gophers/ncaa

The Gophers' series at Denver this weekend could ultimately determine if they win their first MacNaughton Cup since 2007.

Denver was the WCHA coaches' preseason choice to win the conference title. Plagued by injuries most of the season, the Pioneers are getting healthier and are the Gophers' closest pursuer among teams left on their schedule. They are one point out of third, three out of second and six out of first.

"This is the time of the year we have to make a move," Denver coach George Gwozdecky said. "We feel that we are capable of it. There is no question that the way we played Saturday night [in a 2-2 tie with Colorado College] -- we feel that we are going to give ourselves a pretty good chance."

The first-place Gophers are 7-4-1 in away games. Regardless of the site, Denver has been their nemesis in recent seasons, winning eight of the past 10 meetings.

"It will be a great test for us to see if we can continue to have success on the road," Gophers coach Don Lucia said, "because that is going to be critical. ... They are one of the most talented teams we have in our league."

Denver had a six-game winning streak against the Gophers until a 7-3 loss last Feb. 12 at Mariucci Arena. The Pioneers' goalies had shutouts in three of those games and gave up one goal in the other three.

This year, however, Denver's goalies have been impacted by injuries. Sam Brittain, named to the national all-rookie team last season, only recently returned from offseason knee surgery. Adam Murray, his backup, also has been hurt, missing nine games because of a groin injury. So freshman Juho Olkinuora from Helsinki, Finland, has played the most games. He is 6-6-3 with a 2.22 goals-against average. All three are healthy now.

"We have never had the depth where we have had three goaltenders who can give us a chance to win on any given night," Gwozdecky said.

Gwozdecky said he is undecided on his rotation this weekend, except that Brittain will start at least one game.

The Gophers' goalie situation is completely different. Senior Kent Patterson on Friday will start his 51st consecutive game.

The Gophers are second nationally in team offense (3.72 goals per game) and in team defense (2.03).

"Offensively, they are a tough team to defend, but the thing that is probably most impressive is that they are one of the top two teams in the country defensively," Gwozdecky said. "Don Lucia and his staff have developed a team that is really good at both ends of the ice."