I think the other main reason that Union & RPI has developed into a rivalry 
is their
geographical proximity (about 13 miles separates Schenectady from Troy). I 
also think
Union considers RPI as their arch-rival mainly because of how RPI usually 
dominates
the headlines and sportscasts in the Albany area - not to mention how RPI 
pretty much
beat up on Union during Union's first several years in Division I.

Having personally witnessed the Clarkson-SLU rivalry for 4 years (and 
vicariously for
about 5-6 years before that), I say that it's easily the #1 rivalry in the 
east. Fans - and
likely players - of both teams could suffer through some horrible seasons, 
but if Clarkson
sweeps St. Lawrence or vice versa, then it was a successful year.   :)

As far as the country goes....it's hard to say for sure. The passion and 
excitement I have
seen with Clarkson-SLU has yet to match any other rivalry discussed here - 
that I have
seen. No - I haven't seen every one first hand, but given Clarkson's and 
St. Lawrence's
proximity to each other and how they play each other just twice a year, I'd 
have to agree
with Sara.  Sorry, Erik.    :(

-Andy



At 04:18 PM 12/7/2006 -0500, Mark Lewin wrote:
>RPI - Union is an interesting rivalry.  I can't speak for the students of
>today, but back when I was in school and for a while thereafter, Union was a
>Division 3 hockey school.  When they went D-1,  they were very bad for a
>good number of years.  Only recently have Union and RPI developed a hockey
>rivalry, some due to Union's improvement and some due to RPI's slide into
>mediocrity.  RPI- Union was always a fierce rivalry in football as they have
>been in the same division 3 league forever.  But while Union may consider
>RPI its biggest hockey rival,  old-time RPI hockey fans consider our biggest
>rival to be Clarkson, due to a long history of hockey and academic rivalry
>(not to mention a large number of Clarkson alumni living in and around
>Troy).  So Union thinks their biggest rival is RPI, RPI thinks their biggest
>rival is Clarkson and Clarkson thinks their biggest rival is St. Lawrence.
>(And, in the ECAC, everyone hates Cornell!!!!)
>
>On 12/7/06, Erik Biever <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>>The Minnesota - Wisconsin rivalry does not lack for tradition and
>>intensity.
>>It goes back to the 1920's, when both programs were established.  At one
>>point
>>brothers Emil and Kay Iverson were the coaches of the Gophers and Badgers
>>respectively.  Here's an excerpt from an article in the Feb. 1926
>>Wisconsin
>>Engineer, which I pulled up via Google:
>>
>>"Far from being ... considered an uninteresting, poorly attended, and
>>losing
>>sport, hockey has risen from this position to that of a top-notch game. In
>>other years, Wisconsin has finished near the bottom of the heap, but this
>>year
>>shows a marked change. Some excellent material is reporting for the team,
>>much
>>of it from  the College of Engineering, and under the excellent guidance
>>of Kay
>>Iverson, coach of outdoor winter sports, it has been developed into a high
>>speed conference team, able to make a good showing with the best of teams.
>>     ...
>>"On the following weekend, a real hockey match took place with Minnesota,
>>whose
>>team usually walks off with the conference honors in hockey. Coach Kay
>>Iverson's team proved fully the equal of his brother's Gophers for the two
>>fast games ended in ties, the first 0-0, and the second 1-1.
>>     ...
>>"These ties, considering the rating of the opponents, and the fact that
>>this
>>year's team is one of the best, are almost as good as victories for
>>Wisconsin.
>>Coach Emil Iverson of Minnesota was certain of victory and could scarcely
>>believe his eyes-every place he looked he said he could see a redcoat, and
>>he
>>counted them to make sure that his brother was not playing too many men."
>>
>><<end of excerpt>>
>>
>>The rivalry went dormant when Wisconsin dropped varsity hockey in the
>>1930's,
>>but it came back with renewed vigor in the 1960's. There's been plenty of
>>hatred to go around -- consider the rancor between Herb Brooks and Badger
>>Bob.
>>   There have also been comic events, like the time in the 1970's when Paul
>>Holmgren took out a row of Wisconsin trombones that were hanging over the
>>glass.  And then there's that little matter of the Back-Door Badgers
>>beating
>>the Gophers for the 1981 NCAA championship in Duluth.
>>
>>This rivalry takes a back seat to none.
>>
>>-- Erik
>>
>> > Erik,
>> >
>> > Thanks for opening that can or worms, and for not letting sleeping dogs
>>lie.
>> >
>> > There is more to same-state location (all but UM vs. UW) or same
>>conference
>> > membership (all but UAA vs UAF, yes UAF not UA) to make a rivalry. There
>>is
>> > history and tradition. Maybe Clarkson stole St. Lawrence's cow (leaving
>>them
>> > only with the bell) or maybe St. Lawrence reprogrammed the Clarkston
>>arena
>> > scoreboard to read "Clarkson Good Night". You need these stories,
>>silliness,
>> > and hatred to make a good rivalry. BU vs BC and MSU vs UM seem to have
>>that
>> > extra edge that make a real rivalry. I have not seen that edge in UW vs
>>UM
>> > but I do not know enough about CC vs DU.
>> >
>> > But it is the stories that make the rivalry, the history and the
>>tradition.
>> > A good brawl -- on the ice or in the stands -- always helps.