2025-2026 ND High School Hockey Thread

[JakeLove]

11 minutes ago, skateshattrick said:

I went there! It is Cox Park

Central Park with my cousin ca. 1977

[gfhockey]

And the cool kids got pizza 

[tnt]

5 hours ago, yzerman19 said:

Gotta say as RR alumni that seeing Central knock off Moorhead made me smile.  Minnesota does not have a monopoly on high school hockey....well, they do for day in day out....but a GF school can beat the best of Minny on any given night.  GF might not be growing like Fargo, but as long as there is UND hockey, there will be players and teams.   Congrats to Central, and congrats to the families and coaches that keep developing these players....not sure if kids still grow up on the ODRs of GF like I did, but I sure hope so...

Even back in the day the Grand Forks teams could compete with top Minnesota teams.  If memory serves, when Minnesota was one class, Roseau won the state title and only lost 2 games all year, one to Red River, the North Dakota state champion. Chris Gotziaman and Billy Lund were on Roseau that year, and Blais was head coach. Was the Corey Campbell and Chad Skarperud team for Red River.

 

[yzerman19]

19 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

And the cool kids got pizza 

Pizza in the warming house was a special treat...Remember how cold the water from the fountain was? Also, if it snowed, we didn't wait, we shoveled the ice ourselves.  

[sioux rube]

1 minute ago, yzerman19 said:

Pizza in the warming house was a special treat...Remember how cold the water from the fountain was? Also, if it snowed, we didn't wait, we shoveled the ice ourselves.  

Wait for what? We were the snow movers 

[yzerman19]

The sound of pucks hitting the boards at night echoed half a mile 

[gfhockey]

1 minute ago, yzerman19 said:

The sound of pucks hitting the boards at night echoed half a mile 

Yes, and the race to get to a freshly watered over ice was on after school plus the nets are about half the size and then the one kid would always show up in goalie pads, which was a treat to shoot on a real goalie

[JakeLove]

When playing was for personal joy not for advancement to a “higher level”

[tnt]

14 minutes ago, yzerman19 said:

Pizza in the warming house was a special treat...Remember how cold the water from the fountain was? Also, if it snowed, we didn't wait, we shoveled the ice ourselves.  

Yeah, and it wasn’t easy when you were younger pushing that triple-wide shovel, especially pushing a ton of snow with it.

[siouxfaninseattle]

Elks Park! Used to go home after school and eat an orange and head to the rink. Went home for dinner and back when the warming house reopened at 7 and skated until it closed at 9. Great times!

[sioux rube]

Moved to Jamestown in ‘70 from Fergus Falls. Did not want to. No indoor ice in Jamestown until the Wilson was built in ‘75. Did not matter what the weather was we skated after school, home to eat, back to the rink for practice and skated until a parent came and got us. Made one tough 

[siouxfaninseattle]

23 minutes ago, sioux rube said:

Moved to Jamestown in ‘70 from Fergus Falls. Did not want to. No indoor ice in Jamestown until the Wilson was built in ‘75. Did not matter what the weather was we skated after school, home to eat, back to the rink for practice and skated until a parent came and got us. Made one tough 

My first high school game (JV) was played in the Winter Sports Building. I don't think you can call it indoor ice but there wasn't any wind. We were still practicing outside. I think Purpur opened in '68?