The top ranked Minnesota Gophers travel across the state to take on the No. 8 ranked St. Cloud State Blizzards in the big in-state matchup on the ice on Saturday.
2012 NCAA Hockey schedule: Minnesota in-state rivalry highlights Saturday games
The top ranked Gophers take on the No. 8 St. Cloud State Blizzards in the top game of college hockey on Saturday.
Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE
It is the last regular season meeting between the two schools, and will be a good chance for the Gophers to gain some ground on the Blizzards, who they trail by five points in the WCHA standings. The Gophers have had success in St. Cloud, Minn. the past five years as The Daily Gopher points out, going 3-2 over that time span.
As a team, the Gophers are one of the best in the nation but they will be trying to contain the Blizzard’s senior captain Drew LeBlanc. LeBlanc has lit up the NCAA this year, leading college hockey in assists (30) and second in points (38). The Gophers should have leading scorer Erik Haula back at center to try and keep their top ranked offense running smoothly.
Outside of Minnesota state boundaries, the No. 3 ranked Miami RedHawks travel to Michigan to take on the No. 6 ranked Western Michigan Broncos. It has been a pretty even series over its lifetime, with Miami leading 54-52-10. The Broncos got the last laugh, defeating the RedHawks in the CCHA tournament semifinals last year 6-2. Other than that, they haven’t had much success, going 1-4-1 in their last six meetings with the RedHawks.
The big games to watch:
North Dakota at Nebraska-Omaha, 5:05 p.m. ET
Quinnipac at Colgate, 8 p.m. ET
Minnesota at St. Cloud State, 8:05 p.m. ET
Miami at Western Michigan, 8:05 p.m. ET
A full list of today’s schedule can be found here.
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