GRAND FORKS — The North Dakota-Minnesota rivalry changed when the old Western Collegiate Hockey Association imploded.
The teams moved into different startup conferences. They no longer battle for positioning in league standings.
There are no more epic Final Five playoff games in front of 19,000 fans in downtown St. Paul. Those guaranteed unforgettable moments — Thomas Vanek vs. Zach Parise, the famous Blake Wheeler goal and Dave Hakstol’s Timeout Game.
Their games now come in the season’s opening month when both teams are still going through the feeling-out process.
The familiarity is waning a bit, too.
When the teams meet this weekend in Grand Forks, only five Fighting Hawks and six Golden Gophers will have experienced the rivalry — the result of taking one year off and both teams having significant roster turnover.
While so much has changed, one thing hasn’t: There’s still nothing like it in college hockey.
Sellouts are guaranteed wherever they play, whether it’s Grand Forks, Minneapolis or Las Vegas, like in 2018.
Tickets on the resale market fetch prices similar to other programs’ season ticket pacakages.
The raucous atmospheres are impossible to replicate in other regular-season games, which is why nobody wants to miss it when it happens.
There are reasons why the rivalry has endured, despite the conference breakup.
Continuous success is one reason.
both programs have been dominant in their new conferences. UND has won six National Collegiate Hockey Conference titles in 12 years. Minnesota has won the Big Ten seven times.
It’s been 16 years since either team has had a losing season. Every other college hockey program has had at least one since then — even the traditional powerhouses.
Denver has had one. Boston University has had two. Boston College and Michigan have had three. Wisconsin has had nine and Michigan State 10.
Competitiveness is another reason.
The series has truly gone back and forth.
There’s been one sweep in the last nine years. There’s been one back-to-back sweep in the last 30 yars.
Nobody has won more than five in a row in the last two decades. In that span, there’s only been a single four-game winning streak.
And, of course, there’s the regional aspect.
Many of the players crossed paths growing up. There are 25 players on the two teams from Minnesota or North Dakota. Many of them attended those old Final Five showdowns and know the stakes.
Many of the fans cross paths every day. UND’s largest alumni base is located in the Twin Cities. There’s no escaping the office banter the week before or after the series.
Since the breakup of the leagues, UND and Minnesota have played 14 times.
They’re still producing timeless moments — Justin Holl’s last-second game winner, Gage Ausmus and Ryan Lindgren renewing the rivalry with their scuffle, Matthew Knies and Mark Sendert scoring overtime goals on back-to-back nights, and the Rhett Pitlick stick-toss game.
What’s the next unforgettable moment? We’ll find out this weekend.
It’s bound to be good.
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