Bulldog Insider
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211 episodes
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.
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 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 listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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 19 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. 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 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.
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 18 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. 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 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.
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 17 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. 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.
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.
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 16 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. 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 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.
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 15 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. 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 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.
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 14 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. 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 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.
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 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 episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
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.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.
Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens provides an update in Bulldogs Hockey for the men and women's teams. 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.
