The Gophers are playing for more than just a spot in the Big Ten tournament championship game in Friday afternoon's semifinal against Ohio State. Knowing that they likely need to win to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament, the players are treating the semifinal like a championship game.
However, whether the Gophers win or lose, there are many different scenarios that could play out this weekend with results from six college hockey conference tournaments affecting their standing in the PairWise rankings.
They are currently 13th in the poll, which is based off a formula that the NCAA tournament committee uses to select the 16-team field, and sitting uncomfortably on the bubble. If they lose, they become a long shot for the tournament. If they win Friday, it could be enough to claim an at-large bid even if they lost in the Big Ten championship game.
The players can't help but pay a little bit of attention to the possible outcomes swirling around the program.
"I know some guys see some stuff on social media about the [USCHO PairWise] predictor and where things can go," Gophers junior defenseman and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Mike Reilly said. "A lot can change. ... It's almost hard not to look at that, in a way. But We're just focused on trying to win two games here and worry about the Friday game first. Not look too much into that kind of thing where it becomes a distraction and becomes kind of a numbers game.
"So we don't look too much into that, but it pops up a little bit."
Here are some scenarios the Gophers should be worried about even if they win Friday afternoon:
If top-seed Quinnipiac loses its ECAC semifinal game against Harvard, it opens the door for Harvard and St.Lawrence to potentially steal what would have been the Gophers' spot in the tournament.
