On the surface, there’s nothing about Mankato East versus Northfield that screams “RIVALRY!” But these Big 9 Conference teams have developed one - the "Quiet Rivlary" - over the past few years all the same.
Northfield and Mankato East haven’t faced each other regularly since the 2014-15 season, and Northfield holds a 10-2-0 edge in the series since then. However, Mankato East won a 6-4 thriller in Northfield last season, and the teams sit next to each other in Class 1A in this week’s Legacy Hockey Power Rankings (Mankato East is No. 16, Northfield is No. 17).
Northfield (9-4-1) seems to have recovered nicely from an 0-3-1 stretch spanning late December to early January. The Raiders (9-4-1) have since won four straight, all against Big 9 competition and all by four or more goals. Senior Spencer Klotz leads Northfield with 18 goals and 45 points. Junior Keaton Walock has played every minute in goal and has a .911 save percentage.
Mankato East (11-5-0) is coming off a 5-0 victory over Mankato West on Friday, an intracity rivalry game played outdoors Minnesota State’s Blakeslee Stadium. The Cougars have seven players who have reached double digits in points, led by Aiden Prochaska’s 18.