Gophers men's hockey weekend preview: Minnesota vs. Michigan State
This will be the Gophers' first game against an unranked opponent.
7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday vs. Michigan State
3M Arena at Mariucci • TV; radio: FSN; 1130-AM, 103.5-FM
Gophers: No. 5 Minnesota (5-3, 1-1) swept then-No. 9 Clarkson 3-1 and 2-1 last weekend, as Eric Schierhorn stopped 44 of 46 shots. This will be the Gophers' first game against an unranked opponent; Minnesota has losses to Minnesota Duluth, Penn State and North Dakota.
Michigan State: The Spartans (4-2) went just 7-24-4 last season before replacing coach Tom Anastos with Danton Cole, from the U.S. national development team program. Freshman Mitch Lewandowski and sophomore Taro Hirose are tied for the team lead with nine points, and sophomore John Lethemon has a 2.07 goals-against average.
Some are seniors awaiting an opportunity, many are juniors considering options, and a few are sophomores already identified as prospects.