It will be a clash of titans when the #1 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s hockey team heads northwestward to faceoff against the #5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks in a non-conference series this weekend in Grand Forks. It’s one of if not the best rivalry series in all of college hockey, and it once again is set to be a battle between two of the nation’s top teams. Minnesota will need to overcome some injuries to their defensive corps if they want to come away with at least one win in one of the most hostile places to play in all of college hockey, but it should be a great test for Minnesota’s young defensemen to see if they are up to the task.