St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said he is still trying to figure out his lines as the Huskies prepare to play the Gophers this weekend.

Minnesota, he said, has it's top line set: Jay Barriball, Mike Hoeffel and Erik Haula, and maybe Jacob Cepis at times.

U RECRUIT SHINES

Joel Vienneau of the Muskegon Lumberbacks was named the USHL's Goalie of the Week. Vienneau of Hearst, Ontario, is expected to sign with the Gophers and join Minnesota next season. Alex Kangas, the Gophers' primary goalie since the middle of his freshman year, is a senior this season.

Vienneau made 19 saves as Muskegon beat Sioux City 6-0. Then, in a 2-1 loss to Fargo, Vienneau had 33 saves. The Force won the game on a goal in the last seconds.

POLL-WATCHING

Remember, the Frozen Four will be at Xcel Energy Center in April. So I am watching the national polls closer than ever, trying to figure out who will be here.

Defending NCAA Boston College is No. 1 this week in both major polls -- uscho.com and USA Today -- followed by North Dakota.

UMD is No. 6 or 5. Nebraska-Omaha, after its sweep of the Gophers, is No. 10 in both

St. Cloud State, the U's next opponent, is No. 14 or 15 as is Wisconsin. Denver is No. 11 or 13.

The uscho.com poll goes 20 teams deep, and at No. 20 is Minnesota with 118 points. At the top of other team receiving votes is Michigan Tech with 61 points, so there is a big dropoff.

The USA Today poll goes only 15 teams deep. There the Gophers are among others. They have 59 points, which would put them No. 17 is someone were counting past 15.