Big Ten hockey tournament championship preview: Gophers vs. Michigan

Gophers vs. Michigan

7 p.m. Saturday, 3M Arena at Mariucci * TV: BTN * Radio: 103.5-FM, 1130-AM

Gophers at a glance: Minnesota (24-11) will try to win its second consecutive Big Ten tournament title and follow up its regular-season championship. A win likely would secure one of the four No. 1 NCAA tournament regional seeds for the Gophers, while a loss might drop them to a No. 2 seed. They'll find out their NCAA destination during the selection show at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU. C Ben Meyers (16 goals, 20 assists, 36 points) leads a balanced scoring attack that has seven players with 20 or more points. G Justen Close is 12-3 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .933 save percentage. F Chaz Lucius remains out because of a lower-body injury.

Michigan at a glance: The Wolverines (28-9-1) were in line to win the Big Ten regular-season title before being swept by Notre Dame, which helped the Gophers pass them on the final weekend. Michigan responded by edging the Fighting Irish 2-1 in last weekend's Big Ten tournament semifinals. F Matty Beniers (18-20-38) and defenseman Luke Hughes (17-19-36) are Michigan's top scorers, with F Brendan Brisson (17-16-33) and F Kent Johnson (7-26-33) close behind. G Erik Portillo (28-9-1, 2.03, .929) has started every game for the Wolverines.

Randy Johnson