Wisconsin vs. Denver: Keys and Prediction

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 9: Simon Tassy #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates his goal against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the first period with teammate Daniel Hauser #31 during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four semifinal at the T-Mobile Arena on April 9, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Badgers won 2-1. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Denver Pioneers this evening in Vegas for the Badgers’ first men’s hockey title game since Obama’s first term, and B5Q’s resident hockey guru, Taylor Valentine , sat down with me to preview this intriguing matchup, which should be a really fun one.

Ahead of the game, we gave our keys to a Badgers win, as well as our predictions for the evening contest. Mike Hastings Being Mike Hastings A lot of this contest comes down to scouting and game planning, and Hastings has put the Badgers in very good positions to advance throughout the NCAA Tournament, including two exquisitely game-planned wins over No. 3 overall seed Michigan State and No.

2 overall seed North Dakota, where coaching was likely the pivot for both Wisconsin victories. The title game vs Denver should be no exception. Hastings has solid Frozen Four experience with Minnesota State (2021 and 2022), and actually faced Denver and David Carle in 2022 , falling 5-1 in the title game against a dominant Denver squad.

Although neither national semifinal foray led to a title, Hastings has experienced recent trials by fire under the brightest lights possible, and that should prove valuable against the closest thing to a modern dynasty college hockey has in the Pioneers. If Hastings is who we think he is, he will definitely have his Badgers ready to roll against Denver. Building on The Win Over North Dakota The underdog Badgers did just about everything right against North Dakota (besides drawing too many penalties), including standing guys up at the blue line and winning puck battles in the neutral zone.