First meeting | January 23, 1948 North Dakota 5, Minnesota 3 |
---|---|
Latest meeting | October 21, 2023 North Dakota 2, Minnesota 1 |
Statistics | |
Meetings total | 298 |
All-time series | Minnesota leads, 145–137–16 |
Largest victory | North Dakota, 9–0 (1989) Minnesota, 10–1 (1992) |
Longest win streak | Minnesota, 11 (1973–1975) |
Longest unbeaten streak | Minnesota, 12 (1973–1975) |
Current win streak | North Dakota, 1 (2023–Present) |
The Minnesota–North Dakota ice hockey rivalry is an intercollegiate ice hockey rivalry[1][2][3][4][5][6] between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and North Dakota Fighting Hawks. The rivalry is between two of the most successful programs in the sport, as the teams have combined for 13 national titles and 45 Frozen Four appearances in the NCAA tournament. Minnesota has met North Dakota five times in the national tournament,[7] holding a narrow 3–2 advantage.[8] The teams have played 298 official games through the 2023-24 season, with Minnesota leading 145–137–16.[9]
After the 2012–13 season, Minnesota moved to the newly created Big Ten Conference, which began to sponsor ice hockey for the first time.[10] Conference affiliation compelled the Gophers to leave the historic Western Collegiate Hockey Association,[11] which the Gophers and Fighting Sioux had competed in together for 47 years. As a consequence of the move, the two would not play each other for two consecutive regular seasons, ending a run of 66 consecutive years of regular-season meetings,[3] through they would meet in the 2014 Frozen Four.[12] After the two year hiatus, the programs have scheduled non-conference matchups to preserve the rivalry, though the series no longer consists of the four game slate that constituted the old conference schedule.[13] Nonetheless, the two programs continue to consider each other to be their most heated foe.[13] The non-conference meetings are scheduled to pause for the 2024-25 season with a contract in place to resume play beginning in 2025-26 through the 2028-29 season.[14][15]
Series history
[edit]The series dates back to 1948, though Minnesota counts 1930s games against North Dakota before it became a varsity program in the official standings.[16] Early folklore concerns partisans of the Fighting Sioux throwing dead Gophers onto the ice.[16]
Minnesota topped the Fighting Sioux in overtime in the national championship of the 1979 NCAA tournament, the first national postseason meeting between the two programs. In Detroit, the Gophers would down the Sioux in coach Herb Brooks's last game for Minnesota.[12] Eight Gophers played the following year for Brooks as part of the Miracle on Ice team representing the United States in the 1980 Winter Olympics.[12][2]
In 2005, the programs would meet in the Frozen Four for the second time. North Dakota raced to a 4–0 lead and held on despite two late goals from the Gophers. The win propelled North Dakota to the national championship, in which they lost to the Denver Pioneers.[12]
After the Gophers had left the WCHA and catalyzed widespread conference realignment,[17] the teams missed facing each other in the 2013–14 season.[12] However, they met in the postseason, in the 2014 Frozen Four. Tied at 1 goal apiece, Justin Holl scored with 0.6 seconds left in the final period to secure a miracle win for the Gophers, as they advanced to the NCAA title game.[12]
Rival accomplishments
[edit]The following summarizes the accomplishments of the two programs.[9][18]
Team | Minnesota Golden Gophers | North Dakota Fighting Hawks |
---|---|---|
NCAA National Titles | 5 | 8 |
NCAA Frozen Four Appearances | 23 | 22 |
NCAA Tournament Appearances | 41 | 35 |
NCAA Tournament Record | 61–41 | 53–29 |
NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage | .598 | .646 |
Conference Tournament Titles | 16 | 12 |
Conference Championships | 20 | 21 |
Hobey Baker Award Winners | 4 | 2 |
All-Americans | 67 | 81 |
All-time Program Record | 1932–1089–206 | 1637–1039–168 |
All-time Winning Percentage | .631 | .605 |
Game results
[edit]Minnesota victories | North Dakota victories | Tie games |
|
References
[edit]- ^ "Rivalry Battles Continue for 'U' with UND". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b Oct 19, FOX Sports North; ET, 2017 at 9:00p (2017-10-19). "McLeod Hockey Blog: Gophers-North Dakota is a rivalry for the ages". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "North Dakota-Minnesota storied rivalry fuels players | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Wells, Nathan. "Gophers' return to North Dakota mixes old and new for college hockey's best rivalry". The Athletic. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Wells, Nathan (2013-01-18). "Gophers-UND: What does the rivalry really mean?". SB Nation College Hockey. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "Thanksgiving feast: Gophers men's hockey vs. North Dakota". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "NCAA Tournament History". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "Gophers into title game with last-second goal". ESPN.com. 2014-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b "19-20 hockey media guide (PDF)" (PDF). University of North Dakota Athletics. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ Jan 19th 2013 - 11pm, Dickinson Press Staff | (20 January 2013). "Miller: There's no replacing the Minnesota-North Dakota hockey rivalry". The Dickinson Press. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "College hockey offers fine appetizers for a big football weekend". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ a b c d e f Nov 27th 2019 - 2pm, Jess Myers | Brad Elliott Schlossman | (27 November 2019). "Minnesota-North Dakota rivalry: top three series wins by each program". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Nov 26th 2019 - 5pm, Brad Elliott Schlossman | (26 November 2019). "North Dakota-Minnesota rivalry has changed in many ways, but still highlights the schedule". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "UND, Minnesota working to schedule future hockey games". Grand Forks Herald. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
- ^ "UND, Minnesota sign four-year deal for future men's hockey games". Grand Forks Herald. 2024-05-08. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
- ^ a b SERVICES, TH WIRE (10 April 2014). "College hockey: Great rivalry returns to ice at Frozen Four". TelegraphHerald.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "North Dakota-Minnesota rivalry renewed at Frozen 4". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
- ^ "MHK Media Guide 2019 20 (PDF)" (PDF). University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved 2020-08-21.