North Dakota on Monday unveiled the dates of its long-awaited return to Mariucci Arena. The Fighting Hawks will visit Minneapolis and reignite the regular-season rivalry with the Gophers on Nov. 4 and 5. Game times are still to be determined.
College hockey's major realignment in 2014 broke up the longtime WCHA rivals. The Gophers landed in the Big Ten and North Dakota in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
The programs would eventually meet in the Frozen Four that season. The Gophers scored the game-winning goal with .6 seconds left in the third period to advance to the national championship game.
The teams announced in October 2013 a two-year deal to renew the rivalry starting in the 2016-2017 season. The series will shift to Ralph Engelstad Arena in in 2017-2018.
North Dakota won the national championship last season while the Gophers missed the postseason for the first time in five seasons despite winning their fifth consecutive conference regular-season title.
The Gophers have yet to release their full 2016-2017 schedule. North Dakota will play four of Minnesota's Division 1 hockey programs in the first two months of the season.
