It's another big weekend in Mankato as North Dakota comes to town for the first time since 2013. It will be a matchup of the No. 2 Mavericks against the No. 16 Fighting Hawks.
For Minnesota State, much has already been made about its depth and tough lineup to crack, but, as senior defenseman and alternate captain Edwin Hookenson can attest, hard work and stick-to-itiveness can eventually earn a player a permanent and important role on the team.
The Mavericks' lineup tonight could look a bit different than last week if Nick Rivera and Nathan Smith are ready to return from injury. Both were back on the ice this week this week, as was Marc Michaelis, who left Saturday's game against Arizona State in the third period.
Read more about the matchup between MSU and UND in this week's College Hockey Gameday.
From the North Dakota side of things, Brad Schlossman writes that the Fighting Hawks are going to try to do something few teams have been able to do recently — win in Mankato. Like MSU, North Dakota has been dealing with an injury to an important veteran player.
Schlossman also takes a look at the courtship of college free agents, which this weekend's series will have, notably MSU defenseman Connor Mackey and UND defenseman Colton Poolman. (I'll add Michaelis to that mix, too, as, like Mackey, he met with several NHL teams prior to the season).
Read more on the MSU-UND series from USCHO's Jack Hittinger here and here.
Going around the WCHA ...
There are no league games this weekend, but Alaska, which swept Michigan Tech in Houghton last weekend, opened a series at Penn State on Thursday, losing 7-0. They will play again tonight.
Friday-Saturday matchups include:
• Ferris State at Miami: The Bulldogs (1-0) will take on former Bowling Green coach Chris Bergeron and the Redhawks (0-2-1) in a matchup of two teams trying to make big improvements from a year ago.
• Bowling Green vs./at Western Michigan: These teams will play three games in a row after this weekend, as the Broncos (1-0-1) defeated the Falcons (1-2) in the third-place game of the Icebreaker last Saturday in Toledo.
• Northern Michigan at Boston University The Wildcats (1-1) continue a nonconference schedule against well-known college hockey teams, heading east to take on the Terriers (1-0). Last week, NMU split a home series against Michigan State.
• Lake Superior State at Michigan: The Lakers (2-2) are going downstate to face the Wolverines (0-1-1) in an intratstate matchup. The two teams split at Sault Ste. Marie last season.
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