After both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the Gophers wrestling team took on Wisconsin this past week, the Battle of the Border now moves to the ice. The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s and women’s hockey teams will take on Wisconsin this weekend at 3M Field at Mariucci Fieldhouse. For the men’s team, they are looking to get their first win in 2026 and end a historic losing streak. The women’s team will see if they can beat the No. 1 team in the nation — but with some serious asterisks. Regardless, it will be four games of pure disgust for the players in red and white.
Menswear preview:
The Gophers return home after being swept by Michigan State last weekend in East Lansing. Minnesota is 0-7 since the 2025 finals, losing to Ohio State in overtime. It’s their longest losing streak since the 1996-97 season, when they lost nine straight games — a streak they’ll tie if they get swept by the Badgers this weekend. They are at least mostly competitive. Both games against the second-place Spartans were close late in the third period, but the Gophers couldn’t score enough to get over the hump. That’s their job again this weekend, as they need to try and beat Badger goaltender Daniel Hauser, who has a 2.34 goals against average, 0.907 save percentage, and three shutouts this season.
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Gophers goaltender Luca DiPascu is having a great year in goal in 2026, allowing the Spartans three goals in each of last weekend’s two games, but given Minnesota’s scoring woes, three goals may be more than one now. He’ll need to be on the field again this weekend, as Wisconsin ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 3.75 goals per game, thanks to the fourth-best power play in the NCAA (27.8%). Gavin Morrisey scored a team-high 21 points, while Christian Fitzgerald scored seven of his team-leading 11 goals on a solo basis. Quinn Finley also has double-digit goals in 10 games.
But the Badgers were sluggish this weekend. After a stellar first half of the season that ranked No. 2 in the nation, Wisconsin has lost its past four games, getting swept by Michigan State and Penn State the past two weekends in Madison, with their high-octane offense allowing just seven goals in those four games. They’re ranked 7/8 in this week’s national polls, falling to fourth in the Big Ten behind Michigan, Michigan State and Portland State. If Minnesota wants to pull off a win this weekend, they need to find a way to shut out the Badgers and win 2-1 or 3-2. If it turns into a high-scoring shootout, the Gophers are in trouble.
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on Fox9 and B1G+ in Minnesota. The standoff is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m.
Women’s team preview:
On paper, this weekend’s series between the Gophers and Badgers would be just another on a long list of epic matchups between two winning teams in women’s college lacrosse. The top-ranked Badgers come to town to take on the third-ranked Gophers. Neither team has lost in 2026, with Minnesota entering a 10-game winning streak while Wisconsin has lost just once this season — to Minnesota on Halloween in Madison. But there will be a lot of uncertainty surrounding this weekend’s series, as it will be the first time both teams will be without Olympians as they travel to Milan for the 2026 tournament, which starts next week. Minnesota will miss two of their top forwards – Abbey Murphy, who leads the nation with 61 points and 36 points, respectively, and Josefin Bouveng, who is coming off a 23-game scoring streak. They also miss their top guards Nelli Laitinen, who ranks sixth on the team with 29 points and is tied for second among guards in the nation in scoring, and Tereza Plosova.
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This will leave the rest of the gophers still here to bear the load. Sophomore Ava Lindsay had a strong performance against Murphy, scoring 35 points this season. Minnesota State transfer Jamie Nelson has really picked up her game recently, scoring 32 points to rank fourth on the team in scoring, and she’ll need to step into a big role over the next four weeks. Freshman Bella Fanale also performed well and is expected to play a larger role. On the blue line, Minnesota also has Sydney Morrow, who is having another strong season this season with 27 points, and will look to sophomore Chloe Primerano to vent her anger at not being named to Canada’s Olympic team. Minnesota still has Hannah Clark in goalie, which is a huge advantage over the next few weeks as she has been outstanding for the Gophers, allowing just 1.86 goals per game and a .927 save percentage.
Wisconsin will lose five of its star Olympic players and could be even more affected by the loss of its star goaltender. Ava McNaughton has been unreal for the Badgers with a 1.29 goals against average and .939 save percentage. But she will be Team USA’s third goaltender in Milan and won’t play the rest of the regular season. The Badgers will need to rely on freshman Ryah Stewart, who is just getting started in her college career and has performed well in limited action with a 1.26 GAA and .926 save percentage, mostly in mop-up duty. But there’s a big difference between starting your second career on a mop-up mission and taking on your top opponents in Reed Arena. Oh—and missing some of your best teammates in front of you.
Wisconsin will lose KK Harvey, the best defender in college hockey, who leads the Badgers with 54 points and ranks second nationally in scoring behind Murphy. Kirsten Simms – who ranked fourth nationally with 48 points and led Wisconsin with 21 goals – is gone. Laila Edwards, who played forward and defense for the Badgers and is one of the game’s most dangerous scorers and ranks fourth on Wisconsin’s scoring list, is also at Milan. Finally, freshman Adela Sapovaliva, the seventh-leading scorer at the University of Wisconsin, also came to Milan. The Badgers will be missing a ton of talent and firepower from their roster over the next four weeks.
Wisconsin clearly still has a ton of talent. Lacy Eden, a surprising snub on the Team USA roster, ranks second on the Badgers and third nationally in scoring this season with 49 points and 19 goals. Cassie Hall and Kelly Gorbatenko both scored over 30 points this season. This weekend’s series will come down to how each team’s depth stacks up against each other. Since Minnesota still has their starting goaltender, you need to give Minnesota the edge on paper. But hockey is played on ice. Let’s hope Minnesota can at least hand the Badgers another upset this weekend.
The standoff is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on B1G+.