The NCAA likes putting regional tournaments in Fargo. It’s a good-sized city with plenty of hotel and restaurant options, it’s got a perfect-sized rink, it’s got an airport that makes North Dakota’s largest city accessible for fans from anywhere in the country. And when the University of North Dakota makes the national tournament, the tickets disappear in a hurry.

And even though North Dakota hasn’t qualified for the 16-team tournament the last two times Fargo has played host to a regional, fans from the other side of the Red River have stepped in and snapped up any available seats in the 6,000-seat venue.

Mason Nevers skates with the puck during Minnesota’s 3-2 loss to Notre Dame at Mariucci Arena on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Kelly Lynn / Gophers Athletics)

“Talking to the guys who played here two years ago in Fargo and the crowd that comes out of Minnesota fans,” Minnesota Gophers forward Oliver Moore said after his team practiced at Scheels Arena on Wednesday. “We walked in yesterday and (fifth-year forward) Mason Nevers said he didn’t remember the seats were black because there was so much maroon and white when he was playing here.”

The Gophers, who face Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in their tournament opener, are hoping to use Fargo and a de facto home ice advantage as the springboard to a Frozen Four trip for the second time in three years. In 2023 they defeated Canisius and St. Cloud State at Scheels Arena to reach their second Frozen Four under coach Bob Motzko.

If Minnesota (25-10-4 overall) is to survive and advance past the Minutemen, they will need to find a balance between being rested and being rusty. The Gophers were upset by Notre Dame in the first round of the Big Ten tournament on March 9, and will have gone 18 days without a game by the time the puck drops on Thursday evening.

“For us it’s about the first period, finding our feet, getting going,” said Motzko, who has the Gophers in the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive season. “We want to be sharp on our toes. No self-inflicted wounds early.”

The coach admitted that his team went a bit harder in practice the past few weeks than they otherwise might have in March, but it was by necessity to keep them in game shape with no actual games to play. After splitting goalies in the three-game playoff series loss to Notre Dame, Motzko announced that more experienced netminder Liam Souliere will get the start on Thursday. Two years ago Souliere backstopped Penn State to overtime in a regional final before the Nittany Lions fell to Michigan. He is 13-7-2 in 24 appearances for Minnesota this season.

The atmosphere in Fargo is likely to be the opposite of the last time the Gophers and Minutemen met. In the 2022 opener of the Worcester (Mass.) regional, UMass was the clear crowd favorite, and had the arena roaring before the Gophers rallied for and overtime win. Sophomore goalie Michael Hrabal has been the key to the Minutemen success this season, backstopping 18 of their 20 wins with a .926 saves percentage.

“I think our group is ready for this. This is a tough region to come out of, but we’re playing as well as we have all year,” said Greg Carvel, who has coached UMass to a 20-13-5 overall mark. “We’re healthy and we’re ready to go. I like this group.”

Thursday’s game will be televised by ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and former Gopher Ben Clymer on the call. The Fargo regional begins with Minnesota State Mankato and top seed Western Michigan facing off at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

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