LAS VEGAS — For the second straight game, a quick two-goal burst served Wisconsin well.
A pair of goals just 27 seconds apart in the first period were all the Badgers needed to dispatch North Dakota 2-1 in the opening game of the 2026 Frozen Four at sold-out T-Mobile Arena.
Killing off a 5-on-3 penalty didn’t hurt Wisconsin’s chances either. The penalty kill was strong all night for the Badgers, who kept the Fighting Hawks off the board entirely in five power-play chances.
Wisconsin’s improbable run in the NCAA tournament will culminate in the NCAA championship game Saturday night vs. either Michigan or Denver. The Badgers return to the title game for the first time since 2010, and seek their first crown since 2006.
“We bent but we didn’t break,” Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings said. “Sometimes we make things a little more difficult than they need to be. But when you play a team the quality of the University of North Dakota, they’re going to stress you out a little bit.”
Streaky scoring has been a trademark for Wisconsin this postseason. Two goals in 34 seconds in the third period of the Worcester Regional final vs. Michigan State to send that game to overtime, where Wisconsin won 4-3 to punch its ticket to Las Vegas.
Simon Tassy and Ryan Botterill scored at 12:54 and 13:21, respectively, of the opening frame, which Wisconsin dominated by outshooting the Fighting Hawks 18-4. North Dakota went into the night averaging just 23.5 shots allowed per game.
“Getting that second one was a big confidence boost,” Wisconsin captain Ben Dexheimer said. “We just kind of focus on next-shift mentality. That’s what we did. We flushed the first goal and went back to work.”
Ellis Rickwood scored for North Dakota with 52 seconds to play, with goalie Jan Špunar pulled for an extra skater. A frantic final seconds ensued with the Fighting Hawks looking for the equalizer.
North Dakota’s best chance to get back into the game came just past the midway point of the middle frame when Wisconsin was called for two penalties just three seconds apart, giving the Fighting Hawks a 5-on-3. They could not convert, mustering just two shots.
With less than a minute to go in the second period, Wisconsin’s Oliver Tulk thwarted a breakaway by North Dakota’s Ollie Josephson, deftly poking the puck away from behind, avoiding further contact that might have led to a penalty shot for the Fighting Hawks.
“The guys are playing amazing in front of me,” said Wisconsin goalie Daniel Hauser, who finished with 16 saves. “They were battling, doing their jobs. I was trying my best to do mine. Luckily came up with a save. Obviously huge back-check from Tulker to break that one.”
Most of the breaks seemed to fall Wisconsin’s way all night. Down the stretch in the third period, the crossbar got in the way of a shot by North Dakota’s Cole Reschny, who used some fancy stickwork to get past two Badger defenders but came up empty.
North Dakota got 35 saves from Špunar. The Fighting Hawks, who were making their first Frozen Four appearance since winning the NCAA title in 2016, saw their season end at 29-10-1.
“(I) told our guys about how proud I am of getting back to our core culture,” North Dakota coach Dane Jackson said. “These guys just embodied that all year, to be selfless, team first, competitive, just workers throughout the year. Couldn’t be more proud of the efforts day to day that the guys put in, the standard they set for the culture of our program.”