Northern Michigan University goalie William Gramme, center, stretches out to block the net as UMass’ Jack Galanek, right, is about to take a shot during their game played in Amherst, Mass., on Oct. 4. Also joining the play is the Wildcats' Grayden Slipec, left. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University and host University of Wisconsin have announced that tickets are now on sale for the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off college hockey tournament that will include the Wildcats and Badgers between Christmas and New Year’s Day in Milwaukee.

The sixth annual tournament will feature NMU for the first time, with the other combatants being Massachusetts — often referred to as UMass — and Arizona State.

Games on Tuesday, Dec. 29, and Wednesday, Dec. 30, will be played at the Fiserv Forum in Wisconsin’s biggest city. The format should be similar to many other four-team, college hockey holiday tourneys — two semifinals on opening day, then a third-place game followed by the championship game on day 2.

But matchups and game times have yet to be announced, as apparently one ticket will get fans into both games during a single day.

An internet link to buying tickets is https://www.ticketmaster.com/holiday-faceoff-tickets/artist/2735806.

Event host Fiserv Forum seats 15,178 for hockey after opening in August 2018. It is the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the Marquette University men’s basketball team. It also hosted the 2020 Democratic National Convention and 2024 Republican National Convention.

Northern didn’t play in a holiday tourney last season, but did take part in the 58th Great Lakes Invitational in December 2024 in Grand Rapids, playing No. 1 Michigan State and Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech in that event.

Though the Wildcats lost both games, they gave such a good account of themselves after struggles in the first half of the season that the games vs. the Spartans and Huskies were credited as a springboard to second-half success in the early months of 2025.

Previous to the GLI, NMU hadn’t been in a holiday tourney since taking part in the Ice Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas in the 2017-18 season, when they split with Arizona State and Boston College.

Wisconsin has had success in the five previous versions of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, winning the inaugural event in 2021, along with 2023 and 2024, and finishing runner-up the other two years, 2022 and 2025. Last year, Western Michigan defeated the Badgers 4-1 in the title game.

Of the tourney’s three other teams this year, the Wildcats have by far the most experience facing Wisconsin, which is currently coming off a 2-1 loss to Denver in the NCAA tournament Frozen Four championship game in April.

NMU and the Badgers have squared off 90 times, most recently a two-game series in October 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when they split, Northern winning 5-4 in overtime in the opener and UW prevailing 4-0 in game 2. Wisconsin leads the all-time series 50-32-8.

UMass has defeated the Wildcats all three times they’ve played, including a 5-3 and 4-1 sweep in Massachusetts to start last season. The opener featured NMU records attained by, at the time, brand-new goaltender William Gramme of 34 saves in the first period and 65 saves for the game.

Arizona State also has won every game it’s played against Northern, five in all, their most recent meetings two seasons ago in October 2024 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, 3-1 and 2-0.

Story contents based on emails received from the University of Wisconsin Athletics Communications office and Northern Michigan University Sports Information. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.