The 2023-24 Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey season begins officially on Friday night at the same place where Minnesota hopes their season will end in April. The Gophers kick off the season with the “road” end of a home and home series against St. Thomas at the Xcel Energy Center Friday night. The X will be the host of the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four—where Minnesota hopes to return and win one more game than they did a season ago. Minnesota will need to figure out a way to make up for the missing scoring that left for the NHL in Mathew Knies and Logan Cooley, and the defensive presence that joined them in Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe.