Third Annual North Star College Cup
Xcel Energy Center | St. Paul, Minn.
No. 20 Minnesota (13-10-0 overall, 8-2-0-0 Big Ten) vs Bemidji State (10-10-5 overall, 7-9-4 WCHA)
No. 3 St. Cloud State (20-5-1 overall, 12-3-1-1 NCHC) vs. No. 19 Minnesota State (13-8-5 overall, 12-3-5 WCHA)
Game One: Minnesota State (Visitor) vs. St. Cloud State (Home)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 30
Puck Drop: 1:05 p.m. CT
Game Two: Bemidji State (Visitor) vs. Minnesota (Home)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 30
Puck Drop: 4:05 p.m. CT
Consolation Game: Game 1 Loser (Visitor) vs. Game 2 Loser (Home)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 31
Puck Drop: 1:05 p.m. CT
Championship Game: Game 1 Winner (Visitor) vs. Game 2 Winner (Home)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 31
Puck Drop: 4:05 p.m. CT
TV: All four games will be broadcast on FOX Sports North (Doug McLeod, Ben Clymer).
Stream: All four games will be streamed on FOX Sports GO, Gopher games will also be available on BTN2Go.
Radio: Gopher games will be on 1500 ESPN and the Gopher Radio Network
Inside the NSCC
The Gophers are a staggering 18-1-1 against their opening matchup, Bemidji State.
Minnesota is 36-12-6 against Minnesota State all-time.
The Gophers also hold a 55-31-12 advantage over St. Cloud State.
Minnesota won the 2014 North Star College Cup, but the Beavers dominated en route to a championship last year.
Minnesota holds a 5-0 National Championship advantage over the entire NSCC field.
Storyline Central
The Gophers’ only guaranteed opponent, Bemidji State, lost and tied Ferris State last week. Jack Hittinger of the Bemidji Pioneer has the latest on the Beavers.
Mark Bedics of ncaa.com has the latest on the tops stars of the week in college hockey, including the top star, St. Cloud’s Joey Benik. The senior sniper had two goals and five assists last weekend in a sweep over Western Michigan.
The Huskies enter the weekend red hot. St. Cloud has lost just once in their last 10 games. Mick Hatten of the St. Cloud Times has a recap of the Huskies’ sweep against Western Michigan.
The Mavericks also enter the NSCC feeling good. MSU swept conference foe Lake Superior State by a combined 13-1 last time out. Shane Federick of the Mankato Free Press looks at Minnesota State’s offensive outburst.
Notes and Quotes
Hudson Fasching
“There are a lot of people out there talking about how we’re 1-and-10 against teams in Minnesota so we’re really excited and really motivated to do our best against some other in-state teams. This weekend is a huge weekend for us. …We definitely take a lot of pride in trying to be the best team in Minnesota and the fact that we haven’t done it in the past is not fun so we’re definitely trying to change that.”
On if the in-state rivalries have cooled down since joining the Big Ten:
“Oh no. No. We still know all those guys that are on those teams. We grew up playing with them. There’s still a lot of fire in those battles. We’re not happy that we’re 1-and-10 in those games. We want to come back and make sure we get a good weekend in here.”
On what makes St. Cloud State so good:
“They’re just a really skilled team between their passing and skating, everything they do is just crisp. They’re smooth. Obviously their power play, we had some trouble with that. It kind of goes a long with their theme as a team, their ability to move the puck quickly and see passing lanes and see plays before they happen. They’re very good at that. That’s something we’re going to have to look at coming up this weekend.”
On Bemidji:
“They’re a lunch-pail team. They’re going to come at you and they’re just going to keep coming. They’re usually pretty strong and physical; we’re going to expect that. Keep your head up when you’re out there and make sure you have good awareness.”
On Mankato:
“They’re an interesting team. They have a lot of older guys on their team. They’re experienced, they know what to do. They’ve been struggling a little bit here, lately, but I think with the veteran crew they have there that they can easily turn it around. A team you’re concerned with if they turn it around because they have a lot ability on that team.”