MADISON, Wis. — The baby Badgers will be put to the test by “grizzly old man strength” in their 2007-08 Kohl Center debut.

“We’re excited to show the fans what kind of hockey we have this year,” UW goaltender Shane Connelly said.

Wisconsin (1-1-0) will play Robert Morris (2-0-0) in what could just as soon be a father-son game. Of the 27 players on No. 13 UW’s roster, 18 are freshmen or sophomores. The Colonials, in the meantime, have 14 seniors on its team — all of whom are older than the Badgers’ oldest player. There’s no doubt that the experience discrepancy is substantial, and it could come into play.

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BOSTON — The schedule isn’t letting up for the Boston University women’s ice hockey team this weekend as it takes on two-time defending Hockey East champions University of New Hampshire on Sunday.

With junior goaltender Allyse Wilcox leading the team in net, the Terriers will try to get their first points against No. 4 UNH in the varsity program’s three-year history, as well as their first points of the season.

“Their whole team is a veteran team,” said BU coach Brian Durocher. “We need to make sure we’re not content with playing nationally ranked teams well. We want to win some games and get over the hump. UNH is one team we haven’t gotten a win or a point from.”

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PRINCETON, N.J. — Entering the season without some of last year’s strongest players, the women’s hockey team is out to prove that it has more than just potential. The Tigers expect to have the talent and skill this winter to surpass last season’s disappointing exit in the Eastern College Atlantic Conference Hockey League (ECACHL) Quarterfinals.

Princeton, however, is left with some big shoes to fill after losing five seniors to graduation last year. Among the graduated was forward Kim Pearce, who led the team in scoring for two consecutive seasons and had 127 points in 126 career games.

“As a team we really need to step up to the senior positions from last year,” junior goaltender Kristen Young said. “Kim Pearce scored a lot of our goals, and Laura Watt assisted the majority of them. We lost a big class.”

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota women’s hockey team heads to Ohio State for a contest that features two teams searching for their first WCHA victories.

The games will be played at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, in a weekend series at Ohio State University Ice Rink.

The Gophers face a Buckeyes team that battled Wisconsin to a 2-2 tie, which ended the Badgers 17-game win streak.

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BOSTON — It’s been tabbed the game of the year, the event of the season and a national showcase for college hockey.

But to many alumni and fans of the collegiate game, next month’s non-conference showdown between the Boston University and Cornell University men’s hockey teams has the potential to do something even greater: reinvigorate a rivalry that once dominated the eastern region.

The event, dubbed Red Hot Hockey, will take place Nov. 24 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, marking BU’s first appearance at the World’s Most Famous Arena since 1977.

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Women’s hockey has begun their season 0-2-2, thus far and today marks their first WCHA match against Bemidji State.

The Sioux’s season began with a 3-1 win over Manitoba in an exhibition game Sept. 29, they then opened their regular season with Boston University at the Nike Bauer Women’s Classic.

The Sioux tied Boston, 2-2 in an evenly fought overtime match, with goals coming from freshman forward Stephanie Roy and sophomore defender Casssandra Flanagan.

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BOSTON — Friday night, as Agganis Arena hosts hockey for the first time in nearly seven months, there’s no doubt the place is going to sparkle.

But chances are tonight’s bout between the No. 18 Boston University men’s ice hockey team and the No. 8 University of New Hampshire is going to be anything but pretty.

After their winless weekend in Alaska, the Terriers (0-1-1) return home to take on the preseason favorites to win the division — a team that has always given BU trouble.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Despite an excellent opening weekend, things are far from settled for the Michigan hockey team.

Though the sixth-ranked Wolverines surprised many with their performance at the Ice Breaker Invitational, they are not satisfied. Practice this week continued to be an intense affair.

For the team, things are still in flux. Going into this weekend’s CCHA series at Northern Michigan, position battles are in full force.

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame was a whirlwind on the ice in the second period, bombarding Denver with shots and making the Pioneers dizzy with dazzling puck control in the offensive zone — and then an actual whirlwind intervened.

The No. 11 Irish (2-1) weathered a 12-minute delay after the second period Thursday when a tornado warning prompted an evacuation of the Joyce Center. The stadium eventually refilled, and the Irish held on in the third to defeat No. 5 Denver 4-3.

The interruption failed to slow down Notre Dame, which spent the first period chasing the Pioneers (2-1), but exploded with a dominant second to take the permanent lead.

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MADISON, Wis. — The No. 13 Wisconsin men’s hockey team (1-1) will return to the Kohl Center this weekend for its home opener against the Robert Morris Colonials (2-0).

The Badgers are coming home after playing in the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. UW was able to pull off an upset of then-No. 8 Notre Dame 4-1, before losing to now-No. 12 Ohio State 5-3 in the championship game.

Wisconsin was led by freshman forward Kyle Turris, who scored two goals and tallied two assists over his first weekend of college play. Turris, along with freshman Podge Turnbull and junior assistant captain Ben Street, will make a formidable front line for the Badgers.

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