PRINCETON, N.J. – The second annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off will return to Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum December 28-29, 2022. The field for the event consists of Wisconsin, defending National Champion and ninth-ranked Massachusetts, No. 19 Clarkson, and Lake Superior State. Semifinal play will take place on Wednesday, December 28 with the Championship game and third-place game on Thursday, December 29. Matchups will be announced at a later date.
The four programs heading to Milwaukee combine for 62 NCAA Tournament appearances – Wisconsin (26), Clarkson (22), Lake Superior State (11), UMass (3).
"The inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off this past December was an unqualified success," says Gazelle Group president Rick Giles. "The feedback we received from the teams, the fans, and the media was tremendous and we look forward to making the 2022 event even better."
In December's the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Wisconsin won the title with a pair of victories decided in extra time. In the semifinals, the Badgers defeated Yale, 3-2, in overtime before winning the championship in a shootout with then-No. 16 Providence. Despite renewed COVID-19 concerns and snow, nearly 13,000 fans attended the inaugural event at the home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.
"We are proud to have college hockey return to Fiserv Forum for the second year in a row as we continue to offer a diverse list of events at the arena," said Peter Feigin, Fiserv Forum and Milwaukee Bucks president. "Milwaukee has a rich history of college hockey tournaments, and we are excited to continue the tradition by hosting Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off again at Fiserv Forum."
College hockey is woven into the fabric of Milwaukee. The city hosted the NCAA men's Frozen Four on three occasions - 1993, 1997, and 2006. In 2006, Wisconsin won its most recent National Championship on the Bradley Center ice.
Tickets for the 2022 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off will go on sale at a later date.
For additional information, follow the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram (@holidayfaceoff).
THE FIELD
Wisconsin Badgers (Head Coach: Tony Granato, Big Ten Conference)
Currently in his sixth season as head coach of his alma mater, 2020 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Tony Granato owns a pair of Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and the 2021 Big Ten title…Wisconsin won the inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off with an overtime win versus Yale and a shootout victory over then-No. 16 Providence at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee in December…NHL first-round Columbus Blue Jackets' pick and freshman defenseman Corson Ceulemans, the Most Outstanding Defenseman at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, was named the Hockey Commissioners Association National Rookie of the Month for December and leads the Badgers with 19 points (7-12)…sophomore Mathieu De St. Phalle paces UW with eight goals while classmate Carson Bantle and Ceulemans are right behind with seven apiece…the Badgers rank first in the nation in total attendance (115,079) and second in average attendance (9,692).
No. 9 Massachusetts Minutemen (Head Coach: Greg Carvel, Hockey East)
The defending National Champions are ranked No. 9 with a 15-8-2 record and sit in second place with a 10-4-2 record in Hockey East after replacing 10 players from last year's title team…head coach Greg Carvel, who guided UMass to its first National Championship, is in his sixth season in Amherst and sports a 108-83-12 record…a year ago he earned National Coach of the Year honors from USCHO and College Hockey News…freshman defenseman Scott Morrow, a 2021 NHL second round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes, ranks among the nation's freshman leaders in goals (10) and points (26)…he leads all freshman backliners in points per game (1.04)…classmate Ryan Ufko, a 2021 fourth round selection of the Nashville Predators, is third among freshman D-men with 15 assists…Morrow and Ufko rank second and third, respectively, among UMass scorers.
No. 19 Clarkson Golden Knights (Head Coach: Casey Jones, ECAC Hockey)
The Golden Knights, who are celebrating their 100th season of hockey this year, currently sit one point out of first place in the ECAC with an 10-2-4 record along with an overall mark of 15-7-6…included among those wins are victories over No. 14 Michigan Tech, No. 16 Cornell, and Wisconsin, as well as a tie at No. 2 Quinnipiac….the Knights have four players with 20+ points on the season, paced by junior Mathieu Gosselin (7-18-25) and sophomore Alex Campbell (12-12-24)….in goal, sophomore Ethan Haider has started 23 games and plays to a 2.36 goals against average while posting 10 wins, including three shutouts…Clarkson features seven NHL draft picks on its roster, including Campbell and Haider who were both taken by Nashville in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Lake Superior State Lakers (Head Coach: Damon Whitten, Central Collegiate Hockey Association)
Head Coach Damon Whitten is in his eighth season behind the bench and has led the Lakers to playoff appearances in all but one season…Whitten led Lake Superior to 26 wins during the calendar year of 2021, which was tied for third-most in the country (Minnesota State, 37; North Dakota, 28)…with 26 power play goals in 2021-22, the Lakers rank eighth nationally and are scoring at a 21.7% clip…LSSU has nine players with 11 or more points, including three skaters with 22 or more points...junior captain Louis Boudon leads the team with a career-high 28 points in 27 games, including a career-best 11 goals…sophomore defenseman Jacob Bengtsson has totaled 22 points (second among CCHA defensemen), which includes a team-leading 20 assists (tied for third nationally among defensemen).
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Wisconsin head coach Tony Granato:
"This season's Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off was a great event. Our guys really enjoyed playing at Fiserv Forum and there was a great group of fans there to watch it all. It turned out be such a competitive and thrilling tournament and we were happy to take home the first title. We're looking forward to getting back there for year two to watch it grow and get even better."
Massachusetts head coach Greg Carvel:
"UMass Hockey and everyone in our program is excited to be participating in the 2022 Holiday Face-Off tournament. It's always exciting to play teams you usually don't match up with, it's fun to travel and play in the Midwest as well. Four quality hockey teams will be battling hard for the tournament trophy."
Clarkson head coach Casey Jones:
"We try to annually schedule a tournament as It gives you that postseason feel and also a chance to win a championship. The field is great and we look forward to participating."
Lake Superior State head coach Damon Whitten:
"Laker hockey's last trip to Milwaukee came in 1993 as we fell short in the National Championship game against Maine so our program looks forward to returning to Milwaukee and the opportunity to compete in the 2022 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off. We are excited to be part of a great field of competitors and build off the success of the inaugural Holiday Face-Off. Laker hockey will be well represented in Milwaukee and our program and fans look forward to playing at the Fiserv Forum next season."
About Kwik Trip
Kwik Trip is a family-owned company founded in 1965. Kwik Trip operates 775 stores and employs 31,000 co-workers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. The stores receive daily deliveries of fresh baked goods, dairy products, soups, salads, fruit, produce, sandwiches and sell grocery products, general merchandise, gasoline, and related petroleum products. The company operates its own bakery, dairy, water bottling line, kitchens, food safety lab, distribution center, ice plant, LP plant, blow mold facility, transportation company and health clinics. Kwik Trip makes, ships, and sells 80 percent of its own branded products and serves over 9 million guests per week. The C-store chain consistently ranks as a Top Workplace in each of its market areas. For more, visit www.kwiktrip.com.
About the Gazelle Group
The Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off is produced by the Gazelle Group of Princeton, N.J. The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. In addition to the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized college basketball events, such as the Empire Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project, the Legends Classic, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, and the College Basketball Invitational. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.
About Fiserv Forum
Fiserv Forum is a preeminent sports and entertainment arena in downtown Milwaukee that opened on Aug. 26, 2018. Designed by Populous, Epstein Uren Architects and HNTB, the venue offers incomparable sightlines, customer service, technology and amenities. Fiserv Forum includes 17,341 seats for basketball, 15,178 for hockey and up to 18,000 for concerts, with 34 luxury suites and three clubs. The world-class arena is home to the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University's men's basketball team and also hosts a diverse variety of year-round events, including major concerts, family shows and other sports and entertainment events. Fiserv Forum is the anchor of the surrounding 30-acre Deer District neighborhood, which is Milwaukee's premier location for people to live, work and play. In 2021, Fiserv Forum was awarded LEED Gold Certification for sustainability performance. Founding Partners for Fiserv Forum include Fiserv, BMO Harris Bank, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Johnson Controls, Miller Brewing Company and Motorola. For more information, please visit fiservforum.com.