Friday Morning Skate

Happy opening day!

The No. 3 Mavericks start the regular season tonight with the first of two games against Arizona State at the Mankato Civic Center. The two teams have played each other just once, tying last December in Arizona (the Sun Devils won the shootout).

Among Minnesota State's seniors is Ian Scheid, who has been the mark of consistency over his first three seasons. He's racked up 75 points, scoring 24, 26 and 25 points. He believes that offensive production comes from some advice his late father gave him when he was a young player.

On Wednesday, the Mavericks named their captains for the season. Marc Michaelis and Nick Rivera will wear C's, while Edwin Hookenson will wear an A.

The Sun Devils already have a series under their belts, splitting at home against Mercyhurst last weekend. They know they have a tough task ahead of them on this long road trip to Mankato.

Going around the WCHA ...

Alaska at Michigan Tech: The first and only conference series takes place in Houghton where the Huskies (2-0) take on the Nanooks (0-2).

Alaska Anchorage at Maine: This is quite the road trip for the Seawolves, going cross-continent to take on the Black Bears (0-1)

Michigan State at Northern Michigan: The Wildcats are going to find out quickly what life is like without Atte Tolvanen in goal when they host the Spartans to kick off the season.

Denver at Lake Superior State: A pair of 2-0 teams will go at it this weekend in Sault Ste. Marie. The No. 2 Pioneers swept at Alaska last week and now go the U.P. to take on the Lakers, who swept Merrimack at home last week.

St. Cloud State at Bemidji State: The Beavers will host the No. 7 Huskies for an in-state showdown to start the season. It will be St. Cloud State's first trip to Bemidji since 2014-15.

Alabama Huntsville at Omaha: The 0-2 Chargers will continue a tough start to the season when they go on the road to face the Mavericks. UAH dropped two games at UMass-Lowell last weekend.

Bowling Green in IceBreaker vs. RIT, Ohio State/Western Michigan: The No. 17 Falcons got a win in new coach Ty Eigner's debut against his old boss, Chris Bergeron, and Miami last Sunday. Now they're in Toledo, Ohio, for what should be a competitive tournament.