The pandemic continues, but the Bulldogs find themselves playing their first game – an exhibition – under very different circumstances just 144 miles from home and five days earlier than they originally anticipated thanks to an NCAA waiver.

The Bulldogs will play Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Chippewa Area Ice Arena in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and the building will be far from empty. Home of the Chippewa Steel and the Chippewa Youth Hockey Association of the North American Hockey League, all 918 tickets made available for the game exhausted in a 17 minute report.

True senior winger Tanner Laderoute described the feeling of playing this week as “pure excitement” compared to how last year started for UMD.

“As you all know, last year we had to play against each other for what felt like a year – months and months before our first game finally arrived,” Laderoute said. . “We’re super excited to go play in a little barn. It’s going to sound as loud as it can.

Initially set up as a scripted scrum at a neutral site midway between the Amsoil Arena and the Kohl Center – the Badgers are set to run an additional 47 miles on Sunday – which would feature a built-in time for power plays, shots on the pitch. goal, 4-on-4, 3 on 3 and a shootout, the NCAA rejected that idea and now the show will play out like a traditional game.

While the NCAA decision was a disappointment for Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin – who added that they hoped to change that rule in the proposal to make the exhibition waiver permanent for 2021-2022 – the players said that ‘They were more excited to play a real show against a Badger Team that swept them in October 2019 in Madison.

Playing an exhibition against another NCAA team instead of against a Canadian university will also be different, said UMD fifth-year senior winger Koby Bender.

“I’m delighted to have another chance against them,” said Bender, the Cloquet native who won’t be around when Wisconsin comes to Amsoil next season. “They kind of took it from us when we were there last time.”

Steve Gibbs, Vice President of Chippewa Falls Youth Hockey told the Chippewa Herald this week, “There’s a lot of excitement here” for the exhibition game. Volunteers mobilized to ensure security and help clean up the site. Sponsors helped cover the costs and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is donated as 100 percent of the proceeds from the exhibit go to an endowment fund that helps children in the Chippewa Falls area play hockey.

“It’s just funny that there will be people there,” Sandelin said. “It’s great to have that excitement, it’s great that we can meet in the middle and we’ve found a place to play. Just by reading they do a great job of promoting it. I think it will be a good atmosphere for our players. It’s a small rink, but with people in there it should be fun. We are all looking forward to it.

The UMD will be without second-year winger Luke Mylymok, not only for Sunday’s show, but for “a long time … unfortunately,” said Sandelin, who did not disclose the nature of the injury. Mylymok is the one who sent the Bulldogs to the NCAA Frozen Four a year ago, scoring in a breakaway 2:13 of fifth overtime for a 3-2 win over North Dakota in the final. Fargo Regional.

Sandelin said he has yet to define the structure of his roster for Sunday’s game, but there will likely be adjustments throughout. The only thing he knows is that the three goalkeepers – second Zach Stejskal, junior Ryan Fanti and red jersey senior Ben Patt – will each play a period.

“It was great that (this game) went in such a short time,” said Sandelin, whose team opens the regular season with a return match next weekend against Bemidji State. “We can see our team, we can see our young guys getting college experience against a good team. It’s a starting point, and it’s a good thing to have before you play Bemidji next weekend.