Junior Championship. Hensler previously helped Team USA to a gold medal in the 2025 tournament.
Osburn has been a key contributor in Team USA’s pre-tournament games, recording three assists in an 8-0 win over Germany on Dec. 21 and adding an assist and an empty-net goal in a 3-1 victory over Finland on Dec. 23.
Meanwhile, junior forward Luke Finley is competing with the United States Collegiate Selects Team at the 2025 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, from dec. 26-31. This marks the first time in tournament history that a team of NCAA Division I college hockey players will participate in the event, facing off against Team Canada, IFK Helsinki, Sparta prague, Fribourg-Gottéron, and HC Davos.
Finley and the U.S. Collegiate Selects open play against Team Canada on Dec. 26 at 1:15 p.m. CT.The tournament can be streamed live here.
LAST TIME OUT: Before the break, the badgers swept Notre Dame in Indiana on Dec. 5-6,winning 7-4 and 9-2 respectively. Wisconsin currently holds a 12-2-2 record (8-2-0 Big Ten) and leads the conference with 22 points.
Wisconsin badgers Men’s Hockey Set to Compete in Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team (8-7-1) will participate in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off at Fiserv Forum in milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 28th and 29th. The tournament features a strong field, including Lake Superior State, No. 7 Western Michigan, and No. 12 Boston College. This comes after the Badgers finished 1-2 at the Catamount Cup in Burlington, Vermont, concluding with a 4-1 loss to then-No. 15 UMass in the consolation game.
Tournament Matchups and Opponent Overviews
The Badgers will begin the tournament against Lake Superior State on Sunday, December 28th, at 4 p.m. CT. Their second game on Monday, december 29th, at 7:30 p.m. CT will be against either Western Michigan or Boston College, depending on the results of the semifinal rounds.
Here’s a closer look at the potential opponents:
No. 7 Western Michigan (10-6-0): The defending NCAA champions currently hold a 10-6-0 record, with a 6-4-0 record in NCHC conference play. https://wmubroncos.com/sports/mens-hockey Junior forward William Whitelaw leads the Broncos with nine goals and is tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points, alongside junior forward Grant Slukynsky.
No. 12 Boston college (10-5-1): Boston College boasts a 10-5-1 record, with a 7-3-0 record in Hockey East conference play. https://bcathletics.com/sports/mens-hockey sophomore forward James Hagens currently leads the Eagles with 10 goals and 18 points in 16 games played.
About the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off & Host Association
The tournament is hosted by The gazelle Group, a sports marketing firm specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. https://thegazellegroup.com/ Gazelle produces a variety of nationally recognized college sports events, including the Empire classic, Legends Classic, and the College Basketball Invitational, along with the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off. while the tournament is held at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, the Badgers are not the official host institution.
How to Watch and follow the Action
Both of the Badgers’ games will be streamed live on B1G+. https://www.b1gplus.com/ Audio play-by-play coverage will be available on 1310 WIBA, and also on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network app. Fans can also follow updates on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @BadgerMHockey.https://twitter.com/BadgerMHockey
Key Takeaways:
* The Wisconsin Badgers will compete in the kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee on December 28th and 29th.
* The Badgers will first face Lake Superior State, followed by either Western Michigan or boston College.
* The tournament is hosted by The Gazelle Group and streamed on B1G+.
* Live audio will be available on 1310 WIBA and the Badgers app.
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