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Message: <blockquote data-quote="martinslanding" data-source="post: 53577" data-attributes="member: 277">Mark your Calendars: <a href="http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/3878688-mens-hockey-und-minnesota-finalizing-2018-game-las-vegas" target="_blank">http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/3878688-mens-hockey-und-minnesota-finalizing-2018-game-las-vegas</a>MEN'S HOCKEY: UND, Minnesota finalizing 2018 game in Las Vegas[FONT=Calibri,Times New Roman][FONT=Calibri,Times New Roman]One of college hockey’s greatest shows is headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas.Longtime rivals North Dakota and Minnesota are in the process of finalizing a game that will be played just off The Strip in Las Vegas in three years, a college hockey source has confirmed to the Herald.The contract for the game has not been signed yet, but officials at both schools have verbally agreed to play the game. Once it is signed, an announcement is expected.The schools have set aside Oct. 27, 2018, for the single game, a Saturday.The contest will be a U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. It is tentatively slated to be played at Orleans Arena, part of Orleans Hotel and Casino. The arena, which opened in 2003, seats 7,773 for hockey. It used to be home to a minor league team, the Las Vegas Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League.The venue, shaped like a horseshoe, is located roughly six blocks west of New York-New York, MGM Grand, Excalibur and Tropicana.The game will be widely attended by fans of both programs -- some who will make the trip from the North and others who are snowbirds in nearby communities and states.North Dakota and Minnesota have paired together to form one of college hockey’s fiercest rivalries throughout the years. The games are always sold out and often feature memorable theatrics that are remembered by simple names or numbers -- from Neal Broten to Evan Trupp to Blake Wheeler to Chris Porter to The Timeout to 0.6 seconds.But with the teams moving to different conferences in 2013 -- Minnesota to the Big Ten and North Dakota to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference -- the frequency of the games has dropped off.Last season was the first time since 1946-47 that the rivals did not meet in men’s hockey.The rivalry will resume next season with a two-game series in Mariucci Arena. In 2016-17, they will play a two-game series in Ralph Engelstad Arena. The following year, it will be the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Las Vegas.Teams are allowed to play 34 regular-season games. They can go over that number by playing in exempt games, which include trips to Alaska, the Ice Breaker Invitational and the Hall of Fame Game.North Dakota secured the right to host the Hall of Fame Game for each of the next three seasons. Next year, UND will host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in the Hall of Fame Game. It is expected to play the 2017-18 Hall of Fame Game in The Ralph, too.Although it’s likely that UND would make more money hosting the 2018-19 game in Grand Forks, too, the program has been open to playing unique, outside-the-box games.The tradition started under former coach Dave Hakstol.In 2012, UND played a single game against Clarkson in Winnipeg’s MTS Centre, home of the NHL’s Jets. The following year, UND played an outdoor game against Nebraska Omaha at T.D. Ameritrade Park, home of the College World Series. In 2013-14, UND played two exhibition games in Vancouver.Next season, UND will play a single game against Boston College in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. When that game was announced in September, first-year coach Brad Berry said there are challenges when putting these games together, but he said he’d like to continue to do it."That's a big thing for our players," Berry said at NCHC Media Day in September. "We want them to have those experiences. Obviously, The Ralph is one of the best places in the world to play. But we also want our players to have experiences playing in other great venues."It broadens your base of experience. To play that outdoor game in front of passionate North Dakota fans, that's something that you'll never forget. There was a lot of adversity that day with pipes breaking and the weather, but it was a great experience. That's what we're trying to give our players who come to North Dakota: an experience they'll never forget."North Dakota and Minnesota in Las Vegas fits the bill, too.[/FONT][/FONT]</blockquote>

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