College hockey fans in the Twin Ports have a luxury - the area is rich in not only competitive, but nationally contending teams.  Of the five teams competing collegiately, four of them can legitimately call themselves national championship contenders.  Two of those teams will face-off for the first time this season on Saturday night at Mars-Lakeview Arena in Duluth.

UW-Superior, currently ranked number two in the USCHO Division III men's poll, will head to Duluth to take on arch-rival and recent playoff nemesis St. Scholastica, the poll's number four team.

The rivalry, which in recent history has been one-sided in favor of the Yellowjackets, has enjoyed a renaissance of late, as St. Scholastica has gone from NCHA doormat to competitive team to NCAA Division III powerhouse.

"I give a lot of credit to Mark Wick in the job he's done in turning that program around.  He's worked hard on the recruiting trail, brought in good hockey players and made them a very, very good hockey team," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber.  "It's no fluke that they're winning a lot of games.  They're really good.

"The fact that they've improved so much since Mark took over there has really made this a great rivalry.  On both sides the fans get into it and the players get into it.  The games mean a lot to both schools and they're a lot of fun.  Saturday should be a great start to the second half of the conference season."

But as we said earlier, things haven't always been this way.  On January 13, 1990, St. Scholastica beat Superior 6-5.  St. Scholastica beat Superior.  That's a phrase that wasn't muttered again until February 17, 2007.  In between, the Yellowjackets went 53-0-1 against the Saints.  There is a Yellowjacket loss in 1992, but that came after the team forfeited three games when they used an ineligible player.  The Yellowjackets won the game on the ice 11-2, but St. Scholastica is credited with the victory.  Superior leads the all-time series with a record of 67-26-5.  The all-time record also shows that prior to the Yellowjackets' remarkable 17-year run, the Saints were the team that dominated the series, holding the edge in the 1970's and 1980's.

The streak looked as though it was going to continue as the Yellowjackets had a 3-0 lead early in the third period of that 2007 game, but the Saints scored four unassisted goals in the game's final 15 minutes to gain the 4-3 win and put an end to the streak.  More importantly, the win forced a mini-game, one the Saints ultimately won in overtime, putting an end to Superior's season. St. Scholastica, meanwhile, made a run to the NCHA finals that year, falling just short of their first NCAA tournament appearance.  The last two seasons, the Saints have enjoyed NCHA playoff success while the Yellowjackets were buying golf passes and fishing licenses after first round exits.

The teams met twice last season, with Superior winning at home, while the game in Duluth was a wild one that finished in a tie.

All of that is history, however, and the teams are focused on the here and now.

The teams are separated by four points in the NCHA standings - Superior leading the league with 12 points while St. Scholastica is tied for second place with eight points.  Superior comes into the game unbeaten in their last 14 games (13-0-1), while the Saints are riding a nine-game winning streak.  Both teams are veteran teams - Superior regularly dressing eight seniors and the Saints ten.  Both teams have good depth and have gotten strong goaltending.  Both teams have power plays over 20% and penalty kills over 85%.  They are the two least penalized teams in the NCHA. 

Very similar teams to this point in the year indeed.

"I think the teams are a lot alike.  Both teams work hard, do the little things well, and are skilled," Stauber said.  "Both teams like to use their depth and both have good special teams.  Both teams take care of their own end and both teams stay out of the penalty box."

And there's also that USCHO poll.  The nation's number one, Plattsburgh, lost on Tuesday night.  If the Yellowjackets win on Saturday, they will most likely take over the number one spot in next week's poll.  If the Saints should win, it isn't likely, but possible that they could jump from fourth all the way to the top.

All of this sets the stage for what should be a great battle in their first meeting of 2008-09.

"Both teams are playing well.  They've got a couple more games in since the break than we do and they've played well in every one of them.  It's in their building - it will be full and it will be loud.  They're well coached and they are playing with a lot of confidence right now," Stauber said.  "I know that people have, over the past few years, really gotten cranked up for games between us and St. Scholastica.  This one should give them everything that they want and then some.  I know my team can't wait to get after it on Saturday night and I'm certain that Mark's team feels the same way. It should be a great night of hockey."

Game time on Saturday night is 7:05 p.m. and can be heard live locally on KUWS 91.3 FM, with the pre-game show beginning at 6:40 p.m.  If you are outside the local listening area, you can tune in via the Internet at www.kuws.fm.  Jon Garver and John Munson will have the call.