NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Maine vs. Minnesota

Time, site: Saturday, 7 p.m.; Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.

Records: Maine 26-10-7, Minnesota 31-8-4

Series, last meeting: Maine leads 11-8, Maine 5-4 (OT) on March 23, 2001

Key players: Maine – RW Niko Dimitrakos (20 goals, 29 assists), D Peter Metcalf (9 & 40), RW Colin Shields (29 & 17), C Marty Kariya (16 & 28), C Robert Liscak (16 & 20), D Michael Schutte (11 & 18), G Matt Yeats (6-7-3, 3.09 goals-against average, .887 save percentage), G Mike Morrison (20-3-4, 2.19, .921); Minnesota – C Johnny Pohl (26 & 50), C Jeff Taffe (34 & 24), D Jordan Leopold (20 & 27), RW Troy Riddle (16 & 29), D Paul Martin (8 & 30), LW Grant Potulny (14 & 19), C Matt Koalska (9 & 23), G Adam Hauser (22-6-4, 2.40, .912)

Outlook: The Gophers have a huge home-ice advantage, but Maine has much more NCAA Frozen Four experience. Nine Maine players had Frozen Four experience prior to this season, while Minnesota hadn’t been to a Frozen Four since 1995. Maine has the motivation of playing for 18-year head coach Shawn Walsh, who died of complications from kidney cancer on Sept. 24. Minnesota’s top three lines have scored at least 30 goals apiece, and their defensemen love to jump into the play. The Gophers could be overanxious since they haven’t won an NCAA title since 1979 and that could create some three-on-twos and two-on-ones if the Bears are able to chip the puck out of their defensive zone. The Bears can’t take penalties, especially of a retaliatory nature, because the Gopher power play is potent (26.4 percent efficiency). Senior goalie Hauser played very well against Michigan on Thursday, but the Wolverines passed up several good scoring opportunities by trying to make an extra pass. Maine should just throw the puck to the net as much as possible and create scramble situations. Those are the most difficult for goalies to handle. Maine’s power play wasn’t sharp against UNH and must be better. Maine seniors Metcalf and Dimitrakos are 9-2 in NCAA play. Maine will need Dimitrakos, Kariya, and Shields to have big games.