Larry Mahoney, BDN Staff --- With Black Bear coach Shawn Walsh away in California getting treatment for kidney cancer, which would claim his life less than a year later, UND coach Dean Blais had the names on the backs of his team's jerseys replaced by the name "Walsh" to show his and his team's support for the Maine coach.
It was a classy gesture that will never be forgotten by the Black Bear faithful.
So it was only appropriate that the Fighting Sioux would be on hand at the Alfond Arena four years later under first-year coach Dave Hakstol when Walsh's shamrock was retired and hoisted to the rafters where it sits today.
The two programs resume their rivalry this weekend when North Dakota comes to Orono for a Friday-Saturday night series.
It will be their first meeting since Maine swept the Sioux 6-2 and 3-1 in Grand Forks on Oct. 20-21, 2006. Those wins enabled Maine to overcome a late-season collapse and make the NCAA Tournament and they went on to reach the Frozen Four.
It was the last time Maine participated in the NCAA Tournament.
The programs have a lot in common.
Both have been able to overcome geographic disadvantages to build nationally prominent programs.
They are both in remote locations.
Both have benefited from wealthy donors.
The late Harold Alfond and his family not only made Alfond Arena a reality in 1976, they have continued to donate to the program, including a $3.5 million gift announced last week to renovate the arena.
The late Ralph Engelstad provided the Fighting Sioux with a magnificent, state-of-the-art $110 million arena in his name that opened in 2001.
Both teams are the flagship programs for their respective universities and have rabid followings. The Fighting Sioux have won seven national championships and Maine has won two.
RECENT SCORES
10/21/2006 Maine 3 North Dakota 1 Maine
10/20/2006 Maine 6 North Dakota 2 Maine
2005-2006
2004-2005
10/09/2004 North Dakota 3 Maine 1 North Dakota
10/08/2004 North Dakota 4 Maine 3 (ot) North Dakota
Tweet cast for the game [click for link].
