Three Rivers Classic schedule: CONSOL Energy Center hosts college hockey

The Pittsburgh Penguins still may or may not play a game this year at the CONSOL Energy Center this year, but there will be hockey played this weekend as part of the Three Rivers Classic, a college hockey tournament featuring one of the best teams in the land as well as a pair of local teams from Western Pennsylvania.

Miami (Ohio) is easily the top team in the four-game tournament, as the Redhawks have earned a No. 5 ranking thanks to clutch performances in shootout wins. Not every conference uses the shootout to break ties, but the CCHA does, and Miami has won all three of their shootouts to give them an 11-3 record in league play, tops in the conference.

Pennsylvania squad Robert Morris is probably the best of the rest of the field, having beaten the other two teams in the slate -- Ohio State and Penn State -- in two of three non-conference matchups, going 2-0-1 against the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions. Penn State hasn't fared poorly -- especially considering this is their first year of Division-I hockey -- going 7-8 on the season. They're still not a member of a conference. A win against the Colonials in their tournament opener would be a nice notch on the Nittany Lions' belts.

Here's a look at the schedule for this weekend's games in Pittsburgh:

Friday, Dec. 28

Robert Morris Colonials vs. Penn State Nittany Lions, 4:30 p.m.

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 29

Consolation game, 4:30 p.m.

Championship game, 7:30 p.m.