Pembina County Hockey Club
The Pembina County Hockey Club is based in Pembina, ND, but they represent and draw from the entirety of Pembina County. Pembina County is the northeasternmost county in the state and borders both Minnesota and Manitoba. The team wears black and white stripes and they play their home games at the Pembina Indoor Rink which has a capacity of about 250.

Mill City Hockey Club
The Mill City Hockey Club is based in the Southwest neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN. Minneapolis is often known as the “Mill City” and this nickname was chosen to represent the team, as all 7 players happened to work at the local mill. The team wears white and they play their home games outdoors on Lake Calhoun.

Our story begins several years before what we know as the Minnesota Amateur Hockey League, or MAHL, would be formed in St. Paul. No, we begin in a small northern town by the name of Hallock as a group of young men from Hallock decided to challenge some men from across the Red River in neighboring Pembina County, ND to a contest. A new sport was making its way through Canada and a couple of Hallock natives saw a game in Winnipeg and got inspired to try it out themselves. The Pembina side agreed to the contest and just like that, the first ever hockey game in Minnesota was set.

Kittson County Hockey Club vs Pembina County Hockey Club
It was bitterly cold in Hallock, Minnesota on the afternoon of January 8, 1895, but it was at least a little warmer inside the newly built Hallock Indoor Rink with the wind kept at bay. The stage was set and the puck was dropped for the first ever hockey game in Minnesota. Kittson County wore red sweaters with solid red socks while Pembina County was covered in black and white stripes. The puck (a piece of birch wood cut into a disc shape) was hard as a rock and didn’t lift far off the ice if at all, but that didn’t seem to stop the hometown team from slapping home goal after goal on their way to an 8-1 Kittson County victory over Pembina in Minnesota’s first ever hockey game.

News of the game spread quickly to nearby St. Paul where word eventually made its way to members of the St. Paul Athletic Club who were immediately interested and wanted to give this new sport a try. A team was soon formed and a formal challenge was issued to the Mill City Hockey Club because they had won their game and the Athletic Club wanted to test themselves against the best. The challenge was promptly accepted and a date and location were agreed upon. The match would take place on Saturday, March 2nd at Lexington Park, home of the St. Paul Saints baseball team, and visitors would be allowed to watch from the grandstand for free.

St. Paul Athletic Club vs Mill City Hockey Club
It was a warm afternoon in St. Paul when the St. Paul Athletic Club took on the Mill City Hockey Club in the first ever hockey game in the State’s Capital. Mill City wore the same all-white set that they wore against Minneapolis while the Athletic Club donned red and white stripes. Lexington Park was nearly full as fans came out to enjoy the 40 degree weather. The weather was great for spectators, but made for some awful playing conditions with the ice melting and cracking in several spots, making play incredibly difficult along the wooden boards. Despite the crappy conditions, both teams were still able to get things done, scoring a combined 16 goals as Mill City defeated the St. Paul Athletic Club by a score of 11-5.