It’s round two of the Gophers and North Dakota as they meet in Grand Forks for a two-game series Friday and Saturday night. Minnesota swept the team without a nickname in early November at Mariucci Arena. As of January 1, the “Fighting Sioux” nickname was laid to rest.
Times have changed since the 9-1 Gophers sent the Sioux back to Ralph Engelstad Arena with a 3-6-1 record. UND has morphed into one of the hottest teams in the country while the Gophers have lost two in a row.
Despite being an unofficial underdog, the fifth ranked Gophers remain tied with Minnesota-Duluth at the top of the WCHA standings. The Bulldogs have the longest unbeaten streak in the country going into this weekend’s series at Nebraska-Omaha.
If UMD stays hot, it’s imperative the Gophers keep pace by winning at North Dakota. To do so, they’ll have to receive more offensive firepower from their second line. That means Sam Warning, Erik Haula and Jake Hansen need to find the scoring touch they displayed in the early part of the season.
The importance of this series shouldn’t be underestimated. Although it’s still relatively early in the season, head coach Don Lucia doesn’t want to start the second half of the WCHA schedule with a couple of losses.
Whatever happens, win or lose, we know one thing is certain. A fight or two will probably break out between these to rivals. Remember this end-of-regulation fight between the two?
