EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The Wisconsin Badger hockey team will be in Eau Claire Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. as they use their first official practice for the 2013-14 season for the Red-White scrimmage at Hobbs Ice Center. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the UW-Eau Claire Service Center.
The Badgers will be in town to recognize the 2012-13 UW-Eau Claire men's hockey team that won the NCAA Division III National Championship. Current Badger's Jefferson Dahl and Jake McCabe will make the return to their hometown for the scrimmage.
Dahl is a senior forward for the Badgers and is also an assistant captain. He graduated from Eau Claire Memorial High School in 2008 and was the captain of the Old Abes hockey team that finished the year undefeated and won the first state championship in school history. Dahl is the all-time leading scorer in school history, finishing his career with 211 points (96 goals, 115 assists).
McCabe is a junior defenseman at Wisconsin and another Memorial product, though he played only one season for the Old Abes before going to play for the USA NTDP team in Ann Arbor (Mich.). McCabe was drafted in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round with the 44th overall pick. He is also the younger brother of Andrew McCabe, a senior captain on the UW-Eau Claire National Championship team.
Head coach Mike Eaves will also return to Eau Claire where he coached the Blugolds for a season in the 1986-87 season.
The Badgers will start with a 30-minute practice followed by two officiated 20-minute periods. An autograph session with the team will follow the scrimmage.
Tickets are still available for pre-sale. They can be purchased for $15 through the UW-Eau Claire Service Center in the Davies Center or over the phone at 715-836-3727 or online at http://www.uwec.edu/Servicecenter/tickets/index.htm.
There will be 1,500 tickets available and any available tickets will be sold at the door but they will cost $20 the day of the scrimmage. All proceeds from the event will go to the UW-Eau Claire men's hockey program.
Seating will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis for the event. There will be no reserved seating. The doors will open at noon on the day of the scrimmage, so be sure to get there early to guarantee a good seat.
-JM-
