It was in 2014 that Brannon McManus started following Minnesota closely. That was the year the Gophers made it the national championship game.
“That was a really good year for them and it showed how they were very skilled, like they always are," McManus said, "but they just played with that competing — that extra grit — that skilled teams need to be able to win games. And that's fun, that's fun hockey to watch.”
It was also the last time the Gophers made it to the Frozen Four.
Since then, Minnesota has played, well, quite unlike Minnesota.