Gophers face St. Thomas in Home and Home

The No. 5-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey team will face St. Thomas in a home-and-home series Friday night at 3M Arena in Mariucci. This duel follows on from last year's successful opening encounters, in which Minnesota won both games. The Gophers are off to a fresh start in this series with a dominant win over UMD, scoring a total of 12 goals in both games. With a balanced scoring performance, Connor Kurth leads the team with 8 points, while their goaltending duo was solid and split time effectively. The Tommies will look to challenge Minnesota after a break by adding key players to a roster eager to capitalize on power play opportunities.

Through the numbers

• Gophers scored 12 goals in last weekend's series.
• Connor Kurth has 8 points (4 goals) to lead the Gophers.
• St. Thomas' goaltending duo combined for a 2.27 GAA and a .925 SV%.

state of affairs

• The Gophers look to build on their recent strong performance after defeating UMD.
• St. Thomas enters the series after picking up a win and a draw against Vermont.
• Both teams have encounters with key players, especially in the net.

What's next?

The series concludes with Saturday's game at the Xcel Energy Center, where both teams will look to adjust their strategies. Depending on the performance, the Gophers could solidify their top-five ranking while St. Thomas looks to make a statement against a ranked opponent.

Conclusion

This series provides a crucial opportunity for both the Gophers to strengthen their status as a contender and for St. Thomas to test its mettle against a formidable opponent. The outcome could impact the standings as conference play intensifies.