LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 9: Simon Tassy #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates his goal against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in the first period with teammate Daniel Hauser #31 during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four semifinal at the T-Mobile Arena on April 9, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Badgers won 2-1. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesThe Wisconsin Badgers take on the Denver Pioneers this evening in Vegasfor the Badgers first mens hockey title game since Obamas first term, andB5Qs resident hockey guru, Taylor Valentine, sat down with me to preview this intriguing matchup, whichshould be a really fun one.Ahead of the game, we gave our keys to a Badgers win, as well as our predictions for the evening contest.Mike Hastings Being Mike HastingsA lot of this contest comes down to scouting and game planning, and Hastings has put the Badgers in very good positions to advance throughout the NCAA Tournament, including two exquisitely game-plannedwins over No. 3 overall seed Michigan Stateand No. 2 overall seed North Dakota, where coaching was likely the pivot for both Wisconsin victories. The title game vs Denver should be no exception.Hastings has solid Frozen Four experience with Minnesota State (2021 and 2022), andactually faced Denver and David Carle in 2022, falling 5-1 in the title game against a dominant Denver squad. Although neither national semifinal foray led to a title, Hastings has experienced recenttrials by fire under the brightest lights possible, and that should prove valuableagainst the closest thing to a modern dynasty collegehockey has in the Pioneers.If Hastings is who we thinkhe is, he will definitely have his Badgers ready to roll against Denver.Building on The Win Over North DakotaThe underdog Badgers did just about everything right against North Dakota (besides drawing toomany penalties), including standing guys up at theblue line and winning puck battles in the neutral zone. That will have to continue against Denver, a supremely talented and disciplinedteam riding a goalie on a heater. The Badgers attacking and not being content to sit back and let the Pioneers dictate the game will be vital. In addition, Wisconsins penalty kill, which was subpar most of the season, has been outstanding in thetournament, including handling almost twominutes of 5 on 3 against North Dakota. A good PK can quickly transition to momentum, although limiting the Pioneers power play chances will be important.Finally, continuing to get in between the puck and the goalie will be huge. North Dakota only manageda paltry 22 shots on goal, but took over twice that many shots, with the Badgers blocking a huge number of them.Even with Daniel Hausers stellar play between the pipes for Wisconsin, limiting Denvers shots on goal could prove decisive.PredictionsTaylor:4-3 Wisconsin. Johnny Hicks hasnt given up four goals all year as a starter, but Wisconsin gets that fourth goal against Hicks, and the Badgers walk away with a 3rd period goal to take it 4-3.Scary Alvarez:3-2 Wisconsin. Its a tightly-fought, back-and-forth classic, where the Badgers dig deep and find just enough to hold off the Pioneers, capturing the schools 7th national championship.