The Big Ten has seven teams in its hockey conference. The odd number means every week during the regular season, one team is idle or playing a non-conference series. And in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, which starts this weekend, the top-seeded team gets a bye.

A month or so ago, Minnesota Gophers coach Bob Motzko said he naturally wanted to hang the banner that comes along with winning the Big Ten’s regular season title, but admitted that he dislikes the bye week that comes along with having the top seed. He strongly prefers that his teams play every weekend, and not accumulate rust at the most vital time of the season.

In winning a share of the Big Ten title last weekend, while conceding the top seed to co-champion Michigan State based on their head-to-head record this season, Motzko gets the best of both worlds. By next fall, a “2025 Big Ten Champions” banner will hang from the 3M Arena at Mariucci rafters. And this weekend, the Gophers have at least two home games.

“This was my perfect scenario – win the league, and play this weekend,” Motzko said, after his team had donned its special Iron Range edition game jerseys and taken a few laps around its home rink with the Big Ten title trophy, the third one that Minnesota has claimed in the last four years.

The Gophers host Notre Dame in a best-of-three series, which begins Friday. The Fighting Irish finished in the Big Ten cellar with a 10-23-1 overall mark and come to Minnesota having lost seven of their last eight. But Motzko was quick to remind reporters of last-place Ohio State going on the road to knock off No. 2 seed Wisconsin a year ago.

“The difference between a seventh-place team – which is last place in our league – and the top of our league is miniscule,” he said.

In fact, one of the highlights for the Irish in what is long-time coach Jeff Jackson’s final season before he hands the program over to assistant Brock Sheahan was a 4-3 the overtime victory in Minneapolis in January, with former Minnesota Mr. Hockey winner Blake Biondi netting the winning goal.

“This is a Jeff Jackson-coached team. They’ve got some good hockey players, and it’s a fresh start for them,” Motzko said. “You know that they’re looking for a ray of hope, for a new beginning. And we need to be sharp. We need to be on top of our game.”

The Gophers got to this point via a dramatic win at Penn State last Saturday night, where they survived a goal being taken off the board, surrendered a goal on a five-minute Nittany Lions power play, then scored late on their own five-minute power play to earn a trophy. They had to do it without freshman forward Erik Pahlsson, who missed time during the games at Penn State due to injury, but is expected back for this weekend’s playoff series. Minnesota’s overall record stands at 24-8-4 entering the playoffs.

The Friday and Saturday games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. If a third game is required on Sunday it would face off at 6 p.m. Fox 9 Sports is televising the series, which can also be streamed on B1G+.

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