No. 6 Denver visits No. 1 North Dakota in a weekend NCHC series. Hosts Jim Connelly (@jimmyconnelly) and Ed Trefzger (@EdTrefzger) are joined by Midco Sports TV play-by-play broadcaster Alex Heinert for a preview.

A number of other key matchups are on the schedule this weekend. In the Big Ten, Michigan and Michigan State have a Friday game in East Lansing and a Monday tilt at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit. Minnesota is at Notre Dame for a weekend series in which each needs to maintain momentum, while No. 9 Penn State could extend its lead in the standings at Wisconsin.

In the WCHA, No. 16 Bemidji State is at No. 19 Northern Michigan in a battle for position in the top half of the standings, while Alaska looks to defend fourth place against visiting Bowling Green.

Hockey East features a home-and-home matchup between No. 11 UMass Lowell and No. 12 Northeastern, while No. 17 Maine looks to stay unbeaten at home with a weekend series against UConn.

ECAC Hockey's prime contest is on Friday as No. 5 Clarkson visits No. 15 Quinnipiac, while in Atlantic Hockey, the battle for home ice includes Bentley at Rochester Institute of Technology for a pair.

And in non-conference play, Alaska Anchorage visits No. 10 Arizona State for two.

This episode is sponsored by the 2020 NCAA Frozen Four, April 9 and 11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour/