Live updates: North Dakota vs. Wisconsin in the Men's Frozen Four
π¬ Frustration is mounting for North Dakota
The energy is shifting in T-Mobile Arena.
π£οΈ GET OUT YOUR SEAT AND JUMP AROUND x
β Wisconsin Badgers (@UWBadgers)
Wisconsin gets its second powerplay of the night after killing off its fifth penalty, and the Badger fans in the house give a sarcastic cheer to the men in stripes.
Nodak's Jack Kernan takes a slashing penalty after the whistle that cuts his team's fifth powerplay short on a night where they have struggled to get any dangerous scoring chances. Both the North Dakota bench and fans are getting more visibly frustrated as this scoreless streak goes on.
β³ Does Nodak have time for a comeback?
As things stand, North Dakota has 20 minutes left in its season as the Hawks are down two heading into the third. The Hawks don't trail often, but when they do, they struggle to come backβ they are 2-6-1 on the season when down after 40 minutes.
Chances have been hard to come by outside of the powerplay, but North Dakota is also 0-4 on the man advantage. Something needs to turn around, quick.
End of 2nd: Wisconsin 2, North Dakota 0
The second period was much more even, with North Dakota outshooting Wisconsin, 12-7, in the second frame.
A massive 5-on-3 penalty kill was the story of the second period, as the Badgers killed off 1:57 of a UND two-man advantage.
Daniel Hauser stopped a Nodak breakaway in the final minute with help from a diving poke check from Aiden Dubinsky to keep Wisconsin up two.
Like a brick wall π§±
β NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey)
πΊ ESPN2 x
All the momentum is on the Badgers' side heading into the third period. If the T-Mobile Arena jumbotron is a good sample size, the North Dakota fans are getting increasingly anxious for a goal, while the Wisconsin fans seem to be feeling pretty good right about now.
Third period, up next.
β Wisconsin kills off the long 5-on-3
The Hawks just let their best chance slip through their hands.
North Dakota had 1:57 of a two-man advantage, but they couldn't muster a shot on goal in that time despite teeing off with five shot attempts. Four of those missed wide, and Wisconsin captain Ben Dexheimer blocked the fifth.
To make things worse, Wisconsin's .709 PK percentage is the second-worst in all of DI hockey.
π LONG 5-on-3 powerplay for Nodak
Wisconsin's Luke Osburn was whistled for holding to send Nodak to its X powerplay.
Three seconds into the kill, Joe Palodichuk was called for interference, giving Nodak 1:57 of 5-on-3 time.
No better chance has come yet for the Hawks to get on the board.
2nd PeriodΒ βΒ 8:56: Scoreless in the second
After a lopsided first period, things have evened out a bit in the second, with shots even at four apiece. The Hawks have tested Hauser more this period with some dangerous scoring chances, but Hauser stays perfect, stopping 8/8 so far.
You can feel the angst in the building from the Nodak fans every time a call goes Wisconsin's way. Time is ticking for the Hawks to get their first tally.
End of 1st: Wisconsin 2, North Dakota 0
Well, how about that start for the Badgers?
We could barely hear each other up here in the press box before the game β the UND-heavy crowd was deafening. But the Hawks faithful have been effectively silenced after a dominant first 20 minutes from Wisconsin.
Simon Tassy's third of the tournament opened the scoring, followed by another from Ryan Botterill just 27 seconds later.
Nodak had a couple strong scoring chances less than five minutes in, but Hauser stood strong in goal for the Badgers, and the defense shut the Hawks down for the rest of the period.
Wisconsin holds a HEAVY shot advantage, 18-4 after 20. The Badgers are 17-6-0 on the season when scoring first, while the Hawks tend to struggle more when down early, with six out of their nine losses coming when their opponent opens the scoring.
π¨ Badgers score back-to-back! βΒ 6:39 | UW 2, UND 0
Simon Tassy continues his hot scoring streak, gettting the Badgers on the board with his third of the tournament a wicked wrist shot off the iron to open the scoring.
TASSY TIME! β°
β Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey)
The senior's () 14th goal of the season kicks off the scoring at the Frozen Four!
π: Vasily Zelenov
Then just 27 seconds later, Ryan Botterill broke free after a slick seam pass from Ben Dexheimer, splitting the D and sneaking one through Ε punar to give the Badgers a 2-0 lead.
And just like that, the USHL is on the board with Ryan Botterill for | π¨
β USHL (@USHL)
1st Period β 8:51: Scoreless halfway through the first
Nodak goalie Jan Ε punar and Wisconsin's Daniel Hauser both made great saves early in the first period, and we're still scoreless through the first 11 minutes and change.
Ε punar robbed Vasily Zelenov on a point blank chance in just 2:36 in, and Hauser made two great stops on Cody Croal and Keaton Verhoeff near the 15:30 mark.
The NCHC Goalie of the Year comes up clutch early for ! π₯
β The NCHC (@TheNCHC)
πΊ: ESPN2 //
Wisconsin has had the majority of chances so far, outshooting Nodak, 9-3 in the first 11:09.
Game 1 is underway: Wisconsin vs. North Dakota
Wisconsin has won the opening draw, and we are underway in Vegas. Sixty minutes separate these teams from a spot in the championship game.
π Lineups: Wisconsin vs. North Dakota
We're less than an hour from puckdrop at T-Mobile Arena. As we get settled into our seats, let's take a look at the lineups for the Badgers and the Hawks:
Lines for vs. in the first semifinal.
β Torin Smith (@TorinSmith15)
There are 17 NHL draft picks in the lineups between the two teams: 11 for North Dakota and six for Wisconsin. Buffalo, New York (NYI), Detroit and Calgary are the best-represented NHL teams in the first semifinal, each with two draft picks playing. Here's where each of these NHL prospects was drafted:
North Dakota
North Dakota's Cole Reschny was drafted 18th overall by the Calgary Flames in 2025
- (6) EJ Emery β New York Rangers, R1, '24
- (7) Mac Swanson β Pittsburgh Penguins, R7, '22
- (8) Ollie Josephson β Seattle Kraken, R4, '24
- (9) Will Zellers β Boston Bruins, R3, '24
- (13) Sam Laurila β New York Islanders, R5, '25
- (16) Andrew Strathmann β Columbus Blue Jackets, R4, '24
- (17) Cole Reschny β Calgary Flames, R1, '25
- (21) Ben Strinden β Nasvhille Predators, R7, '22
- (22) David Klee β San Jose Sharks, R7, '23
- (25) Abram Wiebe β Calgary Flames, R7, '22
- (26) Dylan James β Detroit Red Wings, R2, '22
Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Quinn Finley was drafted 78th overall by the New York Islanders in 2022
- (2) Luke Osburn β Buffalo Sabres, R4,'24
- (8) Jack Phelan β Detroit Red Wings, R5, '23
- (9) Kyle Kukkonen β Anaheim Ducks, R6, '21
- (19) Quinn Finley β New York Islanders, R3, '22
- (47) Blake Montgomery β Ottawa Senators, R4, '24
- (94) Vasily Zelenov β Buffalo Sabres, R7, '24
π’ North Dakota fans have taken over Vegas
We're a couple hours out from puckdrop on the first semifinal in Vegas, and the Strip has turned UND Green. Based on what I've seen so far, the Nodak faithful heavily outnumber the other three fanbases, but we'll see if that holds true as we get closer to the games.
Frozen Fest was packed with Wisconsin and Nodak fans welcoming their teams into T-Mobile arena, testing their hockey skills in shooting challenges and checking out the DJ outside T-Mobile Arena. It's a full-on celebration of hockey in the desert β we'll be heading inside soon to cool off.
Weβre moments away from team arrivals at T-Mobile Arena. Lots of green jerseys as Hawks fans wait to welcome their team at Frozen Fest.
β Torin Smith (@TorinSmith15)
π Checking in from Vegas: Previewing the Frozen Four
Good morning, Las Vegas! π
β Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey)
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, the last stop in the 2026 DI men's hockey season. Four teams remain in the hunt for a championship: Denver, North Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin. We'll be on-site all weekend giving you behind-the-scenes coverage and live updates from T-Mobile Arena. Follow along right here on casinokrikya.com to make sure you catch all the action.
This year's field is stacked with college hockey blue bloods, with 33 combined national championships between the four teams. Denver is the winningest team all-time with 10 national titles, while Michigan follows closely behind with nine. North Dakota brings eight, and Wisconsin has six. Denver is the most recent champion and the most dominant of the four in recent years with championships in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
π Schools with the most DI hockey championships
Despite its historical success, Michigan has not won a national championship since 1998, when Marty Turco last donned the Maize and Gold. For Wolverine fans, goaltender Jack Ivankovic reminds them of Turks, mismatched pads and all. Maybe he can bring a title back to Ann Arbor.
North Dakota is 10 years removed from its last title, winning in 2016, led by the "CBS line" of Drake Caggiula, Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz that terrorized opposing defenses. The current iteration of the Fighting Hawks boasts loads of veteran experience mixed with freshman talent that stifles opponents' forwards and overwhelms their defensemen β Nodak has outscored opponents 8-0 in its two tournament games so far. Can goalie Jan Ε punar and the Hawks keep continue their dominance and bring a trophy back to Grand Forks?
π Click or tap to see the interactive bracket
Wisconsin is the odd duck in Vegas β the Badgers are the only team in the field to finish outside of the top-5 in the NPI, and they nearly missed the tournament at the hands of bid stealers in other conferences. But they are here. A 5-1 drubbing of Dartmouth and a stunning third-period comeback over Michigan State shocked the hockey world, punching Wisconsin's ticket to Las Vegas. Are they playing with house money? Who knows, but the Badgers know they belong here. as they search for lucky title No. 7.
That brings us to Denver. The Pioneers flew under the radar for much of this season, quietly amassing a 27-11-3 record but remaining one of the less-talked about contenders out of the NCHC. But they are once again returning to their rightful place in the NCAA tournament, and from there, David Carle's squad did what Carle teams do best β win in the playoffs. They shut out Cornell and knocked off the defending champion Western Michigan β handily at that. Freshman goalie Johnny Hicks has yet to lose a game, going 14-0-1 and allowing just 20 goals in 15 games since taking over the starting job.
So here we are in Vegas, the hockey capital of the world in this second weekend in April. To the Badgers, Hawks, Wolverines and Pios: are you feeling lucky?
πΊ How to watch the 2026 Frozen Four
The 2026 Frozen Four is here. We are on-site in Las Vegas giving you all the behind-the-scenes coverage and live updates from T-Mobile Arena. Follow along right here on casinokrikya.com to make sure you catch all the action.
How to watch the Frozen Four
All times Eastern
- Semifinals β Thursday, April 9
- Final β 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 on