The Gophers discovered Chris Kamal and now he could bury them today.

The freshman goalie was languishing on the UAA bench when coach Dave Shyiak, with his team in a three-game tailspin, with 3-2 and 5-1 losses to Denver and a 5-1 loss to the Gophers, started him in the second game against Minnesota.

Kamal shut out the Gophers 1-0 on 30 saves. He is 7-1, counting that victory, since.

On Friday, Kamal beat the Gophers 4-3. The maroon and gold got three pucks past Kamal but barely tested him the first half of the game and took only 25 shots.

So it's do or die today. Win or go home -- oh, I guess the Gophers are home.

Well, win or clean out the lockers. Say good-bye to six seniors. Get ready for the team awards banquet. And time to start wondering if U of M athletic director Joel Maturi will extend Don Lucia's contract?

Lucia has one year left on his contract. But how do you commitments and sign players when they don't know if the head coach will be there for long?

Maturi will have to either extend Lucia's contract after seventh, fifth, seventh and fifth place finishes in a row in the WCHA. Or part ways with him.

Most of the hockey fanatics posting comments on GophersPuckLive want Lucia gone? And, if UAA eliminates the Gophers either today or Sunday, the chorus for his removal will get louder.