MANCHESTER, N.H. – As much as the Gophers hoped to win the Big Ten men's hockey tournament, they found a small blessing in their March 17 semifinal loss to Penn State: an extra day off.
The Gophers have not had an idle weekend since the first week of January. Coach Don Lucia gave them a freshening last week in preparation for Saturday's NCAA tournament opener against Notre Dame, allowing his players three days off in a four-day span. That gave them time to rest weary legs and heal some minor aches before traveling to the Northeast Regional at SNHU Arena.
"We tried to do everything we can to gauge our guys' energy level this week,'' Lucia said of the Gophers, who resumed daily practices on Wednesday. "I think we've been real sharp these last three days.''
Forward Tyler Sheehy said the Gophers will benefit from the rest. Lucia said he hopes that will lead to a strong start — something he feels is essential against the Irish — and good decisions.
In the win-or-go-home pressure cooker of the NCAA tournament, Lucia is urging his team to play wisely but not cautiously.
"We want them to play on their toes,'' he said. "We want them to play to win. You don't have to play safe. If you're afraid to play, you're not going to have a whole lot of success this time of year.
"We want our guys to play fast, and we want them to make plays, but make smart plays as soon as the puck is dropped. You just want them to play their best hockey.''
Sense of place
The Gophers and Notre Dame have distinctly different memories of Manchester. The Gophers played in the Northeast Regional at SNHU Arena — then called Verizon Wireless Arena — in 2015 and lost 4-1 to Minnesota Duluth in the first round. The Irish began their run to the 2011 Frozen Four in the same place, defeating Merrimack and New Hampshire.
