Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast (Episode 26)

On episode 26 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, we officially pay our respects to Don Lucia Era.

Minnesota's head coach stepped down after a 19-year run in charge of the Gophers. Drew Cove, Nate Wells and producer Tom Schreier discuss the ramifications of the coaching change, the challenges the next coach (this was recorded prior to the news of Bob Motzko's hiring) will face along with the team losing a pair of players to early departures in Ryan Lindgren and Casey Mittelstadt.

Plus: A giant mailbag that answers several questions, including the Frozen Four and what were Drew and Nate's favorite pieces to write this season.

Those reading their favorite Frank Serratore quotes can directly download here.


As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. His latest story comes from the West Regional and explores the parallels between the 2011 and 2018 UMD teams, right down to Jack Connolly coming in to speak with the latest Bulldogs team to make an St. Paul Frozen Four.

Bob Motzko leaves St. Cloud State to become new Gopher hockey head coach (The Athletic)

Bob Motzko will be the next head coach of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team, the school announced Tuesday.

“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to lead Golden Gopher Hockey,” Motzko said in a press release from the school. “The rich history and tradition of this program is honored by so many in our state and around the country. We will work tirelessly to make those people proud.”

Motzko, who celebrated his 57th birthday Tuesday, has spent the past 13 years as head coach at his alma mater St. Cloud State University. He replaces Don Lucia, who stepped down last week after 19 seasons behind the bench.

Motzko served as an assistant coach to Lucia between 2001 and 2005. The Gophers won a pair of national championships during that time.

Click here to read the rest!

Casey Mittelstadt signs with Buffalo + his thoughts on the college experience

Casey Mittelstadt's time at the University of Minnesota has come to an end.

Mittelstadt signed an entry-level contract Monday (March 26, 2018) with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted the Eden Prairie, MN native eighth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. The Gopher forward will forgo his final three years of college eligibility.

We've signed forward Casey Mittelstadt to a 3-year entry-level contract.

Welcome to Buffalo, @CMittelstadt! pic.twitter.com/kvLie4Bueu

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 26, 2018

Mittelstadt finishes his one college season second on the Gophers with 30 points (11G-19A) in 34 games. He missed three games this year to play in the 2018 WJC, leading the U-20 competition in points.

The first freshman to depart Minnesota for a professional contract since Nick Leddy in 2010, Mittelstadt joins WJC teammate Ryan Lindgren in departing the Gophers early after head coach Don Lucia stepped down last Tuesday following his 19th season. Whoever takes over as head coach in 2018-19 will have to replace the team's most dynamic forward and top defenseman.

In his short time in college, the 19 year-old Mittelstadt earned a new appreciation for the fans and students of the college hockey game.

"Definitely," Mittelstadt told The Gopher Hockey Blog before facing Penn State in the Big Ten quarterfinals. "Obviously, it's cool to see people go all out like that and have some fun. I think for me, it's always fun to see that stuff, it makes for some good laughs in the locker room, things like that. I always enjoy it and think it's pretty funny."

Roar Zone student section signs. All the small photos are Casey Mittelstadt at the NHL Draft combine.

1) Wonder if the "Ew" sign was reused from Wisconsin. 2) The Sabres are owned by this rink's namesake. pic.twitter.com/m8CvFUErnY

— Nate Wells (@gopherstate) February 23, 2018

As the second collegian drafted in 2017, Mittelstadt was the focus of every opposing student section. From Ann Arbor to Grand Forks to State College and everywhere in between, students chanted his name and posted pictures of him attempting to do a pull-up.

"It's definitely fun. (Penn State) has a very good fanbase. I didn't expect it to be that good," he said. "Their student section was great and it made for a very fun weekend."

Mittelstadt signing now means he can burn a year of his ELC. He is expected to play for the Sabres later this week.

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Feature: Questions facing the Gopher program...beyond finding a coach (The Athletic)

“Selfishly, we feel like we have the best hockey job in the country.”

University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle was frank during Tuesday’s press conference announcing head coach Don Lucia would be stepping down after 19 years. As questions turned to who would be Lucia’s successor — the third permanent head coach since 1985 — Coyle mentioned he wants someone who understands what the program means to the state.

“We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished and our incredible tradition,” he said. “I look forward to having conversations with the right people and making sure we find the best fit for our student-athletes and our program.”

However, a new head coach is not the only question facing the Gopher program. Whoever gets the job will have some work to do in 2018-19 after a season that ended with a 19-17-2 record, four consecutive road losses to Penn State and the perfect storm of outcomes to knock the team out of the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s a look at some of the other questions facing Minnesota in 2018-19.

Click here to read the rest!

Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 25 (with Chris Eckes and Giles Ferrell)

On Episode 25 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, we discuss the greatest upset in college hockey history.

At 6:15 pm Saturday, Minnesota had a 1 in 64 chance to miss out on the NCAA Tournament. Six games needed to go wrong. By 9:52 pm, all six did, leaving the Gophers out of the 2018 NCAA Tournament and ending the team's season. Upsets galore, blowouts, multiple automatic bids won and last minute comebacks put the nearly impossible front and center.

Chris Eckes and Giles Ferrell join Nate Wells, Drew Cove and producer Tom Schreier for a full season post-mortem. The talk starts with Saturday's night improbable bad beat before turning to what went wrong, what went right and what could have been. All discuss whether Don Lucia had coached his last game with the Gophers (recorded a day before news broke of Lucia stepping down) and end with some NCAA jersey talk.

Those who like the old John Mayasich Minnesota sweaters can directly download here.

As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-Chris writes at Gopher Puck Live and Pride on Ice blog. His Lucia piece mentioned on the show can be read here. You can follow Chris on Twitter @chriseckes.

-Giles writes at Zone Coverage where he covers the Minnesota Wild and hosts the Giles and the Goalie podcast. He can be followed on Twitter @gilesferrell.

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. His latest story is on the questions facing the 2018-19 Gopher hockey team.

Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 24 (with Dan Kelly)

On episode 24 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, a Wellsy Award winner joins in on the action.

Without a weekend series to discuss, Nate Wells, Drew Cove and producer Tom Schreier reconvene anyways. The three get off track quickly before coming back and talking about Minnesota's chances of making the NCAA Tournament now that at least one at-large spot has been taken away. The Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey Tournament that Nate covered gets touched upon as well as who Drew and Nate think should make the Hobey Baker top 10.

Then BTN college hockey announcer and voice of the Chicago Fire Dan Kelly joins to discuss his busy weekend juggling the women's Frozen Four and Chicago-Minnesota United opener. In between, Dan opens up about growing up around the NHL (his father Dan was the longtime voice of the St. Louis Blues) and how that shaped his philosophy calling games, preparing for multiple teams in multiple sports, what he liked about the Big Ten this season and whether Minnesota's year was a disappointment.

Those who miss Chicago Stadium can directly download here.


As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-As mentioned, Dan will be broadcasting the women's Frozen Four from Ridder Arena for BTN and Chicago Fire-Minnesota United for CSN Chicago. He occasionally announces soccer for ESPN as well. Dan can be found on Twitter at @dankelly_21.

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page.

Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 23

On episode 23 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, it only seems like a repeat.

Once again the Gophers headed out to State College, PA. Once again the Gophers were swept by Penn State, only this time it came in the Big Ten conference tournament quarterfinals.

Nate Wells, Drew Cove and producer Tom Schreier dive into the weekend that turned Minnesota's two-game losing streak into a four-game losing streak. They discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the series, which saw Minnesota lose 5-3 and 6-5. Nate also shares how the games got on FSN as well as NCAA Tournament discussion given the Gophers are likely in the field of 16 in two weeks (from air date).

Those stuck in the midst of pothole season can directly download here.


As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-Drew can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. His latest Gopher hockey feature was on the Gopher women's team winning the WCHA Final Faceoff.

Feature: When they needed it most, Gopher women found a way to beat the best (The Athletic)

With her team’s center of attention turning towards needing two wins, internally Sidney Peters spent much of the weekend focusing on a single droplet of water.

It’s a trick Peters, a kinesiology major, picked up to help concentrate. During stoppages of play Minnesota’s redshirt senior goaltender will spray her water bottle in the air and try to watch the droplets falling down.

“It’s a way to keep my eyes awake. You have all these little muscles in your eyes. When you’re zoning out and not getting a lot of shots, you can lose control,” she said. “It’s also a focal point for me. It helps me to stay focused and deal with the anxiety that’s inevitable as an athlete.”

Inevitably there was anxiety.

Two hours before Saturday’s WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal, any plans of the Gophers making the NCAA tournament as an at-large bid disappeared 1,100 miles away. Minnesota players and coaches found out through scoreboard watching that UConn upset Hockey East regular-season champion Boston College. Hockey East’s automatic bid would go to a team outside the top eight in the Pairwise Rankings, taking away an at-large spot in the eight-team field.

That spot would have been Minnesota’s.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Minnesota wins WCHA Final Faceoff Championship (Zone Coverage)

MINNEAPOLIS- Only once the puck crossed the red line and into the empty net was Minnesota able to celebrate Sunday.

With Minnesota holding on to a one-goal lead against the top-ranked Badgers, Wisconsin spent nearly two minutes in the Gopher end before Nicole Schammel sealed the game by skating in alone and scoring an empty-netter with 13.3 seconds remaining.

“It felt pretty good once that went in,” said Minnesota head coach Brad Frost, noting Patrik Stefan’s missed empty net attempt in the NHL as reason to not count a goal before it happened. “Once it crossed the line I felt good.”

The Gophers celebrated again once the final whistle was blown, defeating Wisconsin 3-1 Sunday to take home the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff championship. Sidney Peters made 31 saves Sunday as her team claimed victory over the Badgers for the first time in five attempts this season.

Minnesota (23-10-4), winning the tournament for the first time since 2014, earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The eight-team field will be announced Sunday evening.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Penn State holds on, knocks Gophers out of Big Ten Conference Tournament (Zone Coverage)

The Gophers, having likely done enough over the first 34 games to earn an at-large bid when the 16 team field is announced on March 18, will enter the NCAA Tournament on a four-game losing streak, all to the Nittany Lions and all at Pegula Arena.

The latest loss came Saturday when Penn State came out ahead 6-5 in a game which saw Minnesota (19-17-2) explode for four goals in the second period and four lead changes.

Evan Barratt scored twice Saturday, including the game-winning goal with 8:35 remaining in regulation.

“We were a little sluggish in the first and then after that I thought we played hard and fought right until the end. It’s just disappointing we didn’t get that final goal,” Minnesota head coach Don Lucia told reporters after Saturday’s game. “The guys had a great push in the second and third period and showed a lot of who they are coming back from 3-1 on the road.”

Combined with Friday’s 5-3 victory, Penn State won the best-of-three quarterfinal series 2-0 and will advance to next week’s Big Ten semifinal.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Gophers advance to WCHA Final Faceoff (Zone Coverage)

MINNEAPOLIS- Needing a win, Minnesota got its biggest victory of the season. The Gophers will continue theirs.

Freshman Grace Zumwinkle scored both goals Saturday in a 2-0 win over Ohio State. Minnesota (23-10-3) will face Wisconsin for the WCHA Final Faceoff championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a great game here tonight. I thought we played extremely hard and battled and competed,” said head coach Brad Frost. “(Gophers redshirt senior goaltender) Sid(ney) Peters was fantastic obviously and Zummy and her line, in particular, played a really big role.”

Entering Saturday on the outside of the NCAA Tournament and having gone 0-3-1 against the opponent, Peters stopped all 33 shots she faced.

Ohio State (23-10-4) appeared to have scored in the opening 90 seconds, but Charly Dahlquist’s shot was waved off when the net came off first. Referees reviewed the play and confirmed the call.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Penn State takes Game against Minnesota (Zone Coverage)

Fifty-five seconds near the end of the second period changed the course of Friday’s Big Ten quarterfinal opener.

With the game tied at two and 1:12 remaining, Penn State’s Denis Smirnov and Andrew Sturtz each scored before the second-period buzzer sounded to leave the Gophers in a two-goal hole entering the third period.

It was enough of a cushion for the Nittany Lions to hold on in a 5-3 win in the best-of-three series and put the Gophers on a three-game losing streak.

“When you get into a game like that I thought both teams competed hard,” head coach Don Lucia told reporters after the game. “We battled back to tie it 2-2 and the next turning point for me was the last minute of the second period.”

Special teams played a major role for both teams in the third consecutive game against one another at Pegula Arena. Freshman Casey Mittelstadt got his first multi-goal game for Minnesota (19-16-2) with both markers coming on the power play.

Click here to read the rest!

Feature: Taylor Williamson "overcame the impossible" to get back to Gophers (The Athletic)

During the first period of Minnesota’s first game, Taylor Williamson quietly left the bench. She didn’t return for over three months.

To get back to her spot at Ridder Arena, where Minnesota will this weekend try to escape the NCAA tournament bubble and win an automatic bid through the WCHA Final Faceoff, was far from a guarantee.

“I was the only person who in my head thought I could do it,” Williamson told The Athletic. “If you would have asked the doctors, my coaches, my teammates, the way they would had seen me at my lowest point, easily people would have said there’s no way Taylor is going to make it.”

Nothing has been easy for Williamson in a year which saw the 21-year-old undergo brain surgery, be diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disorder and, in her words, overcome the impossible.

Click here to read the rest!

Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 22

On Episode 22 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, all goodwill went out the window.

After a trip to Penn State ended in the first-ever sweep for the Nittany Lions, Minnesota will go back next weekend in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament. Nate Wells, on the scene last weekend, Drew Cove and producer Tom Schreier lead the post-mortem over what went wrong. They touch on Friday's 5-1 loss and embarassing performance, Saturday's 5-2 loss and much more before turning attention towards next weekend's opponent...Penn State.

Plus: Mailbag questions and Nate breaking news that this weekend's games would be on TV!

Those who think Drew looks like a lost Reilly brother can directly download here.


As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-Drew was on assignment, but he can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page.

Radio: This Week in College Hockey with Zig Fracassi (February 26, 2018)

I appeared as a guest on "This Week in College Hockey" on Sirius XM's ESPNU Radio channel. Host Zig Fracassi and I discussed Ryan Lindgren, who went from Boston to New York as part of the Rick Nash trade, as a prospect, Minnesota's season, covering a game at Penn State, how the Big Ten looks entering the playoffs and Notre Dame's season.

A subscription is required, but you can find it here - https://www.siriusxm.com/espnuradio

Radio: WCCO Sports Sunday with Steve Thomson (February 25, 2018)

Speaking from a Wawa parking lot on my way back from State College, Steve Thomson of WCCO had me on the radio last Sunday.

There was a lot to discuss between the Minnesota men being swept by Penn State and the Gopher women sweeping St. Cloud State to advance to this weekend's WCHA Final Faceoff. Topics include what went wrong at Pegula Arena, the odd year for blue blood programs, Minnesota's NCAA chances after being swept (Spoiler: They're fantastic), whether I'm going back to PA next weekend (Spoiler: I'm not), the WCHA Final Faceoff and where the Gopher women sit in the NCAA Tournament picture.

You can listen below.

Direct: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/audio/steve-thomson-and-eric-nelson/2-25-18-4-pm-sports-sunday/#.Wph23V1mTsA.blogger

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/steve-thomson-and-eric-nelson/id403228796?mt=2

My segment begins at around the 7:30 mark of the 4 pm hour on Sunday February 25.

Feature: Gophers eye one last hurrah at Mariucci for seniors in Big Ten tourney (The Athletic)

Author's note: I realized I never linked to this feature over at The Athletic, which was written after the Ohio State series and prior to Minnesota losing to Penn State. Keep that in mind when reading.

If you haven't subscribed to The Athletic and want to find out about the quality journalism, no ads or clickbait for the price of a coffee a month, let me know so I can hook up with a deal.

Prior to the final six games of the regular season, Minnesota’s underclassmen had a goal to give their five seniors one more chance to play at home after the two remaining guaranteed regular-season home games. To get there, the Gophers, sixth place in the Big Ten at the time, needed to finish fourth in order to ensure a best-of-three conference tournament quarterfinal series would be at Mariucci.

Three wins and a tie later, Minnesota is in reach of that goal.

Senior Day came and went Saturday afternoon. Minnesota held a pregame ceremony before facing Ohio State. Every freshman, sophomore and junior sat on the bench watching their teammates be honored.

“I’ve been so blessed and so rewarded to come to this program. It’s a decision I’ll never forget,” senior defenseman Steve Johnson told The Athletic.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Minnesota loses game, series & home ice to Penn State (Zone Coverage)

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- Losing a shootout last Saturday turned out to be the difference for Minnesota.

Or it could possibly be a blown 3-0 lead to Michigan in November that resulted in a loss in overtime.

The 4-0 lead the next night which resulted in two points rather than three comes to mind. Maybe Wisconsin or Ohio State finding a way to win tied games in the third period did it. Maybe being shut out at Notre Dame despite 44 shots on Cale Morris.

Then there’s this weekend. After 24 Big Ten league games, Minnesota fell one point short of home ice.

“It’s tough. It’s not the weekend that we wanted,” Gopher junior forward Brent Gates Jr. said.

Needing a single point on the road in either of the two games against Penn State, the Gophers got swept at Pegula Arena for the first time in program history. Despite a better start Saturday a night after handily losing 5-1, Minnesota could not find a way early past Peyton Jones.

The Nittany Lions scored twice in the opening 10:48 to go on and win the regular season finale 5-2. Celebrating with streamers from the student section, PSU finishes with 34 points compared to 33 for the Gophers.

“We didn’t play as we needed to yesterday, as the shots and score showed. You can’t leave the second game to chance,” said Mike Szmatula.

Click here to read the rest!

Game Story: Minnesota embarrassed in Happy Valley (Zone Coverage)

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA- Before the game the Roar Zone, Penn State’s student section, unveiled a giant banner that showed a Nittany Lion chasing a Gopher and said “Ski-U-Meh.”

Photo credit: Nathan Wells

“Meh” might be kind.

Alex Limoges was able to tap a Roar Zone poster of an “easy” button against the glass when he scored his team’s fifth goal in a move which summed up the night for Penn State.

Facing a desperate Penn State team needing wins to keep its NCAA Tournament chances alive, the Gophers were anything but Friday night. The Nittany Lions defeated Minnesota 5-1 in front of 6,171 fans, leaving an embarrassed Gopher squad angry at their own effort.

“It’s really disappointing. When you lose a game because you didn’t bring your effort, that’s on you,” sophomore defenseman Ryan Lindgren said. “When you get outshot (61-15) it’s flat out embarrassing. When you don’t bring the effort that’s on us.”

Click here to read the rest!

Podcast: That Gopher Hockey Puckcast Episode 21 (With Ben Jones)

On episode 21 of That Gopher Hockey Puckcast, Nate is in two places at once.

Joining Drew Cove and Tom Schreier from New York City, the trio discuss Minnesota's win and tie over then-No. 6 Ohio State. They touch on Mat Robson's performance, Senior Day, the Gophers being one point away from clinching home ice and much more.

Afterwards Ben Jones of State College.com comes on the show to help break down the Nittany Lions' season a year after making the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He also explains the growing college hockey culture in State College with one of Division 1's newest programs.

Those who have heard of more than one student newspaper can directly download here.


As a reminder, if you subscribed to our old podcast, that feed will no longer work. You need to subscribe to the 'Cast In Gold feed wherever you listen to podcasts. Here it is on iTunes.

Plugs and stuff:

-Ben is the editor at StateCollege.com where he also covers football, basketball and hockey. He wrote the book "Happy Valley Hockey" on Penn State's first five years of Division 1 men's hockey. It can be ordered on Amazon and other places books are sold. You can follow him on Twitter @ben_jones88.

-Drew was on assignment, but he can be found on Twitter @covedrew and covers Minnesota men's hockey, football and softball for the Minnesota Daily. His latest story is on goaltenders Eric Schierhorn and Mat Robson being in new territory.

-Nate can be found here on this website and at The Athletic (as well as every other website if the various links here don't make clear). His feature on Minnesota's seniors celebrating Senior Day and eyeing one more home series can be read here. You can follow him on Twitter @gopherstate and like/subscribe to his Facebook page.