Bulldog Insider
188 episodes - English - Latest episode: 30 days ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsThe 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.
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Episodes
S6 E24: Insiders answer your questions in Part II of season finale
March 29, 2024 09:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBThe 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 Ste...
S6 E23: Looking back at the 2023-24 season, Part I
March 28, 2024 09:00 - 49 minutes - 67.3 MBThe 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 offsea...
Bulldog Hockey Update: Season is over, submit your questions for the 'Insiders'
March 19, 2024 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.18 MBDuluth 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 upcoming season 6 finale 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...
S6 E22: From Hibbing, to Hermantown, to UMD with Darian Gotz
March 14, 2024 09:00 - 38 minutes - 53.2 MBThe 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 Cla...
Bulldog Hockey Update: Bulldogs traveling to Ohio State, Denver for postseason
March 12, 2024 10:00 - 2 minutes - 3.95 MBDuluth 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 p...
S6 E21: 'MK' cracks open the Northeast pipeline to UMD
March 07, 2024 10:00 - 41 minutes - 56.3 MBThe 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 join...
Bulldog Hockey Update: UMD heading to WCHA Final Faceoff
March 05, 2024 11:00 - 4 minutes - 5.77 MBDuluth 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 p...
S6 E20: Debating the UMD women's 25th anniversary team
February 29, 2024 10:00 - 43 minutes - 59.4 MBThis 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. Epis...
Bulldog Hockey Update: Post-season arrives for women; men continue regular season play
February 27, 2024 11:00 - 3 minutes - 4.54 MBDuluth 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 t...
S6 E19: Olson, Loheit look back on five seasons at UMD
February 22, 2024 10:00 - 44 minutes - 60.4 MBThis 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 Cate...
S6 E18: McMahon on verge of making UMD history
February 15, 2024 10:00 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MBThis 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, ...
S6 E17: Jack Smith goes from Huskies fan to rival at UMD
February 08, 2024 10:00 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBMinnesota 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 als...
S6 E16: Get to know the goalies, MacLeod and Gascon
February 01, 2024 10:00 - 35 minutes - 48.9 MBTwo 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, mean...
S6 E15: Learning on the fly with Aaron Pionk
January 25, 2024 10:00 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBThis 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 off...
S6 E14: Hanna Baskin seizes her moment at UMD
January 18, 2024 10:00 - 36 minutes - 50.4 MBThis 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 caree...
S6 E13: Will Francis fights his way back from second battle with cancer
January 11, 2024 10:00 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MBThis 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....
S6 E12: Travel in the WCHA is a breeze to Olivia Wallin
January 04, 2024 10:00 - 28 minutes - 38.6 MBThis 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 differen...
S6 E11: Recapping the first half with Matt, Zach and Bruce
December 14, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 91.2 MBThis 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 squ...
Weekly Update: Bulldogs wrap up first half at Miami, St. Cloud State
December 12, 2023 11:00 - 3 minutes - 5.33 MBDuluth 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 11 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Dec. 14, 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 epi...
S6 E10: Menghini and Perkins dish on life as freshmen
December 07, 2023 10:00 - 37 minutes - 52 MBThis 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...
Weekly Update: Goaltenders step up for Bulldogs
December 05, 2023 13:37 - 3 minutes - 5.09 MBDuluth 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 10 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Dec. 7, 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 episo...
S6 E9: From the Big Ten to the Bulldogs with Connor McMenamin
November 30, 2023 10:00 - 43 minutes - 59.3 MBThis 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 c...
Weekly Update: Bulldogs feast on second-ranked Colgate
November 28, 2023 11:00 - 2 minutes - 3.44 MBDuluth 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 9 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Nov. 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 epis...
S6 E8: How to grow a great mustache with Luke Loheit
November 16, 2023 11:00 - 40 minutes - 55.5 MBThis 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 ...
Bulldog Hockey Update: Thiessen stands tall in opening weekend of NCHC play
November 14, 2023 11:00 - 2 minutes - 3.64 MBDuluth 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 episo...
S6 E7: Luke Bast prepares for reunion with North Dakota
November 09, 2023 11:00 - 39 minutes - 53.9 MBThis 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...
S6 E6: Switching sides with former Beaver Reece Hunt
November 02, 2023 10:00 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBThis 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...
S6 E5: Hughes and Bell prepare for life in PWHL
October 26, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 48.1 MBThis 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 ho...
S6 E4: Driving through Cohasset with Zach Stejskal
October 19, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 49.7 MBThis 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 p...
S6 E3: Talking hat tricks, designing jerseys with Van Wieren and Jobst-Smith
October 12, 2023 10:00 - 40 minutes - 56.3 MBIf 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 B...
S6 E2: Blake Biondi is back, ready for senior year
October 05, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 42 MBUMD 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, ...
S6 E1: Matt, Zach and Bruce preview the 2023-24 season
September 28, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBThe 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 ...
S5 E25: The 'Insiders' answer your questions about 2022-23, look ahead to 2023-24
March 30, 2023 10:00 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBWelcome 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, t...
S5 E24: Matt, Zach and Bruce recap the 2022-23 season
March 27, 2023 11:00 - 46 minutes - 64.3 MBWelcome 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, t...
S5 E23: Behind the scenes of Frozen Fours with the NCAA's Mark Bedics
March 16, 2023 11:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBThis 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'...
S5 E22: Recruiting, transfer portal advice from Derek Daschke
March 09, 2023 12:00 - 38 minutes - 53.2 MBMinnesota 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 Bul...
S5 E21: Raising a Hockey Humanitarian Award finalist with Miki and Terry Hughes
March 02, 2023 12:00 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBThis 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 caus...
S5 E20: Laderoute, Jacques pass down five years of wisdom
February 23, 2023 12:00 - 38 minutes - 52.3 MBThis 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 dy...
S5 E19: A look back at the Olympic careers of Soderberg, Bell
February 16, 2023 12:00 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBWhen 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 f...
S5 E18: Cooking with UMD defenseman, Blackhawks prospect Wyatt Kaiser
February 09, 2023 12:00 - 29 minutes - 41 MBBulldogs 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 seaso...
S5 E17: Touring Duluth with UMD sixth-year senior Naomi Rogge
February 02, 2023 12:00 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MBA 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 ...
S5 E16: UMD was the perfect landing spot for goaltender Matthew Thiessen
January 26, 2023 12:00 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBAfter 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 champ...
S5 E15: Building a Frozen Four fan guide with Anneke Linser and Kylie Hanley
January 19, 2023 12:00 - 33 minutes - 46.6 MBDuluth 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...
S5 E14: From New Hampshire to Minnesota, Steeves takes the long way to Bulldogs
January 12, 2023 11:00 - 30 minutes - 41.8 MBThe 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 hom...
S5 E13: Behind the scenes of promoting six Hobey Baker winners with Bob Nygaard
January 05, 2023 12:00 - 43 minutes - 59.5 MBBob 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 an...
S5 E12: Matt, Zach and Bruce preview second half of 2022-23 season
December 29, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBThe 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? Wi...
S5 E11: Get to know new UMD men's assistant coach Cody Chupp
December 08, 2022 12:00 - 41 minutes - 57 MBWhen 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 e...
S5 E10: 'Sniper extraordinaire' Maggie Flaherty saving her best for last season at UMD
December 01, 2022 12:00 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBAfter 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 al...
S5 E9: The life of an NHL scout with former UMD captain Parker Mackay
November 17, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBAfter 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 ...
S5 E8: Cancer free, Stejskal leads next generation of UMD goalies
November 10, 2022 12:00 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MBA 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 a...