PLYMOUTH, Minn. — There were some technical challenges with this week's podcast, but The Rink Live's Jess Myers and Mick Hatten powered through for a couple segments at Plymouth Ice Center.

The reporters talk about the tight race for the Big Ten Conference men's hockey title. Penn State leads the race with 41 points, but is idle this weekend, so the Nittany Lions will watch to see where they end up, but have secured home ice. Ohio State and Minnesota are both four points behind Penn State. The Gophers play Michigan in a series this weekend at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

This is not the first time that Gophers coach Bob Motzko has been through a tight playoff situation. Hatten talks about how Motzko was coaching St. Cloud State in 2012 and was trying to get home ice on the final game of the regular season. It made for an interesting anecdote. Hatten also talks about the Huskies' battle for home ice this season and this weekend's series against Denver.

All this and a lot more.