Gophers men's hockey vs. St. Thomas series preview: broadcast info and analysis

Gophers vs. St. Thomas: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Xcel Energy Center; 6 p.m. Saturday at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

TV; radio: Friday, Ch. 9; Saturday, Fox 9+; 1130-AM, 103.5-FM

For the fans: If you like following home-grown players, this game is for you. The Gophers' 25-player roster includes 23 Minnesotans, while 19 of St. Thomas's 28 players hail from the state.

Pregame reading: Fans on Saturday can get a look at the new smaller ice sheet at 3M Arena. Read about what changed and why it changed in this story.

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Opening bell: The No. 2 Gophers (0-0) have played St. Thomas once before, beating the Tommies 5-2 in an exhibition game during St. Thomas's first season in Division I. This time, it's for real. The Tommies (1-1) look like they're for real, too, after beating then-No. 8 St. Cloud State 5-4 on the road last Friday and playing the Huskies tough in a 1-0 home loss the following night. They're getting votes in the national polls for the first time.

Watch him: Gophers freshman Oliver Moore scored two goals in last Sunday's 5-2 exhibition victory over Bemidji State, picking the corner with a dazzling wrister and adding an empty-netter. If you missed it, expect Moore to deliver more. The Mounds View native, picked 19th overall by Chicago in last summer's NHL draft, has great hands and speed to burn.

Injuries: Gophers D Mike Koster (knee), F Mason Nevers (unspecified) and G Nathan Airey (unspecified) will not play.

Forecast: After last spring's run to the NCAA championship game, the Gophers lost four key players to the NHL. But a talented freshman class — and sophomores eager to take on bigger roles — make the Gophers the favorites to repeat as Big Ten champs. Beating the crosstown bluebloods will be a tall order for the Tommies, but coach Rico Blasi's team has made big strides, and it showed last week it can skate with a top-10 opponent.

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