There are Hockey Rivalries, and Then There's Minnesota-North Dakota: Puck Drop
If you’re a true college hockey fan, the matchup on the schedule this weekend should jump out.
No, not No. 3 Michigan State at No. 1 Boston University, which could be a preview of the national championship and one of the games will be shown on ESPN2. In many respects it can't hold a candle to No. 13 Minnesota at No. 8 North Dakota, one the best rivalries in college hockey,
We’ll let the secondary ticket market do the initial talking. For the Spartans and Terriers you can get in the building for $51 (as of Wednesday night) with the asking price for the top seats a little over $200.
When the Gophers at the Fighting Hawks tickets initially went on sale they sold out almost instantly. The cheapest price we could find to get into Ralph Engelstad Arena for either game this weekend was $112. A good seat could cost $400, with some going for more than $600.
Yeah, the rivalry was that good. It’s the kind that someone should really write a book about. The two sides can’t even agree on when the series and rivalry started.
The teams have combined for 13 national titles and 45 Frozen Four appearances. Minnesota leads the all-time series 145–137–16 but regardless of the records it was always a big deal when these teams collided. There was status and bragging rights involved, and a lot of the players knew each other from before their collegiate years.
It’s no disrespect to UND, but the in-state talent isn’t at the same level, and so it consequently recruits a lot of top players from the state to the east. This year’s roster is a good example as it includes six players from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Those guys always loved to go back to Minnesota and get a win. Minnesotans, in turn, loved beating the guys who left.
When they were both in the WCHA, Minnesota won 14 conference tournament titles and five national championships, while North Dakota captured 11 and seven, respectively, and the Fighting Sioux, as they used to be known as, had a 15-11 edge in regular-season championships.
To win the conference they had to go through each other, and the games were consistently about as good as you’ll see, emotional and physical. Like most college hockey programs, North Dakota puts up its share of big-moment photos are the arena known as The Ralph, and a lot of them are against the Gophers. They aren’t just of goal and celebrations; they also display shots of players making big hits against Minnesota.
Some of the games have names, like The Time Out Game in 2012. Down 3-0 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, UNH coach Dave Hakstol gave his players a chance to catch their breath and it completely changed the momentum. He subsequently watched them come back to win 6-3.
Meanwhile, mention the “Blake Wheeler Game,” when he scored the overtime winner in the 2007 WCHA tile game, and it’ll bring out strong feelings from fans on both sides.
In 2002, there was even the Stick Toss Game, when after scoring to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead Rhett Pitlick threw his stick into the stands only have a UND fan throw it back onto the ice. The visiting team came back and beat the No. 1 Gophers 5-4 in overtime.
However, Minnesota won the one that counted the most, the 1979 national championship.
Back then was a five-team tournament, with four automatic qualifiers featuring two teams from the East and West, with Detroit the host. Minnesota had to play at-large Bowling Green in the first round, but then it and UND dispatched the East representatives, New Hampshire and Dartmouth, in the semifinals.
1979 NCAA Men's Hockey Championships All-Tournament Team
G: Steve Janaszak* (Minnesota)
D: Mike Ramsey (Minnesota)
D: Howard Walker (North Dakota)
F: Steve Christoff (Minnesota)
F: Eric Strobel (Minnesota)
F: Mark Taylor (North Dakota)
*MVP
In the finals, Minnesota jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, leading UND to pull starting goalie Bill Stankoven in favor of freshman Bob Iwabuchi, who was known for throwing up before games but also for beating the Gophers in the regular-season finale to clinch first-place on the WCHA standings.
The All-American made 17 saves, yet couldn’t stop freshman Neal Broten, who went on to be the first winner of the Hobey Baker Award in 1981, from scoring the game-winning goal. It also ended up being the final game for Herb Brooks at Minnesota as he spent the subsequent year coaching Team USA and the Miracle on Ice team.
That 1978-79 season was the first for North Dakota coach Gino Gasparini, who subsequently led North Dakota to two of the next three national titles, and won a third in 1986-87.
Back and forth it went between the two college hockey giants for 47 years in the WCHA, and they met on the ice for 66 consecutive seasons. Everyone thought that streak was over in 2014 when Minnesota switched to the Big Ten, only fate had another idea. They collided in the Frozen Four in Philadelphia, where Justin Holl scored with 0.6 seconds remaining to give the Gophers the 2-1 victory. Not only was it shorthanded, but it was his first goal of the season.
But then they didn’t play in 2015, which was a shame. These teams should play each and every hockey season.
The loss of rivalries has been one of the biggest problems with the changing landscape of college athletics, but here’s hoping that this one continues regardless of the conference affiliations.
THE BEST RIVALRY IN COLLEGE HOCKEY! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/6zd9NogaQe
— The Future of Pride On Ice (@FutureGophers) October 15, 2025
- 1979 NCAA Men's Hockey Championships All-Tournament Team
- Puck Drop: Thursday, October 16, 2025
- Wednesday's Score
- Thursday's Games
- Did You Notice?
- This Date in Hockey History
- Hockey Quote of the Day
- We'll Leave You With This ...
Puck Drop: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times ET.
Wednesday's Score
MEN
Exhibition
Yale 6, Czech University Selects 0
Thursday's Games
MEN
Non-Conference
St. Lawrence at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Robert Morris at No. 4 Michigan, 7 p.m.
No. 20 Minnesota State at No. 17 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
WOMEN
Franklin Pierce at Post, 2 p.m.
No. 14 St. Lawrence at RIT, 6 p.m.
Did You Notice?
• Former Massachusetts defenseman Scott Morrow was called up to the New York Rangers from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack, while Vincent Trocheck (upper-body) was placed on long-term injured reserve. Morrow, 22, was acquired in a July trade with Carolina for defenseman K'Andre Miller. The Rangers were the the first team in league history to get shut out in each of their first three home games of a season.
• Quinnipiac landed one of the nation's top prospects as defenseman Thaddeus McMahon announced his commitment. The 5-11 and 165-pound defender is from Wilmette, Ill. He's playing this season with the Omaha Lancers after being the first-overall selection in the 2025 Phase I United States Hockey League Draft
• How to Watch: No 9 Boston College Men's Hockey at RPI
• Gophers-North Dakota preview: How to watch, live stream and prediction
• The player who scores, and then skates away from the scrum and celebrates is former Michigan center Frank Nazar of the Chicago Blackhawks:
Hockey is the best. pic.twitter.com/iuZjcBTcUh
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 16, 2025
This Date in Hockey History
October 16, 1946: Gordie Howe, 18, made his debut with the Deroit Reed Wings and scored his first NHL goal during a 3-3 tie with Toronto. He initially wore No. 17 and didn’t switch to No. 9 until the following season.
October 16, 1949: Colorado College center Bob Collyard was born in Hibbing, Minn.
October 16, 1967: Michigan State right wing Joe Murphy was born in London, Ontario.
October 16, 1974: Maine left wing Paul Kariya was born in Vancouver. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.
October 16, 1976: The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Robert Ridder, William Cleary and John Mayasich.
October 16, 1982: Phil Housley, a Team USA staple for more than 20 years, scored his first NHL goal. The star of the game, though, was Gil Perreault, who had a hat trick and two assists as the Buffalo Sabres won at Washington, 9-2.
October 16, 1982: The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame enshrined Calvin Marvin and William Stewart.
October 16, 1985: Alaska Anchorage forward Jay Beagle was born in Calgary, Alberta. He went on to play 14 seasons in the NHL.
October 16, 1987: Former UMD defenseman Tom Kurvers was traded by the New Jersey Devils for Toronto’s first-round selection in the 1991 NHL Draft. The Devils eventually used the pick to select Scott Niedermayer.
October 16, 2001: Former Colorado College right wing Toby Petersen, who played 15 season as a professional despite being type-one diabetic, scored a hat trick in a 5-2 victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Ottawa Senators.
October 16, 2003: Former Vermont right wing Martin St. Louis and Jason Cullimore scored 25 seconds apart and former Minnesota defenseman Ben Clymer notched three assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 5-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
October 16, 2007: Former Miami center Rondy Robitaille signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators, his ninth NHL team. He continued to play in other leagues through the 2013-14 season, but last with HC Donbass of the Kontinental Hockey League.
October 16. 2021: Former Boston University center Mike Sullivan notched coaching win No. 253 to set a franchise record as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2.
Hockey Quote of the Day
“Hullie's a lot like a garbage can. You step on the pedal with your foot and the top opens up.”Wayne Gretzky on Brett Hull
We'll Leave You With This ...
NEWS: Utah Mammoth reveal new mascot. Tusky. #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/JUcjCcY1TX
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) October 16, 2025
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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