The Gophers have opened up a two-point lead on the pack as they battle to hold onto fifth place in the WCHA.

With a sweep of Michigan Tech, the Gophers are 12-10-4 in conference games for 28 points. Next is Colorado College, which tied UMD on Saturday night, with 26 points.

If the Gophers and CC finish in a tie, though, the maroon and gold have the first tie-breaker because they swept CC in the only series they played. So the U could lose one game at Bemidji State next weekend and still hold onto the fifth seed.

So CC is in sixth, and Wisconsin, after being swept by St. Cloud State, has fallen to seventh with 25 points.. Conversely, SCSU is up to eighth with 24.

What that means is, if the playoffs were starting right now, St. Cloud State would play at the Gophers. That would be a fun, skating series.