BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Coach Don Lucia has heard the same question all season, whether Minnesota has the talent to defend its NCAA hockey title.

“People would ask, ‘How good are you?”‘ Lucia said Friday. “And I said, ‘I don’t know.”‘

Lucia, along with everyone else, will find out Saturday night when Minnesota (27-8-9) plays New Hampshire (28-7-6) in the Frozen Four’s championship game.

Lucia said his doubts about the team’s chances of repeating were real, and stemmed from several concerns.

The Gophers lost a large core of last year’s team, including Jordan Leopold, last season’s Hobey Baker award winner, given to college hockey’s most valuable player. Minnesota also lost John Pohl and Jeff Taffe, respectively the nation’s first- and second-leading scorers, and senior goaltender Adam Hauser.

In their place was a young, untested squad that featured only three seniors and four juniors, and opened the season 5-3-3.

The turnaround came in early February, during a two-game series at Colorado College. After losing the first game 6-2, the Gophers bounced back with a 3-2 victory and have lost only once since (12-1-2).

Lucia is pleasantly surprised.

“Sometimes we shake our heads that we’re still playing,” Lucia said. “I don’t know if you can classify us as a great team. I think we’re a good team that just finds a way to win.”

The Gophers showed that in Thursday’s semifinal, rallying back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Michigan 3-2 on Thomas Vanek’s overtime goal.

Vanek, a freshman, has been key to the Gophers success, leading the team with 30 goals and 60 points. Vanek’s particularly a threat in the clutch, as 16 of his goals have come in the third period or overtime, with four of them game-winners.

“He’s unbelievable,” Gophers defenseman Paul Martin said of Vanek. “He’s one of those guys that, when the game’s on the line, you want the puck on his stick because he can make good things happen. That’s why we love him so much.”

With Vanek, the Gophers finished with the nation’s third-best offense.

And they’re going to need it going up against a Wildcats team backed by goaltender Mike Ayers, whose 2.14 goals-against average ranks second in the nation.

New Hampshire possesses an experienced lineup made up of seven seniors and eight juniors who are motivated after losing last year’s semifinal 7-2 to Maine.

“This has been our goal all year to get to this game,” said Steve Saviano, who scored twice in the Wildcats’ 3-2 semifinal win over top-seeded Cornell. “We tried to get last year off of our back, and it’s finally off of our back.”

This year, the Wildcats, 10-0-3 in their last 13 games, present a balanced attack. Their offense, which averages 3.8 goals a game, ranks 11th in the nation, and their defense, which allows 2.2 goals a game, ranks third.

New Hampshire, however, will be without its leading scorer, Lanny Gare, who dislocated his shoulder in the Wildcats’ 3-0 win over Boston University in the quarterfinal.

“Without Lanny, we lose some scoring. Other guys have to step up,” said Saviano. “The second line has to step up, like it did (against Cornell). Hopefully, we can play another good game and come up with the big one.”

Minnesota is 3-0 all-time against New Hampshire in tournament play, and 10-2-1 overall. The Wildcats, however, went 1-0-1 at home against the Gophers last October.

The most recent results don’t mean much to either team.

“I always tell our guys, this is a time of year for men only,” Gophers coach Lucia said. “It’s very difficult to win at this time of the year. But I think our guys have an understanding of that.”

New Hampshire coach Dick Umile can’t see an edge.

“Senior leadership is important, but there’s no guarantee,” Umile said.

AP-ES-04-11-03 1812EDT