GRAND FORKS, N.D. - There are a lot of good matchups in the NCAA coming into the weekend, highlighted by two top-five teams facing off against each other.
The No. 1 ranked Minnesota Gophers are on the road to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at the great Ralph Engelstad Arena.
UND welcomed 14 newcomers this year after going 18-15-6 last year and 10-10-4 in the NCHC. But out of those 14 newcomers are seven freshmen with three freshmen defenders. UND is 2-0-0 this season after a 7-2 win over Army and a 2-0 win over Wisconsin last weekend.
The Gophers, on the other hand, come into the season 2-0-0 after a sweep over St. Thomas. Already without their senior co-captain, Mike Koster, and senior assistant captain Mason Nevers, the Gophers may also be without sophomore defender, Ryan Chesley for the series as well as he remains questionable to play.
Watch out for UND's top line of Jake Schmaltz, Owen McLaughlin, and Jackson Blake as they look to expose Minnesota's young and injured d-core. But on the other side, watch out for the Gophers' top line of Oliver Moore, Brody Lamb, and Jimmy Suggerud.
It's always fun when two top-five teams play each other but it's extra fun when there is a rivalry between them so this series is more than just a rivalry.
Ohio State at Michigan
The No. 13 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes are on the road this weekend for two games against the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
Michigan is 2-2-0 after splitting with Providence and UMass to start the year. The Wolverines are still projected to be a good team this year with returning sophomores Gavin Brindley, Seamus Casey, Rutger McGroarty, and T.J. Hughes to name a few.
But losing Hobey Baker winner, Adam Fantilli, star defender Luke Hughes, and their starting goaltender Erik Portillo, is never easy so a slow start shouldn't be that big of a surprise.
Even Ohio State lost their starting goaltender, Jakub Dobes, to the AHL. The Buckeyes are 2-0-1 on the year after a win over Mercyhurst. They then returned home to beat Lindenwood 4-2 and followed it up with a 2-2 tie.
Both teams' biggest questions this year are their goaltending, but they still should be two fun offensive teams to watch, which makes for a good weekend series.
Other matchups
No. 2 ranked Denver is on the road against No. 10 ranked Providence. No. 6 ranked Boston University is on the road against Notre Dame for another very interesting matchup to keep an eye on.
Last series to watch which could be a fun one is Minnesota Duluth hosting Bemidji State. It's always fun to watch when two Minnesota teams square off against each other.