Friday morning skate

It's a big weekend in Mankato — bigger than the North Dakota weekend, I say — as No. 18 Bowling Green comes to town for the first time since that memorable WCHA championship night in March. Should be a fun weekend of hockey between the No. 2 Mavericks and the Falcons.

For Minnesota State, junior defenseman Connor Mackey is off to a good start again, matured, he says, by the end of last season, a rollercoaster ride that involved the best of times and the worst of times sports can offer, followed by a difficult decision about his future as a player.

The Rink Live takes a look back at last year's WCHA title game with game-winning-goal scorer Nick Rivera.

Bowling Green is coming off a home split against Michigan Tech to start its WCHA schedule.

Going around the WCHA ...

Alaska Anchorage vs. Omaha: This nonconference series started on Thursday night with the red Mavericks winning a tight one, 4-3, in Anchorage.

Alabama Huntsville at Northern Michigan: The winless Chargers are back on the road after dropping two games to the Mavericks. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are back in Marquette after a successful road swing in which they went 3-0-1 against Boston University and Ferris State. College Hockey News takes a good look at NMU coach Grant Potulny, who is starting his third season.

Bemidji State at Alaska: The Beavers are looking for their first win on what they're calling their toughest road trip of the season. They've played St. Cloud State and North Dakota tough and are 0-2-2. The 4-4-0 Nanooks are home for the first time since opening weekend. They split at Anchorage last weekend.

Ferris State at Lake Superior State: The host Lakers begin WCHA play this weekend and will try to stop a six-game losing streak that came against some tough competition — Denver, Michigan and Notre Dame. The Bulldogs dropped two games to start conference play last week at home against Northern.

Michigan Tech at North Dakota: This single game on Saturday is the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game and should be a good one as the 3-3-0 Huskies go to Grand Forks for the first time since the 2013 WCHA playoffs.

Also this weekend, the Minnesota State women are at home hoping to an extend their four-game unbeaten streak, and the Gustavus Adolphus teams are starting their seasons.