The Gopher Hockey team will host the 26th annual Mariucci Classic this weekend. While this year’s field is not nearly as impressive as some of past seasons, it should be an opportunity for the Gophers to shake off the rust and hopefully get two non-conference wins before restarting the Big Ten season in two weeks against Michigan.
The Gophers will play Mercyhurst in the nightcap Friday while Alabama-Huntsville and UMass match up in the early semi-final. The Gophers have won 13 of the previous 25 tournaments and have a 34-13-3 all time record in the Mariucci Classic. They won eight straight from the 1999-2000 season through the 2006-07 season.