FARGO — St. Cloud State and Minnesota State Mankato have been sports rivals since at least 1932, when both were charter members of the Northern Teachers Athletic Conference. Some 91 years later, the men's hockey teams for the Huskies and Mavericks have kept that rivalry thriving, even though they now play in different conferences.
Another chapter of that intrastate rivalry takes place at 4 p.m., Thursday at Scheels Arena, where No. 2 seed St. Cloud State will face No. 3 seed Minnesota State in the opener of the NCAA Fargo Regional.
It'll be the second NCAA Division I tournament meeting between the Huskies and Mavericks, and if it comes anywhere near matching the excitement of the first showdown, fans will be in for a treat.
St. Cloud State defeated Minnesota State 5-4 in a thriller in the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals in Pittsburgh. Nolan Walker's redirected shot with 53.2 seconds left in the third period was the winner for the Huskies, who led 3-1 in the second period only to see the Mavericks score three consecutive goals to go ahead 4-3. Joe Molenaar tied it with 9:46 left in the third.
"These games just come down to every inch matters,'' Huskies captain Spencer Maier, who had a goal and an assist in that game, said Wednesday. "The game we played in Pittsburgh came down to the last shot. You never know what's going to happen, and it's going to be a great game tomorrow.''
The Mavericks have lost three in a row and five of the past six against the Huskies, who swept an October home series this season. Minnesota State is aiming to reverse the trend when it matters most.
"Playing them the previous couple of years, it's been good games,'' Mavericks captain Cade Borchardt said. "We don't like the record we have against them, but it just makes us more motivated to get 'em.''
Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings, a St. Cloud State alum, sees the rivalry between the schools as healthy, even if they're not meeting four times a season as they did as WCHA members.
