Friday morning skate

The Mavericks head to Minneapolis today to take on the No. 1-ranked Gophers. This will be the first time since the 1998-99 season that the two teams will play each other as nonconference opponents. Minnesota is in the Big Ten now (although it has yet to play a conference game), having departed the WCHA after last season.

For Minnesota State, the key to the weekend might be trying to get its stagnant offense flowing again. The Mavericks are averaging just 2.25 goals per game, and their power-play is working at just a 9.3 percent clip, not exactly numbers we expected to see during the preseason when their forward depth was compared to the best in the country. Matt Leitner has no goals and three assists in six games, and Jean-Paul LaFontaine has one goal and two assists in eight games. Johnny McInnis leads the team in scoring with three goals and three assists.

The Mavericks will also have to try to slow down the Gophers, who are averaging 4.38 goals per game, which ranks second in the country. Freshman goalie Cole Huggins will get the first shot at doing that, coach Mike Hastings said. Hastings said on Thursday that Stephon Williams is taking well to the competition from Huggins and had a good week of practice. More on the series in the Freep's College Hockey Gameday.

As for the Gophers, they are relying on a darn-good freshman class, one that already has 39 points, including 16 goals. They accounted for all five goals in Minnesota's 5-4 win at Notre Dame last Saturday. They have filled in nicely for a team that lost five players early to the pros.

Around the WCHA this weekend ...

Bowling Green is at Ferris State in a matchup of the league's top two teams. The Falcons hoped to have standout forward Ryan Carpenter back from a broken finger finally, but he suffered a setback when he broke his foot in practice this week.

Lake Superior plays at Michigan Tech in what should be another good series. Before the season started, this series looked perhaps to be a reprieve in the Huskies' brutal early season schedule. Now, not so much.

Alaska Anchorage goes to Bemidji State where the Beavers seem to have turned around their offensive woes from a year ago. Both of these teams are much-improved from last season and have a chance to make hay or keep pace in this year's standings.

Alabama Huntsville hosts St. Cloud State in a nonconference series that could get ugly for the winless Chargers. An upset of the third-ranked Huskies would be huge for Huntsville.

Meanwhile, you can see Matt Wellens' and my WCHA picks here, as well as our weekly WCHA notebook here.

Check back on the blog later for my live chat during Minnesota State's game at Mariucci Arena.