Bulldog Insider: Recent Episodes
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The Duluth News Tribune's weekly college hockey podcast hosted by reporter Matt Wellens and My9 commentator Zach Schneider featuring University of Minnesota Duluth hockey players, coaches and alumni.
The 'Insiders' answer your questions about the 2024-25 season and the future of the UMD men's and women's hockey programs in Part II of the two-part Season 7 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Duluth's UMD hockey "Insiders" evaluate the 2024-25 Bulldogs men's and women's hockey seasons, and look ahead to 2025-26, in Part I of the two-part Season 7 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bulldogs sophomore Grace Sadura shares her journey from Minnetonka to UMD, tells us what it was like as a sophomore going through the coaching change and answers questions submitted by teammates.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Seniors Carter Loney and Owen Gallatin share memories from their four years at UMD, including what that first day was like back in 2021-22. Who were the teammates they looked up to as freshmen?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Fifth year seniors Clara Van Wieren and Nina Jobst-Smith return to Bulldog Insider to look back on their five years as Bulldogs, and figure out who said what crazy thing previously on the podcast.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bulldogs seniors Jenna Lawry and Brenna Fuhrman take a look back at an eventful four years at UMD as they try to make one last run at an NCAA Frozen Four berth and national championship.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bulldogs freshman goaltender Klayton Knapp only got one start in his first three months of college hockey. Since Christmas, the man known as Knapper, Napkin and Kidnapper has been UMD's go-to-goalie.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Like every senior in college, UMD defenseman Hanna Baskin has to start thinking about what life after college is going to look like. As a future professional hockey player, it's as uncertain as ever.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Associate head coach Adam Krause discusses how the Bulldogs men's hockey team is recruiting major junior leagues in Canada now that the NCAA has lifted the ban on players who were once off limits.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Former Husky Joe Molenaar is just what UMD was looking for with 11 freshmen on the roster this season. The Bulldogs are exactly what Molenaar was looking for at this point in hockey career and life.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:00 Intro
0:49 Transferring to a young team
4:28 Leadership role at UMD
7:06 Coach Scott Sandelin vs Brett Larson
10:52 Journey to UMD
15:08 NCAA 5th year rule
19:51 Listener questions
24:25 Quick hits
35:47 Outro
Minnesota Duluth freshmen defensemen Adam Kleber and Ty Hanson may still be teenagers, but they both know what it’s like to live and play hockey away from home.
Kleber left Chaska High School following his sophomore year of 2021-22 and moved to Nebraska to play the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Goaltender Tindra Holm and forward Olivia Mobley entered the transfer portal seeking a school that would push them as hockey players. The culture of the Bulldogs women's hockey program won them over.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:00 Intro
1:23 Tindra Holm's Journey to UMD
9:24 Olivia Mobley's Journey to UMD
23:52 Favorite College Hockey Rinks
26:58 Coaching Transition
31:43 UMD Compared to Other Programs
37:01 Thoughts on the Transfer Portal
45:43 Close
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we're rewinding the tape and reliving our favorite moments from the first half of Season 7 and the 2024-25 season.
Some of the top moments from the first half include the banter between roommates Cal Arnott, Jayson Shaugabay and the Plante brothers, Zam and Max. Future police officer Gabby Krause shared the perfect crime and Adam Gajan talked about his World Junior Championship experience prior to coming to UMD.
This week’s episode also features Caitlin Kraemer, Laura Schuler, Dominic James, Joey Pierce and Aaron Pionk.
The Bulldog Insider Podcast is hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and the voice of Bulldogs hockey on My 9 Sports, Zach Schneider. You can find the Bulldog Insider Podcast at DuluthNewsTribune.com/BulldogInsider, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop almost every Thursday throughout the UMD men's and women's hockey seasons.
0:00 Intro
0:49 The Plante Brothers
6:47 Cal Arnott & Jason Shaugabay
14:04 Gabby Krause
18:51 Caitlin Kraemer
25:10 Laura Schuler
32:18 Joey Pierce & Aaron Pionk
36:50 Dominic James
42:07 Adam Gajan
46:41 Outro
UMD men's and women's hockey is at the holiday break. One team has struggled to start the 2024-25 season. Another is on track to host an NCAA tournament game. The 'Bulldog Insiders' break it down.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
0:00 Intro
0:54 UMD Women's Team: Thumbs Up
5:59 UMD Women's Team: Thumbs Down
13:16 UMD Women's Team: 3 Stars
16:37 UMD Men's Team: Thumbs Down
31:17 UMD Men's Team: Thumbs Up
34:26 UMD Men's Team: 3 Stars
41:51 Closing Thoughts
Slovakian goaltender Adam Gajan kept getting overlooked in his home country. That is until he came to the United States to play in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. A few games in, everything changed.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
#duluth #duluthnews #bulldoginsider #bulldoginsiderpodcast #podcast #hockeypodcast #hockey #collegehockey #bulldoghockey #umdbulldogs #sports #sportspodcast #adamgajan #slovakia #slovakiahockey #goalie #hockeygoalie
Like many, former UMD and Hibbing forward Adam Johnson made an impact on the lives of Bulldogs defenseman Joey Pierce and Aaron Pionk, both in life and death.
Pierce and Pionk joined the DNT’s Matt Wellens on the podcast this week ahead of Adam Johnson Memorial Night at 5 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena when the Bulldogs host Western Michigan in the finale of their NCHC series. They discuss the legacy of Johnson, including neck guard requirements that are in place almost everywhere — the NCAA and NHL being the exception.
The two former Hermantown High School Hawks also answer listener/viewer questions, Pierce shares his journey from Ely to Hermantown, and talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
UMD senior forward Gabby Krause was forced to medically retire this fall, giving up her dream of playing hockey to preserve another dream of becoming a K9 officer.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Roommates Callum Arnott and Jayson Shaugabay, both freshmen forwards for the Bulldogs, share their path from King City and Warroad to UMD, as well as what it's like to live with the Plante brothers.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. #duluth #duluthnews #bulldoginsider #bulldoginsiderpodcast #podcast #hockeypodcast #hockey #collegehockey #bulldoghockey #umdbulldogs @UMNDuluth @umdathletics #sports #sportspodcast
While most people dread starting from the bottom again, Bulldogs freshman center Caitlin Kraemer is relishing the challenge of once again working her way up the NCAA hockey ladder.
On the podcast this week, Kraemer spoke with the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider about her path to UMD and how the Waterloo, Ontario-native became a hockey star, while her sisters thrive in soccer.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bruce Ciskie of KDAL joins Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune and Zach Schneider of My9 Sports this week to answer listener and viewer questions on this week’s edition of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.
The “Bulldog Insiders” who cover the Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s hockey teams also give their thumbs up and thumbs down for both squads.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the News Tribune’s Bulldog Insider Podcast, it wasn’t just the new WCHA commissioner joining Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider.
Michelle McAteer is an original Bulldog — or OG as she likes to tell people — whose college career began in 1999-2000 with the first ever varsity women’s hockey team at UMD. The WCHA also began play that season, and a year later the NCAA started awarding a national championship in the sport.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Minnesota Duluth’s senior captain Dominic James had only been to the state of Minnesota once in his entire life growing up, coming to the Twin Cities when he was around 12 years old for a youth hockey tournament.
James talks with News Tribune Bulldogs beat reporter Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports about those experiences, and we get to know his roommates back here in Duluth and on the road, like this week when the Bulldogs travel to UMass-Lowell for a nonconference series.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
After two years apart, brothers Zam and Max Plante are back home in the Twin Ports, and roommates again. The Hermantown natives both moved away in 2022 to play hockey elsewhere following a win for the Hawks in the Minnesota Class A state championship game. Zam Plante went to Chicago, and later Fargo, to play in the United States Hockey League while younger brother, Max, moved to Plymouth, Michigan, to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
When Maura Crowell left the Bulldogs this year to become the head coach at Dartmouth, Schuler finally got the job she sought after nine years ago. The new UMD women’s hockey coach joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast to record an episode prior to the season-opening series at Ohio State, to share what she’s learned along the way.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Bulldog Insider Podcast is back for its seventh season with Matt Wellens of the News Tribune, Zach Schneider of My9 Sports and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie previewing the 2024-25 UMD women’s and men’s hockey seasons.
The Bulldogs women open the year with a key WCHA series Sept. 21-22 at Ohio State, while the men ease into things with a nonconference home game against Bemidji State on Oct. 5, followed by an exhibition against Manitoba on Oct. 6 at Amsoil Arena.
We solicited questions from listeners and viewers prior to recording the Bulldog Insider Podcast Season 7 premiere, but couldn’t get to all of the question in the episode.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Season 7 of Bulldog Insider begins with episode 1 premiering Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. In the premiere episode, co-hosts Matt Wellens and Zach Scheider are joined by KDAL's Bruce Ciskie to talk about their thoughts heading into the 2024-25' UMD men and women's hockey season.
You'll be able to catch new episodes almost every Thursday throughout the UMD hockey season.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcast.
The 2023-24 Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey seasons came to a close less than two weeks ago, but the offseason news is only heating up. And we know you have lots of questions about the programs moving forward.
The Duluth News Tribune's UMD hockey beat reporter Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL get together on a snowy day in the Twin Ports to try and answer those questions from you, the fans, about Blake Biondi, Cole Spicer, Will Francis, Ben Steeves, recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL and the coaching staff. They predict who will captain the Bulldogs in 2024-25 and give a sneak peak of the schedules for next season.
This is the second episode of a two-part Season 6 finale. In Part I, the Bulldogs hockey "Insiders" break down what went right and what went wrong for both teams in 2023-24, what to expect in the offseason with recruiting and the transfer portal, and they take a look at what to expect in 2024-25.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
The 2023-24 Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey seasons have come to a close following the UMD women's loss to Ohio State in the NCAA tournament and the Bulldogs men getting swept by Denver in the NCHC quarterfinals.
The Duluth News Tribune's UMD hockey beat reporter Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL get together on a snowy day in the Twin Ports to break down what went right and what went wrong for both teams in 2023-24, what to expect in the offseason with recruiting and the transfer portal, and they take a look at what to expect in 2024-25.
This is the first episode of a two-part Season 6 finale. In Part II, the Bulldogs hockey "Insiders" answer questions from fans about Blake Biondi, Cole Spicer, Will Francis, Ben Steeves, recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL and the coaching staff. Watch for that episode to post in the near future.
0:00-0:34 Essentia Health Sponsor
0:35-1:51 Intro
1:52-26:42 UMD Women's Team Season Overview
26:43-28:12 Ad Break
28:13-47:48 UMD Men's Team Season Overview: What went wrong?
47:49-49:00 Part 2 Preview and Outro
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team is hitting the road this weekend for the NCHC quarterfinals, and while senior defenseman Darian Gotz would much rather be playing at Amsoil Arena this weekend, the destination this week of Denver is an OK consolation prize.
Gotz joins the podcast this week, and we ask him about his favorite desintations in the NCHC over the last four seasons. We also talk about his high school hockey career at Hermantown and dive into the politics of the Minnesota Class A state boys hockey tournament. Gotz also shares stories of growing up in Hibbing and being babysat by former Bulldogs forward Adam Johnson, who died in October playing hockey in England.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is heading to the WCHA Final Faceoff this weekend at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, and after that, the Bulldogs will very likely be playing in the NCAA women's hockey tournament for a fourth-straight season.
One player who has stepped as of late to get the Bulldogs where they are is redshirt sophomore forward Mary Kate O'Brien. She holds the distinction of being the first known Massachusetts native to play for the UMD women's hockey program. She joins the podcast this week to discuss UMD's postseason run, how she became a Bulldog and what it was like for her growing up playing boys and girls hockey in the Northeast.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we breakdown and debate the UMD Women's Hockey 25th anniversary team that has now been released in its entirety.
The authority on UMD women’s hockey, UMD director of athletic communications Kelly Grgas-Wheeler, joins Matt and Zach to talk about the process of putting the team together, and to highlight players who are not just legends at UMD, but in the sport of women's hockey.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens provides an update in Bulldogs Hockey for the men and women's teams. Matt also discusses what to expect for the next episode of Bulldog Insider. Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year seniors Luke Loheit and Quinn Olson join the podcast to reflect on their Bulldogs hockey careers and share what could be coming next for both.
Loheit and Olson both arrived at UMD in the fall of 2019 when the program was chasing a third-straight NCAA title. They look back on that season, and what it was like to play with members of the back-to-back national championship teams like Hunter Shepard, Nick Wolff and Noah Cates.
We discuss their favorite memories from on the ice and off it, how much team dinners were during the NCHC Pod in Omaha, and the people that made a significant impact on their time as students and as athletes at UMD.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth women's captain Mannon McMahon makes her long overdue debut. It comes at the perfect time as she is approaching two significant UMD women's hockey program records.
McMahon, who has been in the Bulldogs lineup since Day 1 of her college career, has played in 164 career games at UMD, all consecutively. She can break the program's consecutive game streak this weekend against St. Cloud State at Amsoil Arena. Next weekend at Minnesota, she can tie the total career games played record. Anna Klein currently holds the record for consecutive games at 165. Naomi Rogge holds the total games played record of 168.
In addition to talking about the records she is chasing, we take a look back at McMahon's career, unfortunately opening up a painful wound from McMahon's sophomore season that she had buried. The fifth-year senior forward also shares some of her favorite things about Duluth and what's possibly next in her hockey career.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Minnesota Duluth sophomore center Jack Smith grew up in St. Cloud watching the St. Cloud State hockey team. He played for St. Cloud Cathedral in high school against Blake Biondi, Joey Pierce, Aaron Pionk and the Hermantown Hawks.
Now Smith is in his second season at Minnesota Duluth, playing alongside the former Hawks with the Bulldogs. On this week's episode of Bulldog Insider, Smith talks about his path from St. Cloud to Duluth, and the injuries he's had to battle along the way.
We also play a game of "Start, Bench, Cut: Minnesota Edition" to get hit thoughts on hockey arenas, rivals, the state's pro sports teams and its unique cuisine.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Two of the top up-and-coming goaltenders for the Canadian women's national hockey team hail from opposite ends of the country, however, both can be found this season in Duluth, Minnesota.
Sophomore Hailey MacLeod of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and freshman Eve Gascon of Mascouche, Quebec, have been a formidable 1A-1B punch in goal this season, giving the Minnesota Duluth women's hockey program a chance to win every night. Both are ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in save percentage, meaning coach Maura Crowell can't go wrong when it comes to deciding who starts in net on any given day.
Gascon and MacLeod join the Bulldog Insider Podcast to discuss their competitive, but friendly and supportive relationship. They also play a game of "How well do you know your fellow goaltender" where that friendly and supportive competitive nature is on full display.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth freshman Aaron Pionk of Hermantown talks about his transition from forward to the defenseman, and what it was like growing up with four older brothers.
Pionk was a forward throughout his high school days with the Hermantown Hawks, making the move back to the blue line when he was 18 and playing junior hockey in Cloquet with the Minnesota Wilderness of the NAHL. Shortly after switching to defense, he landed a college scholarship offer — initially from Minnesota State before coming to UMD — and then was drafted by the Minnesota Wild.
His first season at UMD marks just his third as a defenseman, so Pionk admits that there is still much for him to learn about the position. One thing he doesn't need to be taught is toughness. That comes from growing up with four older brothers in Hermantown. One of those brothers who got on him — literally at times — is now one of his biggest resources. That's Neal, a former defenseman at UMD who now plays in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Hanna Baskin joins the show to talk about her breakout season on the Bulldogs blue line and how she got to this point in her college career.
Baskin shares the story of her freshman year of high school when her coach asked her to switch from forward to defenseman, and go play another season with Minnetonka's 15U team to learn the position. She said she hated the season, but it changed the course of her hockey career and eventually led her to UMD.
Baskin, who after playing behind the likes of Ashton Bell and Maggie Flaherty her first two seasons, is now the Bulldogs leading scorer on the blue line with five goals and eight assists through 20 games. She is coming off a five-point weekend against Bemidji State that included a goal and four assists to earn her WCHA Defender of the Week honors.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Will Francis joins us fresh off his first game back on the ice with the Bulldogs last Saturday at St. Thomas. Francis was away from the team and UMD campus for the entire first semester after announcing in August that his leukemia had relapsed.
Francis takes us through his journey over the past five months, from the days leading up to learning cancer had returned to the exhibition on Saturday in Mendota Heights. He shares what it was like training on his own for a semester — though he did eventually find a partner in an NHLer looking to get back in the league — and what he's looking forward to getting back on campus with his teammates and classmates this winter. We also talk about his clothing line with Sauce Hockey, and the deer he shot this fall.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we bring you Part II of our mini-series of Nittany Lions-turned-Bulldogs with UMD women's senior forward Olivia Wallin.
Like Bulldogs senior forward Connor McMenamin, Wallin transferred this offseason from Penn State to Minnesota Duluth. A civil engineering major, Wallin credited McMenamin with encouraging her to come to Duluth once she entered her name into the transfer portal after three seasons with the Nittany Lions.
Wallin brings a different perspective of life at Penn State having played for the women's program, which does not play with its fellow Big 10 schools in the WCHA. Penn State is part of College Hockey America, where the level of play and travel is very, very different.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, the so called "Bulldogs Insiders" who follow the UMD hockey teams all year long take a look back at the first half of the 2023-24 season and see how their preseason predictions are holding up.
Matt Wellens of the News Tribune, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL hand out some unofficial awards as well, taking a look at the most impactful transfers and freshmen, the biggest surprise on each team and the first-half MVP for both squads.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, freshmen forwards Anthony Menghini and Matthew Perkins of the UMD men's hockey team dish on life as college freshmen, sharing what has stood out to them about life as Bulldogs on the ice and off it.
Both took different paths to Duluth with Menghini growing up in Baxter, Minnesota, and Perkins coming from Balgonie, Saskathchewan. The two were adversaries in May when Perkins and the Youngstown Phantoms defeated Menghini of the Fargo Force in the 2023 USHL Clark Cup Final. What was life for both of them bussing across the USHL?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior wing and assistant captain Connor McMenamin shares what it's like going from a Big Ten program at Penn State to an NCAA Division II school like Minnesota Duluth, that plays Division I hockey.
The short answer from McMenamin is that the Nittany Lions and Bulldogs programs are quite similar when it comes to resources and amenities. The big difference between the two programs is their location, the communities they call home and the leagues they play in — which impacts the style of play.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, UMD men's fifth-year senior captain Luke Loheit reveals the keys to growing a good mustache during November for the Movember Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for men’s physical and mental health issues. It’s a campaign that the men’s hockey community has really rallied around, and that includes the Bulldogs.
Many members of the UMD men's hockey are growing — or trying to grow — mustaches this month for Movember. You can check out their progress and make a donation to their Movember team page here. It's a campaign that's personal inside the UMD locker room after goaltender Zach Stejskal went through his battle with testicular cancer during his sophomore season. On the podcast this week, Loheit talks about Movember's emphasis on mental health awareness and why that is important to him as captain of the Bulldogs.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens provides an update in Bulldogs Hockey for the men and women's teams. Matt will also discusses what to expect for season 6, episode 8 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, it's Luke Bast's turn to faceoff against his former team when the Minnesota Duluth men's program hosts North Dakota at Amsoil Arena.
Bast transferred to UMD in the offseason after two years at North Dakota, where injuries derailed much of his sophomore season. He spoke about what was important to him when he began his search for a new school, what it's like playing for both Scott Sandelin and Brad Berry and why the infamous Red Pepper is not at the top of his list for restaurants in Grand Forks.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, UMD fifth-year senior wing Reece Hunt joins the podcast fresh off her homecoming to Bemidji State. Hunt transferred to the Bulldogs this year after playing four seasons for the Beavers. She played her first game at Sanford Center last Friday as an opponent, and scored the game-winning goal for UMD in the 2-1 victory.
Hunt provides a unique and honest assessment on this week's episode about what it is like to return to your school after transferring to an in-league rival that she already knew pretty well. She compares what the Bulldogs say about Bemidji to what Bemidji says about the Bulldogs when they play each other. How accurate is all of it?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, former Bulldogs captains Gabbie Hughes and Ashton Bell share what life has been like since both were drafted by Ottawa in the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League draft last month.
The PWHL is set to open training camps for all six teams in mid-November while the first season will get underway in January. How are they preparing in the meantime for the new league, and what does it mean for both to be part of what everyone hopes is women's hockey history?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we take a stop in Cohasset, Minnesota, instead of just passing through on U.S. Highway 2 like we usually do.
UMD senior goaltender and Cohasset native Zach Stejskal joins the podcast to tell us about the little town outside Grand Rapids that has produced a couple of quality goaltenders for the Bulldogs. Also the hometown of Hunter Shepard, Stejskal describes life growing up in Cohasset, and highlights some of the people in the Grand Rapids hockey program who helped him become the goalie that he is today.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you could design a third jersey for the Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey teams, what would it look like?
We asked UMD women's hockey seniors Clara Van Wieren and Nina Jobst-Smith what they would like to see in a third jersey, and both came up with very different, but very unique designs. Their team has plenty of experience with third and special edition jerseys over the years.
Also in this week's episode, we find out what Van Wieren and Jobst-Smith learned about the 2023-24 Bulldogs from their first series of the season — a sweep of Long Island University. We also dive into what goes into the mind of a player and teammates when a hat trick is on the line.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
UMD senior forward Blake Biondi of Hermantown joins the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to discuss his return from double shoulder surgery and what needs to happen for the UMD offense to succeed.
After missing the second half of his junior season in 2022-23 due to shoulder injuries, Hermantown native Blake Biondi is back with the Bulldogs for his senior season in 2023-24, ready to score goals and help get UMD back to the NCAA tournament after the program fell short a year ago.
Biondi, a winger who was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, had surgery on both shoulders during the second half of last season. He joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about the recovery process and share what he expects of himself and the team this season.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Bulldog Insider Podcast returns for its sixth season to preview the upcoming 2023-24 Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey seasons. The voice of the Bulldogs on KDAL, Bruce Ciskie, joins Matt Wellens of the News Tribune and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports to dive into what lies ahead for the Bulldogs as the programs get ready for their season openers the first weekend of October at Amsoil Arena.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Welcome to Part II of the two-part, two-episode season 5 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast. The voice of the Bulldogs on KDAL, Bruce Ciskie, joins Matt Wellens of the News Tribune and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports to help up wrap up the 2022-23 men’s and women’s hockey seasons, as well as to look ahead to 2023-24.
In Part II, the "Bulldog Insiders" answer questions sent in from listeners that cover recruiting, the transfer portal and next season's schedules.
Part I of the two-part, two-episode season 5 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast with Matt, Zach and Bruce can be listened to here.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Welcome to Part I of the two-part, two-episode season 5 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast. The voice of the Bulldogs on KDAL, Bruce Ciskie, joins Matt Wellens of the News Tribune and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports to help up wrap up the 2022-23 men’s and women’s hockey seasons, as well as to look ahead to 2023-24.
Matt, Zach and Bruce started recording this episode just minutes after news broke that freshman wing Isaas Howard had entered the transfer portal.
Part II of the two-part, two-episode season 5 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast with Matt, Zach and Bruce will post on Thursday. In that episode, the "Insiders" answer your questions that were submitted last week.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Take part in the last two episodes of the Bulldog Insider Podcast by submitting questions to mwellens@duluthnews.com. Part 1 will release Monday, March 27, 2023, and part 2 will release Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we go behind the scenes of college hockey's Frozen Fours with Mark Bedics, the NCAA associate director of championships and alliances.
Bedics previously worked as a media coordinator for the NCAA's Men's Frozen Four from 2002 to 2021. Now he's on the operations side of planning, organizing and putting on events like this week's NCAA Women's Frozen Four at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. He shares stories and experiences from both events, including what it's like to run a Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul when Bulldogs and Gophers fans take over the event. We also dive into the impact the NCAA's gender equity investigation and report has had on both events.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend that ended the season for both the men and women. Matt will also discusses what to expect for season 5, episode 23 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior defenseman Derek Daschke has been through the recruiting process more than most.
He initially committed to Western Michigan when he was 15 years old, but a shakeup of the coaching staff caused him to reopen his recruitment. He briefly committed to Omaha before de-committing, again because of a coaching shakeup.
Daschke finally landed at Miami, where he played for two different head coaches in four seasons. Last summer, however, he transferred to the Bulldogs to pursue a Master of Business Administration and play his fifth season of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daschke joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about his recruiting and transfer experiences. He provides some valuable advice to those who are going through both at this time of the year. We also get insight into the various NCHC rinks, towns and programs from someone who has been in the NCHC for five seasons.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming Bulldogs hockey weekend. The women are in the NCAA tournament against Clarkson on Thursday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. If the Bulldogs win, they'll battle the Gophers for a spot in the Frozen Four in Duluth. The men face St. Cloud State again Friday and Saturday, this time for a chance to compete in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Matt will also discusses what to expect for season 5, episode 22 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, March 9, 2023. Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we get to know Minnesota Duluth's two-time Hockey Humanitarian Award top-five finalist Gabbie Hughes from the perspective of her parents, Miki and Terry Hughes. Like their daughter, Miki and Terry are co-founders and active members of Sophie's Squad, an organization that has brought mental health awareness to the forefront of hockey in Minnesota.
Miki and Terry share stories about the founding of Sophie's Squad and provide insight into why the cause is so meaningful to Gabbie. Why has advocating for the mental health of young athletes become just as important as winning a national championship to one of college hockey's top players, and one of the top Bulldogs to every play in Duluth?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming Bulldog hockey weekend. The women are part of the WCHA Final Faceoff, as they'll begin with a battle against Ohio State Friday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. The men wrap up their regular season schedule with a series at St. Cloud State Friday and Saturday. Matt will also discusses what to expect for season 5 episode 21 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, March 2, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior forwards Tanner Laderoute and Jesse Jacques reflect on college careers that began with a national championship back in 2018-19 before being interrupted by a global pandemic in the spring of 2020.
The last Bulldogs on the roster with NCAA championship rings, Laderoute and Jacques are now charged with passing down their knowledge and experience to the "kids" on this year's squad. Jacques and Laderoute discuss the dynamic of being 6-7 years older than their freshmen teammates. We also look back on what could have been in 2019-20, if COVID-19 had not ended their sophomore season early.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming busy Bulldog hockey weekend, with home games on Feb. 24, Feb. 25 and potentially Feb. 26. He also discusses what to expect for season 5 episode 20 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
When Ashton Bell arrived on the Minnesota Duluth campus in the fall of 2017, she was a forward. A year later, Emma Soderberg arrived as the Bulldogs backup goaltender. Bell eventually transitioned to defenseman while Soderberg took over the starting role at UMD as a junior. Both were Olympians a year ago in Beijing, with Soderberg starting in net for Sweden and Bell winning a gold medal with Canada.
Now the college careers of Bell and Soderberg are wrapping up as the Bulldogs enter their final series of the regular season this weekend at Bemidji State. On this week's episode of Bulldog Insider, we take a look back at their college careers and discuss the evolution of the UMD women's hockey program during their time. Soderberg and Bell also add their contributions to the News Tribune's upcoming Frozen Four fan guide.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming Bulldog hockey games weekend on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18. He also discusses what to expect for season 5 episode 19 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Bulldogs junior defenseman Wyatt Kaiser joins the podcast this week to talk about his 2022-23 season, and share some of his cooking skills.
Wyatt Kaiser's junior season at Minnesota Duluth has been different from his freshmand and sophomore seasons in many, many ways. It's his first full college season without any pandemic restrictions. It's the first season in which he's the veteran Bulldog on the blue line after playing with a pair of two-time national champion seniors. The 2022-23 season is also the first in which Kaiser and the Bulldogs aren't ranked nationally in the polls.
Kaiser, a defenseman from Andover, joins the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to discuss all of that, as well as his relationship with the Chicago Blackhawks organization and cooking.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming Bulldog hockey games weekend on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11. He also discusses what to expect for season 5 episode 18 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
A lot of people go to college for seven years. They're called doctors. However, few get to be part of a college hockey program for six years. Around Duluth, that person is known as Naomi Rogge.
Rogge earned the status of sixth-year senior after missing her entire junior season with a knee injury and by playing through the 2021-22 COVID-19 season. She committed to the Bulldogs in the summer of 2015, just a few months into Maura Crowell's tenure as UMD head coach, and stepped on the ice for the first time in the fall of 2017, when the program was rebuilding following its 2016-17 NCAA tournament run.
The medical redshirt and pandemic exemption from the NCAA has allowed Rogge to see through Crowell's rebuild of UMD to its current state as a national championship contender. Rogge shares what she's learned from that experience and what she's learned from living in Duluth the last six years on this week's episode of the Bulldog Insider Podcast. We also get her picks for the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four fan guide, and test her memory of what life was life back in 2017 when she first came to UMD.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens recaps the action from last weekend and gives a preview of the upcoming Bulldog hockey games weekend on Feb. 3 and Feb. 4. He also discusses what to expect for season 5 episode 16 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
After appearing in just 21 games over three seasons at Maine, one would expect "playing time" would be at the top of the list for a NHL-drafted goaltender like Matthew Thiessen when it came time to pick a new team for 2022-23. It wasn't.
Informed he was no longer part of the rebuilding Black Bears' plans moving forward, the 2018 seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks told the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week he entered his name in the transfer portal in seek of a program with a championship tradition and academics that aligned with what he'd been studying at Maine. Playing time was far, far down the list for Thiessen.
Thiessen, a senior with another year of eligibility left, has found every he sought and more so far this season at Minnesota Duluth, where he's split time in goal with junior Zach Stejskal. Thiessen joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to share his journey from Maine to Duluth, discuss the dynamic among the Bulldogs goalies this year and break down everything he's learned from working with UMD volunteer goaltending coach Brant Nicklin.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens gives a preview of the Bulldog hockey games this weekend of Jan. 27 through Jan. 29.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth and Amsoil Arena will be hosting the 2023 NCAA Women's Frozen Four in March, bringing hockey fans from across the country to the Twin Ports. The last time Minnesota Duluth hosted the Frozen Four was in 2012, so this week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we began work on a fan guide with two veteran Bulldogs.
UMD fifth-year senior forwards Kylie Hanley and Anneke Linser — who hope to be participants, not fans March 17-19 at Amsoil Arena — gave us their recommendations for food, drinks and entertainment around Duluth. They shared the places they've enjoyed the most during their five seasons as Bulldogs.
We also talked hockey ahead of UMD's series with St. Thomas. Linser has a team-high of 13 goals, while Hanley has become the most versatile player in UMD's lineup the last two seasons. Linser and Hanley have both received tremendous praise from the coaching staff this season.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens gives a preview of the Bulldog hockey games this weekend of Jan. 20 through Jan. 22.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
The Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team will be spending a significant time on the road the next two weeks, literally, busing to Omaha this week and North Dakota the following week. The Bulldogs already made one jaunt down U.S. Highway 2 to Bemidji State and back last weekend.
One Bulldog who is used to long bus rides is freshman wing Ben Steeves, who played the previous two seasons in the United States Hockey League. Before that, he spent time playing AAA hockey in Michigan and his home state of New Hampshire. Steeves, who played his senior year of high school at Eden Prairie after his family moved to Minnesota, was this week's guest on the Bulldog Insider Podcast. He's leading the Bulldogs in goals and points as NCHC play resumes this week.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens gives a preview of the Bulldog hockey games this weekend of Jan. 13 through Jan. 15. He also discusses what to expect in season 5 episode 14 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Bob Nygaard was the sports information director at Minnesota Duluth for over three decades, helping the Bulldogs men's hockey program win a historic six Hobey Baker Memorial Awards during his time.
Prior to the men's series finale against Bemidji State at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, the press box at Amsoil Arena will be named in Nygaard's honor. Nygaard joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about the honor. He also takes listeners behind the scenes of what it took then and what it takes now to promote a team's top players for honors such as the Hobey Baker.
Nygaard shares the story of the founding of UMD's Shjon Podein Community Service Award, and we get the backstory on the most infamous jersey ever worn by a Bulldogs hockey team for one night only against the Wisconsin Badgers at the DECC.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
The Bulldog Insider Podcast returns this week from its holiday hiatus to preview the second half of the 2022-23 season, while also looking back at the first half of the year.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider are joined by the radio voice of UMD hockey on KDAL, Bruce Ciskie, to answer questions, such as:
- Have the Bulldogs met your expectations, exceeded them or underperformed to date?
- Who is your first half MVP?
- Will the Bulldogs make the NCAA tournament?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
When Scott Sandelin had an opening on his staff back in 2020, former Ferris State Bulldogs captain Cody Chupp jumped at the chance to interview to become an assistant coach for the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.
The job went to Derek Plante, but four years later, Chupp got another crack at the job after Plante left to rejoin the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Chupp joined Sandelin's staff in August and is now entering his fourth full month as a UMD assistant coach. Chupp spent the previous eight seasons coaching junior hockey in the United States Hockey League, and it was there that Chupp said he developed an admiration for how the Sandelin and his staff went about their business recruiting players.
Chupp joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to share his experiences coaching in the USHL, from what it was like to work with associate head coach Adam Krause and others at UMD, to what he saw going on with other NCAA Division I men's programs during the recruiting process. He also dives into what the past few months have been like at UMD, and offers some solid advice for players who are going through the recruiting process today.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
After missing much of the second half of the 2021-22 season — including the NCAA tournament, Frozen Four and national championship game — with a season-ending knee injury, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior defenseman Maggie Flaherty has done the exact opposite of easing back into the Bulldogs' lineup.
Flaherty is having herself a career-season at UMD with seven goals in 16 games. That's tied with fellow fifth-year players Anneke Linser and Ashton Bell for the team-high. The seven goals also matches the total goals scored by Flaherty in the 114 games she played at UMD over the previous four seasons. Flaherty joins the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about her transition from dishing out "apples" to sniping goaltenders. We also cover a wide-range of topics from this weekend's series against Ohio State, last year's national championship game, the holidays and who is the "old soul" of this veteran Bulldogs squad.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
After retiring from professional hockey early in his career due to injuries, former Minnesota Duluth captain Parker Mackay was looking to get into coaching. He even landed a job in the Alberta Junior Hockey League before getting a call asking if he'd be interesting in scouting for an NHL team.
Now Mackay — who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019 — is in his second season as an amateur and college scout for the Boston Bruins, covering Western Canada and the United States. He's part of a growing group of recent UMD graduates from both the men's and women's programs who have joined the NHL scouting ranks along with Brigette Lacquette and Sidney Morin. Both are pro scouts with Lacquette working for the Chicago Blackhawks and Morin with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Mackay joins this week's episode of Bulldog Insider to share how he got into scouting for an NHL team and what life is like on the road for a young scout like him.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
A year ago this month, Minnesota Duluth goaltender Zach Stejskal went public with his diagnosis of testicular cancer. It triggered not only a wave of support for the Cohasset native, but a surge in donations for the Bulldogs' Movember campaign, which raises funds and awareness for men's physical and mental health issues.
Stejskal is now cancer free, and leading a new group of Bulldogs goaltenders that includes senior transfer Matthew Thiessen and freshman Zach Sandy. He and his teammates are also once again raising funds and awareness for Movember by growing mustaches. Stejskal joins the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about all of that, and more.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we're talking about the state of women's professional hockey. And unlike previous years, we didn't have to Zoom with players from seven time zones away to do so.
A flood of players — from the U.S., Canada and Europe — have returned from European leagues to play in the Premier Hockey Federation this season, including a number of Minnesota Duluth alumni. There are five former Bulldogs playing on the Minnesota Whitecaps this season, and two — Sidney Morin and Sydney Brodt — joined the podcast this week to discuss the investments the PHF (formerly the National Women's Hockey League) has made to bring in the world's best players.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Minnesota Duluth sophomore defenseman Will Francis joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about his battle with leukemia and what it took to get back on the ice playing hockey at a high level. Francis shares what it's like to be an inspiration to others battling cancer and the fundraising he's doing for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
Thanks to the return of an Olympic gold medalist and a goaltender who has broke out on the international stage in the past year, Bulldogs fifth-year senior center Gabbie Hughes hasn't been in the spotlight as much as you might expect for a player coming off a season in which she was a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth's Jesse Jacques and Minnesota State's Ryan Sandelin go way back having both grown up in Hermantown together. For the past four years, however, they've been facing off as rivals in college.
Besides their college careers as rivals and prep careers as teammates, the guys discuss how they met, Jesse's nickname and the origins of it, the significance of jersey number 11, who had the best hair in high school, which former teammate would make a good subject for a documentary film and more.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, new University of Minnesota Duluth athletic director Forrest Karr joins to discuss the future of NCAA athletics and that little controversy over a new mascot costume.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth junior wing Blake Biondi tells us what it was like to have his senior year at Hermantown High School documented by a film crew for the documentary, 'Hockeyland'; and what it was like to go back and relive that part of his life three years later.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
The Bulldog Insider Podcast drops the puck on its fifth season with an in-depth conversation with Olympic gold medalist Ashton Bell. The Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior defenseman and captain is back with the Bulldogs in 2022-23 after traveling the globe last season with Team Canada, winning gold medals at the 2021 and 2022 IIHF World Championship, and at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
In Part 2 of the Bulldog Insider Podcast Season 4 finale, the ‘Bulldog Insiders’ — Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider and Bruce Ciskie — take your questions looking back at the 2021-22 UMD men’s and women’s hockey seasons while also looking ahead to the 2022-23 seasons.
They break down what the rosters look like at the moment (Note: Connor Kelley had not entered the transfer portal yet when this was recorded) for both the men and women, discuss the incoming players and also put together their All-UMD outdoor rec-league teams as requested by former co-host Kelly Hinseth.
The Bulldog Insider Podcast is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. This episode was edited and produced by Matt Wellens. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
As members of the UMD mens hockey team, Matt Anderson, Koby Bender, Ben Patt, Louie Roehl and Kobe Roth have helped make memories that Bulldogs fans will never forget. In their five seasons, UMD won two NCHC Frozen Faceoff titles, played in four NCAA tournaments, reached three Frozen Fours and won two national championships.
In the first part of a two-part season finale of the Bulldog Insider podcast, Anderson, Bender, Patt and Roth join the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and My9’s Zach Schneider to look back on their unforgettable five seasons in Bulldog Country. They discuss their first days on campus, favorite on-ice and off-ice moments, which teacher or staff member impacted their lives most, what the future holds for them, what it was like to watch their captain, Noah Cates, make his NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers and much, much more.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
You can find more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
The 2021-2022 University of Minnesota Duluth mens hockey season officially came to a close on Saturday, March 26, 2022 in Loveland, Colorado with Denver’s 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs in a NCAA regional final.
A two-part season finale of the Bulldog Insider podcast is planned as episodes return next week. In part one, the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and My9’s Zach Schneider will chat with the fifth-year seniors of the UMD mens team. Part two will feature KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie as he’ll join Matt and Zach to look back at the 2021-2022 seasons for both the UMD men and UMD women. They will also take your questions. If you have a question to ask or topic to discuss, contact Matt by email at mwellens@duluthnews.com or at Twitter@mattwellens. Thank you for listening!
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
You can find more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Once rivals in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the UMD mens hockey team and Michigan Tech will meet for the 233rd time on Thursday at 2 p.m. This time, it will be in Loveland, Colorado in the NCAA regional semifinals at the Budweiser Events Center.
The Bulldogs will see a familiar face in Jake Magdzas. The former Amsoil Arena Ice Foreman is now Manager, Operations at Budweiser Events Center. In this week's episode, he joins the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider to discuss how he ended up in Colorado, creating quality ice conditions, future goals and plays a game of "compare and contrast."
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The UMD womens hockey team is back in the NCAA Frozen Four for the second straight season after beating Harvard 4-0 in the first round, followed by a dramatic 2-1 victory over Minnesota at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Saturday. Now the Bulldogs get a Frozen Four semifinal rematch with Northeastern at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at Pegula Ice Arena on the campus of Penn State University. The winner gets either Ohio State or Yale at 3 p.m. Sunday in the national championship.
The Frozen Four bound Bulldogs have had solid performances out of goaltenders Emma Soderberg and sophomore Jojo Chobak. It’s a position where only one gets to play, but for the one not playing, the other is their biggest supporter. In this week's episode, they join the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider to discuss returning to the Frozen Four, competing for playing time, the contributions of freshman Holly Gruber to the goalie room, who is better in a shootout, which forward or defensemen would make a good goalie and much, much more.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is back in the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive season. They are the No. 8 overall seed and will take on the No. 9 overall seed, Harvard, at 6 p.m. on Thursday in a first-round game at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. The winner of Thursday’s first-round game moves on to play Minnesota, the No. 2 overall seed, in an NCAA quarterfinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Ridder Arena.
As sophomores, all defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith and forward Clara Van Wieren know is playing in the NCAA Tournament. In this week's episode, they join the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider to preview the tournament, discuss having two solid goalies, the absence of Maggie Flaherty and how they have grown as hockey players. They also play a game of "quick hits," sharing their favorite Olympic jerseys, what teammate has the best GIF and if they could sail anywhere in the world, where would that be?
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week on the Bulldog Insider, the crew put a call out on Twitter for questions, and you the listeners responded.
News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider of My9 Sports and KDAL's Bruce Ciskie answer your questions about goaltending for both University of Minnesota Duluth men and women, what's troubling the men's team in the second half, future fifth-year seniors and the transfer portal.
Also joining the podcast ahead of Senior Night for the UMD men's program on Saturday is Jesse Jacques and Hunter Lellig. The two were freshmen when the Bulldogs won the second of back-to-back national championships in Buffalo, New York. Jacques and Lellig look back on their college careers and share what's next for them.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The University of Minnesota women’s hockey team has 12 seniors on this year’s team, but only five are maybe moving on after the season.
On this week’s episode, Duluth News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens takes a walk down memory lane with senior center McKenzie Hewett, senior defenseman Kailee Skinner and fifth-year winger Anna Klein. The trio talks about why they chose to play for the storied program, what lessons they’ve learned by playing through a pandemic and what their plans are following the postseason.
The Bulldog women host Minnesota State in a best-of-three WCHA quarterfinal series Friday through Sunday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
A little less than three months ago, Minnesota Duluth sophomore goaltender Zach Stejskal announced he was battling testicular cancer.
Stejskal declined interviews at the time to focus on his health, but did do a question and answer piece with UMDBulldogs.com in which he wrote in all CAPS, “I DO PLAN TO PLAY” hockey again in 2021-22. Stejskal kept his word as the Cohasset native and former Grand Rapids High School standout returned to the Bulldogs crease Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 at Magness Arena in Denver in an unplanned relief appearance of junior starter Ryan Fanti at the start of the second period. Stejskal made 20 saves on 22 shots as the Bulldogs won 3-2.
In this week's episode, Stejskal tells the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider what it was like receiving his diagnosis, his attitude, the support from family, teammates and opponents and returning to the ice.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
“Jojo” is a name that Bulldogs fans are quickly becoming familiar with. With senior starting goaltender Emma Soderberg away with Sweden at the 2022 Olympic games in Beijing, Minnesota Duluth sophomore goaltender Violet “Jojo” Chobak has been in net for the Bulldogs. Recently, she helped UMD get their first win at Wisconsin since 2010.
In this week's episode, Chobak tells the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider what it was like learning to play hockey in Chicago, how she became a goalie, UMD's reputation as “Goaltending U," her relationship with Soderberg and what Olympic athlete she'd most like to meet.
KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie also stops by the podcast as he, Matt and Zach discuss the UMD men's game at St. Cloud State this past Tuesday, the long review of a St. Cloud State shootout goal and the 2022 Olympic games.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
For this week’s guests, deciding to join Team USA for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing was a no-brainer.
With the NHL deciding to not participate in the Winter Games due to COVID-19 concerns, the United States men’s hockey team instead consists of a combination of past and present high-level college players, creating one of its youngest teams in decades.
Joining us this week on the podcast is Bulldogs senior captain and U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team winger, Noah Cates and U.S. assistant men’s hockey coach Brett Larson — the Duluth Denfeld graduate, former Bulldogs player and coach, and current head coach at St. Cloud State.
Cates and Larson joined the podcast from Los Angeles on Monday prior to Team USA’s departure to Beijing. They talked about their decision to join the team, what it’s like to come together as a team so quickly and what they are most looking forward to at the Olympics.
The first game for the American men is next Thursday, Feb. 10 at 7:10 a.m. Duluth time vs. the hosts, China.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
With temperatures trapped below 0 this week in Minnesota, the Bulldog Insider Podcast did what any good Minnesotan would do.
It went ice fishing.
Former Minnesota Duluth assistant and associate head coach Jason Herter joined the podcast from an ice house on Lake of the Woods this week. Now an associate head coach at Western Michigan, Herter and his family still call the Duluth area their home. Herter was in Minnesota ahead of this weekend’s NCHC series between the Bulldogs and Broncos at Amsoil Arena to see his family, do some scouting and ice fish with a few friends.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Before joining UMD, fifth year forward Elizabeth Giguere was a standout on the national stage with Clarkson, earning three All-American nods, the 2020 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the nation's top player and
helping the Golden Knights win the 2018 NCAA National Collegiate Championship. Now, she's a member of the Bulldogs as a graduate transfer.
In this week's episode, Giguere tells the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider what it was like to transfer, how she's been fitting in and how the program could help her make a run at the 2026 Olympics in Italy. She also plays "pass, shoot, score," choosing between her line mates, coaches and even her parents.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Senior center Gabbie Hughes is having the most offensively productive season of her collegiate hockey career. But, she's looking to make a bigger impact off the ice. Hughes is helping to bring mental health awareness to the forefront after a tragedy last summer rocked the hockey community. Putting their grief into action, friends and family of Sophie Wieland created Sophie's Squad in honor of the 14-year old hockey player who took her own life on July 12, 2021.
The tragedy rocked the Hughes family. Gabbie's father, Terry, coached Sophie in youth hockey and Gabbie was able to get to know her. In this week's episode, Hughes tells the News Tribune's Matt Wellens and My9's Zach Schneider what Sophie meant to her.
The UMD women's team hosts Bemidji State Friday and Saturday, with the showdown on Saturday shining a light on mental health awareness as a Hockey Hits Back Sophie's Squad game.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for sophomore defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and freshman center Dominic James.
Last Tuesday, the U.S. National Junior Team had to forfeit a game against Switzerland because of COVID-19, and then the next day, they called off the IIHF World Junior Championship. This week, the Bulldogs series at St. Cloud State was postponed because of COVID-19.
In this bonus episode of the Bulldog Insider, News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens caught up with Kaiser and James over Zoom about how they are handing these COVID-19 punches.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
For many, a new year means New Year’s resolutions. In this week's episode, News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens, co-host Zach Schneider and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie make some resolutions or possible corrections, whichever way you want to look at it, for both the UMD men's and women's teams for the first part of 2022. And for longtime listeners, a Nick Wolff reference or two resurfaces.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
With 2021 coming to a close, this week’s episode takes a look back at some of our favorite Bulldog hockey stories of the year.
Reporter Matt Wellens, co-host Zach Schneider, former co-host Kelly Hinseth and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie go around the horn and share their favorite story of 2021, including but not limited to the UMD women returning to a Frozen Four, the men defeating North Dakota in 5 overtimes, goalie rotations, and teammates supporting one another through cancer.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The U.S. and Canadian women’s hockey teams were at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Sunday in preparation for their My Why Tour showdown on Monday. Unfortunately, that game was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, however, News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens did get the chance to catch up with former Bulldogs goaltender and 2018 Olympic gold medalist goaltender Maddie Rooney after the Team USA practice on Sunday.
In this bonus episode, Rooney talks about the confidence she’s built in goal over the last four years, her experience with the residency program, overcoming an injury ahead of the world championships and how she turns pressure into motivation.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
With the student-athletes with the UMD hockey teams taking their final exams this week and then off next week for Christmas, the Bulldog Insider will be taking the next two weeks off as well.
The podcast will return on December 30, 2021 with one last episode before the new year featuring News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens, KDAL's Bruce Ciskie, My9's Zach Schneider and former CBS3 Sports Anchor Kelly Hinseth sharing their favorite stories about the UMD hockey programs during the 2021 calendar year.
You can find more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
After a battle with knee surgery and then a cancer diagnosis, Minnesota Duluth freshman defenseman Will Francis recently made his college hockey debut.
The towering 6 foot 5, 21-year-old who played for Centennial High School and who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice just 10 games into the 2019-20 season with Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League. Then in March of 2020, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia — a cancer of the blood.
Francis was declared cancer-free on July 9, 2020, but getting his strength back and getting back into game shape took some time as he explains in this week’s episode.
News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens, joined by Zach Schnieder and Bruce Ciskie also discuss the recent news of NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton announcing he will be leaving the league after nine seasons in April. The three make the case for being the new commissioner, which is almost 100 percent unlikely, and offer some verbal letters of recommendation for Bulldogs who’d be good for the job.
Matt also creates a fan contest. Tune in around 30 minutes in to see how you could win a Rink Live hat. It won’t be easy.
You can find more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
After five seasons of sitting behind others — watching, cheering and providing feedback from the bench to his fellow goaltenders — Minnesota Duluth redshirt senior Ben Patt will make his first regular-season start this weekend when the No. 1-ranked Bulldogs play a nonconference series at Northern Michigan.
Patt’s first collegiate start comes after leading the team’s annual Movember campaign that raises fund and awareness for men’s health issues — both physical and mental — by growing mustaches.
My9’s Zach Schneider and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie also join this week’s episode to discuss the weekend of action as the UMD men visit Northern Michigan and the No. 8/9-ranked UMD women host WCHA rival and No. 2-ranked Ohio State. They also talk about overtimes in college hockey and how many points they should be worth.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Forum Communications announced this week that it is partnering with athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go-to destination for North Dakota and Minnesota hockey coverage.
In the 2020 NHL draft, Jake Sanderson was selected fifth overall by the Ottawa Senators. Welcome to The Rink Live Team Jake. A sophomore studying kinesiology at the University of North Dakota, Jake is an assistant captain and plays defense for the Fighting Hawks. This season, he leads the team in points.
Goalie Maddie Rooney backstopped the U.S. to the 2018 Olympic gold medal. Welcome Maddie to The Rink Live Team as the U.S. aims to repeat as gold medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics in February.
Forum Communications is excited to partner with like-minded athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go to destination for North Dakota & Minnesota hockey coverage.
In this bonus episode, News Tribune reporter Matt Wellens caught up with former UMD forward Katerina Mrazova over Zoom to talk about what it was like to be a part of the team that got the Czech Republic to its first ever Olympics.
Last week was her fourth time skating in an Olympic qualifying tournament. And while she hasn’t officially been named to Team Czech Republic yet, she said just having the women’s team make the Winter Games means the world to her and she hopes it inspires more girls from her country to get into the sport.
Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Back from Olympic qualifying and back in the U.S., News Tribune hockey reporter Matt Wellens caught up with senior goaltender Emma Soderberg about being a part of the team that helped Sweden clinch a spot in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
While not officially making the Team Sweden’s Olympic roster yet, Soderberg talks about how it’s been a dream of hers to make an Olympic team. She also talks about how the UMD coaching staff played a role in getting her to be an Olympic-caliber athlete.
My9’s Zach Schneider and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie also join this week’s episode to discuss the great week Bulldog hockey alumni are having both qualifying for the Olympics and making NHL debuts. The trio also hands out some more first month awards to the women’s team now that they are returning to action this weekend, traveling to Bemidji State following a three-week layoff.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
In Minnesota Duluth’s first NCHC series, junior goaltender Ryan Fanti recorded a career-high 35 saves and came away with his first college shutout in Saturday's 3-0 win at Western Michigan.
In this week's episode of the Bulldog Insider podcast, News Tribune hockey reporter Matt Wellens, caught up with Fanti to talk about what it’s like to finally have a shutout in the books and what it means to have his Thunder Bay family and friends in the stands this weekend at Amsoil Arena now that the Canadian border is open.
My9’s Zach Schneider and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie also join this week’s episode for a deeper dive into Bulldog goalies and because women’s Olympic qualifying is underway, some more questionable predictions are made.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
With a bye weekend, UMD senior forward Tanner Laderoute and his teammates embraced the Halloween holiday. It is back to business for the Bulldogs this weekend as they'll travel to Western Michigan to begin NCHC play with games Friday and Saturday. For the UMD women's team, their next games aren't until November 19 and 20 at Bemidji State.
In this week's episode of the Bulldog Insider podcast, News Tribune hockey reporter Matt Wellens, My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider and KDAL radio voice of Bulldog hockey Bruce Ciskie name their "first month award" winners.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
UMD hockey teams went 4-0 last weekend as the men's team swept Minnesota in a home-and-home series and the women's team swept St. Thomas in St. Paul. A rare quiet weekend awaits as no Bulldogs hockey teams will be in action.
Maura Crowell has plenty to keep her busy beyond preparing for the next opponent. The Bulldog Insider Podcast catches up with UMD women's head coach, who became a parent during the summer to a daughter named Blake. Coach Crowell talks about becoming a mother, but also discusses the season so far as well as the Olympic qualifying that will take place Nov. 11-14 in Europe.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
After a busy weekend at Amsoil Arena with six college hockey games including the Ice Breaker Tournament, there will just be one UMD game in Duluth this weekend. But it's a game with a lot of interest and anticipation!
The UMD men's team has a home-and-home series with the Minnesota Gophers. The Bulldogs play at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis on Friday and turn around and host the Gophers at Amsoil Arena on Saturday. The UMD women's team will travel to St. Paul to play St. Thomas on Saturday and Sunday.
To preview the series with Minnesota, the Bulldog Insider Podcast catches up with senior captain forward and captain Noah Cates.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
It's a busy week at Amsoil Arena with the Minnesota Wild visiting on Tuesday, followed by six college hockey games in three days, including a triple header to start things off on Friday.
The home of the Bulldogs is hosting a WCHA series with Wisconsin, as well as the 2021 Ice Breaker Tournament, which will include Michigan, Minnesota State and Providence.
To preview the Ice Breaker, the Bulldog Insider Podcast catches up with Bulldogs forwards Jesse Jacques and Blake Biondi down at Amsoil Arena. The Hermantown natives are no strangers to big games and big weekends at Amsoil.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
It is opening week for the UMD men's hockey team as the Bulldogs visit Bemidji State Friday and host the Beavers on Saturday. The women's team will have their first home series of the season with the Minnesota Gophers visiting AMSOIL Arena Friday and Saturday.
In this week's episode of the Bulldog Insider podcast, News Tribune hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9's Kelly Hinseth discuss the men's exhibition victory over Wisconsin from Sunday in Chippewa Falls as well as the women's season-opening split at Minnesota State-Mankato. They also interview men's head coach Scott Sandelin and make their own season predictions.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens, My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider and CBS3 Sports' Kelly Hinseth. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.”
Depending on when you listen to this, the UMD women’s hockey team is about 36 hours away from the official start of their season.
The Bulldogs open with a WCHA road trip to Minnesota State on Friday at 6:01 p.m. and Saturday at 3:01 p.m. in Mankato.
In this week’s episode of the Bulldog Insider podcast, News Tribune hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9’s Kelly Hinseth get a season preview from senior forwards Gabbie Hughes and Naomi Rogge, as well as make their own season predictions.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens, My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider and CBS3 Sports' Kelly Hinseth. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
In a perfect world, neither of this week's guests would be here with us, but the NCAA has granted them a fifth season of college hockey because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fifth-year seniors Louie Roehl and Anna Klein share what made them decide to come back this season and what it's like being much older than the freshmen class. We also take a walk down memory lane with a trivia game.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider and CBS3 Sports' Kelly Hinseth. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens moderates a discussion with Mick Hatten, Jess Myers and Brad Schlossman (Grand Forks Herald) of The Rink Live, Jordan McAlpine of The Gateway and Joe Paisley of Ice Time Hockey Southwest after the 2021 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Media Day at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. They discuss impact players, sleepers and all things NCHC.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Samantha Erkkila and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
A bonus edition of the Bulldog Insider Podcast with Mick Hatten of The Rink Live and the Husky Hockey Insider Podcast where in response to an Ask Wellens Anything question, we broke down our all-time All-NCHC teams, plus the best Bulldogs and Huskies to play in the NCHC since the league began in 2013.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens, new episodes of Bulldog Insider will sporadically appear in your feed during the offseason. You can listen to Season 1, 2 and 3 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email your feedback to mwellens@duluthnews.com.
He’s a Stanley Cup champion, an NCAA national champion and a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, Cloquet native Derek Plante closes out Season 3 of the podcast for us this week.
Plante coached five seasons at UMD from 2010 to 2015, before going to work with the Blackhawks as a player development coach. The 2020-21 season was his first back at UMD.
He shares what it was like to be back behind the bench for his alma mater and working with college athletes again. He also shares the challenges of recruiting during a pandemic, even with a team that’s had a lot of recent Frozen Four success.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Fourth-line freshman wingers Luke Mylymok and Blake Biondi share what it was like to send Minnesota Duluth to the 2021 Frozen Four in Pittsburgh.
Like a good fish story, Mylymok walks us through his game-winning goal against North Dakota in the NCAA regional finals in Fargo on March 27.
He and Biondi share how they prepare mentally and physically for those high-pressure situations and what it’s like being the young guys on a team that’s full of Frozen Four experience.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The Bulldogs men’s hockey program is making its fourth-straight Frozen Four appearance, but for goalies Zach Stejskal and Ryan Fanti this will be their first.
The two goaltenders teamed up to defeat North Dakota in the five-overtime regional final last Saturday into Sunday. They take us through that record-setting game, the good, the bad, the mental, the physical, and all the in between.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team is back in the NCAA tournament for a sixth consecutive time in 2020-21. The Bulldogs take on Michigan in the NCAA regional semifinals at 3 p.m. Friday in Fargo, North Dakota. The winner advances to play either North Dakota or American International in the regional championship on Saturday night. There isn't a group of players in all of college hockey with more NCAA tournament experience and success than the Bulldogs' senior class, which in its first two seasons at UMD helped the program win back-to-back national championships. After COVID-19 canceled last year's NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs are finally getting their shot at completing a historic three-peat. Joining the podcast this week to preview this year's tournament are defensemen Matt Anderson and Louie Roehl, along with winger Kobe Roth.
One made 30 saves while the other scored the game-winner, unassisted, in overtime.
Junior goaltender Emma Soderberg and senior defenseman Ashton Bell walk us through Monday’s 1-0 OT quarterfinal win over Colgate in the NCAA women’s hockey tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The teammates also talk about what it’s like to be in the Bulldogs' first Frozen Four in over a decade.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
In his first two seasons, senior wing Koby Bender battled for ice time and a spot in the lineup. Now he’s a critical member of the team and scoring goals on a line with Kobe Roth and Jackson Cates.
Bender takes us through his college hockey journey and lessons he’s learned through buying his time and earning his spot on the rink.
And because he’s from Cloquet we hear what he thinks the best item is on the Gordy’s Hi-Hat menu.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week we take a walk down memory lane with five of the six members of the UMD women’s hockey 2020-21 senior class, which is coming off its final weekend of play this season at Amsoil Arena — a four-point weekend against Wisconsin that left the team two points shy of the WCHA title.
We’re talking favorite memories, best on and off ice moments, plans for next year, favorite Duluth spots and much more.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The UMD women’s hockey program wore its most recent special edition jersey last Saturday against Minnesota State and will do so again Friday against Wisconsin at Amsoil Arena in Round 1 of the WCHA Regular Season Championship.
It’s a throwback inspired by what the men’s team wore in the early 1950s.
Joining us to talk about jerseys of Bulldogs past, is UMD women’s hockey associate head coach Laura Bellamy and director of hockey operations Nick Bryant. Laura’s grandfather played for the Bulldogs in the 50s and sported the No. 4 jersey.
The game-worn jerseys and socks are being auctioned off at umdbulldogs.com/auctions.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Senior wing, assistant captain and leading scorer of the Bulldogs’ men’s hockey team Nick Swaney joins the podcast this week.
Swaney takes us back to his middle school and high school days when he had big dreams and goals to play the sport he loves at the college and pro levels. Now he is living out those dreams, being a two-time national champion and being drafted by the Minnesota Wild, and says he is grateful for every opportunity.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
UMD women’s hockey juniors McKenzie Hewett and Gabbie Hughes joined us via Zoom this week shortly after getting news that this weekend’s series with Minnesota State had been called off. The Mavericks have pushed pause for seven days because of positive COVID-19 test results. This is the third time this year the team has gotten this news on game week and the juniors say it doesn’t get any easier to hear.
But it’s not all pandemic talk, we get to lighter subjects as well, including the return of a fun game of Canada vs. the U.S.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
This week on the podcast we’re joined via Zoom by a pair of freshmen from the UMD women’s hockey team, which just got done dismantling St. Cloud State 4-1 and 6-0 at Amsoil Arena.
Clara Van Wieren and Nina Jobst-Smith have the challenge of being freshmen on a college hockey team during a pandemic but to them this is what they know. They haven’t had the opportunity to realize what they are missing and for both of them that makes them “grateful for what they have now.”
We learn about their cooking skills since they’ve had no meal plan this year, who holds three different passports from three different countries, and who has sailed on Lake Michigan and now Lake Superior.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
They grew up playing for Bruce Plante at Hermantown, now the junior forwards play for Bruce’s son, Derek, at UMD. Cole Koepke and Jesse Jacques share their favorite Bruce Plante stories, what it’s been like playing for Derek Plante so far this season and how the father-son duo differ in coaching style.
Koepke and Jacques also talk about the support and sometimes added pressure that comes from playing for the Hawks and then moving down the hill to play at Amsoil for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
He spent three years at Cornell before using the NCAA’s graduate transfer rule to come to UMD.
Senior defenseman Matt Cairns takes us through his journey from Cornell to the Bulldogs, starting with what prompted the move.
He also shares how the hockey experience here and in the NCHC compares to Cornell and the ECAC.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Who has better outdoor rinks? Canada or Minnesota?
Helping us settle this debate is UMD women’s junior defensive duo Maggie Flaherty of Lakeville, Minnesota, and Kailee Skinner of Penticton, British Columbia.
The Bulldogs were at Portman Square in Duluth’s Lakeside neighborhood recently in what has become a tradition for the program to get out and skate on one of the outdoor association rinks.
Flaherty and Skinner share their outdoor rink experience growing up and what it means to them to be able to skate with young kids in the community.
Another tradition we discuss is Rookie Idol, of which Skinner has made a name for herself. Famous for her rapping skills, Skinner shares a little something she’s been working on.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
He grew up a North Dakota fan, his sister is a Minnesota Gopher, but somehow freshman defenseman Wyatt Kaiser found a home in Duluth.
Kaiser, who led Andover to the 2020 state tournament, shares what originally drew him to UMD, why he picked the Bulldogs and his thoughts on being compared to other players like Hobey Baker winner Scott Perunovich.
We also learn the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick is pretty skilled in the kitchen and will occasionally prepare lobster and salmon for his roommates.
The year started with a four OT playoff game for the UMD women’s hockey team and a canceled three-peat attempt by the men due to a pandemic. The year wrapped up with the women’s team playing games at an empty Amsoil Arena and the men opening their season in December in a three-week Pod in Omaha, Nebraska.
A lot of things happened in between and here to help us dissect what a strange year it was for college hockey is the radio voice of the Bulldogs, Bruce Ciskie from KDAL and Zach’s colleague on the My 9 Sports team, Kelly Hinseth, also of CBS 3.
The media crew discusses the wins and losses of 2020 and wagers a few predictions for 2021.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
She’s photographed more than 20 games and taken over 50,000 images since entering the NCHC Pod in Omaha a few weeks ago.
Photographer Tyler Schank, who is back in her hometown shooting for the News Tribune, Grand Forks Herald and The Rink Live, joins us on the podcast this week to share what her experience has been like. She hasn’t been allowed to access certain areas of the arena that she normally would while photographing hockey games but she hasn’t let that stop her from producing new and creative images.
“Just because of the world we are living in right now and how limited this entire year has been for any photographer and you know how much we feel we are all missing, this feels like such a big deal,” she said. “It’s so nice to be photographing hockey again.”
You can find her images from the NCHC Pod here or on the News Tribune Instagram page.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
When all is said and done he will have covered eight teams in 20 games in 16 days.
From the NCHC Pod in Omaha, college hockey analyst and member of the Midco broadcast team Dave Starman joins us on the podcast this week.
With so many teams and so many games, Starman talks about the effects of “Pod Fog,” how much tea (with honey) he has consumed, the importance of not repeating a tie/shirt combo and what goes into preparing to call games for such a condensed schedule.
In the rapid-fire round, Starman also shares his opinion on whether or not the conference and the NCAA should consider a pod setup for the postseason.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Play in Omaha is well underway and by now we all know who started in goal for the first game of the post-Hunter Shepard era.
Sophomore Ryan Fanti got the start in the Bulldogs’ first three games of the season at Baxter Arena in the NCHC Omaha Pod. The goaltender from Thunder Bay who had an incredible 17 save second period against Denver, and then made some huge saves on Sunday to secure the win over Miami, joins the podcast to talk about his first collegiate start in net, the internal competition between goalies and what his experience has been like in the pod so far.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The last time we talked to former UMD captain Parker Mackay he was hoisting a national championship trophy over his head at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
Now the two-time national champion is living in Graz, Austria where he is playing this season with the Graz 99ers of the ICE Hockey League, the top tier in Austria.
Ten games into the season, he and a few of his teammates tested positive for COVID-19 resulting in the entire team shutting down play for two weeks. We caught up with Mackay recently to see how he is recovering and what his experience was like with the virus.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The still defending national champions are just a few days away from boarding a couple of buses and traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, where they will play 10 games in 19 days as part of the NCHC pod.
UMD opens play on December 2 against Denver. This week we preview their season with senior defensemen Louie Roehl and Matt Anderson.
“It’s definitely going to be fun. There’s nothing better than playing hockey, right?” said Anderson. “And that’s all we are going to do for 20 days. We’re going to play a game, relax a little bit and then play another game.”
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
The UMD women’s hockey team has its first game of the 2020-21 season in reach. We catch up with senior captains McKenzie Revering and Anna Klein to see how the team is feeling knowing their extended preseason is coming to an end and competition against other teams is on the horizon.
And with the NCAA granting all student-athletes this season an extra year of eligibility because of COVID-19, we see if either of them is considering taking advantage of that extra year.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
Former Bulldog and Duluth native Andy Welinski has some recent experience in bubbles, hubs, pods, whatever you want to call them. He was with the Philadelphia Flyers this fall in Toronto during the Flyers’ run to the Eastern Conference final.
Welinski, who is back with the Anaheim Ducks organization after signing a one-year deal with them this offseason, shares what his experience was like in a hub as the Bulldogs prepare to travel to Omaha for three weeks to start their season.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage, including the 2020-2021 game schedules, at duluthnewstribune.com.
Sidney Morin and Lara Stalder were both seniors on a memorable 2016-17 Bulldogs squad that made a NCAA tournament run. Both are now in their fourth season in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League, which has really become a popular destination for UMD alumni as of late.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
In the Season 3 opener of the Bulldog Insider we talk with UMD hockey captains Noah Cates and Ashton Bell about how they’ve had to adapt to new restrictions and how they’re leading their teammates through a 2020-21 season overshadowed by COVID-19.
The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.
All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.
News Tribune hockey reporter and host of the Bulldog Insider Podcast caught up with UMD freshman forward Blake Biondi of Hermantown, over Zoom on Monday, Oct. 5, to discuss the NHL draft and how his first year of college has been going amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we still don't have a set start date for Season 3 of this podcast, we will be bringing you player interviews and other updates. You can also view Zoom video interviews with players and possibly coaches at duluthnewstribune.com.
Hey Bulldog Insider listeners. While we take a hiatus from the college hockey season we wanted you to know about another Duluth News Tribune podcast you might be interested in.
One hundred years ago, on June 15, 1920, three black circus workers, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie, were wrongfully accused of sexual assault and murdered by a mob. In this six-part series, the News Tribune will look back at one of Duluth, Minnesota’s dark moments in history, a time when an estimated 10,000 people participated in or were witness to a hate crime — then didn’t talk about it again publicly for more than 60 years.
The Duluth Lynchings is produced by the Duluth News Tribune's Christa Lawler and Samantha Erkkila, with reporting by newsroom staff. The first episode airs Thursday, May 14, but you can listen to the trailer here first.
Back in November, before a series with Denver, Bulldog Insider co-host Zach Schneider played a harmless prank on CBS 3 sports director Kelly Hinseth. He claims it was a “confidence-building exercise.” You can decide for yourself after you listen to both sides of the story in today's bonus episode. You can find the Twitter proof below, as well.
Tweet proof from Kelly on Nov. 8, 2019: https://twitter.com/kellyhinseth/status/1192842574261899264?s=21
Second tweet from Kelly: https://twitter.com/kellyhinseth/status/1192843076370345986?s=21
In the season finale of Season 2 of the Bulldog Insider we are joined by a nine-year NHL veteran who backstopped the Bulldogs for three seasons from 2006 to 2009.
While grilling dinner in his backyard, Minnesota Wild goaltender Alex Stalock shares what life has been like since the NHL season was shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Spoiler: Most of his days have been filled with blocking shots from his 5-year-old son in the driveway and watching Frozen for the hundredth time.
Hosted over the phone by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider will be back in the fall, hopefully, when UMD hits the ice again. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Joining us quickly as he heads back to his cabin on the Iron Range is two-time national champion and 2020 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Scott Perunovich.
The Hibbing native shares what it was like to win college hockey’s most prestigious individual award and become the sixth Bulldog to win the award.
Locked out of the Xcel Energy Center and back in the greater Irma, Alberta area, former Bulldog and current Minnesota Wild defenseman Carson Soucy joins us this week.
We hear what life has been like for him since the NHL season was shut down, how his rehab from an upper-body injury is going, and what he’s doing to stay preoccupied while self-quarantining in Alberta.
Hosted over the phone by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider will be released on a more sporadic schedule now that the season has ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Joining us this week from the greater Toronto area is UMD redshirt sophomore goaltender Ben Patt.
Patt, who packed up for home shortly after it was announced that the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, shares what his role as backup goalie to Hunter Shepard the last few seasons has been like and what he’s doing now to earn a spot in the net now that Shepard is graduating.
We also hear how online classes are going for him and what the scene looks like in Toronto.
Hosted over the phone by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider will be released on a more sporadic schedule now that the season has ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
“Bulldog family forever” is the inscription on the tattoo all the mothers of the UMD men’s hockey players had drawn up this season.
Fake tattoos.
But their bond isn’t fake. It’s unbreakable as this week’s guests Patty Samberg, mother of junior defenseman Dylan Samberg, and Tammy Anderson, mother of junior defenseman Matt Anderson, tell us.
The moms, who’ve been to almost every collegiate game (home and away) their sons have played in, share what it’s like to be a member of the Bulldog family, their thoughts on how the season ended, and offer some great advice for parents of athletes.
Hosted over the phone by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider will be released on a more sporadic schedule now that the season has ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
It’s been a week since the college hockey world, and the entire sports world for that matter, was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There will be no Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul this weekend. No Frozen Four in Detroit in April. And no possibility of a three-peat for the UMD men’s hockey team, at least this season.
This week, host Matt Wellens joins us from his basement office in Lakeside while co-host Zach Schneider joins us from his kitchen on the other side of Duluth (and Sam edited this in rural Cloquet) to share their thoughts on the season that could have been for the Bulldogs.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
After four seasons, the seniors are all about to play their final games at Amsoil Arena this weekend when the UMD men’s hockey team hosts Miami in a best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series.
This week, we have three of the four Bulldogs’ seniors: Nick Wolff, Jade Miller, and Jarod Hilderman. Goalie Hunter Shepard is the fourth senior, we plan to have him on at the end of the season.
We take a walk down memory lane and reminisce on their last four years, which have included two NCHC Frozen Faceoff titles, a North Star College Cup, and back-to-back NCAA championships.
We hear about their favorite on and off ice moments and what plans lie ahead once the season is over.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
March is National Athletic Training Month so this week we are joined by the magicians who keep the Bulldogs men’s and women’s hockey teams in one piece throughout the season.
Dr. Susan Hoppe, the Bulldogs’ Director of Hockey Sports Performance, has been with the Bulldogs for 17 years, and athletic trainer Alyssa Irby is in her first year with the UMD women’s hockey team.
Hoppe and Irby share what they do, what the most common hockey injuries are, and why they don’t set timelines on injuries. Hoppe also shares a list of extracurricular activities that she’d like to ban, like snowboarding on game day.
At the end, we try to teach Matt and Zach where their LCL is with a little anatomy quiz. Let’s just say they learned more about AC separations and subungual hematomas than they did before taking the test.
This week’s guest comes from our favorite Canadian province and is fluent in French, Zed is Z in the French alphabet.
An Edmonton native, Bulldogs sophomore Tanner Laderoute played four years in the AJHL and was verbally committed to Alaska Anchorage before coming to UMD where he’s been a timely offensive threat thus far.
He takes us through his game-winning goal, as called by Zach, on Saturday, Feb. 8 in the 4-1 win over Nebraska-Omaha at Amsoil Arena.
In this episode, Laderoute shares his backstory, how UMD assistant coach Adam Krause became his favorite Bulldog of all time, and how to correctly pronounce his last name, of which Matt tries at the end.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Hot pockets, bagels, and granola bars may have gotten them through their freshman year, but the five women who make up this year’s senior class have come a long way since they first stepped on the UMD campus.
Aside from knowing more about nutrition, seniors Jalyn Elmes and Brooklynn Schugel share what they’ve learned in their last four years with the Bulldogs.
We take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about well-intentioned but poorly-executed team bonding activities, Pinterest-inspired baking fails, and accidentally damaging property at the Ralph.
All five seniors on the women’s team will be celebrated at Amsoil Arena on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Fresh off a sweep against Ohio State last weekend at Amsoil Arena, juniors Anna Klein and McKenzie Revering walk us through what the UMD women’s hockey team is feeling heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
They share what’s on their minds as they prepare for the postseason, and show how well they know one another with a little game at the end. They also enlighten Matt and Zach on Nicholas Sparks rom-coms.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
There may be no bigger Bulldog fan, and Minnesota sports fan in general, than one of our guests this week.
He has been part of UMD hockey for 39 years. He’s been in former Bulldog weddings and held their newborn babies. And if you are going to have him over for apple pie you better not forget the ice cream.
UMD Athletics Hall of Famer assistant equipment manager Dale ‘Hoagie’ Haagenson and his good friend Bulldogs senior center Jade Miller join us this week to talk about their friendship, favorite memories and what Hoagie means to the program.
We round things up with some Bulldog trivia, which apparently we need to make a bit more difficult.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Coming back from a major knee injury is no easy feat as this week’s guests will tell you.
During the 2017-18 season, UMD women’s hockey senior forward Brooklynn Schugel’s knee injury kept her on the bench all season and now junior forward Naomi Rogge is out on a medical redshirt after having knee surgery at the beginning of the season.
We talk about what it takes to come back from a major injury, how that impacts them mentally and academically. We also try to find Brooklyn a job since she will be graduating this spring. As you will hear, she has many options.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Ever since we started this podcast our listeners have been requesting we interview one UMD player in particular.
Well, today is the day you get to hear from senior defenseman Jarod Hilderman.
He is the most famous Bulldog on Twitter, maybe you’ve seen his infamous “didn’t happen” bit, and probably the only one on the team to survive driving through a tornado. Which did in fact happen. We talk with the journalism major about his time in Duluth and let him ask us a few questions about how we cover college hockey.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Some selections were no-brainers. Others were more heavily debated.
Bruce Ciskie, the radio voice of UMD hockey on KDAL, and Bob Nygaard, UMD sports information director, join us this week to help decide the all-decade team for the men’s and women’s hockey teams.
We go over their selection criteria, some honorable mention titles such as best sound bite of the decade, and then select our all-podcast team forwards, defensemen and goalie.
Let us know if you agree or disagree with our all-decade teams.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
It’s been a crazy past couple of days for this week’s guests.
In the last week, UMD women’s head coach Maura Crowell and the Bulldogs director of hockey operations Nick Bryant won gold with the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Hockey Team in Slovakia and then came home to Duluth to win the Minnesota Cup at Amsoil Arena.
Crowell and Bryant tell us about their experience in Bratislava, Slovakia, everything from what they were feeling in that 3-on-3 overtime against Canada in the championship game to what they ate and what sites they visited when they had free time.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
It’s more than riding around on Zambonis all day.
They flood the rink. They paint the logos by hand. They shovel snow outside the arena after blizzards.
Brothers Jake and Zach Magdzas have been making ice and maintaining the grounds around Amsoil Arena together for the better part of a decade.
On this week’s episode, we learn about what it takes to get the ice in shape for the season and keep it nice game after game and practice after practice. And then at the end we quiz co-host Zach Schneider on how well he knows his way around an ice sheet.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
With the Bulldogs on winter break, three-time national champion coach of the men’s hockey team Scott Sandelin had to find something to keep himself busy over the holidays.
Why not coach the 2020 U.S. Junior National Team for the upcoming World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic?
This will be his fourth World Juniors experience, second as a head coach after leading Team USA in Grand Forks in 2005 and then an assistant last year in Vancouver.
Sandelin talks about what that experience is like and how it differs from coaching the Bulldogs. We also get his thoughts on how UMD has performed in the first half of the season and of course we wrap things up with a game to see how well he knows his players.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
UMD sophomore forwards Anneke Linser and Gabbie Hughes dug out from Duluth’s recent blizzard to join us this week.
The pair from Lino Lakes, Minn. have been on the same team, and often the same line, since the U8 days. And you can give credit to Gabbie’s dad for first putting this successful duo together.
But college hockey almost split them up. We learn about their hockey journey over the last 10 years or so and how it’s brought them closer together. And of course, we test how well they know one another with a little game at the end.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
We are taking a break from recording this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. Take a look at our previous episodes while you are on the road traveling to spend time with family. We will be back next week with a brand new episode.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Although he admits to mostly chirping at his own teammates, including Coach Sandelin at the end of this episode, UMD junior defenseman Scott Perunovich doesn’t mind being given the title of best chirper on the team.
The two-time All-American and Hibbing native shares when the most opportune times are during a game to talk a little smack and who are the best chirpers in the NCHC.
A 2018 second-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, Perunovich also talks about his communication with the NHL, his back injury from last year and how that played a role in his decision to come back for another season as a Bulldog.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
She won the NWHL Isobel Cup last season with the Minnesota Whitecaps and now she is back at her alma mater coaching the next generation of female hockey players.
Fresh off her first victory as Proctor Hermantown head coach, former Bulldogs defenseman Emma Stauber joins us this week to share how the gig is going so far, her hopes for her first season and what led to her decision of joining the family business and becoming a hockey coach.
Stauber, who was a senior captain for former UMD coach Shannon Miller during the 2014-15 season, talks about the coaches she’s had throughout her career and how they’ve helped develop her into the type of coach she wants to become.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
We tapped into the Alberta market last year with Parker Mackay’s hometown of Irma. Now it’s time to see what southern Manitoba has to offer.
This week we are joined by the trio that was dubbed “The Prairie Dogs” over the summer on Twitter. Manitobans Ryleigh Houston, Jalyn Elmes and Ashton Bell tell us how that nickname came to be, what their hometowns are like and what American words we say that they think are strange. Brats aren’t brats in Manitoba and mac and cheese goes by a different name.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
The UMD men’s hockey team has won back-to-back titles, but Bulldogs junior defenseman Dylan Samberg’s winning streak extends beyond that.
The Hermantown native and Winnipeg Jets prospect joins us on the podcast this week to talk about what it’s like to win four straight championships, back-to-back Minnesota state hockey championships with Hermantown and back-to-back national championships with the Bulldogs. We check in with the man who always wins and find out which victory is sweeter, winning the first title or coming back to win it again?
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season.
We all have our college roommate stories. Some good. Some bad.
Joining us on the podcast this week to share their roommate tales are a couple UMD hockey defensemen, and roommates, Nick Wolff and Louie Roehl.
We talk a little hockey, but mostly we learn what pet peeves they have about one another, who is the messiest and who is the better chef. We also test how well they know one another and find out whose favorite food is soft pretzels.
Hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider, and produced by the News Tribune’s Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com.
As the UMD men's hockey team heads to Madison for its first road game of the season, we are joined by three of the most well-traveled Bulldog fans to talk about what it takes to follow their favorite team around the country.
UMD alumni David Cummings, Rachel Jacob and Dan Jacobsen have been to each of the last three Frozen Four tournaments and together they may have seen more road series last season than the assistant coaches.
The trio shares how they plan their trips, where their favorite place is to watch the Bulldogs, and of course which NCHC town has the best food (and drinks).
UMD senior goaltender, co-captain and Cohasset native Hunter Shepard helps us preview the 2019-20 season with a little game of Over/Under as the Bulldogs go for a third consecutive national title.
Shepard shares what it’s like to be a captain, a spot not usually held by goalies, what his summer looked like (mostly fishing until July rolled around), and what fuels him to be better in the net.
Produced by the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and Samantha Erkkila, new episodes of Bulldog Insider are released every Thursday throughout the season. You can listen to Season 1 and 2 of Bulldog Insider at duluthnewstribune.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or where ever you get your podcasts.
Email us feedback at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
The UMD women's regular season gets underway this weekend with a non-conference series against Clarkson at Amsoil Arena.
Joining us to preview the season are a couple of seniors and a pair of gold medalists.
UMD co-captain Sydney Brodt and goaltender Maddie Rooney first share their experience from back in April at the Women’s Worlds where the two helped Team USA win another goal medal.
Then we have them predict how many wins they will get over the season, who will score the most goals, what Maddie wants her save percentage to be and much more.
This week on the podcast, we’re joined by another local NHLer, one who had a pretty interesting offseason.
Former New York Ranger, current Winnipeg Jet, reigning Da Beauty League champion Neal Pionk of Hermantown, talks about being traded and signing a two-year, $6-million deal with the Jets.
Pionk shares what he will miss most about New York and what he looks forward to with the move to Canada.
Tune in every Thursday throughout the hockey season to hear Duluth News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider talk all things Minnesota Duluth hockey. This podcast is produced by Samantha Erkkila. You can email us at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Matt Wellens and fellow Forum Communications reporters were at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the annual NCHC Media Day Thursday, Sept. 20.
The group discusses their five takeaways this season after talking with the league’s eight head coaches and captains, NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton and the league’s director of officiating, Don Adam.
Tune in every Thursday throughout the hockey season to hear Duluth News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider talk all things Minnesota Duluth hockey. This podcast is produced by Samantha Erkkila. You can email us at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Dropping the puck for us on season two of the Bulldog Insider is a former national championship captain who grew up in Esko and played for the Stanley Cup as a rookie in the NHL.
Karson Kuhlman caught up with us in mid-August before he had to report back to the Boston Bruins. He tells us about the ups and downs of his rookie season, what it was like to play in the Stanley Cup, what his offseason workout regime is like and what his go-to order is at Gordy’s Hi-Hat.
Tune in every Thursday throughout the hockey season to hear Duluth News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 Sports commentator Zach Schneider talk all things Minnesota Duluth hockey. This podcast is produced by Samantha Erkkila. You can email us at mwellens@duluthnews.com or serkkila@duluthnews.com.
Happy summer from the Bulldog Insider Podcast. We hope everyone is enjoying the warmth and sunshine in Duluth as much as we have. We felt it was about time to come indoors and check in with everyone.
On this offseason episode, Matt Wellens, Bulldogs beat writer at the News Tribune, is joined by the Forum Communications hockey team: Brad Schlossman of the Grand Fork Herald, Austin Monteith of the Bemidji Pioneer and Jess Myers and Mick Hatten of The Rink Live.
The reporters go around the horn with their biggest stories of the summer so far, including the seven teams looking to leave the WCHA, getting fans in the stands, Brett Larson’s first season at SCSU, North Dakota’s larger than life scoreboard, and NHL departures.
This week we’re wrapping up UMD’s second-consecutive national championship season with a pair of former Bulldogs who now provide color commentary on radio and television.
Kraig Karakas, who was at UMD from 1990-94, and Judd Medak, who played for the Bulldogs from 1998-02, give us one word to describe the season and submit their season MVP and Unsung Hero award nominations.
We also talk about the key to coach Scott Sandelin’s success and the expectations for next year. Can we expect a three-peat? Has a new standard been set?
Championship Saturday has arrived.
Today we sit down with fellow hockey reporters Mick Hatten and Jess Myers to give a little pre-game analysis of tonight's championship game between UMD and UMass at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
The game starts at 7 p.m. Central time on ESPN.
For the last three years, the Bulldogs have had their last practice of the season the day before the national championship game.
We caught up with Parker Mackay, Billy Exell, Jade Miller, Nick Deery and Jarod Hilderman after practice today in the Buffalo Sabres locker room to ask them what that experience is like.
It’s game day in Buffalo.
This morning we are joined by NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton to talk about the league’s postseason success. In the league’s six-year history, they’ve had a team in the Frozen Four every year, this is the fourth time they’ve had two teams present, and they’ve produced a national champion the last three years in a row.
We also learn more about Fenton, a golfer who grew up playing hockey but didn’t play at the college level, and his journey to commissioner.
This week we are on the road in Buffalo, N.Y. for the Frozen Four.
The UMD Bulldogs just got off the ice for their first practice at KeyBank Center. On this episode we sit down with UMD alumni Bill Watson and Brant Nicklin to talk about the program's Frozen Four history, of which Bill has been a part of all six appearances.
On Sunday, March 31, the six-team Canadian Women’s Hockey League announced it is ceasing operations after 12 seasons.
To talk more in depth about this topic, we have a pair of Bulldogs that played in the league. Ashleigh Brykaliuk, who played last season with the league’s franchise in China, the Vanke Rays, is now an assistant coach for the Bulldogs.
Also joining us is Demi Crossman, who played this past season with the Worcester Blades. You may have also seen her on My9 broadcasting Bulldog hockey.
This episode will be part-one of a two-part mini series on the Bulldog Insider podcast talking about the state of professional women’s hockey.
Hockey continues into April. For the third year in a row.
This week Bulldog Insider host Matt Wellens and KDAL radio guest Bruce Ciskie sit down with the News Tribune’s flagship podcast, the Pressroom Podcast, for a primer on the NCAA Frozen Four tournament in Buffalo. N.Y.
The Bulldogs are making their third consecutive trip to the tournament in hopes of defending their national championship. We talk about the three other teams, the chances of UMD winning it all again, and what it’s like to cover the biggest college hockey tournament of the year.
The Bulldogs are headed to Allentown, Pa., this weekend to take on Bowling Green in the NCAA Midwest Regional, but we aren’t going to be talking about that (well we do around minute 21).
We are talking about something bigger. The AHL. The Afternoon Hockey League.
UMD assistant coach Adam Krause, captain Parker Mackay and forward Kobe Roth, otherwise known as the “A” team, tell us about the four-on-four pickup game the team plays after practice most days and even during tournament time.
This week we’re joined by Bulldogs junior center Jade Miller, namesake of what coach Scott Sandelin a few weeks ago dubbed the ‘Miller Line.’
Miller, who makes up the fourth line with teammates Billy Exell and Kobe Roth, says it’s not your typical fourth line. The line is fast and able to put pucks in the back of the net.
In this episode, we get to know Miller’s “It doesn’t matter how you help the team as long as you are helping the team” mentality. And because we like to learn about players’ small hometowns, we get a lesson on Minto, not Minot, North Dakota, which is slightly larger than the hometown of Parker Mackay — Irma, Alberta.
The postseason gets underway this weekend.
As the Bulldogs enter the conference tournament, we ask sophomore defensemen Louie Roehl and Matt Anderson if they still feel like the defending national champions with the giant target on their backs or do they feel like the underdogs again?
We relive last year’s Frozen Faceoff, the .0001 moment, and end the episode with the popular “How well do you know your D-partner” game.
Because we know our place in the hockey world this week, we are talking all things Minnesota high school boys state hockey tournament.
College hockey takes a backseat this week and our guests know all about that. UMD senior Peter Krieger won two Class A state championships at St. Thomas Academy in 2011 and 2012, while Bulldogs junior defenseman Nick Wolff captained Eagan to third place in the 2014 Class AA tournament.
The two reminisce about their high school days, test their Tourney knowledge with some trivia, and make their tournament picks.
This week on the podcast, we are joined by Bulldogs junior goaltender Nick Deery of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Academically he is a senior and will be graduating this spring with a mechanical engineering major.
Deery, who already has job interviews lined up, tells us about his career aspirations, his topsy-turvy ride in junior hockey and his role as the backup goalie for the Bulldogs.
We also learn about his lead foot grandmother, Jody, 94, who is the owner and operator of Rockford Speedway, a NASCAR sanctioned home track.
This week on the podcast, we are joined by the leading goal scorer for the UMD men’s hockey team, sophomore wing Nick Swaney, a native of Lakeville, Minn.
He picked up his team-leading 12th goal of the season last Friday in the win over Denver, which doubles his total from a year ago when he was a freshman.
We talk goal scoring, being drafted by the hometown team Minnesota Wild, and playing juniors in Waterloo, a city that a number of Bulldogs have passed through before coming to Duluth.
Sure the title of this week’s episode is a play on words, but UMD senior forward Emma Yanko actually forgot when and where she was when she scored her first goal. But don’t worry, fellow seniors Reagan Haley and Shelby Brossart chimed in to help her out with the details.
From their first day on the ice, to long road trips, singing in Rookie Idol, to plans after school, we take a walk down memory lane with the three seniors before their final regular-season series at Amsoil Arena this weekend when they host Wisconsin.
This week on the podcast, we are joined by UMD men’s sophomore center and co-leading scorer Justin Richards. He’s got eight goals and 17 assists on the season.
Growing up, Justin lived in many places as his father played professional hockey and then became an NHL coach. Justin tells us what it was like to grow up around professional hockey, how hockey in Ohio compares to hockey in Minnesota and what brought him to Duluth.
This week on the podcast, we are joined by UMD women’s sophomore forward Naomi Rogge and freshman forward Gabbie Hughes.
Rogge led the Bulldogs in scoring a year ago with 16 goals and eight assists. Hughes has taken over that role this year with 13 goals and 12 assists already in 25 games.
The two, who grew up as opponents in high school, tell us about their role on the team, how they adjusted their game to play at the college level and what they think of their other teammates with a little yearbook superlative game.
This week we are joined by Brant Nicklin, the former Bulldogs goalie who now serves as the team’s goaltending coach. Unlike the UMD goaltenders he has coached to the NHL the last few years, Nicklin was a four-year starter in net for the Bulldogs from 1996-2000.
Still confident as ever, Nicklin shares his approach to coaching, what it takes to start in the net and how he feels about highlight reel saves. And as a challenge to the players he coaches, he would still put himself in net over them to stop a shot from anyone. Talk about confidence.
Some teams might mistake them for twins.
Jackson and Noah Cates are both freshmen forwards for the UMD men’s hockey team. They both played on the same line before head coach Scott Sandelin switched things up recently. And they both like steak and potatoes.
This week we get to know Jackson and his younger brother Noah, who grew up playing hockey on rollerblades in their basement, with a quick brother vs. brother game. Although the final score was a blowout, the brothers didn’t come to blows. That’s good sportsmanship there.
After playing just about every game in youth, high school and junior hockey, Minnesota Duluth goalie Hunter Shepard found himself sitting on the bench his freshman season as a Bulldog.
With a roster stacked with strong goaltending, Shepard was questioned for his decision to go to a school where might get very little playing time. He brushed that talk aside, bought his time, put in the work and now he has a National Championship to show for it. Although he is quick to admit he didn’t do it himself.
This week we get to know the Cohasset native who doesn’t come from a hockey family but began his career by taking shots in the net as a 2-year-old at daycare.
This week on the podcast, we catch up with UMD women’s hockey assistant coach Laura Bellamy, a graduate of Duluth Denfeld High School, as she takes over the reins while Maura Crowell is in Japan coaching the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team.
Bellamy, a former News Tribune Girls Hockey Player of the Year for the Northern Stars, is in her fourth season back home with the Bulldogs.
Contrary to popular belief, the life of covering Division I hockey for local newspaper, television and radio is not as glamorous as it may seem. On this week’s episode we share our road trip horror stories with guests News Tribune photographer Clint Austin and KDAL radio host Bruce Ciskie.
From hitting a deer in the middle of the night to lengthy flight delays, broken down cars and ice-covered roads, these guys have seen it all. Well three out of the four anyway.
Are you a former Bulldog hockey player, family member, or fan who has a road trip horror story? We’d like to hear from you. Email us at mwellens@duluthnews.com and we might share your story on the next episode.
This week, we continue talking USA Hockey during the Bulldogs holiday break. Maura Crowell, head coach of the UMD women’s hockey team, is headed to Japan next month to coach the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team.
Crowell tells us why coaching the national team is so important to her and what it is like to be the head coach of two teams at the same time. She also gives us an update on her 4th ranked WCHA Bulldogs and the pressure that is placed on her Olympic gold medalist goalie.
This week we are joined by Bulldogs sophomore defensemen Mikey Anderson and Dylan Samberg, who later this week will be heading out to Everett, Washington to begin preparations for their second World Junior Championship tournament. This year’s tournament is in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. A year ago both were part of the bronze-medal winning U.S. National Junior Team in Buffalo.
They tell us what they learned from the tournament last year and how it improved their game when they returned to Duluth.
We also test how well they know one another with a game we played earlier this season with D-partners Scott Perunovich and Nick Wolff.
The Duluth area is a home away from home for UMD senior forward Billy Exell.
The Thunder Bay native grew up playing tournaments down here. Then he played juniors in Cloquet with the Minnesota Wilderness for two years before playing for the Bulldogs. So for the last 6 years he has called the Twin Ports area home.
On this week’s episode we get to know Billy, who is the 9th man in the family to bear that name, with the yearbook game and some rapid fire questions.
After a knee injury cost her all of last season, Brooklynn Schugel is back on the ice and has a new appreciation for the sport.
“Not being able to play for a year and a half was awful,” Brooklynn says. “And now every practice I’m super stoked to go to. I’m always in the gym because I want to get faster sprinting again like I was before. I want to get this back. That back. So I'm always looking to improve now. Never take a day for granted anymore.”
Brooklynn, who led all of Minnesota in goals as a junior and senior in high school for New Ulm, gives us insight into her teammates with a yearbook superlatives game. She tells us who is most likely to win a karaoke competition, land a spot on “So You Think You Can Dance,” be the WCHA commissioner someday, join Zach in the TV booth, etc.
We are taking the week off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
If you are just joining us now, be sure to go back and listen to previous episodes.
We will be back with a new episode on Thursday, Nov. 29.
We haven’t looked too deep into it but this week’s guest has completed a rare feat. Bulldogs senior center Peter Krieger, has won two high school state championships at Xcel Energy Center and now a NCAA national championship at the same arena.
The senior center from Oakdale, Minn., has taken quite the road to get to where he is today. The “old man” on the team, Krieger shares what drew him to transfer to Duluth from Alaska, how he fits on the team, and what his plans are for after hockey.
We start off this episode with a tribute to late Bulldogs hockey legend Keith “Huffer” Christiansen, who died Monday, Nov. 5, at the age of 74 after a battle with cancer.
Then we dive into our guest 2016 Minnesota Mr. Hockey and UMD junior wing Riley Tufte. We talk about the pressures about being a first-round draft pick, living up to the hype, the death of his friend and former Bulldog Andrew Carroll, playing hockey with diabetes and being a role model for younger players.
Fresh off a series sweep at Notre Dame, junior assistant captain Nick Wolff of Eagan and sophomore Scott Perunovich of Hibbing tell us what it’s like to be back as the No. 1 ranked team in the country.
We talk about the chemistry between the defensive partners, specifically how it has affected their play after a national championship season, and how they play knowing they have a target on their back. We also test how well they know their D-partner with a little game. We may have caused a rift between the two, but we’re sure they will settle it out on the ice.
Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team co-captains Jalyn Elmes and Sydney Brodt join the podcast this week and we test out how well they know one another.
Sort of like the Newlywed Game, we see how well they know each other's taste in music, movies, pre-game meals and more.
We also talk Canada vs. U.S. rivalry. Is there on between teammates or do they cheer the Dogs first?
They were former captains and now they are the two newest assistant coaches for the Bulldogs men's and women's hockey programs.
Ashleigh Brykaliuk from Brandon, Manitoba, and Adam Krause, a native of nearby Hermantown, are both finding their confidence behind the bench as they transition from being a player to a coach for their alma mater.
Both coaches share how the transition is going, what has been the hardest part of the job, how they get past the self-doubt, and what it's like being on the recruiting trail.
This week we do a deep dive into the town of Irma, Alberta. Population 521. Home to UMD men's hockey captian Parker Mackay and former Bulldog Carson Soucy.
Mackay describes what it was like growing up in the small town with Soucy, his cousin, and graduating with a class of 13 people. He also shares what emotions were going through his mind when the 2018 national championship banner was unveiled Saturday at Amsoil Arena.
UMD goaltender Maddie Rooney is back on Bulldog ice after winning an Olympic gold medal for Team USA in PyeongChang, South Korea last winter.
Rooney shares her Olympics experience, the victory tour which included stops on Ellen and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and what it's like to be back in Duluth and in net for the Bulldogs.
In our pilot episode, News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and My9 commentator Zach Schneider share their NCHC preseason polls and all-conference teams, and breakdown interviews from this week's NCHC Media Day in St. Paul.