The fans (and others) have spoken: The new all-Minnesota, all-Division I college hockey tournament set to debut in January will be called – The North Star College Cup.
The new tournament will face off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul with games involving the Gophers, Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato and St. Cloud State. Bemidji State, which will be odd man out the first year, will jump in for the 2015 tournament in place of UM-D, SCSU or MSU.
The Gophers will participate every year because they're the permanent host team.
In addition to showcasing Minnesota's outstanding crop of Division I hockey players it's also a happy way for the Gophers to continue playing former in-state WCHA rivals now that Minnesota has departed to the Big Ten.
The tournament format includes a semifinal game between the Gophers and St. Cloud State followed by a matchup between Minnesota State and UM-D on Friday, Jan. 24th. The third place and championship tilts will be on Saturday, the 25th.
The moniker was chosen following weeks of fan voting and input from each school's head coach and administration. School officials picked the name from a pool of eight finalists nominated by fans during summer-long balloting on social media.
"When we began discussing this tournament, one of the things we knew we needed was a tournament name that would instantly catch the attention of college hockey fans in the state," Minnesota associate athletic director and men's hockey administrator Tom McGinnis said. "We feel that the North Star College Cup accomplishes that, and we are looking forward to a great event at Xcel Energy Center next January."
This promises to be a terrific annual event, one we'll eagerly anticipate every season. I'm pleased that I will be involved and I expect the "X" to be jammed every year.
Ticketing information will be announced at a later date. Check back here for details!
DOUG McLEOD will return for another season of Gophers hockey play-by-play on FOX Sports North beginning with the Ice Breaker Tournament at Mariucci Arena in October.
