The battle of the ice. The southern stoush. The thriller in the chiller.
Whatever you call it, the rivalry between the the Dunedin Thunder and the Southern Stampede is certainly developing.
The teams have made contrasting starts to the 2014 season.
The Thunder is undefeated after back-to-back victories against the Botany Swarm in Auckland at the weekend.
The second win was a goalfest, the Thunder winning 11-5.
Matt Enright bagged a hat trick and Mitchell Frear and Paris Heyd grabbed two apiece. Kolten Fyfe, Joe Orr, Andre Robichaud and Connor Harrison completed the scoring.
The Stampede opened its campaign against the Canterbury Red Devils in Christchurch earlier this month and was outclassed by the defending champions, losing both matches 4-2.
But that is all history and the two southern teams are scheduled to play each other in Queenstown this weekend.
The Thunder won both fixtures in Queenstown last season but honours were shared in Dunedin.
The Stampede has been one of the dominant teams in the league since its inception in 2006.
It has won two titles and been runner-up three times.
But the Thunder, which joined the league in 2008, has been gradually catching up with its rival.
The Dunedin side was the minor premier last season but was beaten 6-1 by the Red Devils in the final.
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