Minnesota returns 19 players from a season ago, including its starting goaltender, the entire blue line, and the bulk of its scoring. The usual expectations are heightened. As the season begins with a first-ever meeting with the Union Dutchwomen, the team is anxious to take that first step on its season.

"We've got to make sure that we come for every game, and that starts with our first game," co-captain Sarah Erickson said. "€œThis one game could define who we play in the first round of the playoffs."€

Failure to come out strong has bitten the members of the senior class before, as three years ago a heavily-favored group of Gophers stumbled out of the gate and fell 3-2 to Robert Morris. Senior Emily West remembers that all too well, but doesn't think this edition of Gophers will make the same mistake.

"Maybe on paper this team looks similar as far as depth and everything, but I think this team has the mindset to win," she said. "In the locker room, on ice, off ice -- it's all super competitive. Going into this weekend, we have to look at it as if we're playing Wisconsin. There's no teams you can overlook anymore. Going into Friday, we have to come and bring our game and make teams play our game."

Part of the reason that Minnesota has such a deep and veteran team this season is because two of the seniors are in their fifth year. Both co-captain Jen Schoullis and West were forced to take a redshirt season due to injury along the way. In West's case, it was a knee injury that limited her to four games last season before opting for surgery.

"€œI think any player going through their college career --€“ I think you can speak even on the professional level, boys, girls --€“ you don't see any injury coming. You might have it in the back of your head, but no one really wants that or plans for that."€

West suffered a knee-on-knee hit in the closing minutes of the season's second game in Clarkson last year.

"I took the time that it would normally take for an MCL (injury) to heal,"€ she said. "€œI came back for the Wisconsin series, got the clear, and it was doing well by then. I thought that it was pretty safe not only physically but mentally for me to go. The next week at practice, it just started giving out again. We had meetings, visits, all sorts of stuff, and you just have to look at the big picture and just decide what is best for you as a player and the team, and have a whole collaboration on what to do next."

She chose surgery, forcing her to watch the rest of the season from the stands and delaying her senior season.

"After going through that, you get a new appreciation and and take a lot less for granted, especially being able to come to the rink every day and being able to skate, see the girls, traveling, and things like that," West said.

Erickson doesn't want to have anything similar to West's injury happen to her.

"The senior season is kind of a big deal; I want to get it done this year just as much as everybody else does," she said.

"We've had a great squad every year that I've been here. This one in particular has been phenomenal at the start of the season, the start of practices. I've been nothing more that impressed with how we're handling extra players, how our work effort is, how we've come in in shape and ready to play here throughout the season."

While a plus, the team's depth produces problems as well, as NCAA rules permit dressing 18 skaters while the Gophers' roster has 21.

"€œIt's a part of the game that people on the team just need to understand,"€ West said. "€œWe have a certain number, but we are allowed only this many. I think one way to look at it and a lot of seniors and upperclassmen in our locker room are saying is learn from it. If you don't get picked, you watch, and the next week in practice, you just come and bust your tail."

Erickson believes her team can turn its crowded roster into a positive.

"€œI think it's good for a team to have a competitive nature within themselves,"€ she said. "€œYou see it in the professional level. You see it more in the D-I level with men's teams. I think it just provides a greater atmosphere for the team. You're going to have to battle day in and day out in practice and in a game. If you're not doing your best, you're not going to play that game. There's going to be no mercy out there for anybody. With that being said, everybody is on that boat. Everybody is going to have to be trusting of each other, that they're going to do their jobs. If one person doesn't play, they are still part of the team -- a great, great part of the team."