Badgers to wear throwback jerseys for outdoor game against Gophers

The Wisconsin men's hockey team, which is celebrating its 50th season in the modern hockey era, will wear commemorative uniforms on Feb. 17, when it faces the Gophers in the OfficeMax Hockey City Classic.

That's the outdoor game at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The alternate uniforms the Badgers will wear that game are reproductions of those worn by Wisconsin's 1931-32 team. Inside the collars are the words, "It's a great day for hockey."

Hemmed into the bottom of each is the date of the game and the teams participating, along with the game logo.

The Hockey City Classic is the third outdoor game for the Badgers in eight seasons. The Badgers defeated Ohio State 4-2 in the Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic at Lambeau Field in 2006 and beat Michigan 3-2 at the Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic in 2010.

This event features two matchups, Notre Dame vs. Miami (Ohio) at noon, followed by the Gophers vs. Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m.

The Hockey City Classic will be the first outdoor game in the modern era for the three other teams.

For more information, go to hockeycityclassic.com, Facebook.com/HockeyCityClassic or and on @HkyCityClassic.
The commemorative jersey is available at Buckyslockerroom.com.

HASTINGS THE LOBBYIST

Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings on Monday appeared before the Mankato city council, asking for improvements for the Verizon Wireless Center, where the Mavericks play.

He said the rink needs new boards and a new ice-making system. "We've got our fingers crossed this year that we can get through the end of the year," Hastings said. The Gophers play one game in Mankato on Jan. 26. It's a home-and-home series.

The complete story is here.

LEAGUE OF OFFENSIVE D-MEN

When it comes to blue-line scoring, the WCHA is in a league of its down. Four of the top five teams in the nation in scoring by defensemen are from the conference.

The Division I leaders in points by defensemen:

1. Denver 68

2. Nebraska Omaha 59

4. (tie) North Dakota 50

4. Colorado College 50

Source: North Dakota

And right behind those five are the Gophers with 49 points from their D, although to be fair, some of the U defensemen have played forward at times this season.

The top individual scoring D-men in the league and their national ranking in points for blue-liners:

1. (tie) Mike Boivin, Colorado Col. 9-9--18

3. (tie) Nate Schmidt, Gophers 3-13--16

3. (tie) Nick Jensen, SCSU 1-15--16

5. (tie) Nolan Zajac, Denver 3-2--15

5. (tie) Dave Makowski, Denver 5-10--15