Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio State make their return from break this season. The Gophers will host the 24th annual Mariucci Classic, while Ohio State finishes its non-conference slate. The Badgers will being a difficult stretch, as it hosts Michigan Tech this weekend before facing Boston University and Minnesota.

Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State are idle this week.

Wisconsin vs. Michigan Tech: Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.; Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. CT

The Wisconsin-Michigan Tech rivalry resumes this weekend, and it kicks off a very difficult three series for the Badgers, as they’ll face Boston University and then Minnesota.

The Badgers had one positive to start the New Year, adding defenseman Jake Bunz to the team, son of former Badger defender Gary Bunz. Bunz isn’t eligible to play yet, but increases Wisconsin’s defense to seven members.

Wisconsin is one of the worst teams in the country, and they’ve struggled with a roster comprised largely of underclassmen. The Badgers are on a three-game losing streak, after defeated Ferris State for its first and only win of the season. The Badgers also dropped an exhibition game to the NTDP.

Michigan Tech entered the Great Lakes Invitational as the top team, but fell to a depleted Michigan team. The Huskies are 4-4 in their last eight games, after starting the season with 10 straight wins.

Tanner Kero has 21 points for Michigan Tech, good for 11th in the country. Wisconsin’s highest scorer is Grant Besse, who has seven points.

Prediction: Wisconsin gets swept

Minnesota vs. Merrimack, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m. CT; vs. TBA at 7 p.m. CT (Mariucci Classic)

The Mariucci Classic returns, featuring Merrimack, UMass Lowell and RIT along with the host Gophers. Minnesota enters the tournament after tying Michigan State in its last outing.

The Gophers struggled a little heading into the break, and are 2-3-1 in their last six. Minnesota will be without Hudson Fasching and defenseman Ryan Collins, who are at the WJC. Kyle Rau and Mike Reilly lead Minnesota with 17 points, while Adam Wilcox has a .926 save percentage.

First up for Minnesota is Merrimack, which tied and lost to Boston University its last time out. The Warriors have split most of their series thus far. Rasmus Tirronen returned to the lineup on Dec. 6, and has started 11 games this season. He holds a .929 save percentage, while Brett Seney and Hampus Gustafsson have 15 points each.

RIT and UMass Lowell will play on Friday, and the winner will face the Gophers. RIT has five wins on the season, including one non-conference win over St. Lawrence. Matt Garbowsky’s 23 points are tied for sixth in the nation.

UMass Lowell is on a four-game winning streak, and has been better than expected this season. After losing several key players, UMass Lowell hasrelied on Kevin Boyle in net. C.J. Smith has 16 points to lead UMass Lowell’s offense.

Prediction: Minnesota vs. UMass Lowell in the final, Minnesota wins.

Ohio State at Mercyhurst: Jan. 2 at 7:05 p.m.; Jan. 3 at 2:35 p.m.

The Buckeyes, who’ve lost two of their last three, make the trip to Mercyhurst for the inaugural Snowtown Throwdown. Ohio State leads the all-time series 4-1.

Last year, Ohio State’s series with Mercyhurst marked the collegiate debut of Christian Frey, who helped the Buckeyes to a series sweep. Frey and Matt Tomkins have shared netminding duties this season, and Frey started the last two games.

Ohio State allowed eight goals in its last game, a loss to Michigan. Tanner Fritz leads the Buckeyes in scoring with 11 points, although the senior forward has netted goals in just one of the last seven games.

Matthew Zay has 14 points for the Lakers, who won three of their last four. In four non-conference games, the Lakers are 2-2 – including an early-season win over Colgate.

Prediction: Series split

Thursday, January 1st, 2015 - 10:22 pm | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings