The opening game of the Gophers' final regular-season series will be televised live by the American Sports Network on GetTV, an affiliate of the CW, on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Big Ten matchup against Penn State with championship implications was picked up on Monday and can be seen on channel 23.2 or Comcast digital cable channels 212 or 251 in the Twin Cities, and on MyTV (KIMT) in Southeastern Minnesota.
Former Gophers hockey All-American Pat Michelleti and Clay Matvick will call the game.
The Gophers are one of four teams fighting for the Big Ten regular-season championship. Michigan State has a one-point edge in the standings with Michigan and Minnesota tied for second. Penn State is three points out of first place. One Big Ten victory is worth three points.
Michigan and Michigan State face off against one another this weekend on Fox Sports Detroit.
Scheduling conflicts kept the Big Ten Network and FSN from airing Friday's Gophers hockey game. BTN is broadcasting the conference men's basketball tournament and FSN has the Wild and Timberwolves on the schedule Friday night.
FSN Plus will air Saturday's Gophers-Penn State finale is on FSN Plus at 7 p.m. Both games will be live streamed on BTN2Go.
The Gophers maintained their No. 15 ranking in the USCHO poll on Monday after splitting at Ohio State over the weekend. They're on the bubble in the PairWise rankings after dropping to tied for 14th. The PairWise poll is based on a formula that predicts the 16-team NCAA tournament field.
North Dakota won the NCHC regular-season title outright to claim the Penrose Cup over the weekend and will enter the NCHC playoffs ranked No. 1 in the USCHO poll. Minnesota State, Boston University, Michigan Tech and Miami round out the top five. Minnesota Duluth is No. 6 in the polls.
Complete USCHO men's poll, the top 20 results, the PairWise rankings, and Big Ten results and standings.
