I, for one, am not counting the Gophers out of the F5 (or their regional) quite yet.
Last year they finished in 7th and still made it to the F5 (and made the NCAA's). Still time left this season for them to right the ship and make it to both.
And then all it takes is for them to win two games on home ice...
It's looking more and more like the Sioux will get either UAA or MTU for the 1st round. While those two teams are in 9th/10th place for a reason, they both have beaten the Sioux this year and play a style that tends to frustrate the Sioux offensively. I wouldn't be surprised if either of those opponents pushed the Sioux to three games...