It's Senior Night for UMD, but the Bulldogs continue to ride their strong freshman class to the successes found in this season. On Friday, it was freshman Ty Hanson getting the puck to the net for sophomore Braden Fischer to score in the first period. Then freshman Max Plante found freshman Callum Arnott down low on th...

As UMD senior Joe Molenaar said this week, this is the NCHC. There are no easy weekends. Even when playing a team that has not won in 34 straight conference games (0-33-1). Miami gave Denver fits at times last weekend in Oxford, and the RedHawks scored three late goals two Saturdays ago in Colorado Springs before getti...

For the UMD men, it's a bittersweet final home weekend with Miami in town. For the women, it's the start of the most wonderful time of year, the playoffs. Here, it's nine more rambling thoughts. 9 THOUGHTS 1. "It's go time." UMD sophomore goalie Eve Gascon smiled when it was mentioned to her that it's playoff...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- An early hole proved too much to dig out of for UMD on Friday night, as North Dakota took a 1-0 lead inside of two minutes elapsed, added to it at the end of the first period, and played opportunistic hockey to beat UMD 4-2 here at Ralph Engelstad Arena. UMD got goals from Joe Molenaar and Blake Be...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- I can report that Ralph Engelstad Arena once again smells like mini donuts. Cruel and unusual punishment for someone who can't eat cinnamon, I argue. Anyway, UMD has three series left in the regular season, with two of them coming against the Bulldogs' closest league rivals. First it's here to face...

Big weekend series ahead for the UMD women to finish up the regular season. The UMD men look to take another step forward in a tough venue. Meanwhile, a cool story has been authored over the bridge, and the writers hope the best chapter has yet to be penned. It's go time. 9 THOUGHTS 1. "The longest we've ever been...

For the Bulldogs, Friday's win was needed. There was a clear commitment to playing better defensively, and while the Sun Devils are probably lamenting a few Grade-A chances where pucks were whiffed on or shanked, or a pass was off-target, but UMD can feel the same way, especially about the latter half of the third peri...

UMD is now 5-5-1 since break after getting swept last weekend in Omaha. Not bad, not great. While Scott Sandelin has said a couple times this week that he felt his team deserved a better fate in Omaha (at least to some extent), UMD has to be much better defensively against a potent Arizona State attack than it was last...

International hockey is the flavor of the moment. While the NHL season goes on pause for the 4 Nations Faceoff, the PWHL is back after a pause for the latest unnecessary Rivalry Series, and two UMD women's standout defenders have returned from helping their respective countries qualify for the 2026 Olympics. Doublehead...

OMAHA, Neb. -- A pretty even game through two periods turned on a five-minute stretch to start the third period Friday night. Well, to be fair, a stretch of 5:01 to start the third period. 13 seconds into the third, Zac Urdahl scored short-side from a sharp-ish angle on the right wing to give Omaha a 2-1 lead. It was a...

OMAHA, Neb. -- It's "Country and Cowbells Night" here in Omaha. Join us and see if we survive with our ears fully intact. On the ice, UMD returns from a bye to battle Omaha. Like I said in the preview, byes are weird. They aren't necessarily as helpful as one might think. Jan. 17, Western Michigan returned fr...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Bye weeks are weird. Everyone thinks it's a great chance for a team to get healthy and reset, and to work on a few things. "I've done this a long time," UMD men's head coach Scott Sandelin said this week, as his team prepares to return from a bye to battle Omaha. "I always thought bye week...

A rousing win for UMD on Friday night. And maybe the kind of game that wakes up a fanbase that's, to be blunt, not come out in droves since the team stumbled out of the gates to start the season. Had nearly 6,000 paid for Friday, and most of the folks who showed up were more than engaged with the happenings on the ice....

For the pregame interview you'll hear if you #ListenToTheRadio at around 6:50, I always like to ask UMD coach Scott Sandelin for a few keys to success for his team against whatever adversary it faces for a particular weekend. Listen closely, and Sandelin offers some cool Xs and Os hockey insight that will help you be a...

Apologies to the legendary John Cena. Denver is in town for two, so a tremendous challenge awaits the UMD men, the UMD women battled illness and a top-tier adversary simultaneously last weekend, and plenty to do and see in the next nine thoughts. Go time. 9 THOUGHTS 1. "Bottom line, I wasn't good enough." Kla...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- It's funny how the perspective can change on weather. In northern Minnesota, everyone is preparing as best they can for some bitingly cold wind chills (50 below zero for many), and no matter what some rando on Facebook wants you to think, it does not get that cold every January. Meanwhile, he...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- But not for the visitors. Colorado College beat a short-handed UMD team 7-2 Friday night. This will be somewhat short and not at all sweet to summarize. 9 THOUGHTS 1. Let's start with some updates. If you didn't listen Friday, you might not have caught me covering for an earlier mistake. Norm...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Nothing has come easy for either UMD or Colorado College this season. The teams enter this weekend series tied for seventh in the NCHC at 13 points apiece. But that only tells part of the story. UMD started 3-7 and has only recently steadied itself a bit with a 3-1-1 run since break ended. Co...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Before we get to hockey, the passing of Bob Uecker has to be acknowledged. To a certain degree, your humble correspondent is likely not your humble correspondent were it not for many a night staying up past bedtime to listen to Bob Uecker (alongside current Cubs radio voice and also legend Pa...

Off a 2-0 win Friday, we'll see if UMD can secure the sweep while clearly fighting through illness, which is not at all atypical of a hockey team this time of year. (Trust me, it's going around big-time. I've already had COVID since the Arizona trip and am using my ninja skillz to avoid the latest rush of viruses as mu...