u men's hockey SERIES PREVIEW

NO. 9 GOPHERS AT MICHIGAN

5:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Yost Arena

TV/radio/live stream: BTN on Friday and FSN Plus on Saturday; 1500-AM both nights; BTN2Go both nights

Gophers at a glance: Thanks to captain Kyle Rau, the Gophers (10-5-1, 1-0-1 Big Ten) avoided what would have been a disastrous weekend at the Mariucci Classic. The Gophers lost for the fourth time in seven games Friday night and were on the verge of a tie Saturday with unranked RIT until Rau scored in overtime. The Gophers hope the exciting finish can jump-start a revival as Big Ten play takes over the schedule. A healthy lineup could go a long way to achieve expectations. Junior defenseman Brady Skjei is expected to return (upper-body injury). Skjei was cleared to play and spent the week practicing.

Michigan at a glance: The Wolverines (10-7, 2-1) are coming off a bye after winning the Great Lakes Invitational over Christmas weekend. They upset No. 5 Michigan Tech and beat Michigan State without JT Compher, Tyler Motte, Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski, who competed for the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship. Larkin scored five goals. The Wolverines have won eight of their past 10.

JASON GONZALEZ