Leading up to the Border Battle on ice this weekend in Madison, Wis., the neighboring states are giving a glimpse as to why the hockey talent in the upper Midwest is so good.
Former Badgers standout Joe Piskula tweeted a video of what appears to be him skating on frozen streets in Wisconsin with the caption, "How Wisco kids get so good at hockey."
Freezing rain and snowfall throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota coated streets with layers of ice thick enough for Piskula and other skaters to dig their blades into for some fun or extra practice.
"Wow, this is good! A little bumpy, but pretty good," the skater yelled while gliding across the ice.
The camera operator replied, "that's crazy."
The roads were so slick, even the dog in the video struggled to find its footing and slid across the icy driveway.
Similar videos popped up across Minnesota. Local hockey writer Jess Myers tweeted a video of his son Jacob skating on the street with the caption, "How bad was the ice storm in MSP last night? It provided one HS hockey player a literal road to the Stanley Cup."
"Yeah, that's our bare asphalt street and those are hockey skates! So, if you don't have to drive, I suggest you don't," Myers said on the video. "Just my two cents. Nice work, Jacob. Just getting a little extra hockey practice in … in the street."
The Gophers and Badgers kick off the Border Battle Friday night at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports North.
Enjoy the videos:
