Gophers men's hockey learn seeding for NCAA Tournament

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Gophers will head to Fargo for the first round of the men's ice hockey NCAA tournament later this week.

Minnesota teams in NCAA men's hockey tournament

What we know:

The Gophers will take on UMass on Thursday night at SCHEELS Arena in Fargo. Mankato State will also play at the same arena on Thursday afternoon against Western Michigan.

If both teams win their opening round matchups, the Gophers will take on the Mavericks in round two, also in Fargo.

Hockey tournament bracket

Local perspective:

Starting with UMass, the Gophers will have a tough road for a Frozen Four bid and a championship. Region top-seed Western Michigan lost only seven games all year and nearly all the losses came at the hands of ranked opponents.

To get to the championship, the Gophers might have to beat teams like top-ranked Boston College and Michigan State. The Gophers lost to Michigan State twice and tied them in their other two matchups this year.

The other side:

The Gophers women lost to Wisconsin in the Frozen Four in Minneapolis this weekend. Wisconsin faces Ohio State in the championship game at Riddler Arena on Sunday.