Michigan State plays another Thursday night game this week so that means we all get to enjoy a long weekend of hockey. And with the matchups this week, “enjoy” might be an understatement. Big Ten play starts tomorrow with a rivalry matchup as Ohio State travels north to take on Michigan in Ann Arbor.

I had another stellar week picking, but still can’t seem to figure Michigan out. I was ten minutes away from getting that series right until the Wolverines imploded and gave up five unanswered until a garbage-time goal stopped the bleeding. Check out my picks for this week below and let me know what you think.

Last week’s results: 11-2 Season Total: 19-4

Canisius at Michigan State

Michigan State returns home to face a winless Canisius squad hungry for a win. The Golden Griffins have historically been a formidable opponent and I believe that is still the case, but I’m on the Michigan State hype train until they kick me off. The Spartans look every bit the part of a contender this year. Look for some close games, but MSU to prevail in both. Prediction: MSU 2-0

Minnesota at North Dakota

The Gophers have a tough matchup on the road against North Dakota this weekend. Minnesota looked shaky against St. Thomas in their opener, but settled in to dominate the second game. North Dakota is coming off two dominant performances in the Ice Breaker Tournament and will give Minnesota all they can handle. Prediction: Split 1-1

Boston University at Notre Dame

This is not the Irish teams of the late-2010s. Notre Dame has only scored 4 goals through its first three games, including being shut out by RIT last weekend. Playing the highly-ranked Terriers this weekend will not help their struggles. Though BU inexplicably lost to New Hampshire last Friday, I think they’ll still be more than enough to quell Notre Dame’s lackluster offense. Prediction: BU 2-0

American Int’l at Penn State

Penn State has surprised me thus far this season. They’re 3-0 and haven’t even had their home opener yet. They welcome American International in to Happy Valley this weekend and look to keep their early momentum going. I think the familiar confines paired with a mediocre (at best) opponent are more than enough for a skilled Nittany Lions team to get the job done. Prediction: PSU 2-0

Wisconsin at Michigan Tech

After going 1-1 in the Ice Breaker Tournament, the Badgers stay on the road and head to Michigan Tech. The Huskies came into the season with some promise, but have yet to win a game (two ties, though) and have not looked good. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has stayed under the radar and not received much love or attention from the pollsters. I think the Badgers are underrated and show everyone they belong in the conversation this weekend. Prediction: Wisconsin 2-0

Ohio State at Michigan

Finally! Big Ten matchups are here – and it’s a doozy to start! A few weeks ago I would’ve had Michigan handling business easily, but the Buckeyes are better than I thought and the Wolverines have looked wildly inconsistent. These will not be pretty games. These two teams like to play rough, especially against each other, so special teams could play a large part in this series. I think these two match up well and the scores and results will show that – both games will be close games. Prediction: Split 1-1