MINNEAPOLIS -- The Gophers men's hockey team will be the top overall seed in this year's NCAA tournament, and Minnesota will be staying close to home to start the playoffs.
After finishing the year with a 25-6-6 record, the Gophers will play host to Robert Morris in the West regional to open the 16-team NCAA tournament. Minnesota's reward for earning the top overall seed? A game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, just a few miles from the school's campus in Minneapolis. Faceoff is set for 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.
St. Cloud State and Notre Dame will play in the second game of the West regional on Saturday. That game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. CT.
Robert Morris ended its season with a 19-17-5 mark and won the Atlantic Hockey tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA postseason. The Gophers won the Big Ten regular-season championship in the conference's inaugural year, but lost to Ohio State in the conference tournament semifinals on Friday.
This year's Frozen Four is hosted in Philadelphia. Minnesota is looking to make its first trip to the Frozen Four since the 2011-12 season.
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