Going back to the late 1980's, it seems that the biggest rivalry the 'Jackets have had has worn green.  We didn't say that it has always been the same team, but the color green has been prominent.

When Bemidji State departed the NCHA and the lower levels of college hockey for the Division I ranks in 1999, many wondered, some aloud, who would fill that void as the biggest rivalry for the Yellowjackets.  Little did they know that the replacement had been anointed thanks to some already memorable playoff moments.  The replacement - St. Norbert College.

St. Norbert came aboard as a full-time member of the NCHA in 1995 and were a powerhouse, in the NCHA and in Division III just a few short years later.  They quickly became, it seemed, the team that the 'Jackets had their most memorable games against.  They were the team that, it seemed, they met every year in the playoffs.  They were the team whose visit to Wessman Arena was circled on calendars all around "Suptown."  Exit the Beavers and enter the Green Knights.

"I think every team wants to have that rival, where they know that every game, regular season and playoffs, has just a little more meaning.  For us, that's St. Norbert," said Yellowjacket Head Coach Dan Stauber, who owns an all-time record of 8-13-8 against St. Norbert.  "People around here get excited when they know St. Norbert is coming to town.  It's when they come to town that I get asked why we still don't have the two-game series format because they want to see the teams play on back-to-back nights.

"We're traditionally two good teams and it makes it a lot of fun for the players and fans when we get together.  It is truly a great rivalry."

The rivalry has been a bit one-sided of late.  Since clinching their last trip to the Frozen Four in 2002 on St. Norbert home ice, the 'Jackets are just 3-11-6, including a couple of post-season thrashings.  They are, however, unbeaten in their last three meetings.

"I'm not going to sit here and tell you that we played well in all those games because we didn't.  In those playoff losses in 2005 and 2006, we were not the better team those nights.  We came out flat and got steamrolled by a team that played better than us and just flat-out wanted it more," Stauber said.  "This time around, we will be better.  We will be on home ice and we will be better, I guarantee it."

The losses he speaks of are an 8-3 loss in the Peters Cup finals in 2005, and an 8-2 beating in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2006.

But this time around should be different.  This time, it is the Yellowjackets who are the higher-ranked team.  It is the Yellowjackets who won the league and it is the Yellowjackets who are playing at home.  That alone is a dramatic difference.

"We had a goal at the beginning of the season to be a tougher team to play against at Wessman Arena," Stauber said.  "We didn't want to lose at home and so far we have held true to that.  We've played, for the most part, pretty well at home."

Conversely, St. Norbert is in uncharted territory.  They have, since 1996-97, only had to play one NCHA playoff series away from home - 2001 when they traveled and lost to River Falls in the Peters Cup semifinals.

"It's a different game when you are on the road," Stauber said.  "You're eating in restaurants, staying in hotels, and out of your normal routine.  It makes a world of difference when you sleep in your own bed and can have your normal routine.  And don't forget about dressing in your own locker room and having your fans behind you.  It makes a world of difference."

The two teams met for the first time in the post-season in 1996-97 at Wessman Arena in the NCAA quarterfinals.  That's the last time, until Saturday night, that St. Norbert has played a post-season game in Superior.

"Hopefully we have the same kind of crowds and get the same results that we got that time around," Stauber said.  "I wasn't a part of the program at that time, but everyone tells me that the atmosphere in the building was electric and that was a really fun weekend of hockey."

Below is a look back at the hotly contested post-season matchups that have helped shape the Superior/St. Norbert rivalry.

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1996-97 NCAA QUARTERFINALS - at Superior

Game 1: SNC 2  UWS 0

Game 2: UWS 4  SNC 1

Mini-Game:  UWS 1  SNC 0

Key moment: After playing end-to-end for a majority of the mini-game, Craig Boyd crossed the St. Norbert line on the right wing, pulled up and let a slap shot go that got between the pads of Green Knight goaltender Roby Gropp with 15 seconds to play, sending a sold-out Wessman Arena into bedlam and the 'Jackets to the Frozen Four with a 1-0 win.

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1997-98 NCHA SEMIFINALS - at St. Norbert

Game 1: SNC 5  UWS 2

Game 2: SNC 4  UWS 2

Key moment: Talk about a mismatch.  The Yellowjackets lost a ton from their national runner-up team the season before, and the young players just weren't seasoned yet.  St. Norbert, on the other hand, was stacked up front (Adam Sedgewick, Scott Jewitt and NCHA Player of the Year Rob Smillie to name a few), on the blue line (Tommy Cianflone, Tom Maryschak, ) and in goal with Roby Gropp.  The Green Knights easily took the series, sending the 'Jackets home, without a trip to the NCAA tournament.  This was the only UWS team not to make it to the Frozen Four from 1994-2002.

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1998-99 NCHA SEMIFINALS - at St. Norbert

Game 1: UWS 3  SNC 2

Game 2: SNC 5  UWS 2

Mini-Game: SNC 1  UWS 0

Key moment: In a rematch from the year before, the 'Jackets finally broke through at the DePere Ice Center and got a win, just their second in DePere since the 1994-95 season.  The game-winning goal came from an unlikely source.  In the second half of the third period, Nate Cockerham ripped a shot from the left circle, beating Mike Szkodzinski up high, giving the 'Jackets a 3-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish.  The Green Knights would handily win game two and close the 'Jackets out in the mini-game. 

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1999-00 NCHA SEMIFINALS - at St. Norbert

Game 1: UWS 3  SNC 1

Game 2: SNC 2  UWS 0

Mini-Game: UWS 2  SNC 1

Key moment: Between the regulation game and the mini-game, teams are allowed to make changes to their rosters.  The 'Jackets took advantage of this allowance, and brought two regulars who sat out the regular game - Kris Wilson and Bryan Grycan - out of the stands and inserted them into the lineup.  The fresh legs made a difference, as both players scored in the mini-game and sent the 'Jackets to the Peters Cup Finals.

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2001-02 NCHA FINALS - at St. Norbert

UWS 4  SNC 3, OT

Key moment: Kris Wilson needed a line change.  From between his own blue line and the red, he wound up and let a slap shot go toward the St. Norbert goal.  For some reason, Green Knight's goaltender Ryan Gill took a stab at it and missed, the shot beating him high on the glove side and giving the Yellowjackets an unexpected overtime game-winner from 100 feet away.

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2001-02 NCAA QUARTERFINALS - at St. Norbert

Game 1: UWS 4  SNC 4, OT

Game 2: UWS 4  SNC 2

Key moment: The 'Jackets took the lead early in game two and never gave it up.  Scoring one goal in the first and two more by the middle of the second, Josh Liebenow converted with 14 seconds to play in the middle frame, taking the wind out of the St. Norbert sails and providing the 'Jackets with an insurmountable 4-0 lead.  St. Norbert scored twice in the third, but it was too little, too late and the 'Jackets were off to the Frozen Four.

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2002-03 NCHA FINALS - at St. Norbert

SNC 5  UWS 2

Key moment: The Green Knights remember what happened the year before, and were determined not to let it happen again.  Kelly Wosnack scored at 5:20 of the first, igniting a fierce rally that saw St. Norbert score five times in a span of 13:27 of the first period, effectively ending the game before it got going.  The 'Jackets, down 5-0, got single goals in the second and third periods, but they were meaningless as the game, and their season, were already in the books.

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2004-05 NCHA FINALS - at St. Norbert

SNC 8  UWS 3

Key moment: This version of the Green Knights scored in bunches.  In this game, they smelled blood in the water and blew the doors off the 'Jackets so fast it made their heads spin.  Tied at 1-1, Connor Hughes and Kelly Wosnack scored goals 1:16 apart in the final three minutes of the first period to make it 3-1.  Then Marc Belanger and Troy Boisjoli scored 1:23 apart early in the second and the rout was on, St. Norbert leading 5-1.

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2005-06 NCHA FINALS - at St. Norbert

UWS 3  SNC 2, OT

Key moment:  With just minutes remaining in the overtime, Mike Bickley won the faceoff and B.J. Radovich let the shot go from the left circle that beat Kyle Jones, giving the 'Jackets the Peters Cup and sending them back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002.

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2005-06 NCAA QUARTERFINALS - at St. Norbert

SNC 8  UWS 2

Key moment: A week prior to this one, the 'Jackets came in and stole the Peters Cup from the Green Knights in a thrilling, back-and-forth overtime game.  What a difference a week makes.  The Green Knights scored three times in the first 11 minutes and chased starter Mathieu Bonnelly from the game.  The 'Jackets scored late in the second to make it 3-1 on a goal by Derek Miller, but St. Norbert came right back and scored twice in the final minute of the second, goals by Marc Belanger and Kurtis Peterson, to salt the game away.

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Now that a look to the past has you eagerly anticipating Saturday's meeting, let's take a look at the 2008-09 version of each team.

The teams have met twice this season.  The 'Jackets won at home on November 22, 4-3, the game that ended St. Norbert's unbeaten streak at 37 games.  They then met on January 30 at the Cornerstone, where they played to a 2-2 overtime tie.  The home team outshot the road team in each game.

"I think, and I'm sure Tim (Coghlin) would tell you the same thing, that there are no secrets between these two teams.  We know each other well and we look forward to the games that we get to play each other," Stauber said.  "There's just something between us that brings out the best of each team and provides, usually, some pretty entertaining hockey.  I'm sure Saturday night will be no exception."