Bemidji State (7-6-2) vs. No. 14 North Dakota (7-7-1)

With the Fighting Hawks holding an all-time .827 winning percentage against Bemidji State, the Beavers looked to reverse course and sweep an ailing North Dakota team in a home-and-home series this past weekend. Game one almost went scoreless through the first two periods before Bemidji State's Mitch Wolfe lit the lamp with 56 seconds remaining in the period, scoring his second career collegiate goal.

At the 11:37 minute mark of period three, Isa Parekh snapped home a one-timer to double Bemidji State's lead. With 3:33 remaining and their goaltender pulled, North Dakota's Sacha Boisvert welcomed a fortunate bounce to make it 2-1, but the Beavers held on for the win. Goaltender Mattias Sholl made a few huge saves down the stretch to seal the victory, recording 34 saves on the night. 

In Saturday's rematch in North Dakota, Adam Flammang scored his first goal of the season to put the Beavers in front, but two late-period goals resulted in a 2-1 North Dakota lead at the break. Period two opened with a flurry of three goals in less than two minutes, with Reilly Funk and Noah Quinn making it 3-2 BSU before Jake Schmaltz responded for the Fighting Hawks. Neither team was able to find the back of the net the rest of the way, and the game ended in a 3-3 tie. 

Bemidji State's next opponent is against the top-ranked team in the conference, Lake Superior State (7-6-1), with the road series for the Beavers starting at 6:07 PM on 12/6 and 5:07 PM on 12/7. 

No. 3 Minnesota (13-2-1) vs. Alaska Nanooks (4-7-3)

Squaring off for the first time since January 2022, the Alaska Nanooks opened the scoring in game one and led 1-0 after the first. After outshooting the Nanooks 12-4 in period one, the Gophers finally beat goaltender Nicholas Grabko with 5:15 remaining in the second off a goal from Beckett Hendrickson, his first at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers continued to control play for the rest of the game but were unable to find another goal, and the game ended in a tie. 

Game two started similarly to game one, with the Nanooks opening the scoring and taking a 1-0 lead into period two. An Oliver Moore goal midway through the second tied the game, however, Alaska's Kyle Gaffney scored on a power play for his second goal of the night to regain a one-goal advantage for the Nanooks. Minnesota's Brody Lamb scored shorthanded only 38 seconds into period three to make it 2-2, and minutes later, a Leo Gruba slap shot put the Gophers in front. With 11:30 remaining, Jimmy Clark added an insurance goal, and a late empty net goal from Sam Rinzel resulted in a 5-2 Minnesota win. 

The Gophers will remain at home this coming weekend for a series against the No. 6 ranked Michigan Wolverines (10-3-1). The battle between these two Big Ten heavyweights will begin at 7:00 PM on Friday and 5:00 PM on Saturday. 

St. Thomas (3-8-4) vs. Lake Superior State (7-6-1)

With a 2-5-3 record over their previous 10 games, St. Thomas hosted Lake Superior State and trailed 1-0 after the first in game one. In the second, St. Thomas Academy graduate Chase Foley scored his first goal as a Tommie to tie the game, and Lucas Wahlin scored a go-ahead goal minutes later. The Lakers capitalized on their following two power play opportunities and regained a one-goal advantage heading into the final frame. The Tommies could only muster two shots on net in the third and fell to the Lakers 4-2 Friday night. 

Looking to split the series by winning game two, the Tommies lit the lamp first but surrendered two late-period goals to trail 2-1 after one. The Lakers made matters worse and extended their lead to 4-1 midway through the second, with Lake Superior State's second goal of the period coming off a beautiful solo effort from Eden Prairie alum Carter Batchelder. Behind 4-2 in the third with 2:18 remaining, Matthew Gleason scored on a power play to bring the Tommies within one, but the comeback fell short, and St. Thomas lost 5-3. 

The Tommies' final series before Christmas break will be on the road this coming weekend against Michigan Tech (7-4-1), starting at 6:07 PM on Friday, 12/6, and 5:07 PM on Saturday, 12/7. 

Minnesota Duluth (5-8-0) – Bye

The Bulldogs will look to rebound this coming weekend when the team heads south to Tempe, AZ, for a series against Arizona State University (6-7-1). The Sun Devils enter the weekend on a high note after previously sweeping the No. 1-ranked Denver Pioneers. Dominic James leads the team in points with 15 (7-8—15), followed by Jayson Shaugabay (5-6—11) and defenseman Aaron Pionk (0-11—11). Adam Gajan has been the go-to goaltender for the Bulldogs thus far, starting 12 of 13 games and posting a 3.50 goals against average and .882 save percentage 

No. 17 Minnesota State (10-4-2) – Bye

The Mavericks have gone 7-1-2 over their previous 10 games and will look to continue this strong run of form against Bowling Green (5-5-2) at home this weekend, with puck drop at 7:07 PM on Friday and 6:07 PM on Saturday. Minnesota Gophers transfer Rhett Pitlick leads Minnesota State with 13 points (5-8—13) in the first 16 games, closely followed by Brian Carrabes (5-7—12), Adam Eisele (5-6—11), and Josh Groll (5-6—11). Goaltender Alex Tracy has earned every start for the Mavericks this season and currently holds a 10-4-2 record. 

No. 9 St. Cloud State (9-4-0) – Bye

The Huskies' third-straight NCHC test will come at the hands of the Omaha Mavericks (5-7-0) this coming weekend, a team St. Cloud State is currently tied with in the conference standings. Austin Burnevik (7-5—12) and Barrett Hall (2-10—12) sit atop the team's points leaderboard, with goaltender Isak Posch leading the way in net this season with a 1.68 GAA and .938 SV% in thirteen starts. The Huskies will host the Mavericks at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, with puck drop at 7:30 PM on 12/6 and 6:00 PM on 12/7.