Youngsters lead and learn as Wisconsin opens hockey season with a win

MADISON – With a roster that’s three-quarters freshmen and sophomores and has just two seniors, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team knew learning would be a big part of the process.

That made the season opener a good night.

Four sophomores scored and another won his UW debut in goal in a 4-2 victory over Robert Morris on Oct. 2 at the Kohl Center.

“Sitting in this seat for as long as I have, and I’m not talking just here at Wisconsin, it’s a heck of a lot better to win a hockey game and be able to learn from both sides of it, said coach Mike Hastings, who is beginning his fourth season with the program.

“And I don’t care what anybody says about college hockey. It’s as good as it’s been in a while. Anybody can beat anybody, and Robert Morris really gave us a good push there in the third, and there’s some things that we can run from both, positively and negatively tonight.”

At the end of last season, Hastings worried that Bruno Idžan had struggled enough as a freshman that he might be looking to go elsewhere.

Instead the Croation forward dug in, worked on his body and rededicated himself to becoming the player he and the coaching staff believed he could be, not the one who was held to two goals and five points over 20 games his first year.

Idžan’s goal midway through the second period gave the Badgers a 2-0 lead. But he also dazzled with defense.

“We had a heart-to-heart and talked about what we needed from him, and I told him if he went and did those things, he’d be put in a position to change his role on this team, and he has,” Hastings said. “I’m really happy for him, because he put a ton of work into it. … We’re gonna need him.

“A young athlete, part of that is when adversity hits, when those struggles hit, how do you react to it? He had had a really good summer, a really good preseason, and … he had an off day in our last week. … He just came back the next day and went right back to business. And being able to develop a crust as a player that when bad things happen, it’s part of the development piece.”

Any concern Hastings had about Idžan leaving was unnecessary.

“I don’t know what would have to happen for me to not want to be here,” he said.

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Luke Osburn found a lane after a faceoff and drove the puck home for the Badgers’ first goal late in the first period, and another sophomore defenseman, Dylan Compton, knocked in a goal on the power play in the second.

Sophomore forward Finn Brink netted a short-handed goal at 15:26 of the third period that proved to be the game-winner after freshman Brent Solomon incurred five-minute penalty and game misconduct for contact to the head.

“I think the puck was calling me tonight,” said Osburn, who took eight shots, twice as many as any other Badger. “I had some teammates that made some really good plays to me. There was more that I would have liked to finish, but it is what it is. I feel like I had a good game, but I had a lot of teammates that contributed to that.”

Newcomer Alexis Cournoyer got the start in goal over fellow sophomore Daniel Hauser, one of the stars of the 2025-26 playoff run.

Cournoyer, the ECAC goaltender of the year last season at Cornel, made 16 saves. The first Robert Morris goal came on a second-period power play and the second came with two seconds left in the game.

“It’s a bummer we couldn’t have kept at one, but the thing I love about him is he had a big ol’ grin on his face in the locker room and he wasn’t laying blame,” Hastings said. “He’s one of those guys that’s an incredibly confident, prepared goaltender. So I really liked this game tonight.”

With Hauser set to start the second game, the Badgers believe they’re in good shape on the back end.

“That competition has been hot and heavy going all the way back to June, when both Daniel and he got here, with [freshman Xander] Miceli,” Hastings said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Youngsters lead and learn as Wisconsin opens hockey season with a win