Desmond Bergin and the Crimson head to Minnesota to participate in the 25th Annual Mariucci Classic Jan. 1-2 (Gil Talbot).

The Opening Faceoff
In its first competition since Dec. 5, the No. 7/7 Harvard men's hockey team heads west to compete in the 25th Annual Mariucci Classic hosted by Minnesota Jan. 1-2. The Crimson will play in the first game of the tournament Friday against Ferris State at 5 p.m. EST. UConn will then take on the host Gophers in the nightcap at 8:05 p.m. With Minnesota slated to play the late game both days, the championship matchup start time will be determined by the result of its Friday game.

The First Line
• The Mariucci is the second of three regular season tournaments for the Crimson. In late November, Harvard topped Notre Dame and Rensselaer to win the Shillelagh Tournament in South Bend, Ind. Still on the schedule is the annual Beanpot Tournament at TD Garden in Boston, Feb. 1 and 8.

• Harvard is competing in the Mariucci Tournament for the fourth time in the event's history. The Crimson participated in 1995-96, 1999-00 and 2004-05 and holds a 0-5-1 record that includes a shootout loss after playing Northern Michigan to a 0-0 tie in regulation of the first round of the 04-05 tournament.

Last Time Out
Harvard is coming off consecutive ties for the first time this season, posting even scores at Union and Rensselaer back on Dec. 4 and 5, respectively.

At Union, Harvard rallied twice to tie the Dutchmen, including a two-goal third period with tallies by Michael Floodstrand and Wiley Sherman. The goal for Floodstrand was his first in a Harvard sweater and tied the game at 3-3, while Sherman's blast with 2:29 remaining tied the game at 4-4.

The next night, it was the goaltenders turn to shine, as Harvard and Rensselaer played to a 0-0 tie one week after the Crimson topped the Engineers, 4-0, in the championship game at the Shillelagh. Merrick Madsen made 32 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and giving him a 5-0-2 record in the first seven starts of his career.

Scouting Ferris State
The Bulldogs have played twice as many games as the Crimson this season and enter the Mariucci with an 8-8-4 overall record. In the WCHA, Ferris State stands fourth with 16 points (7-7-2).

Ferris last skated Dec. 11-12 in a two-game set at Northern Michigan, splitting the series. The Bulldogs took the opening game 4-2, coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period with three goals in the final 11:02. The next night, Northern Michigan scored the game-winner 42 seconds into overtime to hand Ferris the loss.

Corey Mackin paces the Bulldogs with seven goals and a +7 rating. His 16 points trails only Gerald Mayhew whose 12 assists and 18 points are both team highs. Freshman Darren Smith and junior Charles Williams have split time in net, with the rookie registering better GAA (2.27) and save percentage (.926). 

Series History vs. Ferris State
Harvard and Ferris State are meeting on the ice for the first time ever.

Scouting Minnesota
After closing out the 2015 calendar year with a 3-1-0 mark in the first four Big Ten games of the year, the Gophers stand at 7-8-0 entering the tournament it has hosted since 1991-92. Minnesota began conference play with two overtime victories at home versus Ohio State before going on the road to split with No. 10/10 Michigan.

Sophomore Leon Bristedt and junior Hudson Fasching have paced the Gophers with eight goals each, while Bristedt holds the edge in points with 15. Freshman Tommy Novak has made an early impact, leading the team with eight helpers. Fellow rookie Eric Schierhorn has handled the bulk of the goaltending duties, starting all 15 games. He has a 2.80 GAA and .908 save mark to bolster two shutouts. 

Series History vs. Minnesota
Harvard took the first meeting against the Gophers, 7-6, back on Jan. 14, 1932. That win is one of just six in the all-time series for Harvard, as Minnesota is riding a six-game win streak against the Crimson and holds a 22-6-0 advantage overall. Harvard and Minnesota have met twice in the Mariucci with the host winning matchups in 1995 and 1999 by scores of 5-2. The Gophers won the most recent meetings in 2010, a two-game series sweep in Minneapolis. 

Scouting UConn
The Huskies went 2-0-1 in December with two wins over No. 8/8 UMass Lowell as part of a home-and-home series before playing No. 20/- Merrimack to a 3-3 draw Dec. 11. The triumphs over Lowell put an end to an eight-game losing skid as UConn enters the Mariucci with a 5-10-1 overall record and a 3-7-1 mark in Hockey East action.

First-year Max Letunov has brought a spurt of offense to the Huskies in his first year, going for a team-best 12 assists and 18 points thus far. He is buoyed by yet another freshman, Tage Thompson, whose seven goals are a team-high. Junior netminder Rob Nichols has started 15 games and enters the weekend with a 3.04 GAA and .902 save percentage. 

Series History vs. UConn
If UConn and Harvard meet in the second round, it will be the first meeting ever between the schools. 

Mariucci Classic History
Ferris State finished as the runner up at last year's tournament, falling to Colgate, 3-0. Minnesota was the 2012-13 champion, stomping Boston College, 8-1, to capture its 13 title.  The Gophers dominated as the host from 1999-00 - 2006-07, winning eight straight Mariucci's as the host. Ferris won its only Mariucci title in the second year of the tournament, defeating St. Lawrence, 6-4, in 1992-93. UConn is playing in its first Mariucci Classic.

Harvard's Results at Mariucci Classic:
1995-96
Minnesota 5, Harvard 2
New Hampshire 8, Harvard 3 

1999-00
Minnesota 5, Harvard 2
UMass 4, Harvard 2 

2004-05
Northern Michigan 0, Harvard 0 (NMU wins shootout, 3-2)
Merrimack 6, Harvard 4

Goaltending Glory
Sophomore Merrick Madsen has been stellar in net during his first seven career starts this season, boasting a 5-0-2 record. His unbeaten record is supported by the nation's best GAA at 0.98 and .966 save percentage. Madsen's success, paired with the stingy Harvard defense has the Crimson second in the nation in scoring defense at 1.50.

Wearing Red, White and Blue
Freshman forward Ryan Donato was selected to the U.S. National Junior Team that is currently competing in Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships. As of Tuesday, Dec. 29, Donato had dressed in both of the Team USA's games in the preliminary round, a 4-2 win over Canada and a 1-0 loss to Sweden. Donato is the first Crimson skater to make the U.S. World Junior roster since senior Jimmy Vesey won gold in 2013. Donato's father, Ted, the current Robert D. Ziff '88 Head Coach of Harvard Men's Ice Hockey played for the U.S. in 1988, scoring three goals and adding two assists in seven games.

RELATED ARTICLE: Donato Selected to U.S. National Junior Team for 2016 IIHF World Junior Championships

Tournament Success
Harvard won its first of three tournaments it will play in this regular season when it took the championship at the Shillelagh hosted by Notre Dame. The Crimson topped the host in the first round, 4-1, and then shutout Rensselaer, 4-0, in the title game. The victory marked the first time Harvard had won a regular season tournament since the 1993 Beanpot. Outside of the Beanpot, Harvard last took home a regular season tournament title in December 1982 when it won the Jeno Holiday Tournament in Duluth, Minnesota. If Harvard wins the Mariucci or the Beanpot, it would mark the first time in program history it won two regular seasons tournaments in one year. 

Century Mark
On Saturday Dec. 5, Kyle Criscuolo joined Jimmy Vesey in the 100-games played club. Vesey has dressed in 105 games during his career. Desmond Bergin is seven games shy of reaching 100 played. Should he reach the century mark, this year's trio would be the first teammates since 2008's Jon Pelle (135, most all-time), Tyler Magura and Mike Taylor to do so in their careers.