Bulldog Insider

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 [email protected] 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 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.