The eighth-best rivalry in college hockey is...
This one might be a bit controversial, as some Gophers fans firmly feel as though Wisconsin is their biggest rival. However, that’s mostly influenced by football and basketball. Within hockey, North Dakota is arguably a much bigger rival for Minnesota.
Nevertheless, the Border Battle between Wisconsin and Minnesota remains one of the best rivalries in college sports, and hockey plays a major part. As two of the most storied and successful programs in college hockey, the battles are perennially feisty, but they’re also often significant to postseason success.
The two teams first played in 1922, but Minnesota dominated Wisconsin so often that the rivalry never really got off the ground before Wisconsin suspended its program in 1944. When the Badgers began sponsoring hockey again in 1965, the rivalry began in earnest. Wisconsin was much more competitive the second time, and it would take just four tries for the Badgers to record their first win instead of 25 as it had the first time around.
In 1981, the two teams met for the biggest matchup in the history of the rivalry: the NCAA National Championship. Led by “Badger Bob” Johnson, Wisconsin defeated its nemesis 6-3 to claim its third national championship and deny Minnesota a fourth. The Badgers would go on to win three more national titles, while the Golden Gophers would win just two more.
The rivalry is partly fueled by the fact that, while Minnesota leads the all-time series in a landslide, 188-105-25, Wisconsin has experienced much greater postseason success. The Golden Gophers never defeated the Badgers for a WCHA championship, losing each of the three championship games they played. Additionally, Minnesota is famous for making the NCAA tournament a staggering 42 times, while Wisconsin has made it only 28. The Badgers have also reached the Frozen Four nearly half as many times as the Gophers, with 12 appearances to the Gophers’ 23.
Yet, Wisconsin leads the all-time championship record with six, boasting a 50% national championship success upon reaching the Frozen Four. Minnesota has five. The Badgers may not play in the State of Hockey, but in this regard, they own the sport.
The rivalry is significantly more balanced on the women’s side, with Minnesota barely leading the series, 59-58-16. Wisconsin has dominated in recent years, winning 12 of the last 15 matchups and reaching four national championship games, winning three. In 2025, Wisconsin became the first team to ever beat Minnesota six times in a single year.
The battles are particularly hard-fought in the postseason, but the results look similar to the men’s. Minnesota and Wisconsin have matched up ten times in the WCHA championship, with the Badgers winning seven of them. Wisconsin has also reached the Frozen Four 20 times and has not subsequently reached the Frozen Four just three times. Their paths to national championships have run through each other 11 times, including six times in the semifinals. The Golden Gophers eliminated the Badgers in the Frozen Four three years in a row between 2013-14 and 2015-16.
In the three championship games the teams have played against each other, Wisconsin has won twice. In fact, Minnesota has never scored a goal on Wisconsin in a national championship game, having been shut out 3-0 in 2006 and 2-0 in 2019. Both times, the Badgers had also defeated the Golden Gophers for the WCHA title.
The Border Battles are always must-watch matchups, and are likely to continue to be for many years to come.