The symmetry didn't dawn on him right away. Until the topic came up in a Wednesday news conference, Gophers coach Bob Motzko hadn't considered that his team will be trying to end its season in exactly the same place where it will start.
That would be Xcel Energy Center, where the No. 2 Gophers launch their regular-season schedule Friday against St. Thomas. The goal is to return in April, when the arena hosts the NCAA Frozen Four. While the Gophers can dream, Motzko is preoccupied with the here and now, knowing his team has a long journey ahead as it seeks to close the circle.
In his sixth season at the U, he has plenty of talent to work with. A core of upperclassmen offers steady leadership, while 10 sophomores are showing a new swagger after helping the Gophers reach the NCAA championship game last season. The six freshmen include first-round NHL draft picks Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel, who should help fill the void left by five players who moved on to pro hockey.
Motzko said he could mix up his lines early in the season, looking for the chemistry that could lead the Gophers to a third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title. While the details are yet to be determined, he's confident he has the right ingredients to make another run at the program's first NCAA championship since 2003.
"We have a real strong base of returning players," Motzko said. "We should be able to produce offense and score like we want. And our defensemen are young, but they're talented.
"We can talk about April all we want, but we have to take care of October first. We've got to get into the battle to get us into the tournament."
The Gophers came agonizingly close to their sixth national title last spring, falling 3-2 in overtime to Quinnipiac in the championship game. Two of their top three scorers, Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies, later signed with NHL teams. Top-four defensemen Jackson LaCombe, Brock Faber and Ryan Johnson also launched their pro careers.
Losing players of that caliber would decimate many teams, but the Gophers are used to that kind of churn. Motzko said his returnees worked to improve over the summer, eager to step into the spaces created by the departures.