How long has it been since New Hampshire came to Madison to face the Wisconsin men's hockey team?

Well, Barry Alvarez still was employed by Notre Dame, Bud Selig still ran the Brewers and Brett Favre was a college quarterback the last time it happened.

It was Nov. 10 and 11, 1989. The Badgers prevailed 8-1 and 7-3 en route to their fifth NCAA title later that season.

When the school hook up in a non-conference series Friday and Saturday night at the Kohl Center, it figures to be much more competitive. The Wildcats are perennial title contenders in the Hockey East Association and are known for a dynamic, up-tempo offense.

UW coach Mike Eaves made some lineup changes up front this week, but his top six defensemen remain unchanged from the first four games and junior Brett Bennett will start in goal for the third consecutive series opener.

The lines were altered to accommodate two freshmen. Right winger Craig Smith will miss the series after he was assessed a major penalty and game disqualification against Minnesota State-Mankato Oct. 24. The school tacked on an additional one-game suspension to emphasize the point that checking from behind is a dangerous activity.

Meanwhile, winger/center Derek Lee had his transcript issue cleared up by the NCAA this week. He began practicing Tuesday and will make his debut Friday night.

The UW lineup:

F Andy Bohmbach-Blake Geoffrion-Patrick Johnson

F Jordy Murray-Derek Stepan-Michael Davies

F John Mitchell-Ben Street-Lee

F Podge Turnbull-Aaron Bendickson-Ben Grotting

D Ryan McDonagh-Jake Gardiner

D Brendan Smith-John Ramage

D Cody Goloubef-Justin Schultz

G Bennett

You're probably wondering if Bennett faced the Wildcats during his two seasons at Boston University. The answer is yes. He was 0-2 in 2007-08, making 26 saves in a 4-2 loss and 18 saves in a 5-3 setback.

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