North Dakota

North Dakota is a state in the north-central United States

Its population is about 779,000.

The capital is Bismarck and the largest city is Fargo.

History of hockey in North Dakota

On December 22, 1895, it was reported that the East Side Hockey Club wanted a game with the club from Grand Forks. The Bathgate Hockey Club from the small town of the same name traveled to Gretna, Manitoba, to face the local Hockey Club on February 26, 1896. Gretna defeated Bathgate 8-1. Gretna visited Bathgate on March 4, and the home team exacted revenge with a 6-2 victory. The Langdon Hockey Club was founded in January 1898. Three games are recorded to have been played in Grand Forks in 1899, the Crookston, MN, club beating the local team 5-4 on March 21. The Grand Forks Hockey Club faced the University of North Dakota on January 17, 1902, and beat them 7-1. The Crystal City team from Manitoba met and defeated Hannah 5-3 on February 19. Hannah beat Langdon and Pilot Mound (MB) in 1903. Park River and Inkster also had teams by 1904. Minot was playing hockey by 1917, and Fargo by 1921. The Grand Forks Dragons, Jamestown Elks and Fargo-Moorhead Comets were some of the notable active teams in the 1930s.

The University of North Dakota, despite playing some early games, officially began their ice hockey program for the 1929-30 season. The team played intermittently until 1936, and the program returned for good in 1946-47. North Dakota has been among the most successful NCAA Division I programs, winning 8 national titles, and finishing as runners-up another 5 times. The North Dakota State Aggies also had a program from 1925-1931.

The Grand Forks Redwings played in the Minnesota Hockey League in 1953-54, and the Grand Forks Mixers were members of the Manitoba Senior Hockey League from 1965-1968. The Bismarck Capitols played in the Southwest Hockey League in 1976, folding on November 23. The Bismarck Bulls competed in the American Hockey Association in 1992-93. The Bullets junior team was in the American Frontier Hockey League in 1993-94, and the Bobcats played in the America West Junior Hockey League from 1997-2003, and have been in the North American Hockey League since then. The Dakota College at Bottineau Lumberjacks, a successful NJCAA team, played in the Superior International Junior A Hockey League in 2005-06.

The Fargo-Moorhead Express competed in the American Hockey Association in 1902-03. Fargo-Moorhead has had various junior teams, including the Sugar Kings (MWJHL, 1973-1975), Bears (USHL, 1995-1996), Ice Sharks (USHL, 1996-2000), Jets (NAHL, 2003-2008), and the Force (USHL, 2008-present). The Minot Rangers (initially known as the Raiders) competed in the Southwest Hockey League in 1976-77. Minot's had a number of junior franchises, including the Americans/Top Guns (Saskatchewan JHL, 1987-1997), Muskies (AWHL, 2000-2001), and the Minotauros (NAHL, 2011-present).

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