The unbeaten Gophers are too easy to play against, coach Don Lucia said on Wednesday.

They don't spend enough time in their own offensive zone, he said. They've got to be harder on pucks. And the defense has to do a better job of shutting down plays and exiting the defensive zone in a hurry.

"I think we're a work in progress. I think there are areas of our game we haven't been as good as I hoped we'd be right now," Lucia said. "I think we're too easy to pay against.

"Even though we are 4-0, there is plenty to our game that needs much improvement."

No. 7 St. Cloud State will test the Gophers' weaknesses in this weekend's home-and-home series that starts Friday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

The Huskies are coming off a split with defending national champion and No. 2 Union in New York. St. Cloud's 3-2 victory on Saturday snapped Union's 17-game home-winning streak.

Hear more from Lucia and captain Kyle Rau from Wednesday's media access video:

Coach Don Lucia
Senior captain Kyle Rau