The Must Watch Matchups For This Weekend

Narratives are taking shape, teams are shaking off the rust, and everyone is in the swing of the season after their opening games. This weekend brings a heck of a slate, with big rematches, high-end talent facing off, and ranked matchups that will go down to the wire. Let’s look at the top matchups for this weekend.

A rematch of the Frozen Four double-overtime thriller that set the tone for what college hockey has become. 

Both these teams bring in star-studded rosters, and if Michigan wants to be looked at as the top dog in the country, they’re going to need an impressive showing. It’s not very often you get a number one against number two game at the start of the season, but we’re in for a treat this year. 

The matchup within this game I want to highlight is the battle of the two freshmen defensemen, Michigan’s Landon DuPont and Denver’s Daxon Rudolph. Through four games, DuPont has looked elite and has put up five assists in four games, while Rudolph has five points in two games. Two elite players and two elite teams are ready to battle it out tonight. 

This in-state rivalry is always anticipated, and with Minnesota looking better on paper than they did last year, this will be a must-watch matchup this weekend. 

Minnesota is coming into this game 0-2 after getting swept by Michigan Tech, and for Duluth, they come into this one 2-1-1 after losing to and tying Augustana, where the teams' lack of high-end scoring helps them back. Both teams have highly anticipated NHL prospects, but which one gets it done on the ice? 

Amidst their 0-2 start at the Ice Breaker tournament, Penn State is no longer ranked; a big weekend against the Bobcats would certainly change that, especially since Quinnipiac had a flawed weekend against Maine where they went 1-1, but lost on goal margin. 

The Nittany Lions will have to keep an eye out for Bobcats forward Ethan Wyttenbach, who has eight points through four games. If they’re going to try and match his line with a specific player, expect to see a lot of Jackson Smith on the blueline this weekend