ND girls hockey tournament moving back to Scheels Arena, Ralph Engelstad Arena

FARGO — After just one year in Minot, the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament will be moving back to Fargo and Grand Forks through at least 2028-29.

The girls hockey season will be moved up one week beginning in 2023-24 while the state tournament will return to a combined boys and girls format, beginning with Scheels Arena in Fargo next winter and then alternating with the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks in the following years.

The recommendations made by the Athletic Review Committee at its May 31 meeting were unanimously approved by the North Dakota High School Activities Association board at its June 6 meeting.

“This recommendation came from the girls hockey coaches through their advisory committee,” said NDHSAA executive director Matthew Fetsch, who oversees the sport of hockey. “And that was the group who pushed to split the tournaments going into last season.”

With North Dakota

introducing three classes of basketball this upcoming season,

Fetsch cited the addition of another state basketball tournament potentially affecting girls hockey media coverage as the primary reason for the switch back to coinciding boys and girls tournaments.

“In all honesty, I think the No. 1 factor ended up being the addition of the third classification of basketball and another tournament falling that weekend,” Fetsch said. “And the priority from the girls hockey community to have television coverage.”

Last season’s girls hockey tournament was at Minot’s Maysa Arena. Feedback from the tournament’s participating coaches at the time was mostly positive.

“I thought it was a great event,” Fargo North-South coach Parker Metz said

after his Spruins repeated as state champions.

“At the end of the day, I’d love to come back. I know there’s mixed feelings about it, but at the end of the day, it’s about the kids and the experience for them. We had a good time and it was a good venue.”

“I thought the games were all competitive and it was a good showcase for girls hockey,” Fargo Davies coach Josh Issertell added after the Eagles’ runner-up finish. “The facility and the city of Minot did their job and did it well. Kudos to all involved.”

Fetsch commended Minot and Maysa Arena for their hosting duties but noted that attendance lacked when the hometown Majettes weren’t lacing up the skates.

“I think Minot as a host and a facility were phenomenal,” Fetsch said. “They did everything they could to make it a great experience and it’s definitely a positive there. When they run any tournament, it’s a big deal to that community.

“As far as cons, I think the obvious one that was talked about with the advisory group was the attendance,” he said. “When Minot played, it was a very good atmosphere and very good crowd. But in reality, you had an outstanding championship between two Fargo teams and there were about 200 people there to watch it.”

Perhaps affecting attendance that same weekend were the East Region basketball tournament in Fargo and the West Region basketball tournament in Bismarck. Weather also may have deterred the Fargo crowd from making the trip to Minot, with an early-March blizzard causing travel difficulties for many.

The 2023-24 girls hockey tournament was slated to be hosted by West Fargo before the recommendation was made by the Athletic Review Committee to bring it back to Scheels Arena.

Fetsch said he wouldn’t completely rule Minot out of hosting a combined hockey tournament in the future.

“I think all of that will come into play with the combined tournament (is discussed) again,” Fetsch said. “Minot’s facility, I raise the question of are they a host for a combined tournament with the facilities they have? It’s probably something that will be discussed more in the future.”