Conference tournaments have long been a staple of college athletics in most sports, and college basketball tournaments have become must-see TV in early March.

Coaches of the eight Badgerland high school hockey teams hope that becomes true of its own tournament, which kicks off today.

Since becoming an eight-team league for the 2010-11 season, the league had struggled to find the right scheduling formula. This year the league tried a format in which teams played each other once during the regular season and they will get three more games this week in a tournament with a championship and consolation bracket.

“We were trying to look for a way that everybody saw each other evenly, but also set up a competition that everyone’s playing for something at the end of the year,” Fondy coach Ryan Sarazin said.

“I think it will be good. It could set up some interesting matchups and games between teams that are evenly matched.”

That includes a couple of revenge possibilities for Fond du Lac’s two teams.

Fondy beat Springs 6-2 in the regular season and if both win tonight, they will meet on Friday. The other team to beat Springs in league play is Appleton United, a team that tied Fondy and then beat the Cardinals in a shootout two weeks ago to earn its No. 1 seed.

The championship game will be played at approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday. All of Friday and Saturday’s games will be at the Blue Line in Fond du Lac.

Badgerland tournament

Waupun (1-6) at Springs (5-2), 5:30 p.m.

Neenah (3-4) at Oshkosh (4-3), 7:30 p.m.

Fox Cities (1-6) at Fond du Lac (6-0-1), 8 p.m.

Beaver Dam (1-6) at Appleton (6-0-1), 8:15 p.m.

Springs/Waupun winner vs. Fond du Lac/Fox Cities winner, 8:15 p.m. (Rink A)

Oshkosh/Neenah winner vs. Appleton/Beaver Dam winner, 6 p.m. (A)

Springs/Waupun loser vs. Fond du Lac/Fox Cities loser, 8:15 p.m. (B)

Oshkosh/Neenah loser vs. Appleton/Beaver Dam loser, 6 p.m. (B)

Final: Championship bracket winners, 5 p.m. (A)

3rd place: Championship bracket losers, 2:30 p.m. (A)

5th place: Consolation bracket winners, noon (A)

7th place: Consolation bracket losers, 2:30 p.m. (B)