After both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the gopher wrestling team faces Wisconsin in the past week, the Border Battle now moves to the ice. Both the Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s and women’s hockey
teams will host Wisconsin this weekend at 3M Arena at Mariucci Arena. For the Men, they are looking to try and find their first win in 2026 and stop a historic losing streak. The women will look to see if they can take down the #1 team in the nation—but with some serious asterisks applied. Either way, it will be four games of pure detest for those in the red and white.
Men’s Preview:
The Gopher men return home after being swept by Michigan State in East Lansing last weekend. Minnesota has gone 0-7 dating back to the 2025 finale an OT loss to Ohio State. It’s their longest losing streak since the 1996-97 season when they lost nine games in a row—a mark they will tie if they are swept by the Badgers this weekend. They at least have been mostly competitive. Both games against the #2 Spartans were tight late into the third period, but the Gophers just could not get enough goals to get over the hump. That again will be their task this weekend as they will need to try and beat Badger goalie Daniel Hauser who has posted a 2.34 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and three shutouts this season.
Gopher goalie Luca DiPasquo has been very good in net in 2026 and held the Spartans to just three goals each in both games last weekend—but with Minnesota’s scoring woes, three is probably one goal too much right now. He will need to be on again this weekend as Wisconsin enters the series sixth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 3.75 goals per game, thanks to the fourth-best power play in the NCAA at 27.8 percent. Gavin Morrisey paces the team with 21 points, while seven of Christian Fitzgerald’s team-leading 11 goals have been scored on the man advantage. Quinn Finley also has double-digit goals at 10.
But the Badgers enter this weekend on a slump. After a great first half of the season and peaking at #2 in the nation, Wisconsin has lost their last four games getting swept in Madison by both Michigan State and Penn State the past two weekends with their high powered offence only scoring seven goals in those four games. They are ranked #7/8 in this week’s national polls and have dropped to fourth place in the Big Ten behind Michigan, MSU and PSU. If Minnesota wants to steal a win this weekend, they need to find a way to keep the Badgers off of the board and pick up a 2-1 or 3-2 win. If it becomes a high scoring shootout, the Gophers are in trouble.
Both games this weekend will air on Fox9 in Minnesota and will stream on B1G+. Faceoff is set for 7 PM on Friday and 6 PM on Saturday.
Women’s Preview:
On paper, this weekend’s series between the Gophers and the Badgers would just be another one on the list of epic matchups between the two winningest teams in women’s college hockey. The #1 Badgers come to town to face the #3 Gophers. Neither team has lost in 2026, Minnesota enters on a 10-game winning streak while Wisconsin has only lost once this season—to Minnesota in Madison on Halloween. But this weekend there will be a great deal of uncertainty in the series as it will be the first for both teams without their Olympians who have traveled to Milan for the start of the 2026 game which kick off next week. Minnesota will miss their top two forwards—Abbey Murphy who leads the nation in scoring and goals with 61 and 36 respectively, and Josefin Bouveng who has a 23-game point streak. They also miss Nelli Laitinen, their top defender who is sixth on the team in scoring with 29 points, and is tied for second in the nation in scoring by a defender, and Tereza Plosova.
That will leave the rest of the Gophers still here to pick up the load. Sophomore Ava Lindsay has thrived playing ton a line with Murphy and had 35 points on the season. Minnesota State transfer Jamie Nelson has really picked up her game as of late and is 4th on the team in scoring with 32 points and will need to shoulder a large role over the next four weeks. Freshman Bella Fanale has been good as well and will ne expected to step up into a bigger role. On the blue line, Minnesota still has Sydney Morrow who has been great again with 27 points on the season, and hopefully taking out her rage on not being selected for the Canadian Olympic team will be sophomore Chloe Primerano. Minnesota still has Hannah Clark in goal which is a huge advantage over the next few weeks as she has been excellent for the Gophers allowing just 1.86 goals per game and has a .927 save percentage.
Wisconsin will be missing five stars for the Olympics, and will potentially be affected even more as they lost their star goalie. Ava McNaughton has been unreal for the Badgers with a 1.29 goals against average and a .939 save percentage. But she will be the third goalie for the Americans in Milan and will not be around for the rest of the regular season. The Badgers will need to lean on freshman Ryah Stewart who has just one start in her colligate career and has been good in limited action with a 1.26 GAA and a .926 save percentage in mostly mop-up duty. But there is a big difference from mop up duty and making your second career start in Ridder Arena against your top rival. Oh—and missing several of your best teammates in front of you.
Wisconsin will be missing the best defender in college hockey in KK Harvey who leads the Badgers with 54 points and is second in the nation in scoring behind Murphy. Kirsten Simms is 4th in the nation in scoring with 48 points and leads Wisconsin with 21 goals—she’s gone. Laila Edwards who has played both forward and defense for the Badgers and is one of the most dangerous scorers in the game who ranks 4th on the Wisconsin roster in scoring is also in Milan. Finally freshman Adéla Šapovalivová who is 7th on Wisconsin’s roster in scoring is also in Milan. That’s a lot of talent and firepower that will be missing from the Badger’s lineup the next four weeks.
Wisconsin obviously still has plenty of talent. Lacy Eden who was a surprising snub from the US roster is second on the Badgers and third in the nation in scoring with 49 points and 19 goals on the season. Cassie Hall and Kelly Gorbatenko both have more than 30 points on the season. This weekend’s series will be determined on how each team’s depth can play against one another. With Minnesota still having their starting goalie, you need to give Minnesota the edge on paper. But hockey is played on the ice. Lets hope that Minnesota can at minimum pick up a slit and give the Badgers another loss this weekend.
Faceoff is set for 6 PM on Friday and 2 PM on Saturday. Both games will stream on B1G+.
