All Wylie Rogers wanted was his goalie pads.

But instead, his equipment caused a minor ruckus earlier this month when CCM/Reebok shipped the pads to UAA instead of UAF. Athletics officials at the Anchorage campus refused the UPS shipment, and the boxes got sent back to Independence, Mo.

Hockey bloggers grabbed hold of the story as proof of the UAF-UAA rivalry. And while that may not be true, Nanook fans will nevertheless get to see that competitive spirit in full-force Friday and Saturday when the Governor's Cup kicks-off at the Carlson Center.

"You could play Tiddlywinks against these two teams and you could fill up the Carlson Center," said coach Tavis MacMillan.

The games mark the first two of four matches that will determine who will get to keep the Governor's Cup on their campus. Games three and four are scheduled for Dec. 29-30 in Anchorage.

UAF has won the cup the past five years, and it will be playing for a sixth victory. But anything can happen, as both teams will be playing for bragging rights in their long-running feud.

"It was always a big rivalry, even before we got into our own separate conferences," said Tim Bauer, treasurer of the Face-Off Club. "It's the ‘Battle for Alaska.' It's little Fairbanks and big Anchorage."

Match scores are so few so far that it's hard to guess who has the edge this time. During the weekend's season openers, the Nanooks beat Air Force 3-0 on Friday and 8-4 on Saturday. The Seawolves defeated Merrimack 6-2 on Friday and tied 2-2 with Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday.

In exhibition matches, the teams practically swapped wins and losses. The Nanooks lost to the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 Team by 5-3 two weeks ago; UAA beat U-18 by 9-2. Alaska defeated Western Ontario 2-1 last week; UAA lost 3-1.

But MacMillan said those matches don't matter come Governor's Cup.

"When it comes to rivalries, it doesn't matter what's happened in the past," MacMillan said. "I guarantee they're going to be the most competitive games of the year."

Still, that's not necessarily a good thing, he adds.

"I just think there's more emotion, more passion, which if not focused can lead to a lot of mistakes," MacMillan said.

It's not just the athletes that'll be passionate either.

"There'll be a lot of trash talking and newspaper and radio reports leading up to this one," Bruce Cech, the "Voice of the Nanooks," told KSUA radio listeners Saturday night during the Air Force game.

Already one other Nanook sport has faced Anchorage. The UAF volleyball team lost 3-1 to UAA during an away game in Anchorage on Wednesday.

The hockey team is still getting revved up. In practice last week, MacMillan said the ‘Nooks focused largely on finishing and making goals. He said the team is making progress.

"We're going to make a lot of chances, but like I said, the proof's in the pudding," MacMillan said.

On Thursday morning, MacMillan led a mostly quiet team onto the Carlson Center ice for practice. For the next half hour, the team shot goals and did line drills. The coach worked individually with goalies on blocking.

Preparing for the Governor's Cup hasn't just been in terms of practice. There have also been matters of look.

For the first time, both teams will wear old-school uniforms, meant to replicate the suits they wore in 1978. The UAF Face-Off Club spent $3,090 to buy the powder jerseys, according to a purchase order.

"They just want to make it a kind of collectors item or something that's special to just the Governor's Cup," said Jamie Schanback, the Nanooks' sports information officer.

Anchorage had already done something similar in previous years, she said.

"They just wanted to bring that back," Schanback said.

Bauer said the team might wear the retro uniforms every year. The 1978 uniform was chosen out of convenience, he said.

"You had to actually find something someone had a picture of," he said.

The jerseys will be auctioned off later to fans.

"They're going to be in demand," MacMillan said. "They're sharp."

Game one of the Governor's Cup starts Friday at 7:05 p.m. at the Carlson Center. Part two will be Saturday at the same time and place.