Quite simply, North Dakota vs. Minnesota is a hockey rivalry unlike any other.
Before we dig into this weekend’s matchup, let’s take a trip down memory lane and hear from fans on both sides of the rivalry.
#8 North Dakota (2-0-0) is nine years removed from its eighth national championship but has made the national tournament in just four of the past eight seasons. That track record – and some early playoff exits – led to a coaching change, and Dane Jackson is now leading the charge.
#13 Minnesota (1-2-1) has advanced to the NCAAs in each of the past five seasons but is stuck on five national titles, the most recent in 2002 and 2003.
More to the point…
The Golden Gophers played from 1947-1973 without a title (26 seasons).
Head coach Herb Brooks led Minnesota to three NCAA championships in a six year stretch (1974, 1976, and 1979).
The Golden Gophers then played from 1979-2001 without a title (22 seasons).
Head coach Don Lucia won back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003.
This year will mark the 23rd anniversary of Minnesota’s most recent NCAA crown.
North Dakota has been relevant in every decade, with head coaches Bob May, Barry Thorndycraft, John “Gino” Gasparini, Dean Blais, and Brad Berry all lifting college hockey’s most coveted trophy.
Here is a closer look at the thirteen combined national titles won by these two storied programs.
Despite only nine tournament victories since Minnesota’s last title (UND has 22 in that same span), Gophers’ head coach Don Lucia was inexplicably given a two-year extension that was supposed to keep him behind the bench through the 2018-19 campaign. After the Gophers sputtered to a 19-17-2 record eight seasons ago. Lucia was replaced by former St. Cloud State bench boss Bob Motzko.
Motzko, who guided St. Cloud State to the national tournament eight times in his thirteen seasons behind the SCSU bench, only managed an overall NCAA tourney record of 5-8 and one Frozen Four appearance with the Huskies. With the Gophers, his tournament results have been better but ultimately just as disappointing, with a record of 7-5, two Frozen Fours, and an overtime loss to Quinnipiac in the 2023 national title game.
This weekend’s matchup will mark the first of four consecutive seasons in which these two bitter rivals will compete. Minnesota will host North Dakota on October 23rd and 24th, 2026. The 2026-27 (Grand Forks) and 2027-28 (Minneapolis) games have not been scheduled yet.
Non-conference games are critical in determining the sixteen teams for the NCAA tournament, and this weekend is North Dakota’s next opportunity to bolster their resume. After these two games against Minnesota (a member of the Big Ten), UND will have six non-conference games remaining on the schedule:
October 24-25: at Clarkson (ECAC)
November 28-29: at/vs. Bemidji State (CCHA)
January 2-3: vs. Mercyhurst (Atlantic Hockey)
The Fighting Hawks will also play a second exhibition game – against the U.S. Under-18 Team – on November 21st. UND opened the season with a 7-0 exhibition victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons.
Minnesota can no longer lay claim to having a roster made up exclusively of the State of Hockey’s “Pride On Ice”, with two players hailing from Alberta (freshman defenseman Finn McLaughlin is from Canmore and junior netminder Nathan Airey is from Cochrane). Sophomore forward Erik Pahlsson is from Sweden, and three other U.S. states are also represented: Michigan (Luca Di Pasquo), New Jersey (John Whipple), and Pennsylvania (LJ Mooney).
UND boasts two North Dakotans on its roster along with six players from Minnesota.
Last weekend, North Dakota swept St. Thomas (6-2 at home; 5-2 on the road). Minnesota managed just a loss and a tie at home against #9 Boston College. The previous weekend, the Golden Gophers split at home against unranked Michigan Tech.
One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. Through two games, the Fighting Hawks have won 51.3% of faceoffs, while Minnesota clocks in at just 49.4%. Freshman phenom Cole Reschny has won 23 of his 30 draws (76.7%), while portal transfer Ellis Rickwood (who played the past three years at Clarkson) has won 57.1 percent (16 of 28). For the Gophers, portal transfer Tanner Ludtke (who spent the last two seasons at Omaha) has been the most efficient, winning 40 of 72 (55.6%).
To this point in the season, North Dakota has had the better of the specialty teams play. The Green and White have been a combined +2, with four power play goals scored (4 for 6, 66.7%, best in the country) and two power play goals allowed (7 of 9, 77.8%). Minnesota has scored just once on eight man advantage opportunities (12.5%, 40th) and allowed two power play goals on six chances (66.7%) for a minus-1. Neither team has scored or allowed a shorthanded goal to this point of the season.
In this rivalry, both teams have historically had plenty of firepower up front, with scoring from the back end often proving to be the difference. This weekend, the two groups of defensemen are a study in contrast, with Minnesota’s blueliners managing just eight assists in 29 games played (0.28 points per game) while North Dakota’s defensive corps have scored three goals and added seven assists for ten points in just fourteen games played (0.71 points per game).
Leading the way for Minnesota from the back end are senior Luke Mittelstadt (0-4-4) and sophomore Leo Gruba (0-2-2).
For the Fighting Hawks, it’s been two juniors – Jake Livanavage (1-2-3) and Abram Wiebe (1-1-2) – and a freshman (Keaton Verhoeff, with a goal and an assist).
Verhoeff is widely expected to go in the top three of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Livanavage (4-24-28) and Wiebe (4-20-24) were two of UND’s top four point-getters a season ago.
Not only have North Dakota’s defensemen been producing offensively, first-year head coach Dane Jackson has also put together an impressive mix of defenders he can trust in any situation.
Over the next three weekends, the Gophers are running through the rivalry gauntlet, with upcoming games against Minnesota Duluth (home, October 24 and 25) and Wisconsin (road, October 30 and November 1) on the docket.
Minnesota Team Profile
Head Coach: Bob Motzko (8th season at Minnesota, 162-84-22, .646)
National Rankings: #13/#14
This Season: 1-2-1 overall, 0-0-0-0 Big Ten
Last Season: 25-11-4 (West Regional semifinalist), 14-3-1-6 Big Ten (2nd of 7 teams)
2025-26 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 29th of 57 teams
Team Defense: 3.30 goals allowed/game – 33rd of 57 teams
Power Play: 12.5% (1 of 8) – 40th of 57 teams
Penalty Kill: 66.7% (4 of 6) – 49th of 57 teams
Key Players: Sophomore F Brodie Ziemer (3-1-4), Senior F Brody Lamb (3-1-4), Junior F Jimmy Clark (0-3-3), Freshman F LJ Mooney (1-2-3), Sophomore F Beckett Hendrickson (1-2-3), Sophomore F Erik Pahlsson (2-0-2), Senior D Luke Mittelstadt (0-4-4), Sophomore D Leo Gruba (0-2-2), Junior G Nathan Airey (1-1-1, 2.29 GAA, .924 SV%)
North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota)
National Rankings: #8/#8
This Season: 2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)
2025-26 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 5.50 goals scored/game – 2nd of 57 teams
Team Defense: 2.00 goals allowed/game – 11th of 57 teams
Power Play: 66.7% (4 of 6) – 1st of 57 teams
Penalty Kill: 77.8% (7 of 9) – 39th of 57 teams
Key Players: Senior F Dylan James (1-1-2), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (1-1-2), Senior F Ben Strinden (0-0-2), Sophomore F Cade Littler (1-2-3), Freshman F Cole Reschny (1-2-2), Freshman F Will Zellers (1-1-2), Freshman F Josh Zakreski (1-2-3), Junior D Jake Livanavage (1-2-3), Junior D Abram Wiebe (1-1-2), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (1-1-2), Senior G Gibson Homer (2-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .923 SV%)
By The Numbers
Last Meeting: October 21, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after the Gophers blanked their hosts by a final score of 4-0, it was the home team’s turn for victory. Over the first two periods of play, UND outshot Minnesota 24-12 but could manage only a Jayden Perron goal early in the second period. Less than one minute into the final frame, North Dakota’s Jake Livanavage doubled the lead on a goal that proved necessary, as Jakon Nelson later cut the lead in half on his second tally of the season. Minnesota would pull Justen Close with just over a minute remaining but could not find the equalizer.
A Recent Memory: October 22, 2022 (Minneapolis, MN). Near the end of a furious first period that saw the home team put fifteen pucks on net, the scoreboard still showed two zeroes. North Dakota defenseman Tyler Kleven crushed a Gopher, resulting in a five-minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct. Minnesota’s Matthew Knies scored a power play goal just 48 seconds into the second period, and when Rhett pitlick doubled the lead just eight minutes later, it appeared that the rout was on. Except… Pitlick decided to launch his stick into the crowd. And was assessed a ten-minute misconduct. Between that moment and the end of the second period, the Gophers took 21 more minutes in penalties (to North Dakota’s two), and UND scored three power play goals (along with an even-strength tally by captain Mark Senden). Connor Kurth would get the home team back within one with just 34 seconds remaining in the middle frame. Minnesota freshman forward Jimmy Snuggerud brought his team even early in the third, but Senden capped the night with a game-winning goal just under halfway through the 3-on-3 overtime session. One night earlier, the Gophers came back to win on a late extra-attacker goal at 18:36 of the third period and an overtime winner just 21 seconds into the fourth frame.
What Happens In Vegas: October 27, 2018 (Las Vegas, NV). The “Duel in the Desert” left #5 Minnesota feeling high and dry as #17 North Dakota played the Gophers even through a scoreless opening period before outshooting their guests 25-12 over the final forty minutes of play. UND’s Colton Poolman scored two goals for the Fighting Hawks, while fellow blueliner Hayden Shaw assisted on all three goals in a 3-1 North Dakota victory. Attendance was recorded as 412 Gopher fans and 7000 fans of the Green and White.
Most Important Meeting: March 24, 1979 (Detroit, MI). North Dakota and Minnesota met to decide the national championship, and the Gophers prevailed, 4-3. Neal Broten scored the game-winning goal for the U of M, and Steve Janaszak was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
All-Time Series: Minnesota leads the all-time series by a six-game margin, 143-137-16 (.510), although North Dakota holds a 74-58-8 (.557) advantage in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.
Last Ten: North Dakota has gone 7-3-0 in the last ten meetings between the schools, outscoring Minnesota 32-25 in those games.
Game News and Notes
Eleven different UND players scored a goal in last weekend’s two-game sweep (6-2, 5-2) over St. Thomas. Since the B1G Hockey Conference was formed following the 2012-2013 season, teams in the NCHC have combined for seven national titles (UND 2016, DU 2017, UMD 2018 and 2019, DU 2022 and 2024, WMU 2025). The B1G? Zero. North Dakota’s 2019 Thanksgiving visit to Minneapolis ended in a sweep for the Fighting Hawks (9-3, 3-2), the first since January 2007. In an effort to alleviate parking concerns, Minnesota fans are asked to park at 3M Arena At Mariucci and walk to the games. 8 > 5.
Broadcast Information
Both games will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and are also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. on Friday night and at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday night.
Social Media
Keep up with the action live during all UND hockey games by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via Brad Schlossman’s live chat on the Grand Forks Herald website.
The Prediction
Both teams are still finding their identity and building toward league play, the second half of the season, and the playoffs. North Dakota will want to roll four lines and use roster depth to their advantage in this series. I’m looking at a few key factors: faceoffs, goaltending, and the ability to score in bunches. In a rivalry matchup like this, it is easy for teams to feed off of the crowd, go over the edge, and take needless penalties. Either one of these teams could ride the wave of momentum to victory, and whichever team does a better job of staying out of the penalty box has the advantage. I know it feels like a cop-out to call a split, but it’s too early in the season for one team to have that much of an edge. Minnesota 4-3, UND 5-2.
As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on X-Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!