Minnesota opens the 2026–27 men’s hockey season on the road, so the first home puck drop comes later than usual — and then everything arrives at once. After four straight away games, the Gophers settle into 3M Arena at Mariucci for nine home games in just over five weeks. If you have been meaning to make a weekend of a Gopher hockey game, late October and November are the dates to circle now.
When the Gophers are actually home this fall
These dates come from the official 2026–27 schedule published by University of Minnesota Athletics. Start times are still listed as TBD, and a few series have not had their exact days assigned yet, so check the schedule again closer to your trip.
- Thursday, October 22 and Friday, October 23 — North Dakota. The home opener, and about as good a first game as the calendar could have handed anyone.
- Thursday, October 29 – Sunday, November 1 — Penn State. Exact series dates to be announced.
- Thursday, November 5 – Sunday, November 8 — Wisconsin. Exact series dates to be announced.
- Friday, November 13 and Saturday, November 14 — Alaska Anchorage.
- Friday, November 27 — Minnesota State. The Saturday half of that pair is played in Mankato.
After that the building goes quiet for the holidays and comes back in the new year: an exhibition against Bemidji State on January 2, then Michigan (January 7–10), Notre Dame (January 21–24), Michigan State (January 28–31) and Ohio State (February 18–21). All times are Central.
Which weekends to book first
Two of them stand out. The North Dakota series on October 22 and 23 is the home opener and one of the sport’s oldest grudges, and the Wisconsin series in the first week of November is a Border Battle. Rooms across Minneapolis tighten on both.
The quieter tip: the Penn State weekend of October 29 to November 1 lands on Halloween. That is a genuinely fun weekend to be downtown even if you only make it to one game, and it is the sort of date that gets booked up for reasons that have nothing to do with hockey. If you are choosing between weekends, take that one early.
Getting from Loring Park to the rink
300 Clifton sits on the edge of Loring Park, on the downtown side of the city. The arena is a few miles east on the university’s East Bank campus — close enough that a game night does not have to mean a long drive home in the dark, and close enough that a rideshare is cheap. If you would rather not drive at all, Metro Transit’s trip planner will give you current options from the neighborhood on the night you are travelling.
Campus parking and entry details, including the gates and bag policy, live on the athletics department’s gameday page, and single-game tickets are handled through Gopher men’s hockey ticketing. Buy those before you book the room if a specific night matters to you — not after.
What a hockey weekend looks like here
A hockey weekend in Minnesota is a cold-weather weekend, and this house is built for coming back to. The garden hot tub runs all four seasons and is at its best on a late-October night when the air has an edge to it. Below, Gertrude’s Cistern — the speakeasy and video lounge under the mansion, with heated reclining seats — is where the second half of the evening tends to happen.
The rooms are all different. The Crystal Mansion and the Grand Edwardian are the ones people book for an occasion; the Hayloft and the Coachman’s Room are the quieter, tucked-away end of the house. Breakfast is not served on site, but there is complimentary coffee in the common area and plenty within walking distance — there is a short list on our area dining page.
Make a weekend of it, not just a night
If you are coming in from out of state for a series, you have two evenings to fill and only one of them involves a rink. The Pillsbury Club, in the Charles S. Pillsbury Mansion a few minutes away, is a speakeasy-style bar and dining room inside a genuine English manor, and it is also where Minneapolis Trolley Tours depart — the ghost and true-crime routes are a good way to see the city on the night you are not watching hockey. Direct bookings here come with vouchers for both; current terms are on our vouchers page.
Staying longer than a weekend — a parent in town for a stretch of the season, say, or a work trip stacked onto a series — is a different problem. Oakland’s on 9th does furnished month-to-month studios in a restored 1889 brownstone downtown, with no contract required.
Book your hockey weekend
Nine home games between October 22 and November 27 is a lot of hockey in a short window, and the good weekends go first. Have a look at the schedule, pick your series, and book your room at 300 Clifton while the date you want is still open.
Keep reading: What Should You Pack for a Fall Weekend in Minneapolis? and What Can You Do in Minneapolis on a Rainy Day?
Keep reading: What’s the Difference Between a Bed and Breakfast and a Hotel in Minneapolis?