When the Gophers played Minnesota State Mankato in the North Star College Cup consolation game last month on a Sunday afternoon, only 78 people were in the lower-bowl seats 30 minutes before the puck dropped. Xcel Energy Center was so quiet during the action that the video board showed a baby sleeping through the game.
But officials at the state's five Division I programs believe the tournament is vital to preserving the in-state rivalries that drive interest in their sport. All five used to be members of the WCHA. With the formation of the Big Ten hockey conference, they now are scattered among three leagues, and the North Star Cup is just one of the ways they are trying to maintain strong relationships in this evolving landscape.
The tournament is likely to continue beyond its original four-year time frame, which ends next year. Other ideas include more interconference events and an ongoing commitment to scheduling Minnesota foes during nonconference play.
"With [conference] realignment, we need to maintain these rivalries," Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said after the North Star Cup. "We need to play on this stage.
"We owe our fans in this state the opportunity to watch major college hockey on a weekend [in the Twin Cities] where all the in-state schools are there, where they know the rosters and there's familiarity. I just think it's the right thing in this state."
Gophers senior associate athletic director Tom McGinnis said he expects they will continue to experiment with North Star Cup scheduling to try to draw larger crowds. The four-game event drew an announced total attendance of 23,584 over a Saturday and Sunday this year; the hope is that eventually, it can attract something close to the crowds of more than 17,000 per game that packed Xcel for the WCHA tournament in its later years.''
The Gophers also intend to keep former WCHA foes on their schedule. This season, they played series against St. Cloud State, Duluth and Mankato. Next season, North Dakota — the team's most heated rival — returns to the schedule.
Bill Robertson, commissioner of the new WCHA, has floated the idea of the WCHA, the Big Ten and perhaps the National Collegiate Hockey Conference — which includes St. Cloud State and Duluth — holding their postseason conference tournaments on the same weekend in close proximity. That "super tournament," he said, is the kind of big idea necessary to generate interest as fans adjust to the new leagues.
