This is the first full weekend of play for all Big Ten teams. There’s still time until conference contests kicks off, but this weekend features some interesting matchups and in-state rivalries.

A weekend against Minnesota-Duluth will give the Gophers an early chance to show the kind of team they are. Minnesota needs its junior class to lead the team, and the Gophers need to find a goaltender who can be an adequate last line of defense.

The Buckeyes have a tough challenge in Miami, while Michigan will open its season against Mercyhurst. Penn State hosts Notre Dame, while the Badgers travel East to face Boston University and Boston College.

Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth: Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. CT; Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. CT

After falling to Vermont in its season opener, the Gophers take on Minnesota-Duluth in a home-and-home series. The rivalry is a good one, and it provided a series split and two very good games last season. But when these teams met in the NCAA tournament last year, the Bulldogs destroyed the Gophers.

The Bulldogs lost their season opener as well, dropping a 3-2 decision against Bemidji State. Minnesota-Duluth is one of the best teams in the country and the NCHC, and will be a difficult team for a young Minnesota squad to face. The Gophers are also very inexperienced in net, while the Bulldogs returned almost all of their team.

Prediction: Bulldogs sweep

Michigan vs. Mercyhurst: Oct. 16 at 7:35 p.m., Oct. 18 at 5:05 p.m.

The Wolverines open their season against Atlantic Hockey opponent Mercyhurst. This will be the first NCAA test for Michigan’s effective offense, and for stellar freshman Kyle Connor. Last year the Wolverines were capable of stringing together five, six goals per game. While Michigan lost Dylan Larkin, Zach Hyman and Andrew Copp, there’s still plenty of talent up front.

But Michigan’s defense and goaltending is still the question mark. This weekend will reveal some more information on how strong the Wolverines will be at the back end.

The Lakers aren’t a team to be taken lightly. They opened the season with a split against Colgate and then swept Bentley. The Lakers came close to winning the Atlantic Hockey tournament last year.

Prediction: Michigan sweeps 

Ohio State vs. Miami: Oct. 16 at 7 p.m

The Buckeyes dropped their opening series against Bowling Green, allowing eight goals on the weekend. In Friday’s loss, Nick Schilkey scored twice. Schilkey – along with Anthony Greco – are the players who need to lead Ohio State.

Miami suffered some key losses in the offseason, including leading scorer Austin Czarnik and Blake Coleman and Riley Barber. Miami opened its season with a 7-3 loss to Providence but rebounded with a 2-2 tie.

The offensive losses hurt Miami, but the RedHawks still have their goaltending rotation. If Ohio State has trouble scoring, Miami could take the weekend.

Prediction: Miami sweeps

Michigan State at Denver: Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. MT; Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. MT

After an unbeaten weekend at the Ice Breaker Tournament, Michigan State travels to Denver for a two-game series. While the Spartans have one of the best netminders in Jake Hildebrand, they’ve been suffering from injury problems.

Spartan coach Tom Anastos announced on Tuesday that Dylan Pavelek and Ryan Keller will not make the trip, while Michael Ferrantino and Villiam Haag are questionable for the weekend.

Denver is one of the top teams in the nation, combining skilled forwards and a good defensive core. The Pioneers earned a split last weekend with Air Force. Denver lost its season opener 5-4 on OT against the Falcons before earning a 3-1 win at home.

Prediction: Denver sweeps

Penn State vs. Notre Dame: Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.; Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.

The Nittany Lions opened their season with a 6-1 win over Canisius in an impressive offensive showing. This is the first weekend of play for Notre Dame, which tied the NTDP last week. Notre Dame’s key departures last season were leading scorers lost Vince Hinostroza and Robbie Russo. Now, Mario Lucia is the team’s leading returning scorer.

Penn State also lost key offensive members after Taylor Holstrom’s graduation and Casey Bailey’s early departure. The Nittany Lions proved they could score last weekend, but sometimes their offense is inconsistent.

Notre Dame is a better team than it was two years ago, but it still isn’t top in Hockey East. Penn State is in the middle of the pack as well, so this weekend should be interesting.

Prediction: Series split

Wisconsin at Boston College: Oct 16 at 7 p.m. ET; at Boston University at 7 p.m. ET

The Badgers make another trek back to Boston to face the Hockey East powers. Two years ago, Wisconsin – a much better Wisconsin team – made the same trip. The Badgers lost by a combined score of 16-5.

While Wisconsin will still struggle this year, they’ve shown they’re already better than last year’s team. The toughest part for the very young Badger team is the inexperience they carry in net. While Wisconsin is heavy with underclassmen, the Badgers do have threats like Luke Kunin, Cameron Hughes and Grant Besse.

Both BC and BU lost their first games. The Eagles fell to RPI while the Terriers dropped a decision to Union. Don’t be fooled by the results, though. Both BC and BU have some of the best players – and freshmen – in the country, and will be difficult to play against.

Prediction: Wisconsin gets swept.

Friday, October 16th, 2015 - 9:00 am | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings