 The 1996 season saw changes for the league (it split into two divisions with four teams each) as well as a turn around for the team.With new manager George Mitterwald, the Dukes would post a 21–21 record in the first half, a game and a half behind East Division winner St. Paul.The playoff race in the second half would go down to the final days of the season with the Dukes battling the Madison Black Wolf (who, along with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, joined the league as expansion teams for the 1996 season).