DUBUQUE FIGHTING SAINTS: Coming off their first USHL home victory, the Under-17 Team plays host to the Dubuque Fighting Saints for their lone game of the weekend Friday evening at USA Hockey Arena.

The Fighting Saints enter the weekend in fifth place in the USHL's Eastern Conference with a 3-2-0-0 record in five games played.

They are led by a pair of players with USA connections. Ryan St. Louis, an NTDP alum, leads the squad in scoring with four goals and four assists for eight points in five games. The Saints' second-leading scorer is Mikey Burchill, a Compuware alum, who play their home games out of USA Hockey Arena. Burchill has produced six points (3g-3a) through five games.

Between the pipes, Swedish import Marcus Brannman has seen action in four games and sports a 1.82 GAA and .938 SV%. Paxton Geisel, a returner from last year's Dubuque squad, is 1-1-0 in two appearances with a 5.30 GAA and .804 SV%.

The game will be the first of six between Dubuque and Team USA for the 2022-23 campaign.

RPI ENGINEERS: The U18s travel to New York for a pair of games this weekend that begin's in the Capital Region against the RPI Engineers. The matchup will be the third in NTDP history with the Engineers, each side winning a decision with RPI skating to a 2-1 win in the most recent game back in December 2013.

RPI has gotten off to a quick start this season as they are winners in four of their first five contests, although coming off a 3-2 loss to Canisius College on Tuesday evening.

The Engineers are led offensively by 23-year-old junior forward Jakob Lee, who has sprinted to a start that includes 10 points (4g-6a) in five games. He is aided by defneseman Jack Agnew, who's tied him for the team lead with six assists and forward TJ Walsh, who has pitched in four scores.

Sophomore netminder Jack Watson has taken all five games in net for RPI and has impressed with a 4-1-0 record, 2.41 GAA and .915 SV%.

ARMY BLACK KNIGHTS: The U18s wrap up the weekend pair with a Sunday matinee in West Point to take on the Army Black Knights for the first ever matchup between the two sides.

Army is winless through four games this season, tying Union to begin the season before a pair of losses to RIT and a loss at RPI last Saturday. The Knights will get a chance to move into the win column with a Friday night game at New Hampshire before hosting the U18s on Sunday.

The Black Knights have a balanced scoring attack with three skaters averaging a point-per-game thus far. Sophomore forward Joey Baez leads the team with three goals and has added an assist, while Macomb, Michigan native Brett Abdelnour (2g-2a) and senior defenseman Anthony Firriolo (0g-4a) have added a quartet of points apiece.

Gavin Abric has taken all four games in the crease, turning in a 3.49 goals-against average and .881 SV%.