Minnesota's Oliver Moore, left, celebrates his goal with Jimmy Snuggerud, right, during the second period in the game against Michigan State on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, at Munn Arena in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gophers hockey favored to beat UMass in NCAA Tournament opening round

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Mar 26, 2025 11:05 AM ET

Gophers men's hockey will begin its 2025 NCAA Tournament run on Thursday night in the first round against UMass. As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook has Minnesota as a -180 betting favorite, and money is continuing to come in on the Minutemen.

UMass compiled a 20-13-5 overall record this season with a 10-9-5 conference mark and a sixth-place regular season finish in the Hockey East. After an opening round win in their conference tournament against Vermont, they lost 3-2 in the quarterfinals against Boston University.

Sophomore goaltender Michael Hrabal might be the strength of their team. He was the 38th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he has lived up to the hype with a .927 save percentage in 33 games this season. He has an 18-10-5-2 record.

The Minutemen's scoring comes from junior forward Cole O'Hara, who leads the team with 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 total points this season. Behind him, it's a balanced attack, with six players who've totaled more than 20 points this season. They've been coached by Greg Carvel since the 2016-17 season, who led them to a National Championship in 2020-21.

The Gophers will have 17 days off since their Big Ten Tournament first-round loss to Notre Dame when Thursday's game begins, but UMass has also had an 11-day layoff since its loss to the Terriers.

Minnesota is a perfect 4-0 all-time against UMass. Their last meeting came in the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament, where the Gophers won 4-3 in overtime of the first round. The only Gophers players still with the program who were on that roster are Mason Nevers, Mike Koster and Aaron Huglen.

Thursday night's game will be broadcast on ESPN2, and it's expected to start around 8:30 p.m. CT after Western Michigan plays Minnesota State-Mankato in the other regional matchup. The regional final will take place on Saturday night at either 3 or 5:30 p.m. CT.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 GAMBLER.