Midwest-Duluth Sports Director Bruce Ciskie blogs his thoughts about whatever sports-type things he wants to blog about. The blog WILL stick to sports. Oh, and it’s very heavy on UMD hockey when the Bulldogs are in season because Bruce calls the games and it’s pretty much all he’ll write about.
9 Thoughts: (Incorrectly) Predicting the NCHC
We. Back. The 2024-25 season is imminent. Our 100-day UMD countdown is in the 20s. Practices are ramping up. And NCHC Media Day is upon us. For those of you reading this before Sept. 12 at 11am, we are live in St. Paul on Thursday for Media Day from 10am-11am on KDAL. Scheduled guests are UMD captain Dominic James, Nor...
Sep 11, 2024
9 Thoughts: Projected UMD Lines 2024-25
When it comes to this now-annual exercise, there have been easier seasons. With an influx of young talent, this is a challenging depth chart to draw up. The normal disclosures: This is for entertainment purposes only, and is simply my opinion. I do not consult with the coaching staff before giving it a whirl, so when I...
Aug 24, 2024
Sertie Stories
To say we lost a good one with the recent passing of former UMD men's hockey coach Mike Sertich would be an understatement. Even before my time covering the team under Scott Sandelin got its start in 2005, I got to know Mike as a person, especially after his departure from UMD in 2000. When word of his passing got out ...
Aug 20, 2024
9 Thoughts: Wait, 9?
As I write this over the last weekend of June, we've just passed the geographic midpoint of UMD's men's hockey offseason. The traditional 100-day season countdown has begun, you can follow that daily on my X account (@BruceCiskie). To put all of this in perspective, we're about ten weeks out from NCHC Media Day (date s...
Jun 30, 2024
8 Thoughts: What To Do With Regionals?
It's been the topic of the men's college hockey season since January, when Denver coach David Carle used his platform to openly advocate for a change to the NCAA Tournament format in men's hockey. What does Carle want? He wants top seeds to host games in the first two rounds before the last teams standing head to a neu...
Apr 20, 2024
8 Thoughts: Optimism Plentiful for UMD Men After Disappointing Campaign
Honesty first. This postseason blog will not be as widely read and reacted to as the one earlier this week. And that's okay. If you missed it, UMD men's hockey coach Scott Sandelin offered up some strong commentary on the state of college hockey, even college sports as a whole, with his thoughts Monday on the transfer ...
Apr 06, 2024
Scott Sandelin Unfiltered on Transfer Portal
UMD men's hockey coach Scott Sandelin held his season-ending press conference Monday at Amsoil Arena. About to embark on his 25th season as the Bulldogs' bench boss, Sandelin spoke for nearly an hour Monday on a variety of topics, most of which we will cover in a more traditional 8 Thoughts later this week. However, Sa...
Apr 02, 2024
Game 37: UMD at Denver (NCHC Playoffs)
DENVER -- After a decent first 20 minutes on Friday, a stanza where UMD didn't let Denver hold gobs of puck possession, defended reasonably well, but found itself down 1-0, the wheels came off the ol' wagon in the middle frame. Outscored 2-0. Outshot 13-1. And Game 1 of this best of three series was basically over at t...
Mar 16, 2024
Game 36: UMD at Denver (NCHC Playoffs)
DENVER -- Coming off just its third series sweep of the 2023-24 season, the UMD men try to keep their season alive here this weekend. It's simple: Win two of three games against the NCHC's second seed, and the Bulldogs will play at least one more game. Lose two of three games to the Pioneers, and what's been coined as ...
Mar 15, 2024
8 Thoughts: Postseason Begins for Bulldogs in Denver
DENVER -- Not going to lie: Traveling with the UMD men the last 24 or so hours, wondering if we were going to get to Colorado in a timely manner, joking about getting diverted to Albuquerque and even dealing with cannibalism humor, one thing kept popping into my head. Damn, do I miss having home ice. 8 THOUGHTS 1. Outs...
Mar 15, 2024
8 Thoughts: How I Would Have Voted
DENVER -- Greetings from snowy Denver, where UMD has arrived on scene and will be ready to go for Friday's series opener against the Pioneers. Full preview coming later, but we need to reignite an annual tradition first. 8 THOUGHTS 1. Unlike the old WCHA, this particular media member does not vote on these awards. And ...
Mar 14, 2024
Game 35: St. Cloud State at UMD
Will the Bulldogs be driving into the heart of Stearns County for another postseason visit to Concrete Jungle? Or will it be bus/plane/bus to Colorado and a first round series there? We're about to find out. UMD's highly-entertaining 6-5 overtime win over St. Cloud State Friday night kept the Huskies from moving back i...
Mar 09, 2024
Game 34: St. Cloud State at UMD
One more home series for UMD, as the seventh-place Bulldogs will try to avoid a third straight trip to St. Cloud for the first round of the NCHC playoffs. Do well this weekend, get in a plane next week for Colorado (either Denver or Colorado Springs). If SCSU gets both games, the door is open to head back to Concrete J...
Mar 08, 2024
8 Thoughts: Strong Efforts Leads to Shootout Win
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- UMD and Colorado College have met three times this season. Zero of those three games have been decided in regulation time. On Friday, the Bulldogs and Tigers ended up playing to a 2-2 tie before UMD won a three-round shootout 2-1 for an extra point in the NCHC standings. 8 THOUGHTS 1. UMD is ...
Mar 02, 2024
Game 32: UMD at Colorado College
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- I went to a morning skate, and I came to a few conclusions. 1. College hockey media go to morning skates either because they're bored and need something to do, or because it's a chance to grab a player or two. 2. Ed Robson Arena has too many doors, and that's about its only notable flaw. Gorg...
Mar 02, 2024
8 Thoughts: On Slapshots, Unwritten Rules, and Hockey Games
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- This season has not gone the way any of us envisioned or hoped. But those of us who travel with the hockey team can't complain about the weather hand we've been dealt in 2023-24. And it is continuing here in beautiful Colorado Springs. Sunshine expected through most of the visit here, with so...
Mar 01, 2024
Game 31: UMD at North Dakota
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Beautiful day, albeit a windy one, in Grand Forks. About as warm as anyone could reasonably expect it to be on an NCHC game day. But the thoughts of Bulldog fans are not necessarily happy ones after a 6-0 loss here Friday night, a game where UMD fell behind 1:05 into the game and did not seriously ...
Feb 24, 2024
Game 30: UMD at North Dakota
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- First off, apologies for nothing this week. It was largely by design, and I chose not to warn y'all. We had family plans at home Thursday night, and I wasn't feeling like writing on Wednesday, so you got nothing. I'll try to make up for it once the game ends. For UMD, it's the latest in a hell of a...
Feb 23, 2024
Game 29: Denver at UMD
Heck of a game Friday, but once again the Bulldogs found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard. For the 15th time, a UMD game included one team or the other pulling its goalie for an extra attacker. Counting overtimes (which I didn't count in yesterday's update), UMD is now 5-10 in those games. Right. Freaking...
Feb 18, 2024
Game 28: Denver at UMD
With eight games to go in the regular season, UMD's home ice hopes are perilous but not dead by any stretch. But at some point, the Bulldogs have to be more than close. UMD has played in 27 games this season. Not counting any of the ten overtime games, that leaves us at 17. Of those 17 games that ended in regulation, e...
Feb 16, 2024