Beavers prepare to face Wisconsin in the NCAA East Regional Semifinal

The Bemidji State University men’s hockey team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years and is set to open the single-elimination regional weekend matched up with University of Wisconsin (20-9-3) at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., at noon Friday.

Friday’s semifinal marks the first time BSU and Wisconsin have gone head-to-head since the teams met as Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals in 2011-12. The Badgers own a 6-0-1 advantage in the series, which includes a 4-0 victory over the Beavers in the semifinal round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament–the only previous postseason meeting between the teams.

Ranked 15th in the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national poll, BSU is 15-9-3 overall and holds down the No. 4 seed after earning its second automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. At 20-9-3 overall, the Badgers finished atop the Big Ten standings and enters the East Regional toting the No. 4 ranking in the nation.

The winner of the BSU/UW contest will face the winner of the second regional semifinal between University of Massachusetts and Lake Superior State University in the regional championship at 4 p.m. Saturday.