Gopher Hockey: The "Let's Show them Pride On Ice" Friday Open Thread

THE BASICS

Opponent:

Penn State Nittany Lion Cubs on Ice Their team page is worth checking out!

When and Where:

Friday, February 28, 2014, 8:00 PM CST; Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis, MN

Media:

TV: BTN Frozen Friday

Radio: ESPN 1500. You can also listen to the game via the ESPN1500 app for your mobile device.

Internet: BTN2Go for your computer or mobile device.

THE ENEMY

TDG Preview: Know Thine Enemy: Penn State because linking to an old preview about a bad team is easier than writing a new one!

Enemy Blog: Black Shoe Diaries

What Does It All Mean, Basil?

There are six critical conference points on the line this weekend. With #2 Wisconsin idle (and currently one point behind on the table), these two games against Penn State represent Minnesota's games in hand against the only team threatening to challenge for the conference championship.

The Gophers should sweep this weekend. The KRACH numbers are astounding: Minnesota should win over 95% of games against Penn State. Anything less than a sweep will be a big disappointment, and it will make the last two weekends of the year much more stressful than I would like. Remember, the Gopher's magic number (combination of Gopher wins and Badger losses) is 4.

This Penn State team has proven that is has the ability to compete with and beat teams that don't take them seriously. I'm hoping the Gophers don't fall into that trap this weekend, but I'm really not concerned. It's Senior weekend, and you know that Captain Nate Condon, along with Tom Serratore, Justin Holl, Jake Parenteau, and Michael Shibrowski will have the team ready to go. They all deserve one more Battle Hymn Saturday night.

On a side note, if the Gophers dominate play Friday, expect to see Shibby in the net at some point Saturday night. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the Saturday start. I personally hope he does.