Lucia: Gophers need to play their style against Seawolves

Gophers coach Don Lucia said Wednesday his team just has to continue to play the way it has recently to do well against Alaska Anchorage this weekend in a best-of-three, first round WCHA series at Mariucci Arena.

"They are a good team," Lucia said, referring to the Seawolves. "They have obviously played very well the second half of the season. They are 8-6 in the last 14 WCHA games. We don't have to change so much as continue to play the way we have been playing.

"We are going to have our style, they are going to have their style. We have to make sure we take care of the puck. We have to make sure the puck goes behind their defensemen and not skate ourselves offsides like we did a few times the last time we played them."

The Gophers and UAA split a series on Jan. 28 and 29 at Mariucci. The Gophers won the first game 5-1, getting all their goals in transition. The Seawolves won the next game 1-0 as backup freshman goalie Chris Kamal stopped 30 shots.Since then he has become UAA's top goalie.

"It is still [about] prepping and trying to play the way we want to play," Lucia said.

"The guys feel good about themselves. We have been through a lot during the course of the season. Whether it is the ups and downs of winning and losing or the ups and downs of guys being injured and who is available and who is not. But the kids have found a way. We finished up in fifth with home ice."

The past four seasons, the Gophers have finished seventh, fifth, seventh and fifth again in the WCHA race.

The Gophers are 5-0-2 in their last seven games. Last weekend, the visiting Gophers tied Bemidji State 3-3 and beat the Beavers 3-2 in overtime.

"The [Saturday] game meant a lot," Lucia said. "You get to the end of the year, we need to keep winning games. Obviously, for this team, if we don't win this weekend our season is over. Every game at this point in time is critical."

Right now the Gophers are tied for No. 19 in the PairWise ratings. They need to move up to at least No. 15, probably No. 14, to have a chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

"We were a little short-handed on Saturday night," Lucia said, referring to being without defenseman Aaron Ness and forward Taylor Matson out with injuries. "And we were able to come back from a deficit on the road and win an overtime which we hadn't won an overtime game for a while. I was kind of happy both games were tight, contested games. That is the way they are going to be this weekend."

PATTERSON SUPER

"He has had a terrific year," Lucia said. "He has probably been our best player during the course of this season. He's got the comfort level -- when Alex [Kangas] did go down with his injury -- [knowing] that he was going to be playing every game. And so he wasn't in a situation where he had to look over his shoulder: 'Am I going to start tonight? Am I going to play both games?'

"But before that even, he had earned that right to play by his performance."

In conference games, Patterson is first in save percentage (.926), second in goals-against average (2.31) and third in winning percentage (.674, 13-5-5).

"This will be the first time he goes through the playoffs," Lucia said. "So this will be a little bit new, although he did play in the Final Five a couple of years ago. But he is playing well, he is playing confident. And that is a pretty important position at this time of the year."

HEALTH UPDATE

"We have a couple of guys that have been banged up," Lucia said. "We will have a better idea probably after practice [Wednesday] or [Thursday] about who will be available.

"Let's just say they are day-to-day. I think [Ness] is a little further ahead than Taylor. But again, we gave the guys [Tuesday] off, we did not practice. [Wedneasday] we will have a better idea of where those guys are at."

THE DON SAYS

* On whether upperclassmen need to take leading role on team in playoffs: "They have. You look at [senior center] Patrick White and all of his points have come here at the end of the season. And he is playing well for us right and we have pretty good balance with our line, especially our top three lines/ We are really not too concerned about who is out against who."

* On shortening the bench: We are playing probably more three lines than four at this stage, but everybody is going to have to produce.A lot of times your best player get neutralized and then all of a sudden a guy who maybe has not scored a lot comes up with a real big goal at this time of the year."

* On improved power play, clicking at 32.3 percent in 5-0-2 streak: "We have two pretty balanced units. I don't think we have a No. 1 unit with our power play. We are comfortable with either unit starting depending on who is the most rested.Having two groups with the ability to score helps out, rather than just one."