The seeds of friendship can be hardy little creatures, but it's hard to imagine them taking root in soil this cold, dry and barren.

Few college sports rivalries are as intense as one that exists between the University of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Fewer still can match the level of dislike and distrust that exists between the schools when they face one another in hockey.

The men's and women's programs from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association powers have been warring for decades over elite recruits, national titles and various perceived slights. Hate is a strong word, but it has made its way into this conversation more than once.

Another chapter in this tale will be written Friday and Saturday when the top-ranked UW women's hockey team plays No. 7 Minnesota at the Kohl Center. The Badgers are two-time defending NCAA champions. The Gophers won the title in 2004 and '05.

This is the little patch of scorched earth where Paul Hickman and Bonnie Olein found friendship in life and inspiration in death.

"She became important just as one of those people that you get to know in the course of doing your job, and when you hear of a sad circumstance like this arise, it sort of makes you step back and realize that we're all people," Hickman said. "As much as we want to beat the Gophers on the ice, we have personal lives, too."

Hickman has been the director of operations and equipment manager for the UW women's team since 1999. Olein was his counterpart for the Minnesota women's program, one of several roles she played in the course of a 30-year association with the school.

Olein was 56 when she died of colon cancer Oct. 25. Hickman turned 28 that day, but that is only one of several poignant links the two shared.

Both proudly worked for their alma mater. Both loved being around hockey and its people. Both were enterprising, outgoing and considerate of their colleagues.

Perhaps most importantly, they were kindred spirits in the sense they embraced their unique sense of anonymity.

"My perfect day of work is when nobody notices me," Hickman said. "Bonnie had very much that same attitude. She didn't want any attention. She didn't want to be in the forefront of anything."

Which explains why Hickman is putting himself out there now.

Before Olein died, Hickman called and told her of his idea. In advance of him competing in the Ironman Wisconsin Triathlon next fall, he wanted to solicit sponsors to raise money for colon cancer research in her name.

"She said she'd be with me every stroke in the water, every ride on the bike, every stride in run," said Hickman, who completed his first Ironman in September.

Those wishing to sponsor Hickman can do so online with the Janus Charity Challenge at http://januscharitychallenge.kintera.org/wi08/bonnieolein.

Harry Broadfoot, the long-time equipment manager for the Minnesota men's team, was one of the people Hickman called to keep tabs on Olein.

"She was really touched," Broadfoot said. "When he told me, I was just flabbergasted. That he would do it in her honor just goes to show you that it's the little things that people do that tell you who they are."

Broadfoot, who has worked for the Gophers for 31 years, was asked to describe Olein.

"Think of who your best friend is," he said. "That's who she was to everybody. She was always looking to do the right thing."

The last time Hickman saw Olein was March 26, 2006. The Badgers were about to go on the ice for warmups before facing Minnesota in the NCAA title game.

Hickman was outside the UW dressing room at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis when he looked down the corridor and saw Olein, whose visits to the rink were rare due to her condition and the effects of her treatments.

"Her smile was like a flashlight through darkness," Hickman recalled. "It was like nobody else was in that corridor. I just gave her a big hug. That will stick with me for a long time.

"Here we are, we're about to play for a NCAA title, and I couldn't have cared less about anything else."

Hickman wants to make sure that embrace from Olein endures in the form of a legacy.

"I'd like to see her highlighted a little bit," he said, "because she dedicated so much of her time to the Gophers."