Bergjord Boarding

March 6, 2026

By: Luke

This weekend all started when my friend Blake sent me a photo.

Sam Tallent is a comedian that we both enjoy. Blake dangled this bait out and I bit hard. After getting it cleared with Sam, the tickets were secured. Right after that I asked if there were any hockey games happening that weekend and it just so happened that the U of M boys were playing their last home game the night before. Now we are cooking.

I took that Friday off work and after a short 5 hour drive the weekend had started. Shortly after getting settled at Blake and his wife Lauren’s house we headed to Dinkytown. Blake had referred to Dinkytown growing up and when he attended U of M. It is a commercial neighborhood very close to the university campus. There are food, drink, and merchandise options there.

After parking we happened upon an Irish pub. We both bellied up to the bar and both had a pint of Guiness. We both failed to split the G, but succeeded in making dinner plans. There was a pizza place close by with Indian inspired flavors.

We set out towards the bizarre pizza place, but I was drawn like a moth to a flame towards this different establishment. There was a Korean corndog hole in the wall that hypnotized me.

We ended up getting the cheese dog with crunchy potatoes on the outside and garlic sauce drizzle. It was completely new to me and I am still thinking about it.

After a quick trip to a merch store, I was kitted up in Minnesota hockey gear and was ready to back the Gophers. We made a couple laps around the arena before grabbing drinks and finding our seats.

We were right up against the glass and it was very exciting to be so close to the action. It was difficult to follow the puck at the other end sometimes, but witnessed a lot of action.

What made this game really special was their pep band. The director was on top of every down time. The band played loud and fast. It was so apparent that they had their system honed. They echoed across the ice with the sound of a much bigger band.

It was an incredibly game and they were playing the #2 ranked team, Michigan Spartans. It ended up going to an electric overtime period, and after no one scored in that, it ended in a shootout.

The end of the game was very exciting and the Gopher boys came up with a win!

We ended that night by walking to a huge liquor store near by and grabbing a couple of bottles of soju. After making back to Blake’s we drank and played a bit of video games. The night ends with a promise of an excellent breakfast sandwich the next morning and a day full of fun!