Michigan and Minnesota battle in a heavyweight, top-15 showdown on the ice in Ann Arbor this weekend. The fourth-ranked Golden Gophers enter Friday's contest five points behind first-place Michigan State in the Big Ten standings,

P eacock is the place to be for all of your women's basketball action on Thursday, February 13. The first game of a stacked three-game slate features Minnesota (19-6) vs. No. 8 Oh

The stakes are high in the series versus the Gophers, which begins Friday at 7 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan has a 72% chance of reaching a fifth straight NCAA Tournament, according to the College Hockey News' Probability Matrix, but those odds will change depending on what happens against Minnesota (21-6-3, 12-4-2).

Gophers forward Brodie Ziemer, shown against Wisconsin in January, was among the team's scorers Friday against Michigan. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)