National Championship Notebook: Gopher Keys to the Game

A half hour lies between the Gophers and the start of the NCAA Championship Game.  Here are some keys to the game for Minnesota:

• The best players need to play like it: Don Lucia talks about this all the time.  At this time of year, your best players need to step up.  That obviously includes Adam Wilcox, but forwards Kyle Rau, Nate Condon and Sam Warning need to be engaged in the game and show up on the scoresheet for the Gophers tonight.
• The freshmen need to not play tentatively: In the Robert Morris and North Dakota games, Minnesota's highly-vaunted freshman class played nervous.  In the St. Cloud game, they played like upperclassmen.  Minnesota has relied on their stellar freshmen Hudson Fasching, Justin Kloos and Taylor Cammarata to provide scoring all season long, and these players will need to play like they're not scared of the grand stage.
• The third line needs to win their shifts: The Gophers' third line of Seth Ambroz-Travis Boyd-Tom Serratore is the consummate shut-down checking line that also happens to boast a couple solid goal scorers in Ambroz and Boyd.  Because of their defensive prowess, they're often paired up against the opposing team's top line.  One big matchup of today's game is the Gopher third line against Union's scoring lines - if the Boyd line can shut down Union's potent offense, it will bode well for Minnesota.
• Minnesota's defensemen need to play with poise: One of the strengths of this Gopher team is the solid, steady defensive unit.  All six members of Minnesota's D-corps need to play heady, steady hockey and not turn the puck over.
• Gophers need to dictate the pace: Minnesota has struggled this year when it sits back and lets the opposing team dictate the pace of play.  We saw that in the North Dakota game, when UND had the puck for the majority of the game and forced Minnesota to the outside / to dump and chase, when their strength is carrying the puck into the zone and swarming puck.  If the Gophers can take it to Union, expect good things.
• Stay out of the box: The Gophers are one of the least penalized teams in the nation.  Stay that way.  They'll need to play a clean game and use their five on five advantage to win.

Here we go.  Half an hour away.  Let's Go Gophers!  I think this is going to be a very close game that could go either way, but I'm not here to hedge my bets.  Prediction: Gophers win 3-2 to claim their sixth national title.

Go get it!

Near Flawless Gophers Advance to Frozen Four, Will Play UND!

Well, that was fun!

The Gophers dominated the overmatched St. Cloud State Huskies to advance to their second Frozen Four in three years last night.

The final score of the game was 4-0, but what was more impressive than the score was the way in which the Gophers manhandled the Huskies.  SCSU played deep into OT the night before so maybe they were running out of gas a little bit, but it seemed like the Gophers were the better team in all facets of the game.

Minnesota got on the board first and never looked back, scoring ugly goals (Kloos 1, Ambroz, Rau) as well as pretty ones (Kloos 2).

If the Gophers can play like they did tonight, no team in the country will beat them.  Minnesota dominated the puck, forcing SCSU to the outside.  Whenever they got a bad-angle shot off, Adam Wilcox was right on form, eating up every puck and rarely allowing a rebound.

The Gophers are deep this year, boasting zero players with 40+ points but nine players with more than 20 points.  Those same nine players (eight of Minnesota's top nine forwards, plus defenseman Mike Reilly) each have nine or more goals on the season.  This team comes at you all game, and each line is a threat to score.

The team defense is also astounding - both from the forwards and the defensemen.  For a team with D-men that like to get up into the rush as much as the Gophers do, the team ranks #2 in the nation in total defense, which is as much a credit to the outstanding Adam Wilcox as it is to the forwards and defensemen playing great D in front of him, blocking shots, getting sticks in lanes, backchecking hard, playing responsible hockey.  The coaches have a system that works, and the players are following it to a T.

Minnesota will face off against who else but the University of North Dakota in the National Semifinal game.  UND is a similar team to Minnesota, in that it wins with its depth and relies on good goaltending and mobile defensemen to make good choices.  I really like this matchup for Minnesota - UND does what Minnesota does, but I don't think they do it quite as well as the Gophers do.

We've all seen this Minnesota team lose games they shouldn't this year, but I think they beat North Dakota to advance to the National Championship game in two weekends if they play inspired hockey.  Against UND, I'm pretty sure they'll come to play!

NCAA Tournament: Sunday Morning Roundup and Sunday Viewing Guide

Another exciting day of the NCAA tournament came and went yesterday, and two teams have already punched their tickets to the Frozen Four.

North Dakota won an overtime thriller over Ferris State to win the Midwest Regional and advance to Philadelphia, while Union was the first team to advance to the Frozen Four with a 3-1 afternoon win over Providence.

In other action yesterday, Boston College trounced Denver 6-2, Minnesota eventually prevailed over Robert Morris 7-3, UMass-Lowell beat a tough Minnesota state team 2-1, and St. Cloud State scored an overtime goal to cool off sizzling Notre Dame 4-3.

Conference Records through two days:

Atlantic Hockey: 0-1, (RMU loss to Minnesota)
Big Ten: 1-1 (North Dakota over Wisconsin, Minnesota over RMU), one game today (Minnesota vs St. Cloud State)
ECAC: 2-2 (Union over Vermont, Providence over Quinnipiac, Ferris State over Colgate, Union over Providence)
Hockey East: 3-3 (Providence over Quinnipiac, Union over Vermont, Providence loss to Union, BC over Denver, Lowell over Minnesota State, Notre Dame loss to St. Cloud State), one game today (BC vs Lowell)
NCHC: 3-1 (North Dakota over Vermont, North Dakota over Ferris State, Denver loss to BC, St. Cloud State over Notre Dame), one game today (St. Cloud State vs Minnesota)
WCHA: 1-2 (Ferris State over Colgate, Ferris State loss to North Dakota, Minnesota State loss to Lowell)

I did a little better yesterday in my predictions, going 4-2 to push my record to 5-5 so far. Only two games left in the regionals to predict today, and here they are. As usual, all times Central:

4:00 PM - Northeast Regional Final: (2) Boston College vs (7) UMass-Lowell, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - A game of two different styles. Boston College brings the nation's highest scoring offense to bear against All-World goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and UMass-Lowell's nation leading defense. Prior to last night's rout of Denver I might have picked Lowell in a tight one, but I think BC's high-octane offense will just be too much for the RiverHawks to handle. The winner of this one goes on to play Union in the Frozen Four. Prediction: BC wins 4-2


6:30 PM- West Regional Final: (1) Minnesota vs (9) St. Cloud State, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - Minnesota certainly didn't play their best in a 7-3 win over Robert Morris, but they did well enough to win. More importantly for a team that struggled scoring goals, they got on the scoresheet - a lot. St. Cloud State prevailed over Notre Dame in overtime, and although SCSU is a good team I think they're a good match-up for the Gophers - SCSU likes to play an uptempo offensive style that Minnesota will be more than willing to follow. When the two teams met earlier this year, the Gophers came away 4-1 victors. The winner of this game will face North Dakota in the National Semifinals. Prediction: Minnesota wins 5-3

NCAA Tournament: Saturday Morning Roundup and Saturday Viewing Guide

The NCAA Tournament always deals out its fair share of surprises, and the first day of the 2014 Tournament was no different.

Wisconsin, many people's favorite to win the whole thing, is out.  They fell to #4 seed North Dakota 4-2 in the first round.

Quinnipiac, the #6 overall seed, lost to #11 Providence by a resounding 4-0 score.

Ferris State scraped by a hard-charging Colgate team 1-0.

Union held on to beat the pesky Vermont Catamounts 5-2.

Conference Records so far:

Atlantic Hockey: 0-0, one game today (RMU vs Minnesota)
Big Ten: 0-1 (North Dakota over Wisconsin), one game today (Minnesota vs RMU)
ECAC: 1-2 (Union over Vermont, Providence over Quinnipiac, Ferris State over Colgate), one game today (Union vs Providence)
Hockey East: 1-1 (Providence over Quinnipiac, Union over Vermont), four games today (Providence vs Union, BC vs Denver, Lowell vs Minnesota State, Notre Dame vs St. Cloud State)
NCHC: 1-0 (North Dakota over Vermont), three games today (North Dakota vs Ferris State, Denver vs BC, St. Cloud State vs Notre Dame)
WCHA: 1-0 (Ferris State over Colgate), two games today (Ferris State vs North Dakota, Minnesota State vs Lowell)

I, of course, only got one game right in my predictions.  That goes to show just how unpredictable this tournament is.  Or, of course, it could show how bad I am at making predictions.  I'll leave that one up to you :)

So, that being said, here's what we're looking forward to watching today.  Again, all times Central:

2:00 PM - East Regional Final: (3) Union vs (11) Providence, TV: ESPN2, Stream: WatchESPN - This will be an interesting game.  Providence methodically took apart a good Quinnipiac squad yesterday, getting strong play from sophomore goaltender Jon Gillies.  Although I am high on Union, I like the way Providence played yesterday, so I'll pick the upset here.  Prediction: Providence wins 3-2

3:00 PM- Northeast Regional Semifinal: (2) Boston College vs (15) Denver, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - Another game that should be interesting.  Denver has been hot lately, and although they had to win their conference tournament to get into the dance they're never a team to sleep on.  I think BC has too much for Denver to handle though.  If you're watching this game, look for Johnny Gaudreau - he'll more than likely be this year's Hobey Baker winner.  Prediction: BC wins 5-2

4:30 PM - West Regional Semifinal: (1) Minnesota vs (16) Robert Morris, TV: ESPN2, Stream: WatchESPN - Here is where we see if the Gophers have grown or not from their disappointing performances in recent playoff history.  Minnesota lost to a not-great Yale team in the first round last year (that got hot at the right time and ended up winning it all), and lost just last week to an okay Ohio State squad in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.  They'll play a Robert Morris team that is ranked #44 in the PairWise currently, but has only lost five games since the calendar switched over to January.  This team went 2-12-2 in their first 14 games, but finished the year 17-5-3 in their last 25.  The Gophers, on the other hand, are 13-4-4 over that same time frame.  Minnesota plays a much tougher schedule and should have enough talent to win this game handily, but I think Robert Morris might pose a bit more of a challenge than most Gopher fans will expect.  Prediction: Minnesota wins 4-2

5:30 PM - Midwest Regional Final: (5) Ferris State vs (13) North Dakota, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - Another interesting matchup.  North Dakota took out Wisconsin, my favorite to advance to the championship game, 5-2 last night, while Ferris survived a tight 1-0 thriller with Colgate.  Does this North Dakota squad have it in them to win three must-win games in a row?  They've shown me that they're a better team than I believed they were this season already, but I just don't think they have the gas to beat a good Ferris State team this afternoon.  Prediction: Ferris State wins 3-1

6:30 PM - Northeast Regional Semifinal: (7) UMass-Lowell vs (10) Minnesota State, TV: ESPNU (Tape Delayed until 10:30 PM), Stream: ESPN3 - Let me start by saying that I am really high on both of these teams.  Minnesota State has been one of the hotter teams in the country in the second half of the season, recovering from a shaky 4-7-0 start to the year by going undefeated in their last 13 games coming into the Tournament (12-0-1 over that stretch).  Their last loss was all the way back on January 31st.  Lowell, the preseason #1 overall, followed somewhat a similar path, starting out 1-3-0 in their first four games before righting the ship, finishing the season on a 10-3-2 jaunt and winning the Hockey East Tournament.  In the end, I think UML will be too much for Minnesota State to handle, and they'll ride a strong performance from goaltender Connor Hellebuyck into the regional final.  Prediction: Lowell wins 3-2

8:00 PM - West Regional Semifinal: (8) Notre Dame vs (9) St. Cloud State, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - Another very interesting game pitting two good teams against each other.  This one will also feature a clash of different styles, as SCSU's up-and-down offense matches up against Notre Dame's defensive system.  I think that this game is a toss up; Notre Dame had an average regular season but has heated up recently, beating Boston College in three out of four at the end of the year before falling to Lowell in the semifinal of the Hockey East Tournament.  St. Cloud State lost in the first round series of the NCHC tournament to a bad Miami team, but was good throughout the rest of the year, dropping only eight games before entering the playoffs.  St. Cloud was in line for a high seed prior to the playoffs, but the losses to Miami dropped them all the way back to a #3 band seed.  I think St. Cloud is a better team than Notre Dame so I'm going to pick them winning, but it's awfully close here.  One big save or one soft goal could make the difference in this one.  Prediction: St. Cloud State wins 4-3

Viewing Guide for the NCAA Tournament: Friday, March 28th

The NCAA Hockey Tournament starts TODAY!

Although the Gophers don't play until Saturday afternoon, there are four games throughout the day today.  Four teams will move one win away from the Frozen Four, and four teams will end their seasons short of the ultimate prize.

Here is where and when you can catch those games.  All times Central.

1:00 PM - (3) Union vs (13) Vermont, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - Union is one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament, while Vermont lost in the first round of their conference tournament and squeaked into the 16-team field as the second-to-last At Large team in.  Prediction: 4-1 Union.

3:30 PM - (5) Ferris State vs (12) Colgate, TV: ESPNU (Tape Delayed until 9:30 PM), Stream: ESPN3 - Ferris State has been a good team all year, rising to #2 in the nation at one point before settling in with the #5 overall seed in the tournament.  The Bulldogs' year-long resume definitely impresses, but they did lose two out of three to Colgate when the two teams played earlier in the year.  Both teams made it to the final game of their respective conference tournaments before losing in the championship game (Colgate to Union, Ferris State to Minnesota State).  Colgate has been hotter of late, and I think the ECAC is better this year than they have been in years past.  I like the upset in this game.  Prediction: 3-2 Colgate, in OT

4:30 PM - (6) Quinnipiac vs (11) Providence, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - I haven't seen either of these teams play all year, but as I mentioned earlier I think the ECAC is pretty strong this year, and Quinnipiac has some impressive wins on their resume, including a sweep of a strong UMass-Lowell team early in the season.  The Bobcats haven't been as strong lately, going 3-5-1 in their last 10 games, but I would attribute that to the strength of the ECAC more than anything else.  Providence also has some solid wins on their schedule and has been hot of late, winning six of their last seven contests.  I like Quinnipiac in this game though, setting up an all-ECAC regional final between Union and Quinnipiac.  Prediction: 4-2 Quinnipiac

7:30 PM - (4) Wisconsin vs (14) North Dakota, TV: ESPNU, Stream: WatchESPN - If Vermont squeaked into the Tournament, North Dakota REALLY squeaked in with the last At Large bid.  The team-with-no-name won the 3rd place game of the NCHC and had to wait on both UMass-Lowell to beat New Hampshire and Wisconsin to beat Ohio State on the last day of the season.  Wisconsin's overtime, comeback win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament got North Dakota in, so it's fitting that the two teams would meet in the first round.  North Dakota has been up-and-down all season long, but Wisconsin has been pretty consistent, especially lately, leaning on a strong senior class and a great defensive scheme.  I think Wisconsin is one of the "teams to beat" in this year's Tournament, and they'll have no problem dispatching North Dakota tonight.  Prediction: 4-1 Wisconsin

NCAA Tournament: Final Bracket and Predictions

Here is the Final Bracket for the 2014 NCAA tournament:

St. Paul

1 Minnesota vs 16 Robert Morris

8 Notre Dame vs 9 St. Cloud State

Worcester

2 BC vs 15 Denver

7 UMass-Lowell vs 10 Minnesota State

Bridgeport

3 Union vs 13 Vermont

6 Quinnipiac vs 11 Providence

Cincinnati

4 Wisconsin vs 14 North Dakota

5 Ferris State vs 12 Colgate

The bracket turned out really nice this year, almost perfect bracket integrity and nearly perfect as far as attendance goes.  Now, some predictions:

St. Paul - Minnesota beats Robert Morris handily in the first game, St. Cloud State beats a hot Notre Dame in a close one, Minnesota edges St. Cloud to advance to the Frozen Four

Worcester - Denver gives BC a tough game but the Eagles prevail, Lowell beats Mankato in front of a home crowd, Lowell beats BC in overtime

Bridgeport - Union handles Vermont, Providence upsets Quinnipiac, Union beats Providence

Cincinnati - Wisconsin over North Dakota, Colgate beats Ferris State in OT, Wisconsin beats Colgate

Frozen Four - Wisconsin beats Minnesota in a low-scoring game, Union beats Lowell.  Union beats Wisconsin to win the national championship.

Thoughts on Minnesota: I know they've struggled lately, but Minnesota has what teams need in the playoffs - defense and goaltending.  The question is whether they've got enough goal scoring to be able to steal wins in tight, defensive games.  I like Minnesota in games where the other team plays a more wide-open, offensive style of hockey, but they've shown that they struggle against teams that play the trap and clog up the middle of the rink (like Wisconsin).  The Gophers have shown that they can beat anybody in the country if they play well, and lose to just about anybody if they don't show up.  They didn't show up on Friday and got beat by a good-enough Ohio State team - a team just as good as any team the Gophers will play in the NCAA tournament.  Will Coach Lucia have the team ready to show up for the regional?  I hope so.

A Gopher Fan's "Who to Root For" Guide for College Hockey's Conference Playoffs

According to the Pairwise prognosticators at Gopher Puck Live, a Gopher sweep in this weekend's playoff series would go a long way towards an NCAA tournament at-large bid. If the Gophers win this series in two games, there's a good chance that they would not need any wins in the Final Five in order to make the big dance. However, if Alaska-Anchorage takes even one game in the series, the Gophers would need to make the Final Five and would likely need to advance to the Championship Game in order to advance to the NCAAs. If the Gophers sweep UAA this weekend and win Thursday evening in the Final Five, they are all but guaranteed a spot in the tourney.

With the Pairwise Rankings in mind, there are certain results that will help the Gopher cause towards making the NCAA tournament. Below is a guide to who to root for in the other big games / series this weekend in the WCHA, as well as a select few series with Pairwise implications around the country. If you're a Gopher fan, use this guide as you watch the results from around the nation:

WCHA

UND vs MTU - Gopher fans should root for MTU, but I would be shocked if North Dakota isn't playing on Friday evening in St. Paul next weekend.

DU vs MSU-M - this is a HUGE series for the Gophers. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a DU sweep of Mankato. If the Pioneers sweep the Mavericks, MSU would be knocked out as a "Team Under Consideration" in the Pairwise rankings (all teams with an RPI of .500 or over). Since the Gophers went 0-2 against Mankato this year, that would raise Minnesota's TUC winning percentage and (as that is an important aspect in the Pairwise) would help the Gophers turn a couple comparisons in their quest to get into the top 15 in the PWR rankings.

UNO vs BSU - Gopher fans should root for as many Bemidji State wins as possible in this series. If Bemidji wins the series, they could return to the ranks of the Teams Under Consideration. Since Minnesota went 1-0-1 against Bemidji this season, adding that win and tie into the Gophers' TUC record would be helpful in the Pairwise.

UMD vs SCSU - The comparison between UMD and the Gophers is still in play, but the only way Minnesota turns that comparison is if UMD loses in their first round series. Gopher fans should root for a St. Cloud upset of UMD.

CC vs UW - This one is somewhat of a toss-up. Minnesota currently holds the comparison with both CC and UW, but CC is ahead of the Gophers and UW is significantly behind. From that perspective, a Wisconsin series win looks to be the best thing for Minnesota, but CC winning the series in three games probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either.

Other Conferences

Merrimack vs Maine - Gopher fans want Merrimack to win the series, but Maine winning in three games would not be a terrible result. A Maine loss would help the Gophers turn the RPI and the comparison.

Ferris St vs Western Michigan - A Ferris State victory in this series would be big for the same reasons as the Merrimack / Maine series above. The only reason Western Michigan holds the comparison over the Gophers is the RPI, so any Western Michigan loss helps the Gophers climb back in that category.

Harvard vs Dartmouth - Gopher fans are rooting for Harvard (I know, difficult). Harvard is not very good this season so this may not be likely, but Harvard winning even one game would help the Gophers come back in the RPI category.

Vermont vs UNH - Vermont also is not very good this season, but if they can take out UNH in one or two games in this series it should help the Gophers.

Northeastern vs BU - this one is strange. The best result for the Gophers here is a Northeastern series victory, but in three games. The Boston U / Minnesota comparison is very close, and if Northeastern takes out BU Minnesota should leapfrog them in the Pairwise. However, if Northeastern sweeps BU, Northeastern will become a Team Under Consideration, and this would bolster UNH's TUC record in their comparison against the Gophers. This is a Thursday-Saturday series, and Northeastern already won the Thursday game. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a BU win Friday and a Northeastern win Saturday, with the next best result being a Northeastern win on Friday and the worst result being BU winning the next two games and advancing.

I hope this guide helps you as you scan the box scores from around the country. As always, though, the most important thing that Minnesota can do is win its own games. If Minnesota wins its next two games it's pretty likely that the Gophers are in the tourney. Take care of business, and let everything else fall into place. Go Gophers!

Gopher Hockey Playoff Preview: Minnesota vs Alaska-Anchorage

The Gophers (16-12-6 Overall, 13-10-5 WCHA) earned fifth place in the WCHA's regular season and will face off against the eighth seed University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (14-17-3 overall, 12-14-2 WCHA) this weekend in a best-of-three series for the right to advance to the WCHA Final Five.

The Gophers have been hot lately, undefeated in their last seven games and have really played good hockey the last six weekends. Over their last 12 games, Minnesota has gone 6-3-3 and is scoring 3.6 goals per game while limiting opponents to only 2.4 goals per game. The key number for Minnesota is three - when the Gophers have scored 3 or more goals they 16-2-3 on the season, when they give up three or more goals they're only 5-9-3.

As hot as Minnesota has been, UAA is heating up itself. The Seawolves are coming off of a road sweep at Minnesota State-Mankato, and has won seven of their last 11 games. A perennial bottom-feeder in the WCHA, Anchorage has climbed up out of the cellar of the league with a solid team that has posted wins over good teams this year. UAA has wins over St. Cloud, CC (3 of them), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska-Fairbanks and Nebraska-Omaha this season, so this team can jump up and beat anyone in the league.

Minnesota played Alaska-Anchorage twice this season at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, and the teams played to a split in the series. The Gophers won the first game handily, a 5-1 contest which saw Minnesota take advantage of their skill to bury the Seawolves. Minnesota scored two quick goals, and although Anchorage got back within one goal by the end of the period, another two quick Gopher goals in the second spelled an end to the Seawolf comeback bid.

Minnesota leveraged its speed and playmaking to dominate the game on the offensive end Friday night, and Anchorage clearly learned its lesson in the Saturday rubber match. Alaska won the second game of the series 1-0, content to play an entirely defensive game and jump on the few opportunities that the Gophers would give them. Despite giving up plenty of shots and scoring chances in the game, Anchorage did an effective job of clogging up passing and shooting lanes throughout the game, and rode an excellent Chris Kamal performance between the pipes and an early third period goal to come away with a 1-0 victory.

If Alaska-Anchorage is to contend in this first-round playoff series, it will need to follow a similar game plan. Try to limit the Gopher chances as much as possible, play a strong defensive game, and hope that Minnesota makes a mistake or two that the Seawolves can take advantage of.

The Gophers will need to rely on that offensive attack to dent the twine and get out to a lead. Minnesota will need to lean on quick skating and effective short passing to break the Anchorage trap and get quality scoring chances.

One "X factor" in this series is health. The Gophers lost puck-hauling defenseman Aaron Ness and third-line center Taylor Matson last weekend at Bemidji, and we have now learned that first-line center Erik Haula is questionable for this weekend's series after taking a slapshot to the knee in the Saturday Bemidji game. If the Gophers have to play without these players, look for Anchorage to play a little more aggressively and pounce on the mistakes that the less-experienced reserves will likely make.

The games start at 7:00 Friday and Saturday nights, with Sunday's game at 7:00 if necessary. Go Gophers!

Gophers Take on CCHA's Michigan, Michigan State in College Hockey Showcase this Weekend

This weekend the Gophers square off against Michigan State and Michigan in the College Hockey Showcase, the traditional Thanksgiving-weekend "tournament" that pits historic hockey rivals Michigan and Michigan State against Minnesota and Wisconsin. There are rumors circulating that this year could very well be the last year of the Showcase, as Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez has pulled UW from the showcase next year. While I'll be sad to see the showcase go, here's hoping what could be the last one goes Minnesota's way.

The Gophers will face off against Michigan State Friday night and will play Michigan Sunday afternoon (Gopher Football plays Iowa on Saturday, which explains the Friday-Sunday dates for hockey).

Michigan State is having a down year this year, carrying a 4-6-3 overall record and a 2-6-1 mark in the CCHA. They started off the season strong at 3-0-3 with three big points coming against now number 10 ranked Maine. However, the Spartans are reeling of late, having lost six of their last seven contests.

Michigan, however, is its usual solid self, currently sitting eighth in the polls after an 8-3-3 start including a split with Nebraska-Omaha. Red Berenson's team is always skilled and can always fly up and down the ice, so expect this game to be a shootout between the Gophers and the Wolverines.

The Gophers, of course, are riding a little momentum of their own, having swept Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI last weekend. One of the big mysteries is whether or not senior goaltender Alex Kangas will be between the pipes at all this weekend, as Kent Patterson has played surprisingly well in usurping the starting job from the perennial favorite Kangas. My money is on the goalies splitting duties this weekend, with Kangas getting the Michigan State game and Patterson between the pipes for the game against Michigan. I'll be at both games so I will be able to provide the recaps and insights that you've come to expect this weekend!

Go Gophers!