For the last 17 years, the Michigan hockey team has squared off against Minnesota and Wisconsin — both premiere Division I programs — in the College Hockey Showcase over Thanksgiving weekend.

Michigan coach Red Berenson described the event after Tuesday's practice as a “big test for our team every year, and it’s a test for their teams as well.”

Among the three schools, there have been five national championships in those two decades along with a slew of famous alumni, like Brendan Morrison (Mich., 97), Jordan Leopold (Minn., 02), and Dany Heatley (Wisc., 01), who have cemented themselves as solid NHL players.

But following the 18th installment of the College Hockey Showcase this weekend, the tradition will cease.

Both Michigan and Michigan State — the fourth team included in the showcase — will head on the road this weekend to face the Badgers (6-6-2) and 15th-ranked Golden Gophers (7-4-1).

“I think all of the programs involved have a strong tradition and history of being — you could say elite level or borderline elite level programs,” Berenson said. “They’re not just building or emerging schools. The fact that they’re Big Ten schools gives them some added credibility and just seems to add something extra. I know our fans love to see a Big Ten matchup, and I think our players do too.”

Berenson said that there’s “no specific agreement” to face both Wisconsin and Minnesota in the future, but that “there’s a sentiment among three of the four coaches that we should continue playing.” According to Berenson, Wisconsin is indifferent to continuing the tradition.

As these are the Wolverines' only contests against Western College Hockey Association teams, Michigan hopes to grab two wins to improve its position in the Pairwise Rankings — a formula used to determine the field of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

For the eighth-ranked Wolverines (7-2-1-0 CCHA, 8-3-3 overall), Berenson sees these games as early benchmark contests. Berenson also cited a preference for being on the road for these Thanksgiving-weekend matchups, saying his team is generally “more focused” away from Ann Arbor.

“Sometimes when we’re home, we’re kind of half full of turkey and half ready to play,” Berenson joked.

Michigan’s nine seniors hold a 3-0 record against the Golden Gophers and 2-1 mark against the Badgers in the showcase. The Wolverines grabbed a home-series sweep in the showcase last year in what Berenson called “the team’s best weekend in the first half” of the season.

And regardless of where the team currently stands in the CCHA — the Wolverines sit in second place, one point behind Notre Dame — senior forward Matt Rust knows that two games against two “powerhouses” could springboard a team that is trying to secure its first national title since 1998.

“It was definitely big for us last year with the way the season was going and everything," Rust said. “This year, it still carries the same importance. It’s big at the end of the year, and it’s big to keep our winning streak going."