As far as rivalries in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to go there is one series that is head and shoulders above all others. The Huskies of Michigan Tech and the Wildcats of Northern Michigan have had some epic battles on pretty much every playing field that you can imagine. They have battled in Volleyball, Basketball, Football, Tennis as well as on the ice in Hockey.
This Saturday the two schools meet again on the ice for another memorable battle, this one being the first page in new type of rivalry between the schools. Before the puck dropped one thing was obvious, this match-up was going to be completely different then the matches of the past.
The first noticeable thing were the players, gone were the big names that made the rivalry great, however present were the ones who were really responsible for keeping the Battle of US 41, they are Misfits, Puckheads, and Dawgs.
This day a new tradition was formed as the two student sections and supporters of these two hockey programs met on the ice of the Lakeview Arena in Marquette, Michigan. It was what will be the first annual U.P. Shootout(more rules and details to come soon).
After a hard fought day, it was the Husky Hockey supporters who were able to capture the crown for the competition the first time around (Despite an inability by Northern score keepers to accurate count by one) . While we at the Tech Hockey Blog are sure that next year will bring more of the same, we will be happy to invite the Puckheads to assembly the best team they can and join us in Houghton next year to reclaim what we brought home with us, and maybe a little more, just leave your STI's at home.
