UND MEN’S HOCKEY: Minnesota, UND rivalry to end next season
November 15, 2012 at 1:32 pm in Grand Forks Herald
One of the longest-standing college hockey rivalries in the country is about to go on a hiatus. Next season, for the first time in 65 years, UND and Minnesota will not play against each other and no future matchups are currently scheduled after the teams meet this January. Continue Reading
After all the we can’t play you because of the nickname threats they still won’t play us any way. Good thing we signed over our heritage for nothing
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It just goes to show you they will use any excuse not to have to play us.
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I hope they work it out to keep the rivalry.
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They see us a main competitor for the best talent in the region. To not play us makes us more invisible to the players from 70 MSP high schools we both recruit from. They are afraid of our UND hockey history.
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Imagine that…. Lucia doesn’t like playing ND because the games get a little over the top. When the going gets tough some people step up their play. Others take their toys and find an easier sandbox to play in.
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Gopher fans I’ve talked to are relieved they don’t have to play us. They say they’re tired of getting beat by UND. Pretty sad. The Gophers are scared of playing top ranked teams and will fill their big 10 schedule with lesser teams they think they can dominate. Sad.
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Too bad the tradition fades. Important for UND to play quality teams and they are doing that. UND is the biggest draw in clollege hockey for the right reasons. MN is worried about being in the B10 hockey league which in team strength is about average at best and will get one seed in the NCAA tourney. MN needs some W’s to try for an at large berth. The conference that UND and the other hand picked teams are in will probably average four, the conference and three at large slots. WI while not MN is almost as intense and recognized as huge games by both schools.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Hak says there’s a couple of spots left open next year where the two could play. It’s a border smack-down! Are the Gophs up for a good across the border battle? The ball is in their court and they haven’t responded. Or, will they wimp out? I say they will wimp out. Just like the Gopher football team probably won’t play NDSU any more (too humiliating) I doubt the Gopher skaters are up for a good old hockey challenge. Pupur and Marriuci would be spinning in their graves if these two teams failed to face each other.
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Standing in front of the book store in December and January getting petitions signed by ND citizens, we had thousands of Minnesotans come by wishing they could sign to save the Fighting Sioux. They love the rivalry and don’t want it to end. Sadly they are just fans and not the bigots at the top who could care less about the fans. I ask you not to blame the Minnesota fans or the Wisconsin fans, it is the professors and administrators who have caused this just as much as the NCAA and SBHE.
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After listening to excuse after excuse for over 30 years….Minnesota finally got their wish.
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I give the big ten hockey conference 5 years before the conference gets tired of subsidizing it with football money. Michigan msu wisconsin and mn will be alright they still will have strong competition between the 4. Mn will always schedule duluth because it benefits the university system as a whole. Sprinkle in st cloud notre dame east coast teams and mn will still have a strong schedule. I would like to see und scheduled every year.
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Und needs mn more than mn needs und. I hate to say it but schedules are made 2 to 3 years in advance. Nd was still working there nickname issue out last spring so they only hurt their chances of scheduling mn for 2013 and 2014. This rivalry will be resumed but a 1 or 2 year break will not hurt it.
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The Big Ten (Six) hockey conference is a goofy idea. One of the schools is Penn State, who is a new program. It’s hard to understand why Minnesota and Wisconsin think this is a good idea. Our new conference will be high caliber, superior to other conferences. Minnesota dropping this rivalry shows arrogance, I think it will hurt their program.
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The reason they think it’s a good idea is…………….MONEY!!!!
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Umm they did not have a say in the matter they are a big ten school. The big wigs want something to air on the btn. When the conference wants to do something
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I expect that this rivalry will return in a year or so, but you know it will never have the same meaning as conference rivals. The Big 10 caused some WCHA teams to make a drastic move. Change brings good and bad. I’ll badly miss this series. But I still miss a lot of the NDSU/UND games from the old NCC. As a casual fan, I won’t have time to get over all that’s been taken away.
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MN will use the same strategy as their football and basketball team – schedule the weakest opponents possible during the non-conference to pad your record. Why play UND when they can play a patsy and still sell the same number of tickets. UND will still play MN regularly it will be in the playoff as the seeding will be used to reduce travel costs.
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That is exactly what the Rodent football team does. They even payed someone not to have to play them. They play weak teams to get their win total up so they can play in a bowl game with a terrible win/loss record.
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Don’t forget about the marketing power this will have. Imagine what the seats and merchandise will sell for when the series is renewed.
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Und is not the begin all end all in college hockey. Mn will be able to make a schedule as tough as the wcha was. They only have 10 conference games. I don’t see how scheduling duluth st cloud notre dame or any other east coast team would make it a “cream puff” schedule. Remember mn has the money and the power to dictate when and where they will play und.
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You can slice it any way you want, but the UND/MN series was the most anticipated weekend of the year for many. I get that many big universities don’t get or need hockey, but in the hockey world, that series was big, which makes this a big loss for both schools/towns.
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And everyone looks forward to mn vs um duluth and mn vs wisconsin. You see they have many big rivals. It is all relative.
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My limited experience has been in GF when the Gophers come to town. That’s been taken from me. I have no agenda and don’t care much about Duluth. Something has been taken away. I struggle with change. Life will go on, but there are always some winners and losers with change. If you could point out some winners in this, ron, I’d actually appreciate it.
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Even if the rivalry is kept going, it will loose some of the luster. Roseau and Warroad is just not the same now that it is not for the section 8 title every year now. Same will go for Sioux/Gopher saldy.
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It will be a loss for both UND and UM not to schedule games but not the end of the exciting division rivals. Personally I feel the intensity of the Bulldogs and UND series has been increasing over the years, this weekend was a great example. Denver also has been and will always be another exciting division rival to watch, both schools moving to the NCHC.
Just maybe…maybe all of college hockey could be a winner with the UM and Wisconsin moving into the Big ten network. The Big Ten Network may reach out to more spectators, which MAY or MAY NOT increase spectators for DI hockey. That is the only positive outcome I can imagine. Don’t get me wrong I’m not advocating for the breakup of the current WCHA, which is undoubtedly the strongest and most competitive league in college hockey. The WCHA has been through changes in the past and survived. I sure hope for the sake of those remaining in the WCHA that the league continues to be successful.
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The big ten (12) just became the big 14 today with the addition of maryland and rutgers. This is great for football and basketball. The goal is to become a superconference with 16 teams. Hopefully they can add 2 hockeyschools to fill it out. The acc is folding fast with the recent losses. Who is in the acc? Boston college. Pure speculation but that would be a great addition if the acc folds.
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How I c it actually had a lot of great points. The addition of rutgers and maryland extends the big ten’s media market to new york and maryland. I believe the big ten was hoping to add hockey schools in their expansion. So far they are failing in that aspect. They are creating a very strong and profitable athletic conference overall. I never thought I would watch west virginia host big twelve conference matchups or missouri and texas a and a hosting sec conference game. Anything is possible right now so let’s hope the big ten can rope in some hockey schools now.
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Looks like the B10 needed some teams that MN, IL and IA could beat at homecoming. NW picked up quality a bit and besides could not do 11 homecoming games. All about the might dollar!
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