ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Saturday will mark the 20th all-time meeting between Maine and Minnesota, with the Black Bears holding an 11-8 advantage. In NCAA Tournament play, the Maine advantage is 5-1 -- including four straight wins. The lone Minnesota win came in the 1989 national semifinals (7-4) at the old St. Paul Civic Center. The most recent meeting was last year in Worcester, where Maine scored with three seconds left to send the game into overtime and eventually won 5-4 on a goal by Robert Lischak.

"I think it's still fresh in our minds," Minnesota forward Grant Potulny said. "It was a heartbreaker, so I think a lot of the players remember that and it gives us a little extra incentive. With the emotional ride Maine is on because of (former coach Shawn Walsh) and with us being in St. Paul, those two things cross each other out. So maybe it will be the X-factor for us."

Let's go to the videotape
Speaking of the '89 Frozen Four in St. Paul, that was the last time the Gophers played in the national title game. They lost a 4-3 in overtime to Harvard and two of the current Maine players are very familiar with that piece of Gophers history.

"I was actually here for that game," said forward Tom Reimann, a Blaine, Minn., native. "My cousin was an equipment manager for the Gophers at the time. I was rooting for the Gophers at the time. It was a great thing to be around, but it was unfortunate that they lost."

Teammate Peter Metcalf remembers that game from a distinctly different viewpoint. "I've seen that game," he said. "It was on my recruiting trip to Harvard. It was the first thing they showed me. It was exciting to see the underdog come in here and win."

Shooting for sweet silence
The 19,000-plus fans at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday night should be a decidedly partisan Minnesota crowd -- similar to Thursday night's game between the Gophers and Michigan.

"The crowd was terrific," Lucia said. "I think that certainly was a huge factor for us. When we scored that first goal it was electric in there and I'm hoping they can give us that big boost again on Saturday. The last time we played in their backyard and now they have to play us in our backyard."

Maine has other ideas.

"We're trying to preach that it's just another game," Metcalf said. "We know the whole crowd is going to be turned against us. It will be exciting if we can score the first goal and hear the place go silent."

Digging in the corners