MINOT, N.D. – The top-ranked Minot State men's hockey team is rested and ready for a challenging weekend on the road against some of the nation's top teams.

The Beavers (11-1-0 overall), who retained their hold on the No. 1 spot in this week's ACHA national poll, head to the Chicago area for the ACHA Showcase, playing No. 17 Arizona State on Friday at 8 p.m., No. 4 UNLV on Saturday at 12:10 p.m., and No. 11 Ohio on Sunday at noon in Romeoville, Illinois.

Minot State last saw the Sun Devils (6-4-1) in this similar Showcase back in November of 2021, rolling to an 11-1 win over Arizona State in that meeting.

As for UNLV (10-1-1), the Rebels also played the Beavers that same weekend in Champagne, Illinois with UNLV coming up with a 2-1 upset of then-unbeaten Minot State, giving the Beavers a reason to be out for some revenge this time around.

The weekend wraps up with a somewhat familiar foe in Ohio (7-5-2) as the Bobcats hosted the Beavers for a two-game series last season with the teams splitting the meetings in Athens, Ohio.

Of course, the teams also met in the ACHA National Tournament opener for Minot State in March of 2022, a game won by the Bobcats who ended the Beavers season at that time.

Players to watch this weekend include Conner Tilmon for the Sun Devils as the prolific forward has 11 goals and 5 assists, Cole Wyatt and Max Johnson for UNLV as Wyatt leads the Rebels in points with 5 goals and 16 assists and Johnson leads in goals with 12, along with 6 assists, and Noah Holt and Luc Reeve for Ohio as Holt has 8 goals and 7 assists and Reeve 5 goals and 9 helpers to lead the Bobcats.

As for the top-ranked Beavers, balance has been key as sophomore forward Troy Hamilton has 8 goals and 8 assists, while senior team captain Carter Barley has 6 goals and 9 assists, and sophomore defenseman Christian Kadolph has been the top playmaker with 2 goals and 13 assists.