Forget about Mariucci Arena and Ralph Engelstad Arena: The Gophers and North Dakota appear set to take their college hockey rivalry to Las Vegas.
The high profile setting is reportedly in the final planning stages as both schools have verbally agreed to a game at Orleans Arena in October of 2018, according to the Grand Forks Herald. The pairing will be a U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Neither school has commented on the report yet.
The games are expected to be well-attended by fans of both programs, the paper says.
The teams last met in April 2014, when the Gophers won 2-1 in the semifinals of the NCAA Frozen Four. Last season was the first time since the mid-1940s that the teams didn’t play.
Minnesota and North Dakota have created one of college hockey’s fiercest rivalries. Tickets are tough to get when they play anywhere, and Orleans Arena seats 7,773 for hockey. The “O” used to be home ice to the minor league Las Vegas Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League.
