MINOT, N.D. – After a three-game road trip through Missouri last week, the Beaver men's hockey team is back at the Maysa Arena, ready for action.

No. 4-ranked Minot State hosts the Briercrest Clippers in exhibition games this Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. at the Pepsi Rink, renewing a highly competitive rivalry dating back over the last four seasons.

Last fall, Minot State bested the Clippers 6-5 and 3-2 at the Maysa Arena, while Briercrest beat Minot State 8-1 in Saskatchewan in the fall of 2024. The Beavers picked up two more wins in the head-to-head, exhibition series, a 5-4 victory in the fall of 2023 in Canada, and a 6-1 exhibition win to open the 2022 home season, splitting that weekend series as the Clippers also scored a 2-1 overtime win.

Minot State (4-0-1 overall) rolls into the series three weeks into its season, while the Clippers' first official game won't be for two more weeks.

So far this season, some familiar Beaver faces have led the way, with Colby Joseph posting team-highs of 4 goals and 6 assists, while Joey Moffatt has 3 goals and 4 assists.

In goal, the tandem of Blake Sittler and freshman Jase Wareham have led the way as both have a pair of wins, with Wareham posting his first collegiate shutout in a 5-0 victory at Maryville last week.

The Clippers, a playoff team in the very challenging Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, come in led by their top two goalies from last season in sophomores Brendan Smith and Ashton Sadauskas, who combined for 9 wins.

Offensively, Briercrest returns some of its top scorers in junior captain Daxton Budd, who was second on the team with 8 goals, and who added 10 assists in 22 games, sophomore Matteo Pero, who was second on the team with 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) in 24 games, and senior alternate captain Justin Keck, who had 8 goals and 10 assists in 24 games.