The Las Vegas hockey bandwagon has gotten pretty full, as the inaugural season of the Vegas Golden Knights has seen the team storm to the forefront of the NHL.

But this weekend a different inauguration steals the spotlight, as the NCAA drops the puck for the first Ice Vegas Invitational on January 5.

Las Vegas’ freshly renovated T-Mobile Arena hosts the new tournament, showcasing Boston College, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, and Arizona State.

We’re pretty excited here at FloHockey, as we have prepped you over the past couple of weeks on the four participating teams: Boston College, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, and Arizona State.

You can stream all four matchups live right here on FloHockey starting Friday with games slated for 8 PM and 11:30 PM EST.

Not only do some of college hockey’s best players face off, but a strong showing in Vegas represents something big — and unique — for each team.

But before the school, coach, or players can start thinking about the championship, they’ll need to focus getting that first win.

Wheels up to the @IceVegasInv - see everyone in America’s playground! #IceVegas #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/dtY8VcpWuX

— BC Hockey (@BCHockey) January 3, 2018

Game 1

No. 13 Boston College vs Michigan Tech

Friday, 8 PM

Ranked at No. 13, the 10-7-2 Boston College Eagles are likely to be without goaltender Joe Woll in Vegas, who is with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

But even without Woll, the Eagles bested Connecticut 2-0 on December 30 for backup goalie Ryan Edquist’s first career shutout; he downplayed his performance by crediting it to the team in front of him.

“A lot of the shots were from outside the house,” Edquist told Jim Connelly of USCHO.com. “It made it a little easier to have time to track the pucks. There were a lot of blocked shots.”

No matter how the career mark was achieved, it certainly plays into Edquist’s game. He sports a 3-1-0 record, .949 save percentage, and 1.53 goals against average in his limited action this season.

He could be the key to a tournament victory, which would mean far more than just two wins on the Eagles’ season.

Joe Shawhan has his Michigan Tech Huskies playing the right way in recent weeks, a stretch during which his team has gone 5-2-3 in its past 10 games. The run has helped balance the Huskies’ record to 10-8-5 mark on the season.

On Monday, the Huskies defeated Michigan State 5-2 to earn a trip to the Great Lakes Invitational championship game against No. 19 Bowling Green. On Tuesday, they lost to Bowling Green 4-1, falling just short of their second tournament of the season after claiming the Ice Breaker in October.

“As the third period wore on, we slowed a bit,” Shawhan told George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press. “It turned into the Bowling Green game that they like to play, where it was just up the wall, they go get it.”

This weekend, they’ll be seeking redemption and a championship in two out of three tournaments this season.

Tech leading scorer Jake Jackson was a late scratch due to an illness against Bowling Green, but should be ready to go Friday to help Tech get back into the win column.

But all eyes should be on Jake Lucchini, who has posted two goals and seven points in the team’s six tournament games this season. His tournament play allows Shawhan to ice two potent lines.

Prediction: Tech outmatches Edquist and BC, earning their third trip to a tournament final this season.

The week is finally here! ???? #IceVegas

?: https://t.co/Xlmph0KqsH pic.twitter.com/EdqxvVohVT

— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) January 3, 2018

Game 2

Northern Michigan vs Arizona State

Friday, 11:30 PM

The Northern Michigan Wildcats’ tournament could hinge on Robbie Payne, one of the hottest players in college hockey. Payne has recorded 16 goals and six assists for 22 points through 22 games.

Payne’s low assists are holding him back from joining the league’s premiere scorers, but his 16 goals are tied for the Division I lead.

He has helped carry the Wildcats to a modest 11-9-2 record this season, surefire growth from last year’s 13-22-4 campaign. They’ve had some solid games this year, splitting a series with No. 6 Wisconsin in October and No. 9 Minnesota State in November.

Just last weekend, they split with Minnesota State again, a team who had raised its rank to No. 6. Coach Grant Potulny is also away as an assistant with Team USA at the World Juniors, but the Wildcats are too good to not beat ASU.

As we noted in their tournament preview, ASU lacks the superstar talent that launches college hockey programs into consistent winning seasons. At 4-12-4, they’ve already been written off, even though they remain a real threat.

And while it undoubtedly is fun for the Sun Devils to play host, they don’t have the fortune of playing in their home arena, where they’ve earned three of their four wins.

They’re coming off consecutive losses at the Three Rivers Classic where they were outscored 10-1. After losing to No. 11 Providence in the first game, ASU coach Greg Powers dug into his team.

“We were really bad,” Powers told Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “That was just a joke of an effort after break and it’s unacceptable. Providence is a hell of a team — take nothing away from them — but that was as bad an effort as it gets.”

Powers will certainly make his team pay in practice knowing another big tournament is up for grabs, but with just one win in their past six games anger and hard skating can only do so much.

Prediction: ASU’s time will come, but NMU is too much to match this season.

Skating into the new year like ?#NMUhockey #NMUwildcats #ShareNMU pic.twitter.com/i6pdHRf30U

— NMU Hockey (@NMUHockey) December 31, 2017

Consolation Game

Saturday, 8 PM

The losing teams from Friday will square off for third place, which per the above predictions will be Boston College and Arizona State.

Boston College won’t belong in this game, but will end up in the consolation bracket after running into a red-hot Michigan Tech team. They’ll prove too much for Arizona State.

The Sun Devils’ growth is evident and the future is just as bright as the sun in Tempe. They have a top-10 recruiting class entering next season and, reportedly, a conference to soon call home — but they’re not immediately ready to take the next step.

Championship Game

Saturday, 11:30 PM

It will be a battle of the WCHA, as Michigan Tech and rival NMU will meet in the finals. The Wildcats hold an all-time record of 70-60-14 against the Huskies, which includes a split series from this season in early November.

A lot has changed since then. Following that series, Tech has taken at least a point in nine of 11 games, including five wins.

The Huskies collectively are too hot to fall to NMU, whose fortunes have stemmed from an in-form Payne in recent outings. The Huskies will earn the first Ice Vegas championship, resulting in a likely return for next year’s battle in Sin City.

Don’t miss the action this weekend as the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational is destined to be great hockey and a primer for a new annual NCAA holiday tournament. You can stream all four games right here on FloHockey.

By Jacob Messing

Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.