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.

This past week was full of meetups with friends as we all tried to wring every last bit sunshine out of this gorgeous fall weather. After all, we live in Minnesota, and it could snow tomorrow.

We hit up two patios and took a walk to one of my favorite bars in St. Paul. Here’s hoping the good weather holds out for at least a few more weeks.

North 20 Brewing

A friend of mine texted me to ask if I’d ever heard of this brewery in Rosemount, which he discovered because his child has soccer practice nearby.

I hadn’t, so we decided to meet there and have a few patio beers.

I thought the GPS was going rogue and taking us to meet the Children of the Corn as we turned onto the dirt road the brewery is on, but there it was. Across from a corn field with a gorgeous forest clearing for a back yard, North 20 feels like an escape from the city, and it’s less than 20 minutes from our neighborhood.

As we sat on the patio and watched deer wander in the golden-hour light, I sipped a decent pilsner and a pretty good blood orange IPA. We noshed on delicious Aki’s pretzels, a snappy brat from Greg’s Meats in Hampton and a smoky hot dog, also from Greg’s. A fancy dinner it was not, but a temporary escape from our busy urban lives, it was.

The brewery hosts lots of community events — from trivia nights to comedy, live music and other games. And a full parking lot on the night of our visit felt like the embodiment of the “Field of Dreams” adage: If you build it, they will come. Corn field and all.

North 20 Brewing: 12266 W. Bacardi Ave., Rosemount; 612-476-2961; north20brewing.com

Moscow on the Hill

Deruny (potato pancakes) at Moscow on the Hill in St. Paul, pictured in October 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

After a recent business meeting, some friends and I needed somewhere to raise a glass to possibilities, and Moscow on the Hill is one of my favorite places to celebrate. (I actually marked my 40th birthday in the dining room with a big group of friends.)

Pelmeni and a Red Oct. martini at Moscow on the Hill on Selby Avenue in St. Paul, pictured in October 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

And because the restaurant’s sprawling patio was still open, we wandered out, realizing quickly that the evening was a little chilly for outdoor dining.

Our server noticed and immediately brought us a pile of fleece blankets to wrap ourselves in, a little kindness that made sitting outside actually enjoyable.

We ordered martinis (I love a dry Sputnik, made with nose-clearing horseradish vodka) and some appetizers and had a lovely conversation.

My favorite bite was the Siberian pelmeni dumplings, which are maybe my most-ordered item in St. Paul. Filled with beef and pork and topped with a generous dollop of sour cream, these savory little pockets of deliciousness are best doused with the chili-garlic vinegar you can request with them.

I’m also a huge fan of the restaurant’s deruny (potato pancakes), which, unlike latkes and other shredded-potato varieties, are made from savory mashed potatoes and topped with caramelized onions and sour cream. They’re comfort food at its finest.

And I never dine at Moscow without ordering the cauliflower and green beans, which are deeply spiced and perfectly crisp-tender and disappear quickly.

Moscow on the Hill: 371 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-291-1236; moscowonthehill.com

Emerald Lounge

Butter beans from Emerald Lounge on St. Paul’s West Seventh Street, pictured in October 2025.

After a retirement party for the MVP of the office (congrats, Barb!), I was set to meet with a friend who works downtown, and it was a beautiful night, so we walked to Emerald Lounge.

This little slip of a bar is elegant and laid-back at the same time, which is my favorite combo.

The cocktails here are excellent — we ordered the martini of the day, which is always crisp and delicious, and the huntress, a savory cocktail featuring aquavit.

Cavatappi pasta at Emerald Lounge in St. Paul, pictured in October 2025. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

We split a plate of tender butter beans, which were swimming in a flavorful romesco sauce and topped with salty green olives and nutty manchego cheese. I could honestly make dinner out of that plate on my own, but since there were two of us, we added a crisp wedge salad and an excellent cavatappi pasta, bathed in a sauce that I’m still thinking about. Spicy chili crisp, umami miso and vodka combined with funky pecorino romano combine to create something far greater than any of the individual parts. I hope it stays on the menu for a while, because I can see it being warming perfection in the dead of winter.

Emerald Lounge: 455 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-410-1650; emeraldstpaul.com

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Today is Thursday, Oct. 16, the 289th day of 2025. There are 76 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 16, 1962, the Cuban missile crisis began as President John F. Kennedy was informed that reconnaissance photographs had revealed the presence of Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba.

Also on this date:

In 1758, American lexicographer Noah Webster was born in Hartford, Connecticut.

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In 1793, Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was beheaded during the French Revolution.

In 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led an unsuccessful raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry in what was then western Virginia. The raid failed to spark Brown’s intended slave rebellion, but deepened North-South animosities leading to the Civil War. (Ten of Brown’s men were killed, others fled, and Brown and six followers were caught and executed.)

In 1934, Chinese communists, under siege by the Nationalists, began their “long march” lasting a year from southeastern to northwestern China.

In 1964, China set off its first atomic bomb, codenamed “596,” on the Lop Nur Test Ground.

In 1968, American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos sparked controversy at the Mexico City Olympics by giving “Black power” salutes during a victory ceremony after they had won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race.

In 1978, the College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (voy-TEE’-wah) to be the new pope; he took the name John Paul II.

In 1984, Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of non-violent struggle for racial equality in South Africa.

In 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure was pulled from an abandoned well in Midland, Texas, after being stuck there for more than two days. The efforts to rescue “Baby Jessica” captured the attention of the nation.

In 1991, a gunman opened fire at a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, killing 23 people before taking his own life.

In 1995, the Million Man March, a gathering of Black men meant to foster unity in the face of economic and social issues affecting African Americans, was held in Washington, D.C.

In 2017, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who had been captured and held by the Taliban for five years after walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009, pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. He was subsequently given no prison time after submitting evidence of torture at the hands of the Taliban. A federal judge vacated his military conviction in 2023.

In 2024, more than 140 people, including children, were killed in Nigeria when an overturned gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames while they tried to scoop up spilled fuel. Dozens more were injured in the massive inferno in Jigawa state.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Fernanda Montenegro is 96.
Actor Barry Corbin is 85.
Musician Bob Weir is 78.
Actor-director Tim Robbins is 67.
Rock musician Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 63.
Filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan is 63.
Actor Terri J. Vaughn is 56.
Singer John Mayer is 48.
Former WNBA point guard Sue Bird is 45.
Actor Caterina Scorsone is 44.
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper is 33.
Tennis player Naomi Osaka is 28.

The lights for Johnson’s football field were finally operational Wednesday morning, only hours before kickoff against visiting Minneapolis North in the reborn Twin Cities championship game.

The original hope was such illumination would be ready for the season’s start, but at least the Governors’ dozen seniors got to play a home game at night. Sadly for Johnson, that brightness fell upon a 46-0 loss.

J’Marion Sanders caught six passes for 147 yards and four touchdowns. The Polars’ Jeremiah Jackson had three receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Logan Lachermeier completed 11 of 18 passes for 236 yards and five touchdowns and had two tosses intercepted.

Minneapolis North’s Tyshone Jenkins ran 18 times for 184 yards and a touchdown. Teammate Tavin Stoll carried three times for 39 yards and a score.

The Polars led 13-0 after a quarter and 25-0 at halftime. It was 39-0 following the third stanza and onlookers wondered if the final quarter would be contested following a half-hour delay to tend to an injured Johnson player who was taken away by ambulance.

North scored its final touchdown upon the resumption of play and improved to 8-0. Johnson fell to 5-3, its best record under fourth-year head coach Richard Magembe, who inherited a team that had gone 1-7 the year before his arrival.

The Governors now await their seed for the Class 4A, Section 3 tournament.

“We had a solid game plan, but we didn’t execute the way we needed to,” said Magembe, whose team lost at Minneapolis North, 45-18, on Sept. 26.

The Governors were unsure at times what plays or defenses to run. Magembe said that with those 12 outgoing seniors leaving behind only 23 other players, he was trying to get underclassmen some game action.

“We have to try and work in younger guys as much as possible,” he said. “But with youth comes inexperience and with inexperience comes mistakes. Sometimes you’re not sure or confident about what you’re doing, but those are the growing pains for a program like ours.”

Magembe said there was no question in his mind about resuming play after the ambulance departed and stricken relatives of the player inside it drifted off the field.

“An injury can’t scare you from finishing a game,” the coach said. “You can’t send that message to the kids and have them play fearful, because that’s a disservice. It’s a part of the game and I’m proud of our boys for finishing.”

Johnson managed 33 yards rushing and senior quarterback Ali Farfan completed 10 of 20 passes for 80 yards. Two of his attempts were intercepted. Senior receiver Anthony Stevenson had four receptions for 52 yards.

Notes: North’s previous game was a forfeit victory. Prior to that date, Lachermeirer led the state with 1,782 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. He’s the son of former Bethel University quarterback Tom Lachermeier, the Polars’ offensive coordinator and a social studies teacher at their school… Johnson’s worn turf field is scheduled for replacement next season… The Governors’ logo of a top-hatted gentleman wearing a monocle is virtually identical to that of Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tenn., which shares the same nickname…  The 2023 documentary “Boys in Blue”, which aired on the Showtime channel, followed the North program and its longtime coach, Charles Adams III, who became the Minnesota Twins’ director of security after 20 years as a Minneapolis police officer.

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