This is how you earn the title of the greatest rivalry in high school hockey history.
While almost every school in Minnesota canceled school on Tuesday due to the ridiculously cold temperatures, two high schools in Minnesota instead chose to brave the elements. Roseau and Warroad, two cities near the Minnesota-Manitoba border about a six hour drive north of the Minneapolis, held classes today so that they could add the 174th chapter to their storied hockey rivalry.
The vast majority of school activities across the state were canceled due to school district policies that prohibit games and practices on days in which schools were closed. Postponing this game was apparently not an option for the Rams and the Warriors, so the school day went on as scheduled up north while other kids in Minnesota were staying warm inside playing Fortnite or whatever else kids do these days.
The temperature at puck drop was -29°F with a wind chill of -54°F at Roseau Memorial Arena. Frostbite can occur in just five minutes with a wind chill that low so hopefully fans didn’t have too long of a walk from their parking spot to the arena. To put this in perspective, when the Rams and Warriors met a few weeks ago on January 10 th the temperature was 18°F, a full 47 degrees warmer than the temps last night. The wind chill was just 9°F for their first meeting, a drop of 63 degrees between the two games this season.
The game was a thriller, as Roseau tied the game up with 2:08 left in the 3rd to avoid getting upset by their rivals to the east. The game ended with a score of 2-2, the fifth tie in the history of the long standing rivalry.
While the Twin Cities tries to wrap their minds around wind chills in the -50s the next couple days, the residents of Roseau and Warroad are looking at the -60s tonight into tomorrow. It should be noted that, yes, schools up there are closed today. Though I am sure the rinks will remain open!