23RD ANNUAL MARIUCCI CLASSIC PREVIEW

Friday: Ferris State vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 4 p.m.

Colgate vs. Gophers, 7 p.m., Fox Sports North, 1500-AM, BTN2Go.com

Saturday: Consolation game, 4 p.m.

Championship game, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network, 1500-AM, BTN2Go.com

Gophers at a glance: The No. 1 Gophers (12-2-2 overall, 3-0-1-0 Big Ten) will be tested without three players and their head coach.

Bulldog at a glance: Ferris State (14-2-3 overall, 10-0-2 WCHA) jumped to No. 2 in the most recent college polls. The Bulldogs (12-0-3) have a 15-game unbeaten streak.

Engineers at a glance: RPI (8-6-4 overall, 3-3-3 Eastern College Athletic Conference) has been in and out of the rankings this season and received votes in the current poll.

Raiders at a glance: Colgate (7-9-2 overall, 5-3-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) is in the top third of its conference with the help of consistently good third periods. In their past 10 games, they've outscored opponents 14-8 in the third period. They beat Ferris State and lost to RPI earlier this season.

JASON GONZALEZ