After earning the No. 1 seed in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) playoffs, the Wisconsin Badgers will kick off tournament action this weekend at home.
The Badgers will begin a best-of-three series in Madison vs. the No. 8 seeded Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks. Wisconsin won all four contests between the two this year, outscoring the Mavericks by a combined 17-2 margin.
Despite going winless in three of their last four games to end the year, the Badgers (27-2-4) secured their first regular season WCHA title since the 2011-12 season, breaking Minnesota’s streak since then. Minnesota has also won four out the last five national championships, while the WCHA has provided the national champion in 15 of the last 16 seasons.