Wisconsin Badgers hockey will reportedly play exhibition in Chippewa Falls
Sep. 2—The Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey team will play Minnesota Duluth in an exhibition game in Chippewa Falls, Todd Milewski of the Wisconsin State Journal reported Thursday.
The game, reportedly set for Oct. 3 at Chippewa Area Ice Arena, would serve as a homecoming for a trio of Badgers. Eau Claire North graduate Sam Stange is entering his second year with the program. He's joined this year by two newcomers, fellow former Husky Zach Urdahl and Altoona native Daniel Laatsch.
Division I NCAA men's and women's hockey teams typically play exhibitions against Canadian colleges, but that will be difficult or potentially impossible this season due to border restrictions amid the pandemic. The NCAA Committee for Legislature Relief has approved a waiver that will allow for exhibitions between DI schools like Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth, as first reported by Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald.
A waiver was granted last season as well, but too late for any teams to take advantage.
Wisconsin is coming off a season where it reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years. The Badgers were a No. 1 seed in their region but were eliminated in the first round with a 6-3 loss to Bemidji State.
Minnesota Duluth also made the tournament, advancing to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh. The Bulldogs advanced out of the first round when Michigan was forced to pull out due to positive COVID-19 tests, then defeated North Dakota 3-2 before falling to eventual champion UMass 3-2 in the tournament semifinals.
Stange notched six goals and an assist in 29 games with the Badgers last year. Urdahl and Laatsch are making the jump from junior hockey and the United States Hockey League. Urdahl last played for the Des Moines Buccaneers, while Laatsch, formerly of RAM, played for former UW-Eau Claire coach and player Luke Strand with the Sioux City Musketeers.
Chippewa Area Ice Arena is the home of both the Chippewa Falls boys hockey team and the Chippewa Falls/Menomonie girls program, as well as the Chippewa Steel junior team of the North American Hockey League.
