April 11, 2003
NCAA Tournament

	Overall	Conference	Home	Away	Neutral
Minnesota	27-8-9	15-6-7	14-4-6	9-4-3	4-0-0
UNH	28-7-6	15-5-4	15-3-1	7-4-4	6-0-1
	Goals/Gm.	GA/Gm.	PP Pct.	PK Pct.	PIM/Gm.
Minnesota	4.2 (3rd)	2.8 (17th)	.253 (5th)	.803 (38th)	15.4 (29th)
UNH	3.7 (11th)	2.2 (3rd)	.240 (7th)	.868 (3rd)	14.0 (45th)

Minnesota: West Region first seed
Minnesota 9, Mercyhurst 2
Minnesota 7, Ferris State 4
Minnesota 3, Michigan 2 OT

New Hampshire: Northeast Region first seed
New Hampshire 5, St. Cloud State 2
New Hampshire 3, Boston University 0
New Hampshire 3, Cornell 2

These teams are very similar up front, with potentially explosive first lines led by high scorers Thomas Vanek (Minnesota) and Colin Hemingway (New Hampshire). Lately it's been the second lines earning headlines, however, which makes it challenging for coaches to match their best defensemen against one dangerous line (Minnesota has the last change). The Gophers' unit of Grant Potulny, Gino Guyer and Barry Tallackson has shined, and Potulny – who scored the overtime game-winner in last year's title game – is clearly the team's go-to guy in the postseason. He is especially effective on an NHL-size rink. For the Wildcats, the Steve Saviano, Nathan Martz and Sean Collins line was especially good in the semifinals. Minnesota may have a slight edge in that the Gophers are a little more comfortable using their fourth line than New Hampshire is, although the Wildcats' fourth line did generate a goal in the semifinals.

Minnesota's defensemen can all move the puck effectively, a strength head coach Don Lucia said was surprisingly missing early in their Michigan game. Paul Martin and Keith Ballard are two of the nation's best, and freshman Chris Harrington, despite some ill-advised penalties Thursday night, gets better and better. Matt DeMarchi, who this year became the school's all-time leader in penalty minutes, is Minnesota's most physical player. New Hampshire's blue liners are more of a blue-collar bunch. Garrett Stafford has an offensive flair to his game, but his fellow defensemen don't get the credit they deserve. They keep things simple, playing with strength along the boards and make smart plays to get the puck out of the zone.

New Hampshire holds an advantage in net with Michael Ayers, although Minnesota's Travis Weber showed Thursday night that he can be among the nation's best. Ayers, Hockey East's co-Player of the Year, was beat on two deflections in the semifinals (one was disallowed for a high-stick), a sign that getting traffic in front from players like Potulny will be key for Minnesota. If Ayers can see it, chances are he'll stop it. Weber single-handedly carried his team through the first period Thursday. He doesn't allow the soft goals that plagued the Gophers during the Adam Hauser era, and he controls rebounds extremely well.

New Hampshire's power play has been hot of late, with a 5-for-16 mark (31.3 percent) in the NCAA Tournament, and it could hold a big advantage against Minnesota's relatively weak penalty kill. The Gophers did hold Michigan off the board in five power-play opportunities. Minnesota's power play didn't score Thursday, but it can be potent, with Potulny planted at the top of the crease and Ballard running things from the point.

Lucia has past success on his side, and he seems to use last year's title as motivation without putting too much pressure on his players to live up to that standard. Don't discount UNH's Dick Umile just because he hasn't won the big game yet, however. He's learned from past trips where the Wildcats have come up short, and shaped this team with more of a defensive mindset with an eye towards playoff success.

WHY MINNESOTA WINS: The Gophers had disposed of recent foes with remarkable efficiency heading into the Frozen Four. That trend didn't continue in the semifinals, but the first period of the Michigan game may have refocused their energies. And most important, they got the job done even though things didn't come easily. They are playing like champions, and they don't seem to have any thoughts of relinquishing that title.

WHY NEW HAMPSHIRE WINS: The Wildcats approached the semifinals as a chance for redemption from last year. Now they have the motivation of earning the school's first title. They'll need their defense and goaltending to frustrate the Gopher attack. If Ayers weathers the inevitable spells when Minnesota is dominating play – the way he did early against Cornell – the Wildcats could earn their third title of the year and really make the University of No Hardware jokes a thing of the past.