Ever since he committed to Minnesota Duluth as a sophomore at Blaine High School in 2014, Bulldogs freshman forward Riley Tufte has been anticipating his first North Star College Cup.

It's a tournament UMD junior forward and Grand Rapids native Avery Peterson has been looking forward to, as well, since transferring back to the State of Hockey from Nebraska-Omaha.

Unfortunately for both Minnesota natives, their first North Star College Cup this weekend at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul will be their only North Star College Cup. After months of speculation about the future of the four-year-old tournament, the host University of Minnesota declared this week that the 2017 edition would be the last.

St. Cloud State and Bemidji State meet in the first semifinal at 4:05 p.m. Friday, followed by the Bulldogs and Gophers at 7:05 p.m.

On Saturday, the third-place game is at 4:05 p.m. with the championship at 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota (2014), Bemidji State (2015) and St. Cloud State (2016) all have taken home the big wooden championship cup once, but not the Bulldogs, who came close in 2014 after losing to the Gophers in the championship via a shootout.

"It's good to get the Minnesota teams in there playing together," Tufte said. "I'm excited to play in it. It's my first time. I always looked forward to this tournament, to play at Xcel, play against the Gophers and the other Minnesota teams."

The North Star College Cup was created out of college hockey's conference realignment when Minnesota's five NCAA Division I men's hockey schools went from playing in one conference (the WCHA) to playing in three conferences (the Big Ten, NCHC and WCHA).

The Golden Gophers have been a part of every tournament, while the other four schools each rotate out for one season. Last year, it was the Bulldogs' turn to sit out. This year, after participating in the first three, it's the Mavericks' turn.

"It was a good concept initially, but I think there are various reasons," Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said about the event's demise. "Financially it might not make a lot of sense for teams, and apparently the attendance has been going down, so those are the reasons I've been given."

Billed as Minnesota's version of Boston's Beanpot or Michigan's Great Lakes Invitational - both of which have taken place annually for 50-plus years - the North Star has done more than bring four of the state's five college teams together in one place on the same weekend each year.

It's also one big high school hockey reunion.

For instance, Tufte will play Friday against former Blaine linemate Luke Notermann, a freshman forward for the Gophers. Meanwhile, Peterson finally gets to go toe-to-toe with his childhood friend and former teammate at Grand Rapids, Gophers senior defenseman Jake Bischoff.

And they get to do it all at the home of the NHL's Minnesota Wild.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Peterson said. "I've never played the Gophers, so it will be a fun first game for us. It should be a good crowd. As a team, we're looking forward to the experience and opportunity this week."

Why kill the Cup?

Xcel Energy Center - which now isn't scheduled to host another college hockey event until the 2018 NCAA Frozen Four - declined comment for this story, referring all media inquiries about the North Star to the Gophers.

The University of Minnesota finally addressed the future of the tournament this week via a written statement, citing a lack of growth in fan interest and teams wanting to reward their fans with home games as reasons for the end of the North Star after just four seasons.

Gophers coach Don Lucia echoed those sentiments during his weekly press conference Wednesday with Twin Cities media.

"I thought it was a good concept, but to be honest, it never really caught on like we hoped it would, especially when you have a lot of teams giving up home games and home dates for their fans," Lucia said. "I think the idea was to hopefully get the alumni involved and replicate what the old WCHA playoffs were like. It just never seemed to happen. When everyone got together, it wasn't worth giving up the home games for so many people."

The North Star has yet to fill the 18,000-seat Xcel Energy Center in its first three seasons, drawing an announced attendance of 28,906 fans for the four games in two days in 2014 and 28,715 in 2015.

Last year, without the Bulldogs, plus games being played on Saturday and Sunday afternoons instead of during the evening on Friday and Saturday, the tournament drew 23,584, with just 10,993 for the second day.

"Are we filling the building? No, but we're getting big crowds, there is enthusiasm," Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said. "There is nothing wrong with playing in front of 10,000 at the Xcel Center. That's a good crowd."

The North Star's crowds are actually great crowds compared to what other recent college hockey events have drawn at Xcel Energy Center.

The Big Ten has held two conference tournaments there, playing five games in three days. In 2014, the tournament averaged an announced attendance of 14,203 per day before interest waned. Last year, the tournament only drew 15,886 total.

The revamped WCHA Final Five faired slightly better when it returned to Xcel in 2015, drawing a total of 15,048 for its three games in two days.

The NCAA West Regional tournaments - also hosted by the Gophers and featuring three games in two days - have been a mixed bag, drawing 18,125 in 2014 with Robert Morris, Minnesota, St. Cloud State and Notre Dame playing. The 2016 regional drew only 7,725 with St. Cloud State, Ferris State, St. Cloud State and Denver.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota State High School League's boys hockey state tournament set another attendance record in 2016 with an announced crowd of 22,224 for a Friday evening session featuring the Class AA semifinals.

"I think the crowds have been OK," St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said. "We're playing in an 18,000-seat building. It was a new event. Maybe in time the thing would have grown.

"I think the future of this tournament was down the road. Maybe it's something that will come back. I have no idea."

How about a second chance?

A number of obstacles stand in the way of the North Star reigniting in the future and, while much of the bellyaching has been about attendance, scheduling may be the bigger issue.

First, teams already are scheduled for the next two seasons - and no one right now has a spot saved on their future schedules for the North Star - so if the tournament was to come back, teams would need three years' notice.

Second, both Motzko and Sandelin weren't big fans of the North Star being played late in January. While they understand it fits well with St. Paul's Winter Carnival, the NHL All-Star break and the week off before the Super Bowl, both would have preferred the tournament not be played in the heart of conference play.

Motzko suggested around Christmas or New Year's - though that's when the Gophers host their Mariucci Classic - while Sandelin tossed out Thanksgiving weekend.

The third issue, as Lucia alluded to Wednesday, is teams and the athletic departments that oversee them are no longer willing to give up two home games to play in a tournament that predominantly benefits one school financially - Minnesota.

Both Motzko and Sandelin - whose programs, along with Minnesota State, have scheduling agreements with the Gophers for future seasons - cited the potential of two additional home games as a positive to the North Star ending.

The general feeling this week, though, among coaches and players was disappointment the tournament is ending.

"If you ever want it to come back, you need buy-in from all the schools. If there's not buy-in from the other schools, it will never come back," Serratore said. "If the schools really feel it's very important for the state of Minnesota to have this tournament, then I think you do it, but it's all predicated on buy-in. All five schools have to buy in and want to do it.

"I think we owe the fans in the state of Minnesota - with the realignment in college hockey - we owe our fans this."

North Star College Cup History

2016

Semifinals

St. Cloud State 5, Minnesota State 4

Bemidji State 4, Minnesota 2

Third place

Minnesota State 3, Minnesota 2

Championship

St. Cloud State 5, Bemidji State 2

2015

Semifinals

Bemidji State 4, Minnesota Duluth 0

Minnesota State 4, Minnesota 2

Third place

Minnesota Duluth 2, Minnesota 1

Championship

Bemidji State 3, Minnesota State 1

2014

Semifinals

Minnesota 4, St. Cloud State 1

Minnesota Duluth 5, Minnesota State 4

Third place

St. Cloud State 6, Minnesota State 4

Championship

Minnesota 4, Minnesota Duluth 4 OT (Minnesota wins shootout)