The 28th season of Clarkson University Hockey at Cheel Arena opens this weekend as the Golden Knights host Big10 foe Wisconsin and Atlantic Hockey's Holy Cross this Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Clarkson battles the Badgers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday and then takes on the Crusaders at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday for the University's Family Weekend game.

The Knights, guided by eighth-year head coach Casey Jones and assistants Josh Hauge and Brent Brekke, are coming off a tough season-opening weekend in Happy Valley, PA where they dropped two to 16th-ranked Penn State, falling 4-3 and 5-1.

• Clarkson saw a four-game unbeaten streak, including three straight victories, over Wisconsin come to an end in their last meeting when the Badgers edged the Green and Gold at Cheel Arena 5-4 two seasons ago on October 29, 2016. Wisconsin holds a 5-3-2 lead in the all-time series, which started with a Badgers victory (5-4 OT) in Madison, WI on January 19, 1973.

• Clarkson and Holy Cross have only played twice before with both winning on the other's home ice. The Crusaders won the last meeting with a 3-1 victory at Cheel Arena on October 20, 2012.

• The Knights started strong in this past weekend's games against Penn State, scoring the opening goal both nights. Junior Nico Sturm tallied 2:16 into the second period on Friday and sophomore Grant Cooper connected just 3:33 into Saturday's game.

• Clarkson struggled in specialty teams play on Friday, allowing the Nittany Lions two power-play goals on three chances, while also giving up a shorthanded marker. Clarkson went 1-of-2 with the man-advantage. On Saturday, a young Green and Gold squad had several defensive lapses that led to five unanswered Penn State goals.

• Seven freshmen and six sophomores saw action in the weekend series at Penn State.

• The last time Clarkson lost two games on the road to a Big10 foe, the Green and Gold went on a lengthy winning streak. The Knights dropped a series at Minnesota last year (3-1, 2-1) on October 27-28, and then went on the third longest winning streak in program history stringing together 14 victories from November 3 through January 13.

• Clarkson is 16-9-2 in its previous 27 home openers at Cheel. Last season, the Knights swept Penn State 2-1 and Michigan 3-0 to start the 2017-18 campaign.

• Seventeen lettermen return from last year's team that posted a 23-11-6 overall record, including a 12-5-5 third place ECAC Hockey mark. The Knights, who skated to the third-longest winning streak in program at 14 games, closed out the 2017-18 campaign with two tough one-goal losses in the postseason, falling to Princeton, 2-1 in overtime of the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship, and 1-0 to Providence in the NCAA East Regional.

• Junior forwards Devin Brosseau and Nico Sturm have been named "Robert E. Empie '68 Men's Hockey Team Captains" while senior forward Marly Quince and junior goaltender Jake Kielly will serve as assistant captains.

• Nico Sturm is listed among the Top 75 NCAA players to watch by The Hockey News. The Knights' top returning scorer with 37 points (14-23), Sturm was named ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Forward and a third-team conference all-star last season. A center, Sturm was the leading player in the country at the face off circle in 2018-19, winning 61.7% (433-275) of his draws. Sturm was the only Knight with a point in both games over the weekend at Penn State with a goal on Friday and the primary assist on Saturday's goal.

• Junior right wing Haralds Egle tallied one goal and one assist in Friday's game.

• Defenseman Aaron Thow, one of just three seniors on the Clarkson roster and the only three-year veteran on the blueline, recorded two assists on Friday.

• Sophomore Grant Cooper, who missed the entire second half of last season with an injury, scored the lone Clarkson goal on Saturday. Cooper also scored twice in the 4-3 exhibition win over Guelph on October 6.

• Junior defenseman Greg Moro tallied his first career power-play goal at Clarkson and his first goal since February 10, 2017 with the Knights' third score on Friday.

• Clarkson is 2-8 all-time against Big10 opponents since the league was formed in 2013-14. The Knights went 2-2 last year, defeating Penn State (2-1) and Michigan (3-0) in Potsdam and losing two at Minnesota (3-1, 2-1).

• Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Knights are 11-0-1 against Atlantic Hockey foes. Clarkson last suffered a defeat to a team from Atlantic Hockey on December 15, 2012, falling to Mercyhurst 3-1 at Cheel.

• Jake Kielly, a third-team ECAC Hockey All-Star last season, was named one of the 20 Division I goaltenders to the watch list for the 2019 Mike Richter Award, which annually honors the most outstanding goaltender in the NCAA. Kielly posts a .919 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average en route to a 38-28-11 career record including 11 shutouts, which is tied for first among active Division I goaltenders.

• The coaching staff has brought in another talented recruiting class, which looks to contribute significantly. The eight freshmen, consisting of six forwards and two defensemen, will enhance the roster and help Clarkson make up for the loss of 64 goals and 166 points.

• Last year's leading scorer with 46 points (23-23), Sheldon Rempal, who signed a pro contract with the Los Angeles Kings' organization after his sophomore campaign, leads the American Hockey League's rookies in scoring with eight points (4-4) through four games this season with LA's AHL affiliate the Ontario Reign.

• Clarkson, which finished with a 12th-place ranking in the national polls last year, is receiving votes in the latest USCHO.com poll, and is picked to place fourth in the ECAC this year by the league coaches.

• In its 97th season, Clarkson boasts 73 winning campaigns and a 1,437-864-160 all-time record for a .616 winning percentage since 1920-21.

Scouting Wisconsin

Wisconsin travels to the North Country coming off two big wins over 12th-ranked Boston College in Madison, WI. The Badgers shut out Boston College 3-0 in their season-opener on Friday and then skated past the Eagles 7-5 on Saturday for the sweep at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin has yet to score on the power play, but is tied for second in the nation in scoring, averaging five goals a game. The Badgers, rank 15th in the latest USCHO.com poll, were picked to finish sixth out of seven in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll. Wisonsin posted a 14-19-4 overall record and 8-13-3 Big10 mark in 2017-18.

Scouting Holy Cross

Holy Cross, which plays at St. Lawrence on Friday, is 1-1 after its opening weekend. The Crusaders split at home against Atlantic Hockey rival Canisius, winning 4-2 on Friday before losing 7-6 on Saturday. Holy Cross is also tied for second in Division I in scoring offense, averaging five goals a game. Last year, the Crusaders skated to a 13-16-7 overall record and a 12-10-6 Atlantic Hockey slate.

The Series

Clarkson saw a four-game unbeaten streak, including three straight victories, over Wisconsin come to an end in their last meeting when the Badgers edged the Green and Gold at Cheel Arena 5-4 two seasons ago on October 29, 2016. Wisconsin holds a 5-3-2 lead in the all-time series, which started with a Badgers victory (5-4 OT) in Madison, WI on January 19, 1973.The Knights' last win in the series was a 6-2 triumph on December 29, 2006 in the opening round of the Badger Showdown in Madison, WI. Clarkson also swept Wisconsin in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Tournament, winning 8-3 and 5-4 at Walker Arena. In their only other appearances in Potsdam, the Badgers defeated Clarkson 3-2 in the 1981 NCAA Tournament on March 20. The Knights and Badgers tied the following night 6-6, to give Wisconsin the victory in the total-goal, NCAA Tournament series. Greg Moro is the only current Knight with a point in the series with one assist. Jake Kielly made 14 saves on 16 shots through 36 minutes of action in the last game against Wisconsin.

Clarkson and Holy Cross have only played twice before with both winning on the other's home ice. The Crusaders won the last meeting with a 3-1 victory at Cheel Arena on October 20, 2012. Clarkson shut out Holy Cross in the first game, winning 5-0 at the Hart Recreation Center in Worcester, MA on November 27, 2011.