Maturi supports Don Lucia.

If you read the various message boards and newspaper articles around the blogsphere you will see that there are a lot of Gopher fans unhappy with the current direction of the Golden Gopher's hockey team. Don't expect any major changes at the top, yesterday Gopher athletics director Joel Maturi gave Don Lucia his support.

"Of course I'm not happy with the direction of the program. No one is," he said Tuesday.

But Maturi contends that missing the NCAA tournament by a hair and ending a streak of eight consecutive NCAA berths for the Gophers is only temporary.

"I think I'm involved enough with the sport and knowledgeable enough about the sport that I'm not in panic mode," he said. "I think we'll be back in the hunt next year."

Asked if coach Don Lucia, who has two national championships in 10 seasons at Minnesota, still is the man to lead the Gophers back to national prominence, Maturi hesitated for only an instant.

"In my opinion, yes," he said.
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