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Gophers back on the schedule in a couple of years?


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Posted

Cool news but the rivalry isn't going to be like it ever was when they were conference-mates. Games against Denver and most likely Miami are going to be more hyped.

Still, it doesn't hurt to continue playing the gophers. Won't be the same though.

Posted

Funny, that's the exact same thought that immediately came to my mind too.

I was just thinking his last kid will be done with college hockey so he will be ready to retire/get fired. So, might as well fire up the old rivalry with the Sioux for the new gofer coach/AD/team.
Posted

Cool news but the rivalry isn't going to be like it ever was when they were conference-mates. Games against Denver and most likely Miami are going to be more hyped.

Still, it doesn't hurt to continue playing the gophers. Won't be the same though.

Who do you think Michigan football gets motivated more for...Indiana or Notre Dame?

Conference affiliation be damned...this will STILL be a rivalry of epic proportions.

  • Upvote 3
Posted

Cool news but the rivalry isn't going to be like it ever was when they were conference-mates. Games against Denver and most likely Miami are going to be more hyped.

Still, it doesn't hurt to continue playing the gophers. Won't be the same though.

No offense, but I think you're wrong. I think the little break will ramp up the intensity quite a bit!

  • Upvote 1
Posted

No offense, but I think you're wrong. I think the little break will ramp up the intensity quite a bit!

I think the second year back in Grand Forks will be a little more heated, especially when they find players that they don't like from the opposition from the previous year in Minneapolis. Unless they meet in the NCAA's they won't have any history with the players. Hopefully most of our great '96 class is still around for the rivalry renewal.

  • Upvote 1
Posted

I think the second year back in Grand Forks will be a little more heated, especially when they find players that they don't like from the opposition from the previous year in Minneapolis. Unless they meet in the NCAA's they won't have any history with the players. Hopefully most of our great '96 class is still around for the rivalry renewal.

We tend to recruit the same areas, and a lot of the kids come from the region with a history of playing with or against each other at the lower levels. To say they won't have any history with each other might not be accurate. College history, yes.

If both teams are good, the rivalry will still be there. I think it will also carry the weight of NCHC vs. B1G conference supremacy.

Posted

Unless the teams both end up as the same seed in the pairwise, they'll play each other at the XCEL Center in March at the West Regionals.

That's assuming Minnesota makes the tournament...

  • Upvote 1
Posted

It looks like the Gophers will be back on the UND hockey schedule for 2016-2017 according to this, http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/274808/. Contracts are in the works.

It will be a two-year deal. I'm guessing the teams won't play every year, but I'm hoping they can figure out a deal where they play at least on a 2-year on 2-year off rotation.

“@SchlossmanGF: @MNState0fHockey 2 year. 16-17 in MSP, 17-18 in GFK.”

Posted

It will be a two-year deal. I'm guessing the teams won't play every year, but I'm hoping they can figure out a deal where they play at least on a 2-year on 2-year off rotation.

“@SchlossmanGF: @MNState0fHockey 2 year. 16-17 in MSP, 17-18 in GFK.”

The fact that it is going to be a 2 year deal was in the article I linked. My guess is that it will be a 2 game series every year, switching back and forth between Minneapolis and Grand Forks. Both sides already realize that the interest is very high for both fan bases. I don't think that everyone at U of M realized how high the interest was from their fans until they started getting feedback after it was announced that UND wasn't going to be on the schedule.
Posted

The fact that it is going to be a 2 year deal was in the article I linked. My guess is that it will be a 2 game series every year, switching back and forth between Minneapolis and Grand Forks. Both sides already realize that the interest is very high for both fan bases. I don't think that everyone at U of M realized how high the interest was from their fans until they started getting feedback after it was announced that UND wasn't going to be on the schedule.

I've heard it won't be an anual thing. Minnesota only has 4 available non-conference games a season and I think they are hesitant to lock down 2 of those on the same opponent every season. Which is understandable, because fans will want to see some variety too. I'm guessing we'll see UND on the schedule more than other opponents (outside the other MN schools) though. I'd like to see at least something like this:

YEAR 1: AT UMN

YEAR 2: AT UND

YEAR 3: OFF

YEAR 4: OFF

REPEAT

That way each class should get to experience the rivalry.

Posted

I've heard it won't be an anual thing. Minnesota only has 4 available non-conference games a season and I think they are hesitant to lock down 2 of those on the same opponent every season. Which is understandable, because fans will want to see some variety too. I'm guessing we'll see UND on the schedule more than other opponents (outside the other MN schools) though. I'd like to see at least something like this:

YEAR 1: AT UMN

YEAR 2: AT UND

YEAR 3: OFF

YEAR 4: OFF

REPEAT

That way each class should get to experience the rivalry.

A few months ago they didn't have a way to schedule UND for 4 years. They got something done. You can believe what you want, I believe that they will find a way to play UND on a regular basis. I think that it's important to the fans on both sides.
Posted

A few months ago they didn't have a way to schedule UND for 4 years. They got something done. You can believe what you want, I believe that they will find a way to play UND on a regular basis. I think that it's important to the fans on both sides.

As a Gopher fan, I want to see UND on the schedule, but I'd also like to see teams from out East, DU, CC, etc.. on the schedule as well. I'm pretty sure most Gopher fans feel the same way.

Posted

As an interesting and somewhat related aside to this discussion. There was an interesting comment in a recent NY Times article.

"The Big Ten associate commissioner Jennifer Heppel, who oversees hockey, said she would not rule out adding associate members for hockey alone, as the conference did for Johns Hopkins in lacrosse, though not soon."

Thoughts on UND perhaps becoming an associate member school for hockey in the Big ten one day?

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