Maturi plans to offer Lucia contract extension

Gophers coach Don Lucia's job appears safe.

Joel Maturi said Tuesday he wants to give Lucia a contract extension but said he didn't want to set on timetable on when the deal would get done.

Lucia has been the WCHA Coach of the Year three times, in 1994 and '96 at Colorado College and in 2006 with the Gophers.

He just completed his 12th season at Minnesota. And the Gophers' 3-2 overtime victory over Bemidji State on March 5 was his 500th game as the Gophers coach.

His overall record at the U of M is 290-159-53. But the last four seasons have not been kind.

The 2007-08 team finished 19-17-9, lost to Denver 2-1 in the championship game of the Final Five and 5-2 to Boston College in their first NCAA tournament game. BC was the eventual national champion. Bad draw.

The 2008-09 team finished 17-13-7 and ended its season with a 2-1 loss to UMD in the quarterfinal game of the Final Five.

The 2009-10 team finished 18-19-2 and was lost two of three games at North Dakota in a first round WCHA playoff series.

The team this season finished 16-14-6 and was swept by Alaska Anchorage in a first round WCHA playoff series at home.

But Maturi still has confidence in Lucia.

What will be interesting to watch in the offseason is if Lucia will make any staff changes, if any players will leave early, and if Lucia changes his recruiting strategy.

Lucia, on his radio show on Monday, and Maturi, in a phone interview, both said they have higher expectations for the Gophers' program. And they should.