MOSINEE, WI-- Mosinee's Chase Drake visited the Badgers last Wednesday, and took all of one day to commit to the Badgers in hockey. Today he made it official.

Drake becomes the first defenseman to commit to the Badgers' 2010 class.

"When he was a freshman, I remember him saying his goal was to play D1 hockey," said Mosinee hockey coach Derek Yirkovsky. "I said well, we have a lot to work on and he did it."

The Badgers started recruiting Drake late in the game, but once they became a player, he pretty much knew he wanted to suit up for the cardinal and white.

"Growing up in Wisconsin, you basically bleed red and white," Drake said. "Growing up here, my family pushing me, everything Badgers. It's definitely an honor to be able to call yourself at the end of a day a Badger."

Until 2010, he'll play junior-A hockey for the Green Bay Gamblers.