MILWAUKEE — As the surge of holiday travel came to an end, an influx in of hockey fans descended on Brew City.

The 4th annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off took place over the weekend in Milwaukee.

The two-day hockey tournament featured matchups between the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U-Conn, Alaska Fairbanks and Ferris State.

The Badgers defended their title this year and won their 3rd championship title in four years.

“Badgers hockey is a rush,” fan Todd Machmueller said. “You can cut the tension with a knife.” 

He and his wife, Lori, are big Badgers hockey fans from Ripon and bought returning tickets to the tournament this year.

“We kind of decided last year that this would be our Christmas present to each other and go to the Fiserv Forum, check it out, the Deer District, so it’s just a lot of fun to hang out in Milwaukee and experience this area,” Lori Machmueller said.

As in years past, the tournament was expected to draw in thousands of fans.

The company that promotes the event said, on average, it generates about $2 million in revenue for Milwaukee.

Revenue is generated by the thousands of fans and family members that stay in Milwaukee for the weekend.

The LaMaster family was in from Duluth, Minnesota. They came to support Luke LaMaster, who plays for the Alaska Nanooks.

His brother, Ben LaMaster, grew up playing hockey too. 

“It’s the best game in the world. It’s physical, but it’s elegant at the same time. And it’s a beautiful game and I think it deserves a little bit more of a spotlight than it gets,” Ben LaMaster said.

The Holiday Face-Off continues to grow in popularity, having record ticket sales in 2023. Gazelle Group, the tournament promoter, said ticket sales gross more than $250,000 annually.