The final non-conference series before Big Ten play for the No. 17 Wisconsin Badgers gets underway Friday night in Madison when Alaska Fairbanks comes to town. The Badgers can head into league play on a high note with a couple of wins after splitting a hard-fought series with No. 20 Minnesota State last weekend.
But before we get to hockey, I’d like to take a moment to remember Phil Dzick, Class of ’69, who passed away at the age of 81 earlier this week. Phil was on a first-name basis with Badger
fans and a fixture at Wisconsin hockey games dating back to the 1981 NCAA Tournament. Through thick and thin, Phil was always there to rally the crowd with his assortment of signs, ready to ask for more.
Phil stopped regularly attending games in 2020 as his Parkinson’s symptoms worsened, but he returned for the final time in 2024. Wisconsin will honor Phil with a moment of silence before Friday night’s series opener. His impact will live on at Badger home games through fellow fan Curtis Diehl, whom Phil passed the signs down in his absence.
Getting back to the ice, Wisconsin (2-0-2 overall) looks to light the lamp a little more than they did last week against a tough Minnesota State goaltender. These are winnable games that could go a long way toward building some confidence for a young team with the Gophers coming to town next week.
But the Badgers can’t afford to look ahead too far; it’s the type of test they failed often last year. Despite their record, Alaska (2-4 overall) is feisty and more than capable of catching the Badgers off guard. They split last week with Michigan Tech, and their other win came against No. 6 Quinnipiac.
Penalties plagued Wisconsin throughout the last series, so the first step toward securing a couple of good results is playing more disciplined hockey. The power play is the ultimate equalizer, and the Badgers can’t afford to let an overmatched team use it to hang around. It’s also been two weeks since Wisconsin last played with a lead, so getting the first goal out of the way early would go a long way.
Alaska doesn’t blow anybody away on paper, averaging just two goals per game while giving up more than three. They’ve struggled to score outside of a five-goal outburst in the Michigan Tech series. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s freshman netminder, Daniel Hauser, has played incredibly well over the first four games. He was named Big Ten Second Star of the Week for his 44-save, 11-for-11 shootout performance last weekend. It could be tough sledding for Alaska if the Badgers get a couple in the back of the net.
The season is young, but head coach Mike Hastings appears to have established some depth. Wisconsin relied heavily on its first line last year, and it was often boom-or-bust. The Badgers are getting good shifts from all three lines right now, and junior sensation Quinn Finley hasn’t even broken out yet. He sits fifth on the team in points, but it feels like this could be a weekend where he really gets rolling.
Wisconsin is undefeated at home against with a 9-1 overall record against the Nanooks. The Badgers will try to continue their dominance over Alaska and sharpen up before hosting one of the nation’s top teams next week. While the Alaska series doesn’t seem pivotal, these next couple of weeks could go a long way towards establishing an identity for this Badger team and set the tone for a tough Big Ten schedule.
Game Info
Date: October 24-25
Time: Friday – 7:00 p.m. | Saturday – 6:00 p.m.
Place: Madison, WI | Kohl Center
TV: B1G+ | Radio: 1070 The Game
