7 p.m. Friday and Saturday vs. Army • FSN Friday, FSN Plus Saturday, 1130-AM, 103.5-FM

Long rest ends for both teams

Preview: Both teams are playing for the first time since Dec. 9. Army (8-8-2) is coming off a 4-3 victory over then-No. 13 New Hampshire. That victory was just the second in nine games for the Black Knights, who are 2-5-2 in their past nine games. The Gophers (10-9-1), No. 10 in the USCHO.com poll, have lost five of their past six games. The Gophers, who have played the nation's fourth-toughest schedule (16 of their 20 games have been against ranked teams), will be without Ryan Lindgren and Casey Mittelstadt, who are with the U.S. National team at the IIHF World Junior Championships.

Players to watch: Dominic Franco leads the Black Knights in scoring (six goals, 12 assists), while fellow sophomore F Michael Wilson has a team-high nine goals to go along with seven assists. … Three Minnesotans are on the Army roster — senior F Conor Andrle (St. Louis Park), senior D/F Nick DeCenzo (Hibbing), and freshman F Kevin Dineen (Faribault). … Sophomore F Rem Pitlick leads the Gophers in scoring (nine goals, 11 assists). G Eric Schierhorn's streak of 94 consecutive starts — the fourth longest in NCAA history — ended Dec. 9, when Mat Robson made his first career start.

Numbers: The teams are playing for the first time since Dec. 28, 1966. The Gophers lead the series 2-0. Army has had just three coaches in the past 62 years. Current coach Brian Riley is in his 14th season.

Joel Rippel