MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s hockey team is heading to Las Vegas and coach Mike Hastings wouldn’t mind some company.
“You know what?,” he said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of rooms in Vegas, so if you can find your way there, you can get a place to lay your head.”
Consider that an open invitation for the UW faithful to join the Badgers at the Frozen Four. Wisconsin makes its first appearance in 16 years April 9 when it faces North Dakota in a semifinal game at T-Mobile Arena.
The Frozen Four will be new territory for the Badgers’ players. Vegas will be new ground of its coach. Hastings took Minnesota State to the national semifinals in Pittsburgh in 2021 when crowds were limited due to COVID. The next year Hastings and the Mavericks returned to the Frozen Four, which was held in Boston, and advanced to the title game.
Vegas brings the element of the unknown. This will be the first time the city hosted the Frozen Four.
“At the end of the day, it’s us going and trying to focus on what we need to focus on while we’re still taking in the experience of what it is to be in this,” Hastings said. “For our program, we want this to be a goal on a consistent basis.”
The Badgers (23-12-2) face former WCHA rival North Dakota (29-9-1) in the first semifinal at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 9. Michigan (31-7-1) takes on Denver (27-11-3) in the night cap at 7:30 p.m.
The field is split along the lines of recent Frozen Four experience.
Denver is making its third straight appearance and Michigan is back for the fourth time in five seasons. Wisconsin made it this far in 2010; North Dakota’s last Frozen Four was 2016.
Focus will be a key point of emphasis for a Badgers team that leans on the young side. Sixteen of their 26 players are freshmen or sophomores.
“We’ll share some of the experiences that we have as a staff, but it’s going to be different,” Hastings said of the Frozen Four. “The biggest point is trying to tune out, the word I’d say is just some noise that we don’t get to control. Give (the tournament) the respect that it deserves, but stay focused on what this group has done. They’re staying on their dailies consistently and they’ve been rewarded when they do.”
Since it snapped out of its six-game skid, Wisconsin is 8-3 with a 5-1 mark against ranked opponents all of whom have been in the top 10.
UW has 12 days between its regional final and its national semifinal. It got a taste of how to handle an extended break after getting bounced from the Big Ten Tournament in the quarterfinals.
The Badgers might needed the layoff more than North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks scored comparatively easy NCAA Tournament wins over Merrimack, 3-0, and Quinnipiac, 5-0.
“You go through a battle like we did against State and against Dartmouth, it’s okay to have a couple of days off and then utilize that as a positive,” Hastings said. “It gives you an opportunity to take a little bit of a deep breath when you’re not playing right away.”
In the meanwhile, Badgers fans can relive a game that will long be remembered.
Down, 3-1, with less than 5 minutes to go, UW got goals from freshman Luke Osburn and sophomore Gavin Morrissey in the span of 34 seconds to tie the game.
That set the tone for overtime when senior captain Ben Dexheimer scored the game-winner on a shot taken just inside the zone.
The fantastic finish made the game an instant classic and fired up the faithful, but the Badgers will tell you it’s time to move on.
“We appreciate all the support,” Dexheimer said. “It’s hard not to see it. Obviously we don’t want to get caught up in it, but it’s awesome. We appreciate the support and all the people in Madison.
“For those on the fence going to Vegas, I don’t know why you wouldn’t. It’s Vegas and there’s some hockey going on, so it’s got to be fun.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin hockey blocks out noise as it prepares for Frozen Four, Las Vegas
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
