| North Star College Cup | |
| Sport: | College ice hockey |
| Founded: | 2014 |
| Venue: | Xcel Energy Center (2014–2017) |
| Champion: | Minnesota Duluth |
| Most Champs: | Bemidji State (1) Minnesota (1) Minnesota Duluth (1) St. Cloud State (1) |
The North Star College Cup was a men's ice hockey tournament among the five NCAA Division I programs in Minnesota. The North Star College Cup was meant to resemble the Beanpot tournament, and maintain the long-standing rivalries amongst the Minnesota schools from when they competed together in the Classic WCHA up until the 2013–2014 season.
The competitors are:
The tournament lasts two rounds, with first-round opponents being rotated from year to year. The second round features the consolation game and the championship game. The University of Minnesota is the only permanent participant. The other four schools each rotate a year off.
Prior to the 2013–2014 season all of the schools competed in the WCHA. However, several teams realigned their conference affiliations in 2013, after Minnesota joined the Big Ten. St. Cloud State and the University of Minnesota Duluth joined the NCHC. Minnesota State and Bemidji State remain together in what has been coined the "new-look WCHA". The tournament is meant to maintain the rivalries among the Minnesota schools from the Classic WCHA.
The inaugural tournament was held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 24–25, 2014. Participating were the University of Minnesota, University of Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State University, Mankato and St. Cloud State University.[1]
The trophy consists of Minnesota-grown red oak and birch as well as hickory wood historically used to make hockey sticks. Doug Johannsen of Ramsey, Minnesota crafted the cup, while Bill Durand of Anoka, Minnesota constructed the base. A star is used between the cup and the base and shows the tournament logo on top of the base. The star includes acrylic color in addition to pucks for each individual school participating in the tournament. Sterling Trophy Inc. designed the cup and approached Johannsen and Durand to create the trophy, and laser engraved the tournament logo onto the cup in part of the final production.[1]
Four games are listed for each North Star College Cup, in the order they were played. Winners are listed in bold. Games requiring overtime are indicated by (OT). Games requiring a shoot out are indicated by (SO) and the shootout score (3–2).
| Year | First Game | Second Game | Consolation | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | MSU 4–5 (OT) UMD |
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| 2015 | BSU 4–0 #7 UMD |
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| BSU 3–1 #1 MSU | |
| 2016 |
| BSU 4–2 #20 UM |
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| 2017 | SCSU 2–1 #20 BSU |
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Through the 2017 North Star College Cup, the five teams have amassed the following statistics:
| School | W | L | Pct. | GF | GA | North Star Cup Finishes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |||||||
| St. Cloud State | 4 | 2 | 20 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Minnesota–Duluth | 4 | 2 | 16 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bemidji State | 3 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Minnesota | 3 | 5 | 21 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Minnesota State | 2 | 4 | 20 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Year | School | Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | style= | Minnesota | ||
| 2015 | style= | Bemidji State | ||
| 2016 | style= | St. Cloud State | ||
| 2017 | style= | Minnesota–Duluth |
| Year | Name | Position | School | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Goaltender | style= | Minnesota | [2] | ||
| 2015 | Goaltender | style= | Bemidji State | [3] | ||
| 2016 | Forward | style= | St. Cloud State | [4] | ||
| 2017 | Goaltender | style= | Minnesota–Duluth | [5] |