Wisconsin took No. 1 the loud way, and Mariucci gets the first try
The Badgers beat Notre Dame 16-2 over two nights to top the USCHO poll, then head straight into the Border Battle.
Wisconsin didn't sneak into the top spot. The Badgers took it with a 16-2 combined score over two nights against Notre Dame, by our count, and now they get the one road trip in the Big Ten that tells you whether a No. 1 is real.
The new USCHO poll has Wisconsin first with 979 points and 37 of 50 first-place votes, up from second. It's the program's first week at No. 1 since Nov. 13, 2023.
Michigan slid to second with nine first-place votes after a 5-2 loss at Ohio State and an overtime escape in the rematch, which is exactly the kind of weekend voters punish in November. Michigan State, the team with the most interesting Friday on the national schedule, is third.
How they got there
Notre Dame came to the Kohl Center and left with 7-1 and 9-1 losses, and Saturday was the statement game. After a scoreless first, Bruno Idžan scored three straight second-period goals, all on the power play, for a natural hat trick. He's the ninth Badger in program history to do it, and the first since Simon Tassy in December 2023.
Wisconsin finished that night with six power-play goals, its most in a game since 1979 and one shy of the school record. Shots were 41-15, and Oliver Tulk extended a run that now has him with at least one point in every game of the season.
The 6-0 start is Wisconsin's best since 2000-01. Mike Hastings's group lost the national title game last spring in Las Vegas, and it plays like a team that hasn't forgotten the bus ride home.
The Mariucci test
Now it's two games at No. 18 Minnesota, Thursday and Saturday nights, in the Border Battle. The Gophers are 3-3-2, a record that looks soft until you remember what that building does to visiting teams during a rivalry weekend. Minnesota doesn't need to be a national contender this year to ruin somebody's ranking.
After that, Wisconsin's November is Ohio State, Penn State and Canisius at home. The first true No. 1 versus No. 2 chance comes the first weekend of December, at Michigan.
Weekend slate
The other series worth your Friday: No. 13 Boston University, 6-2, visits No. 3 Michigan State. Saturday's game moved to 4:30 p.m. to dodge the Spartans' football game at Michigan. It's the best nonconference test Hockey East gets this month, and BU needs it more than the Spartans do.
Kessler's call: Wisconsin takes three of four points at Mariucci and holds No. 1 on Monday. BU earns a split in East Lansing, and the Terriers move into the top 10.
