Badgers travel to Eau Claire for good-cause scrimmage Saturday

Wisconsin, the preseason Big Ten favorite and ranked No. 3 in both national polls, will hold a Red vs. White scrimmage at 1 p.m. Saturdayat the Hobbs Ice Center in Eau Claire, Wis.

Tickets at the door are $20, but it's for a good cause. All proceeds will go to the UW-Eau Claire hockey program which won the Division III national title last season.

The scrimmage is also a homecoming of sorts for two assistant captains for the Badgers, senior forward Jefferson Dahl and junior defenseman Jake McCabe.

MAVS NAME CAPTAINS

Senior forward Johnny McInnis has been named the captain of Minnesota State Mankato this season. Alternate captains are senior defenseman Josh Nelson and junior defenseman Brett Stern.

McInnis, of Boston, has 22 goals, including eight game-winners, and 19 assists for 41 points in 92 career games.

Nelson, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., was named MSU's Unsung Hero last season and has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 84 career games.

Stern, Lino Lakes, has two goals and seven assists for nine points in 56 career games.

The Mavericks play with the University of Lethbridge (Alberta) in a home exhibition game 5 p.m. Sunday.

QUICK SHOTS

Gophers play at Colgate this weekend, hoping to win their 50th and 51st games in a row. ... Three other WCHA teams are in the top 10: North Dakota at No. 4, Wisconsin at No. 6 and Minnesota Duluth, unranked last week, at No. 10.

So who votes on this poll? Coaches, media and the American Hockey Coaches officers and USA Hockey officers have one vote apiece, too.

* New Denver coach Jim Montgomery has quite a job ahead of him. Not only is he replacing longtime fixture George Gwozdecky at DU, he has 10 true freshmen on the roster. Fortunately, 10 of the Pioneers' first 14 games are at home, Magness Arena. DU, one of the eight teams in the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, hosts Merrimack this weekend.

* Ferris State, one of the new teams in the WCHA, is the only team in that conference that plays a regular-season series this weekend. The Bulldogs are at Colgate Saturday and Sunday. ... Eight of the other nine WCHA teams play exhibition games. Only Bemidji State is idle. ... Lethbridge plays at Minnesota State Mankato at 5p.m. Sunday.

* By at least one criteria, Colorado College of the NCHC has the toughest schedule in the country The Tigers have 22 games against teams ranked in the top 15 in the USA Today preseason poll or at least receiving votes. Miami plays such foes 20 times, Notre Dame and Providence 18 times.