WORCESTER, Mass.– The Wisconsin males’s hockey staff has superior to the second spherical of the NCAA event! The Badgers will face No. 1 seed Michigan State in the regional remaining on Saturday, March 28, at 3:30 p.m. CT at DCU Center. The recreation airs on ESPN2 and the ESPN app.
Here are six fast issues to know earlier than tuning in:
1 – KEEP ON DANCING: To advance to the NCAA Regional Final, Wisconsin defeated the Dartmouth Big Green, 5-1, in the event regional semifinals on Thursday, March 26. The win despatched UW to its first regional remaining since 2010, and it marks its first NCAA Tournament recreation win for the reason that 2010 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals, snapping a five-game NCAA dropping streak.
SEE YOU SATURDAY, BADGER FANS! pic.twitter.com/s4HFrcG9zP
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 27, 2026
Senior Simon Tassy scored early on the ability play, earlier than the Big Green discovered the again of the online to tie the sport at one. It stayed 1-1 untill halfway by means of the third interval when senior Jack Horbach broke the tie to jump-start a four-goal third body for the Badgers.
Tassy struck once more with lower than six minutes left in the sport to make it 3-1, UW, earlier than senior Christian Fitzgerald and junior Quinn Finley added empty-net objectives to seal a 5-1 win for UW in its first assembly in faculty historical past in opposition to Dartmouth.
Good evening, Badger followers pic.twitter.com/5O22zNqH1H
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 27, 2026
With the win, the Badgers improved to 38-24-2 all-time in NCAA Tournament motion in their twenty eighth official look.
2 – PREGAME FAN EVENT: Join fellow Badger followers at Off the Rails in Worcester earlier than Wisconsin’s 2026 NCAA Tournament Regional Final recreation on Saturday, March 28!
The occasion will happen from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET at Off the Rails (90 Commercial St, Worcester, MA 01608), positioned simply 0.2 miles from DCU Arena, the place Wisconsin is ready to play Michigan State at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Bucky Badger and the Badger Band will probably be in attendance, and giveaways will probably be out there for followers whereas provides final.
3 – SENIORS SHINE BRIGHT: Senior forwards Jack Horbach, Simon Tassy and Christian Fitzgerald stood out in UW’s contest in opposition to Dartmouth.
Horbach scored the game-winning aim, breaking the 1-1 tie at 9:47 of the third interval. This marked his second game-winning aim of the yr on simply his third tally of the season.
NIIIIIFTY HORBS
The senior’s third aim of the yr places us in entrance!
: Vasily Zelenov & Jack Phelan pic.twitter.com/m67Kz1t6eW
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 26, 2026
Tassy recorded his first two-goal recreation of the yr, opening the scoring on the ability play, 2:52 into the sport, earlier than tallying his second aim at 14:17 of the third interval, redirecting a Ryan Botterill shot house.
MR. FAN-TASS-TIC!
The senior’s (@simontassy) second aim of the sport!
: Ryan Botterill & Oliver Tulk pic.twitter.com/4Llfp79dWX
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 27, 2026
With an empty web tally at 16:28 into the third, Fitzgerald notched his a hundredth profession NCAA level, making him the primary Badger since All-American Linus Weissbach (2017-21) reached the mark in 2021. The senior tallied his first 29 factors as a freshman at Minnesota State.
Mr.
Congrats, Fitzy (@13Fitzgerald)! pic.twitter.com/XKru9VKmK7
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 27, 2026
4 – GOALS GALORE: In Thursday’s recreation, UW tallied 4 objectives in the third interval, giving it eight four-goal durations on the season and the 18th interval with no less than three objectives.
HIGH FIVE, FINLEY! https://t.co/WVzDFf7FK8
— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) March 27, 2026
It was additionally the 14th time this yr the Badgers have scored no less than 5 objectives in a recreation, essentially the most in a single season for the reason that 2009-10 staff tallied 18.
Wisconsin is presently tied for fifth in the NCAA in scoring offense with a median of three.75 objectives scored per recreation, discovering the again of the online 135 instances in 36 video games performed this season.
5 – SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: Big Ten regular-season champion and regional first-seed Michigan State enters the regional remaining with a 26-8-2 document, defeating fourth-seed UConn, 2-1, in the semifinals to advance.
Freshman ahead Porter Martone leads the roster with 25 objectives and 49 factors in 34 video games performed. Junior goaltender Trey Augustine, a 2026 Mike Richter Award top-3 finalist and a top-10 Hobey Baker finalist, has gained 24 of 33 begins this season, accumulating a .931 save proportion and a pair of.05 goals-allowed on common. Senior ahead Charlie Stramel can also be a Hobey Baker top-10 finalist.
UW has performed MSU twice in the NCAA event, posting a 5-3 win in the primary spherical on March 24, 1995, in Madison earlier than dropping 5-1 in the second spherical on March 25, 2001, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Overall, UW has a 67-71-4 document in opposition to the Spartans, splitting 4 instances in regular-season play in the course of the 2025-26 season. UW started the season sequence by sweeping the then-top-ranked Spartans in East Lansing on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21-22, successful recreation one, 5-4, and recreation two, 2-1, in extra time.
6 – HOW TO WATCH: The Badgers will play Michigan State on Saturday, March 28, at 3:30 p.m. CT. The contest airs on ESPN2. Audio play-by-play for each video games might be discovered on 1310 WIBA in the Madison space, in addition to on the Badgers app and the Varsity Network App. You may also comply with alongside on X/Twitter and Instagram @BadgerMHockey.
