Wisconsin (10-7-1, 3-1-0-0 Big Ten) begins what is at least nine consecutive weekends of hockey when No. 7 Minnesota (13-5-2, 5-1-0-0 Big Ten) visits for the weekend. Friday's game begins at 7 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game is a 5 p.m. puck drop.
Both games will air live on 1310 WIBA in Madison and the Badgers Radio Network.
Wisconsin enters the weekend having played just two games since Dec. 10, winning both contests over Michigan State. Minnesota comes off a Big Ten home sweep over Michigan and as winners of six consecutive contests, including a pair of wins over MSU, and home wins over Mercyhurst and Massachusetts.
The teams meet for the 281st and 282nd times, the most for the Badgers in school history.
Wisconsin and Minnesota's records differ slightly in the all-time record of the series.
UW is 1-5-2 in the last eight meetings in the series over the last two seasons, but posted a pair of 2-1 wins in a sweep of then-No. 1 Minnesota at the Kohl Center on Feb. 6-7, 2014, prior to the last eight-game stretch.
UW junior forward Matt Ustaski's best career game point-wise came against Minnesota when he scored a goal and two assists on Jan. 30, 2005 in a 7-5 Wisconsin loss. Senior forward Grant Besse boasts nine goals and 12 points in his last nine games against Minnesota.
In addition to Besse and Ustaski, UW sophomore Luke Kunin and junior Tim Davisonare the only other current Badgers with multi-point game against Minnesota.
Read more at UWBadgers.com