BSM and St. Louis Park have had a rivalry ever since BSM was established. These neighbors have notoriously had bad blood, causing the games to have a larger crowd and become even more intense than usual.

In the past, the rivalry was much closer in hockey, for the teams were very closely matched. However, as the late 90’s and early 2000’s rolled around, BSM started to pull away as the dominating force, winning nearly every time the two teams would match up.

Last year the teams met twice—once in the regular season and once in the postseason. In the regular season matchup BSM emerged victorious, keeping the winning streak alive and raising their section rank. This rise meant the Red Knights would have to face off against the Orioles again the next week for the first game of Sections. This time there was more than pride on the line; the bid of making it to the State Tournament was at stake as well.

Last year’s postseason matchup did not favor the Red Knights as well as the first did. The boys lost 3-5, ending their win streak and their season. “There was just a lot more nerves——a lot of us were young guys and we’d never been in a section game before. It’s hard to beat a team twice,” senior forward Joe Collins, who has led the team in goals the past two season, said.

This year, when the teams played earlier this season, the game ended in a 2-2 tie. The team knows what improvements need to be made to come out on top in the rematch. “One thing we got to work on is kind of our puck movement, tape to tape passes. They’re a good team, they have a good first line, but I think we have more depth than them, and if we keep on pressing and laying the body we should be fine,” Collins said.  

BSM looks to bounce back from last year’s section loss, and a win against Orioles would solidify their position at the top of the Metro West Conference.