By Jacob Messing

The Big Ten released its new three-week bracket on Saturday for the 2018 Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament with the opening series kicking off this Friday.

The tournament begins with a trio of best-of-three series with the higher-seeded team as host. Top-seeded Notre Dame earns a bye for the opening weekend.

The 2018 Big Ten Hockey Tournament Bracket. Action opens March 2-4 with three best-of-three quarterfinal series. #B1GHockey #B1GTourney pic.twitter.com/mIoFahGhcg

— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) February 25, 2018

No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 7 Michigan State

The Buckeyes, 21-8-5, are ranked No. 6 nationally and are deep offensively, both on the back end and in the crease. Sean Romeo has been among the most impressive goalies in Division I hockey this season; he holds a 17-8-5 record and his 2.06 goals against average and .928 save percentage rank fifth among goalies who have played a minimum 30 games.

The Spartans went 12-20-2 in a rebuilding season with a large group of underclassmen. Freshman Mitchell Lewandowski led the Spartans with 19 goals in 34 games. His 33 points put him behind only linemate Taro Hirose (40 pts.). Lewandowski’s season and solid chemistry with his sophomore linemates demonstrated the potential of the team over the next several seasons as Michigan State looks to get back to winning campaigns.

Prediction: The Buckeyes went 3-1 against the Spartans this season with a combined score of 17-11. MSU’s lone win came February 3, the two foes’ last meeting. In a best of three series, the often pressed-to-score Spartans will be up against a wall — almost literally — with Romeo on the other end of the ice. Look for Ohio State to go two and out this weekend to kick-start MSU’s offseason.

No. 3 Michigan vs No. 6 Wisconsin

The No. 13-ranked Michigan Wolverines may be a bit late to the party, but they have arrived and appear to be there until the final dance. Michigan’s 18-13-3 record doesn’t do justice to the potential of this team, spearheaded by junior and leading scorer Cooper Marody. Michigan is 10-3-1 over its past 14 games, which includes a five-game winning streak. During the run, the Wolverines have swept No. 1 Notre Dame and a growing Arizona State team.

The Badgers, 14-17-4, are trending the opposite way, having lost four in a row and five of their last six. The lone win coincidentally came against Michigan on February 3. A deep offense with seven players sitting at the 20-plus point mark carries the team, while losing records from both goalies holds it back. Head coach Tony Granato is returning from coaching Team USA at the Olympics and will look to whip his team back into shape.

Prediction: Michigan is 1-2-1 against Wisconsin this season. The single victory came in Ann Arbor’s Yost Arena and, luckily for the higher-seeded Wolverines, it’s the venue for the weekend series. Michigan is the better and hotter team and will prove to be a tougher out than Wisconsin will be able to manage this weekend.

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Next weekend the Peg will be rocking!! 7 PM puck drop each night!! Stay tuned for more ticketing information to come tomorrow!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/FUcd4FKGao

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) February 25, 2018

No. 4 Penn State vs No. 5 Minnesota

No. 15-ranked Penn State, 16-13-5, closed the regular season with three straight wins — including a sweep over then-No. 8 Minnesota — after a 0-6-2 stretch. The Nittany Lions are fueled by a potent offense, led by Andrew Sturtz. The junior has 13 goals and 37 points through 33 games.

No. 11-ranked Minnesota, 19-15-2, closed the season by being swept by the Nittany Lions last week. Those losses ended a four-game point streak and a stretch that saw the Golden Gophers go 6-1-1. Red-hot Mat Robson took both the losses, but the first-year goalie boasts a 7-4-1 record, 1.95 GAA, and .939 SV%, and will be tough to crack twice in a best-of-three series.

Prediction: Penn State went 3-1 against Minnesota this season, but the play of Robson and the deep two-way offense of the Gophers will prove too much for the Lions, who won’t be able to repeat their tournament title of last season.

Round 2 & The Championship

The second round is set for Saturday, March 10, which pits Notre Dame against the lowest-ranked advancing team and the remaining two against each other in a single elimination matchup.

The championship will be played Saturday, March 17, for the Big Ten tournament title.

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