The University of Wisconsin men's hockey team will open the 2024-25 season on Oct. 5 in Nebraska with an exhibition match against the Omaha Mavericks.
That same night, Omaha will name the rink after Mike Kemp, who served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UW for 14 seasons.
Coming into the 23-24 season with 26 wins, Wisconsin will be looking to build on momentum in Year 2 of head coach Mike Hastings' tenure. Last year, the Badgers won their most games since 2009-10 and led Hastings' team to an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Wisconsin jump-started its 2023-24 season with four straight wins over No. 1 Minnesota and No. 4 Michigan, which propelled it into the top ranks of college hockey, but ultimately lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament and Quinnipiac in the NCAA Tournament.
Omaha! Omaha!
In preparation for the 2024-25 season, an exhibition game will be held on October 5th. pic.twitter.com/cqEFUZtM2x— Wisconsin Hockey (@BadgerMHockey) July 2, 2024
The Badgers acquired former Northern Michigan commit Adam Pietila and former Rochester Institute of Technology forward Cody Laskoski through the transfer portal this offseason, and the two have a combined number of years of postseason experience and will serve as key veteran skaters for a team with aspirations of finishing in the NCAA top five.
