Top College Hockey Rivalry Returns in North Dakota: All Things NCHC

The NCHC series to watch this week is the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers at North Dakota for a reunion at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The two teams last faced off on October 20 and 21 in 2023 when Minnesota took the first game by a score of 4-0 before UND won the second game 2-1. The 2023 matchup also took place in Grand Forks.

Minnesota vs. UND is not just any ordinary matchup as the rivalry between the two teams has heated up, dubbing them as one of the best college hockey rivalries. The rivalry dates back all the way to 1948 when the two teams first met and UND won 5-3. The two teams played in the WCHA before they joined the Big Ten and NCHC, respectively.

Minnesota currently leads the all-time series with a record of 145-137-16. The Gophers have made it to the NCAA tournament 42 times, advancing to the Frozen Four 23 times, and won five national championships. Meanwhile, UND has made it the the tournament only 35 times, advancing to the Frozen Four 22 times, but the Fighting Hawks have won eight national titles. They have also faced off in the NCAA Tournament five times, twice at regionals, twice in the semifinals, and once in the finals. When they met in the finals, Minnesota won 4-3, winning the 1979 NCAA Championship.

Both teams produce a lot of great players as Minnesota has had 69 All-Americans and four Hobey Baker winners while UND has produced 82 All-Americans and two Hobey Baker winners.

This season, the two teams combine for a total of 25 draft picks on their rosters with Minnesota having 13 and UND 12. UND also has freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff who is currently expected to go in the top three in the 2026 NHL draft.

No matter the outcome of the games, anytime Minnesota and North Dakota face each other they are bound to be great, physical games.

Players of the Week

Last week, all nine NCHC teams were in action for non-conference play. But the Miami RedHawks had an outstanding weekend, almost completing a sweep of the NCHC honors. Ilia Morozov, Matteo Drobac, and Kocha Delic all received league props along with Denver’s Eric Pohlkamp.

Morozov earned Forward of the Week after his performance three goals and three assists in two games against RPI, while also registering six shots and a +5. Morozov is also currently the youngest player in college hockey having just turned 17 in August.

Drobac received Goaltender of the Week after making 52 saves in Miami’s two games, including a 26 save shutout in the second game. On top of being great between the pipes, he registered an assist on Miami’s second goal in the first game. Delic earned Rookie of the Week after his five point weekend consisting of three goals and two assists. He also registered eight shots and a +6 over the weekend. Delic has registered points in all four collegiate games he has played thus far.

Pohlkamp earned Defenseman of the Week after he registered four points over the weekend against Air Force and Bentley, including a hat trick against Bentley. Pohlkamp had 12 shots on goal in the two games and had four blocks with a +3. He became the fourth defenseman in NCHC history and the 12th defenseman in Denver history to have a hat trick. Pohlkamp had a shorthanded goal and two even strength goals, including the game winner.

Red Hot RedHawks

The Miami RedHawks are off to a hot start this season after completing back-to-back sweeps over RPI and Ferris State. The last time Miami had back-to-back sweeps was in late January and early February of the 2012-13 season when they swept Bowling Green State and Alaska-Fairbanks. Miami has outscored their opponents 19-8 so far this season. The last time Miami had a 4-0 start to their season was in 2007-08 when they started the season with an eight-game win streak beating Vermont, Ohio State, University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Northern Michigan.

This season, they have already surpassed their wins from last season as they finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 3-28-3.

Matteo Drobac’s shutout in their 5-0 win in the second game against RPI was also the first time Miami recorded a shutout since Dec. 30, 2023, when it shut out Niagara 3-0.

Howling Huskies

The St. Cloud State Huskies are also finding some early success after a rough 2024-25 season. SCSU’s freshman class has been outstanding early on having registered four goals and four assists. They've also registered 18 shots on goal and have won 41 of their 68 faceoffs for a 60 percent faceoff win percentage. Their freshman class is made up of forwards Nolan Roed, Noah Urness, Aiden Welch, defensemen Joe Belisle, Tanner Henricks, and goaltender Yan Shostak.

Shostak has had a bit of a slow start, currently sitting with a save percentage of .893. But, he has shown glimpses of his ability to bail out his team and his future potential.

Beyond the Blue Line

Minnesota Duluth will be facing off against their Northern Minnesota rivals, the Bemidji State Beavers… St. Cloud State is set to face off against Vermont for the first time since 2006… Arizona State is traveling to South Dakota for the first time to take on Augustana.