Gophers Coaches Show: Playoff time for Minnesota hockey with Brad Frost, Bob Motzko

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - It’s officially March Madness season and this week on the Fox 9 Gophers Coaches Show, we’re talking playoff hockey at the University of Minnesota.

The Gophers’ women’s hockey team (29-5-3) got the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament after beating Wisconsin and Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the nation, to win the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena. The Gophers are making their 20th NCAA Tournament in 23 seasons under Brad Frost.

They’ll face the Minnesota-Duluth/Clarkson winner Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena. Fox 9 Sports Director Jim Rich caught up with Frost, and Taylor Heise, one of the top players in the country. Heise leads the nation with 29 goals, and is second in the country in scoring at 65 points.

On the men’s side, Bob Motzko and company had last week off after winning the Big Ten regular season title, getting the No. 1 seed and a first round bye for the Big Ten Tournament. 

The Gophers (25-8-1) will host Michigan State in the Big Ten semifinals Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Minnesota enters the playoffs ranked No. 1 in the country, and No. 1 in the PairWise Rankings, which makes them a lock for the NCAA Tournament after making a run to the Frozen Four last season.

Jim Rich caught up with Motzko, and sophomore forward Matthew Knies. Watch the video for this week’s full installment of playoff hockey on the Gophers Coaches Show!