Latest / 2 Many Men On The Mic / You Don’t Need AAA to Play College Hockey | Blake Dorn Interview

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You Don’t Need AAA to Play College Hockey | Blake Dorn Interview · 2 Many Men On The Mic

• 0:45
  SPEAKER_05: Well, welcome to the last week of May.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_05: And uh you can't say last week of May without talking about uh Final Four of the NHL.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_05: Uh uh we're broadcasting uh uh on a Wednesday, but uh last night's game brought us uh one Stanley Cup contender to the table, uh, and that is I bet you didn't have this on your bingo card, the Vegas Golden Knights.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_05: How about that?
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what to do right now.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_03: You're not sitting next to me.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's been a minute since we've recorded this way.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I'm gonna blame our producer Grant because we, you know, since we've started in the new studio, we've had no internet problems.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_03: He decides to come to his parents' basement, and all of a sudden we've got to hightail it back to the home bases and figure out how to do this for our fans and for our listening audience.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: So well done, Grant.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: Well done.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_02: I just want you to know I also was at home yes last week, too, and nothing was wrong.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_02: So your uh so your theory here is flawed.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: Well, uh what theory isn't flawed right now is that the Montreal Canadians are in a little bit of problem.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: Well the little problem going on right now.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_03: I don't want to talk about it.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_03: In the form of the uh the former Hartford Whalers, uh now uh Carolina Hurricanes.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_03: What would you say?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_03: You would call that the Carolina Hurricanes knee, Hartford Whalers.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: That's ridiculous that you're wearing that hat in support of the hurricanes.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Because every true Whalers fan probably hates the hurricanes.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_03: How many true Whalers fans do you know, Grant?
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I can say I know zero Whalers fans and zero hurricanes fans.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: So well, I I was definitely a Whalers fan.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: I got a freaking Whalers flag, dude.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_02: So why are you you're supposed to hate the hurricanes?
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_03: They took away the whalers.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: I know it um it it it did break my heart when it happened.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: But here's the cool thing: they wear the whales when they're certain home games, they wear the the whalers green, oh brass bonanza.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_03: Well, what about what about Colorado wearing like Nordique stuff?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's ridiculous.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: It's like when the Oilers Oh, you're ridiculous when the Titans wear the um the Oilers stuff.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: That's so stupid.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_03: I I think it's just like look, the the fans can't help the economics, it's a cool jersey.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: Like, let's just go.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_03: Did you know Hartford actually played?
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: Swear to god, this is no joke.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_03: Hartford played in a mall, like like it's going out to West County.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: There was a hockey rink in the middle of the mall.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's what um the wizards do.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: Is it really?
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I went to a wizards game once and they play in a mall.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_02: I walked through you walked through the beginning of the mall to get to the arena.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's insane.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_03: Have they been the wizards your entire life, by the way?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they have I I knew them as the bullets.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: Well, that's what I guess the capitals do too, because they share, don't they share arenas?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_03: No, the capitals do they don't play in a mall though, do they?
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's a mall.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I was actually in Hartford about uh about 10 years ago.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_03: Well, flew through Hartford and went through the mall.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_03: So that's where I got this hat.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_02: Is the ring's still there?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the ring's still there.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_03: They um there's a there was a junior team and all sorts of cool stuff.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_03: But all I'm saying is Wolfpack, right?
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Hartford Wolfpack.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: June 18th.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna be sitting front row at the Too Many Man The Mike.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: I felt I felt really good after they won game one, too.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_03: We solved the Rust versus We solved the Rust vs Russ question, didn't we?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: Rust.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely Rust.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_02: Although I mean they almost won game three.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if Suzuki doesn't like miss uh breakaway chance, maybe they won.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, there's an old saying, if my well never mind.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, uh I will say this though, like I I did kind of call Vegas too.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_03: I mean a broken clocks right twice a day.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: So I was in on Vegas.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_02: I should have made that better.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you can say that now.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_05: You're on the backside, and you know uh you know the players that are there, so uh awfully convenient.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_05: But uh, we got a great show today.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_05: We're talking uh ACHA hockey.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_05: And for those that don't know what ACHA hockey is, is uh we've said this before many times on the show.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_05: There is a place uh for everybody to play hockey.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_05: And so uh this is a league that's been growing and it's uh tied to college universities throughout the country.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and so today we're gonna speak to a current ACHA player that's gonna give us a little bit of insight on his non-elite youth hockey journey and then how that now has transitioned into ACH hockey, ACHA hockey as an 18 plus year old.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_05: So uh I'm looking forward to the conversation and sharing a part of hockey that we haven't really touched on this year.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and uh, you know, he's not just going to any university, and not that any that sounded bad.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: He's going to a an elite university, um, big ten school.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I think they uh pride themselves on being the uh the hardest academic institution in the Big Ten.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think the University of Chicago still wants to argue with them on that, though, because technically the University of Chicago is still a part of the Big Ten.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: But uh Blake Dorn uh from St.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_03: Louis, uh former St.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: Louis Rocket and salute high junior billikan, um, now a Northwestern Wildcat and playing from the Northwestern Wildcats ACHA team.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_03: Blake, it's great to see you and uh thanks so much for joining us, man.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_03: Tell catch us up, man.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us tell us what college life is like at Northwestern.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so first of all, thanks so much for having me on.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I appreciate it a lot.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, winded down the air at Northwestern.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: I have about a few weeks left.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's definitely been a it's been a great ride so far.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, the academics have been pretty challenging, but I would say it's going well.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm having a great time.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: I have a lot of great friends.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hockey's going well, uh, school parts going well.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, no complaints at all.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_05: So so Blake, uh, how often are you on the ice uh practicing uh with your ACHA team?
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So um on a regular week, we'll have two or three skates a week and then games on the weekends.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: So say four or five times a week.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_05: So that's a good healthy amount of ice that you're touching.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_05: And uh uh I take it you you've got games in town, but then you've got games out of town.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_05: And how uh how frequently are you hitting the road?
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so so the divisions, it's kind of weird.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: It got realigned last year.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: So most of our teams we play are in the Chicagoland area.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we do have a few trips though.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: So like this past year we went to uh Los Angeles, we played Loyola Maramount, uh, we went to Madison, Wisconsin, we went to a place called Fondu Lac in Wisconsin, uh not the best place to go.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: A lot to do.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then next year we're going to Arizona, Miami of Ohio, and then St.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Louis for playoffs.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's a good amount, but most I would say most of our games are in the Chicagoland area.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: Well, tell us a little bit about, you know, you know, we're we're gonna get into this journey and we're gonna have a little bit of fun.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but tell us a little bit about what do you what are you studying?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_03: Are you what are you majoring in at Northwestern?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, how often are you catching the train down to the city?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and and you know, you know, we'll we'll make sure your mom and dad aren't listening, uh, you know, when we we talk when we have the when we brought drop the episode.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, I've been I've been going downtown a lot, obviously.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's a train station right by my dorm actually, so it's super convenient.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: I can go down anytime I want, it's been a great time.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what was the first question you asked?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sorry.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: What are you majoring in?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, what's the studies like?
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm right now I haven't declared, but I'm planning on doing a double major in political science and legal studies, and then a possible minor in history or Spanish.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't decided which one.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but obviously the pre-law track, yeah.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, right away he's the smartest guy on the podcast, Drew.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_05: Definitely.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we're super excited to have you on here.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_03: And I know you've listened to the show.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, we we talk a lot about you know what we call the 90% in youth hockey, the kids that are playing, you know, C through A1 level, and you know, understanding that that's where the sport needs to grow.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_03: We need to make sure we're keeping those kids in it.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: You went through that track.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you were an A-level player.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think you ended your minor career playing double A midget.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but you know, between that and going to such a great high school, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you know the 10U and 12U Blake was like and what that experience was and why you kept playing this great sport?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll start off going way back.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: My dad played hockey at Slough High, actually, uh back in the day, you know, a long time ago.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: So he always visioned me and my brother Noel playing hockey.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I think I started when I was six.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_01: I went to a skate, absolutely hated it, hated it so much.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: I cried and left ice.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't I didn't go back and I refused to play for a while.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then I started watching hockey, watching the blues, going to blues games, getting into it, and I was like, okay, hey, I can give this another try.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe nine or ten, I started skating again.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, played my first year with the Rockets with Coach Whitworth.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Shout out to him, he's absolutely amazing.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and yeah, I quickly found that I was to that level, I was one of the better players on the team, one of the better skaters.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I got moved to defense, and then yeah, from there it's it's been a uh been a movie since then.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah, you see how he slid that in there, Drew.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_03: I heard it.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: Imprepdum.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_03: Well, all you two guys hash it out here because it's gonna be a love fest now.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: You talked about skating and defense.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_05: I love it.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_05: I I love a defender, but uh, you went to blues games.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_05: I love how you said that.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_05: So you went to blues games, and what was it about watching the uh the pro game?
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_05: Because one of the things we talk about on the show a lot is uh watch a player uh that plays your position and uh follow them for a period or even an entire game.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_05: So, what was it about going to blues games that really kind of made you uh get into it maybe the second time around?
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_05: What was that?
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I'll start off by saying that I went to Clayton for elementary school and soccer was the sport to play.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone loved soccer, but for me, I absolutely hated it.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: And no, no hates all the soccer fans out there, but for me it was pretty slow paced.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, couldn't really tell what was going on, and then I start going to hockey games, and it's super fast-paced, everyone's moving, everyone seems to know what they're doing, moving the puck, hitting people.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's physical, and I loved it.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: I decided I want to try that out.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: So, you like the physical part of the game?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_05: Of course.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_06: Love it.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_05: So um uh I have to imagine that uh uh ACHA hockey with 18 plus year old uh players out there can get physical from time to time, right?
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, yeah, it does.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_05: And uh how old would you say uh some of the players that you're playing against are?
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_05: Uh uh do you uh do you age out of ACHA hockey uh when you get to a certain year?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_05: How long are you are you able to play?
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um I don't believe so.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think you have four or maybe five years of eligibility because I know grad students are able to play.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um there was a 25-year-old on my team this year that came from playing NCAA D3, and we played Loyola Chicago, and they had someone on their team with a family, a wife and kids.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of a very wide age range.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: I I mean that's I mean, it I remember when I was in school and being out there, uh, and there, I swear to god, there was like 10 guys with beards, mortgages, and three kids.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, yeah.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, so so cool.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but what a great experience.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, so I love how you talk about like, hey, I'm gonna give this a try again.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna go back.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_03: And it was tied to the local local hockey team, the the blues.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I think a lot of kids get that, especially those kids that saw the blues win the Stanley Cup.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_03: That was you were a little bit before that time, as far as like that being an impact.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: But like, were there kids in your elementary school?
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: Were there other kids besides the Rockets that you were able to kind of you were friends with that maybe were playing, you know, a little bit sooner than you were?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and and what are some things that if you could go back and tell that 12-year-old Blake, hey, this isn't as important, or do this, what would those what would those things be?
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so on the first point, I would say I was one of the first to start playing hockey at my school.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think before me, there was one other guy, and he grew up playing triple A.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: So we weren't the closest of friends.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't talk to him a lot about hockey.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, you know, after me, maybe I started a trend because a lot of people started to started to play.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then on your second point, um, I would tell myself to just have fun with it.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like growing up, maybe around until high school, I was kind of like a scared player out there.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: I was I was always one of the better players for my level, but I was always kind of afraid to make a mistake, you know.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't want my teammates to yell at me, my coach to yell at me.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: So I didn't want I didn't want to try new things that I'd worked on at practice or at least stick and pucks, you know.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say don't be scared to make mistakes.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's a game, it's supposed to be for fun.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: You should try your best to be the best player you can out there.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Don't be scared to make a mistake.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_05: And so when you were thinking about going to college and you were wrapping up your 18U season, uh, was there ever a point where you said, uh, boy, I just don't know what I'm gonna do with hockey?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_05: Or did you get to Northwestern and find out information about the ACHA team?
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_05: And then did that lead you to discussions?
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_05: How did that work for you?
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so so that's an interesting question.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So my senior year, I was playing on the SLU varsity team and then ATUAA for Rockets with my friends.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, a few months into the season for SLU in the J Cup game, actually, I got a concussion.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: And this was one of the I've had a few concussions I had won the year before.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: So after that, I took a long break from hockey a few months, even after I was cleared, I was hesitant about playing.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I ended up finishing up the season with my double A team, and we won the Blue Note Cup.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I went into that game really, you know, thinking that that would be my last ever game of hockey, that that would be my last time placing up playing.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I had a such a great time in that game.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: We won, you know, uh great memory.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then a few weeks later, after I had pretty much said, like, yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna play hockey, um, an Instagram notification popped up.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: And it was from the Northwestern team.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: I had followed them a while back after I knew I got in.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it turns out they were playing at Meryville that night for playoffs.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I was like, you know what?
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I'll go check out the game.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'll go see what's up.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: I went to the game.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, all the guys were having a great time out there.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, skill level wasn't super crazy, and I was like, okay, maybe I could do this.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I started thinking about it over the summer.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I uh texted the coach and we were exchanging a few texts, um, talked to some guys on the team, and I still wasn't really decided.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I left on September 9th, and the morning of the day where we're leaving, I was like, you know what, I'll bring my hockey stuff up.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'll see if I want to skate.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: I still hadn't decided, but you know, I decided to bring it up.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, went to a skate that week during my welcome week, and I loved it.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: The guys were super welcoming and great.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: They asked questions about me, they wanted to know about me.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: I felt like they wanted me to be a part of the team.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then meeting the coach, I got the same vibe also.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: So I was just like, yeah, I'm gonna try it out and made the right decision for sure.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, they obviously wanted a guy who was a you know great skating defenseman.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know about that.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: Well, hey, um, I I could tell you you're an excellent, excellent, excellent skater.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: Um talk a little bit about you know the lead up you know through the years here, you know, because you you make that jump to to A1, I think your Bannum year, um, and then you you stick with it through midget and and and you start to go you go to one of the best hockey schools, hockey high schools in SLU, where you're competing with and practicing with some of the best talent in the in the area, if not the not only the area, but the region.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: Walk us through how you navigate that and what did you use?
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: What what how did that shape you and help you grow and develop even more?
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so so my Baname one year with Coach Meek, uh obviously Brendan was on that team.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know, great year.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: We were pretty good for a team.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: We won the Blue Note Cup.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um throughout the year, my coach, Coach Meek, um he was reaching out to Coach Walters at SLU, and he was wanting to know more about me, wanting to get me to play.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: So he put in a good word.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: And over the summer, I was actually invited to play in the varsity summer league for SLU, which for SLU, we put out a lot of like borderline guys, like JV level guys compared to varsity guys from Viani, Kirkwood, Shamanade, etc.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And going out there, I was like, okay, like I'm screwed.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: I can never play varsity at this school because you know, playing against like junior, senior guys that play varsity at Shamanade, very intimidating for eighth grade me going into my high school year.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, my freshman year, I rarely I didn't think I would ever make varsity.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_01: I played on the JV team.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then in March, we won the we won the state championship for SLU.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: I was at that game.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I saw how much fun it was, how we had thousands of people there.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I really started to be like, yeah, this is what I want to do.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: I want to be on this team, I want to be in this situation.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: So that really started up like the okay, I need to start doing more lessons, start practicing harder, go to more sticking pucks, because I wanted to get there.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_05: Love it, love it.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_05: So you got a little bit of a uh uh a taste.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_05: You saw your yourself out there, a future version of myself out on the ice.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_03: That's well, I think it's important for coaches to be here for this period.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you had a guy in your corner in Coach Meek who was who not only believed in you, but knows how great of a person you were.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_03: And it's important for key for players and coaches and parents to realize that it's a total package.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_03: And as coaches, we all talk to each other and you earn it, but it's it's also great to get that look or get that you know interest.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_03: And um talk a little bit, we'll we'll talk a little bit more about that in the next uh the next segment here.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_03: But um, I can't tell you, like it's just so cool to hear you playing college hockey at Northwestern.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I know your story is gonna help inspire a lot of these kids out here who are listening to us today.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_03: So if you got time to stick around for the next uh next period, we're gonna do a couple of uh advertising reads and pay a few bills, and then we'll bring you right back.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: Sounds great.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_03: All right, don't go anywhere, too many men on the mic, we'll be right back.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_05: Summer's right around the corner, but Big Bear Tournaments is already thinking about the next hockey season.
• 20:36
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• 20:45
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• 21:02
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• 21:10
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• 21:14
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• 21:23
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• 21:30
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• 21:44
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• 22:25
  SPEAKER_03: All right, back to the show.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_03: And we're back here with Blake Doran, uh, who is a defenseman at the Northwestern University ACHA Wildcats team.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_03: We're talking youth hockey experience, growth and development.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, we left off talking about how as you progress through your banner and into high school and midget years, uh, you started to really, really understand that hockey is more than just you know the on-ice experience.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's the total package, it's the feeling, the fun.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I think a lot of that you were alluding to started when you were at that SLU varsity high school championship, your freshman year.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us a little bit about that, and then tell us how you went from, you know, an eighth grader playing in the summer league to playing varsity hockey for Saloon and what that meant for your development.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so back to that game, you know, um, at the sentient USA rank, SLU versus Met, one of the oldest rivalries in the city for hockey.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think we had about 3,000 people at the game.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: It was just incredible seeing the whole St.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: Louis hockey community come together to watch my high school.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I got to see guys that I played with over the summer that I've practiced with.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_01: I got to see them win the championship in front of all these people.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_01: And that's when I really started to want to be out there.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to be on that varsity team.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to be playing in front of all my friends, I wanted to be playing in front of the city.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: So that's when I really started my like development track, I would say.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: And then going off of that, um, I started skating in the mornings, 6:30 at Maryville over the summer, during the school year, during my sophomore year, worked hard on over my sophomore year, got a few invites to varsity practices.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Then by my junior year, I was finally able to make a varsity roster spot.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: I got to play a few games.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, then going forward, I had some good games.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: I got to play some more games.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, even got in for the playoffs.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I finally got finally got to be out there, got to see myself playing in front of all these people going from the eighth grader that never thought I could to now actually being out there.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_05: And Blake, I have to believe as an eighth grader, you were um your body was transitioning and you were uh beginning to grow, or maybe you were an early grower.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, how did that impact uh stepping in and playing with players much older?
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and then how did you develop confidence as your body changed and you continued on that journey?
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: So as a player, I would say I've never been super scared of contact at all, but that varsity summer league was definitely an exception.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, 14 year, 14-year-old me out there, 120 pounds, maybe like 5'8, 5'9, going against 18-year-olds to have 50, 60 pounds of me, like like you know, it was it was outrageous being out there, getting taking those hits from varsity level players.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really something I had to work through.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: I had to start eating better, working out a little more.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, with puberty, like being able to get taller, get heavier, obviously that helped a lot with um easing into the transition, you know.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_03: Blake, what I love about this story.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_03: Let me ask you this.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: When you were 10, 11, 12, were you going to your dad and your mom and saying, hey, I want to wake up at five o'clock in the morning and go skate?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely not.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, absolutely not.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, my little brother Noel, he's he plays Central States right now.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_01: He's trying to get on a triple A team.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: He's very good.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: He's always been super dedicated.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: And he loved that stuff growing up.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: He loved getting up skating early in the morning.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, for me, I absolutely hated it.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: I dreaded it.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Hated waking up in the morning, hated being on the ice that early.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely hated it.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: But but the transition four years later, uh, I was the first one out there.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: I loved it.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_03: Well, and I think that that's the story, especially for parents of young players.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you gotta let them drive the bus because whether they're going 80 miles today or 40 miles a day, they're gonna get to the right destination if you let them drive.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_03: Talk a little bit about how you owned your development here, because I think that that's such a that's an inspiring and important story for a lot of kids and parents to hear.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like your journey's still going, and I think it's because you you owned it.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_03: So talk a little bit about that and that mentality.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: So the first thing I would say is that you have to want it.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, if you're waking up at 5:30 but you're putting in like half effort, you're not really gonna get the benefits of that.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but also my advice would be you have to find love for the game to be able to truly get better.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, whether that's from watching people you idolize growing up, like Alex Soveschkin, Sidney Crosby, McDavid, or whether it's just getting out there, playing in your own games, trying a new move or something, you have to find the love for the game to be able to get better.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I think my first moment of really falling in love with the game was watching Slough win the state championship.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: After that, that motivated me to be able to get up early to go to practice, to work hard, to do that extra down and back, to do the extra mountain in the morning.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, you have to find the love for the game, or else whatever you're doing, it's not gonna work out for you.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_05: So, what do you love about uh the ACHA game?
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_05: What has it been like on this next path of your journey?
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_05: Tell me uh what brings you to the what brings you to the rink and what excites you about playing uh ACHA hockey.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so first answer is definitely my teammates and my coach.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um my first practice, I walked in, didn't know anybody, room of like 20-year-olds, 21-year-olds, 25-year-olds, like I said.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously, it was it was like living the varsity summer league all over again.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: I was terrified.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, absolutely did not want to be there.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: But my teammates from day one, they were the most welcoming people I've ever met.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: They they wanted me on the team, they asked questions about who I was, where I was from.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they really helped the transition.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not even just for hockey.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: They helped me with the academic transition also.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's times during games when we're on the road, we'll hit up like a Panera and we'll study for a few hours together.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I would say all my teammates like over my career of hockey have been welcoming.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: But being in college, it's just a whole nother level because it's a bunch of guys who obviously want to prioritize their academics, their future career, but we're all bonded together by the love for the game.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_01: And we're all it's just like a little community in this big college that we're at.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_05: I have to believe that was probably uh uh pretty appealing to come into a group of people where you were accepted uh and uh a place that you've never been before.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and so you you you have this immediate family that sounds like they were very welcoming while you're also growing different relationships that have nothing to do with hockey, right?
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's no better feeling than during the day, you know, you don't do super well on a midterm or a test, but then a few hours later you get to go to the rink and play hockey with some of your closest friends.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: There's really, really nothing better.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: How close is the rink to campus?
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_01: We're so we're really lucky.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we play at Robert Crown in Evanston, which is five to ten minute drive, about a mile and a half to two miles from campus.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_03: That's that that's awesome.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's not always like that.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_01: And the best part, the best part is that we have gear storage at the rinks, so we don't have to pretty much.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's the best.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's the best.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, roommates probably love that.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they oh, he does.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_03: So so the cool thing, you know, we did a little research on Blake Doran.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_03: 20 games this year, not a big deal as a freshman.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, freshman defenseman, you you got your first college goal, you got your second college goal.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_03: You finished up with seven points in the regular season for a freshman defenseman.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_03: That's really, really good.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us, walk us through that first goal, man.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: I gotta hear it.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: What was this?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_03: What's the story like?
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, not a super cool story.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it was our second game.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_01: I believe we were playing, we were playing some team from Texas.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: I can't quite remember who it was.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I believe it was the second period, it was a two-on-one.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my teammate who didn't really know my name at that point yet, didn't really know who I was.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think he thought he would rather shoot than pass.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he shot it and the goalie couldn't find it, and I was able to just get the easy tap in, you know.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes, sometimes that's all it takes.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_03: But your second game, now you now you you you you're off the schneid right right off the bat.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_03: So so at that point, were they like saying, well, this guy should be scoring at least 10 goals?
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_03: You know, 20 games of a goal every game, right?
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_03: Every other game, right?
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, at that at that point, I would say that was my that was my like official welcome to the team.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we ended up winning that game.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the goal was a big part of that.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I like to credit myself a little bit.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that was a big welcome to the team.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_03: See, he's a defensive who's activating in the offensive zone.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_03: I love it.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_05: I love it.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm looking at your roster, you've got guys from uh all over the place: Arizona, Rhode Island, New York, California, Texas.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_05: And so I have to believe everybody's bringing uh their own uh hockey stories from different parts of the country.
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_05: And so uh, do you guys sit around in the locker room and uh tell war stories about uh your prior hockey journeys and uh uh a great goal you had and how you scored it or a challenging game.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_05: What's that like?
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would say that's one of the coolest parts about the ACHA.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you got people from all over the country, people from all levels of skill.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: For my from for my team at least, we had a guy who played NCAAD3.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: We have a lot of prep school guys, but then we also have players who never played varsity in high school or players that haven't played in a few years.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's the beauty of the ACHA.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: We all get to come together for our love of the game, no matter where we're from, no matter what the level we are.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you know, a lot of great locker roys.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, can't remember any off the top of my head right now, but it's super cool hearing about all these different people that I would never would have known if I decided not to bring my gear up.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and I love what you just said.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, even kids that haven't played uh varsity high school hockey, uh, there is an opportunity for you.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and it sounds like you've got a good collection of a variety of skill levels.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_05: So um, and you talked about 25-year-olds.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_05: One of the things we've talked about this year on the show, Blake, is that you're not done developing as a hockey player until you're 23.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and so people uh it's easy to forget that.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_05: It's never too late.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_05: It's never too late.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_05: That's exactly right.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_05: So that's outstanding.
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_03: You know, talk a little bit.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you you talked about the SLU fan experience when you're in high school.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, I gotta believe that as ACH hockey's gaining popularity throughout the country, what's the fans, what's the game situation like for Northwestern?
• 33:25
  SPEAKER_03: It's gotta be cool wearing that purple N on your on your sweater there.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: So talk a little bit about the the games, and then we'll hit some funny, you know, rapid fire questions after that.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so so I would say we do get a good amount of people at our games, whether it's students, Evanston residents, or just hockey fans in general.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I will say that I believe Slough has the best student section in all of high school sports.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: So shout out to Slew there.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if it compares totally, but we do have events.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: We had a Greek life game day.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: So all the frats and sororities were invited to come and we packed the house for that, and that was super cool.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I know you've got probably, you know, you're coming from a highly you know competitive academic world from SLU.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_03: You're going to an extremely different level in terms of academics.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_03: Last question about this um, how do you balance that as a student athlete?
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's gotta be, you know, how do you prioritize?
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_03: You had mentioned earlier about you know getting to the rink at night to blow off steam, but it's gotta be tough, especially your freshman year at such a prestigious and competitive university.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_03: Talk a little bit about that.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, that was that was one of the things I was thinking about whether whether or not I'd be able to do that when I was deciding if I would play or not.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, first of all, I would say that our coach, our coach knows where we are where we're at for school.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_01: He knows we're there for school, and hockey is a secondary thing.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: So we prioritize academics.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we practice pretty late at night so it doesn't interfere with any classes or studying, and he's totally understanding if you need to miss a practice because you have a test coming up.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then our weekend trips are also kind of scheduled around our academic schedule.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_01: We are encouraged not to take classes that are late on Fridays, just in case we have a you know, a bus trip or a flight to catch.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: But usually it's pretty manageable.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: Our coach makes it super easy for us.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's one of the things I appreciate about him for sure.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_05: And uh, have you been given a nickname on the team, Blake?
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_05: What or do you have multiple nicknames on the team?
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't I I wouldn't say I have.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I've always just been called like BD or B Dorn.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you know my teammates need to work on that for sure.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_01: Need a better name.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, well, let's talk about that a little bit.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: You know, what's one of the funniest chirps you've heard, or worst chirps where you just are kind of like, I can't believe this that was just and it it gives PG-13.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: You can insert you can change the words to protect the innocent.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh god.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, I've never been a big chirping guy.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it's never been me.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: Some of my teammates are pretty good.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I wouldn't say maybe not PG-13, but some of my teammates are good with that.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and uh I have to believe there's gotta be a good local food spot that you guys go to.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_05: What's uh what's the go-to place to eat for the uh ACHA uh Northwestern Wildcat hockey team?
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_05: Uh is there one or two places that are at the top of the list?
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so I have I have a boring answer for the team.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um everybody loves canes.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: We go there's a canes close to the ring, so that's that's probably our go-to spot after a late night game.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: Just because you know, Chick-fil-A isn't open late enough.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_01: And that's that's one thing I want to emphasize.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: Chick-fil-A should be open later.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, canes it is.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_03: Who's your most superstitious teammate?
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_03: What what's the superstition?
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_01: You mean for this year or for whatever?
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_03: Well, you could pick this year or or for in the past, you know, whichever you know.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_03: All your teammates should be listening and following, subscribing to the show after this one, right?
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would say most superstitious teammate.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, from SLU, definitely my friend Andrew Belly, uh amazing goalie.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_01: He's playing in the knoll, I believe, right now.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, before every game, he would always sit up in the aft and stands, read a book, listen to classical music.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I thought that was really cool.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: So shout out to him.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_03: That is pretty.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that's so goalie.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_03: We had goalies on the show two weeks ago.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_03: That's so goalie.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: He's amazing, he's an amazing guy, amazing goalie.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_05: That's great.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_05: Classical music, too.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_05: Not rock, not heavy metal, just some, you know, um Bach Beethoven, right?
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_05: All right, so uh what's uh what's the tough team?
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_05: What's uh is there a good rivalry that Northwestern has with one of the ACHA teams that you have uh have played against where you kind of circle the calendar and go, this is gonna be uh this is gonna be a tough one, or you're really looking forward to that game?
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say our main our main rivalry is Loyola Chicago just because of the the short distance.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: However, we did beat them pretty badly both times this year.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: So wouldn't say it's like a close rivalry, but I've heard they've they've got some good guys coming in.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, man, looking forward to those games next year.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm sure they'll be a lot more competitive because their coach is great, they have a lot of good guys, and I'm sure they're gonna continue that over the minded next three years.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_03: What was the coolest trip of the year?
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I know you went out to California.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_03: I ran into your dad, I ran into your dad in Philadelphia of all places, and he was telling me, Yeah, Blake's house went out to California.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_03: But like, what was the coolest trip?
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_03: And you were just like, wow, this is I did not ever envision myself coming here to play hockey.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, well, I have to say Los Angeles, obviously.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um our team manager, he's a great guy.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: He managed to book us a hotel in Santa Monica of all places.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_01: So we got to stay in Santa Monica right by the beach.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: We got to go out at night, like explore the area.
• 39:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, and and the best part, one of my best friends from high school, he goes to USC, so I was able to hang out with him and bring a few of my teammates over to his dorm.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, what a life! What a life!
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_04: I love it.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_05: I love it.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_05: Well, it sounds like you were having a great journey uh through ACHA and uh in your college career.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: Of play in this period.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, thanks for taking the time, Blake, to share uh with our listeners that there's hockey beyond ATU.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_05: And uh if you're a non-elite player, uh to consider looking at ACHA hockey as a place to continue your development.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_05: Sounds like you've had a great experience.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you guys for having me.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, it was great.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I would also say, Blake, I think give your you are a great example for a lot of kids that you know, maybe like you said, didn't play Central State or AAA growing up, but you've developed into an awesome hockey player, and that's gonna be with you for the rest of life, and that's what's so, so important.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_03: And you owned it the whole way through.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: So if kids are listening out there and you can find something similar to what Blake did when he uh when he saw that hockey game as an eighth grader or as a freshman with Salu, like that's all it takes, man, that little spark.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_03: So you're gonna have that the rest of your life.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_03: So congratulations, man.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_03: Good luck with uh with finals, and uh see you around the rinks this summer.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_03: I think you'll be uh you'll be working around with the Rockets, and uh I'm gonna run into it with uh with Sean.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you guys so much for having me.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: I had a great time.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for watching.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_01: All right, BD.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: Say hi to your folks.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: I will for sure.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_01: See Blake.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 40:49
  SPEAKER_03: That segment of Too Many Men on the Mic was brought to you by 5B Designs.
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• 41:35
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• 41:36
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• 41:49
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we're back.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I'm just gonna put it out there.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we got to come up with some other nicknames for Blake.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_05: Grant, uh uh throw a dart out there.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_02: What's what's a good name, uh nickname for Blake that you're uh I like BD, but I was I wish I knew what his jersey number was.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_02: Because like uh if he was like a 13, like BD 13, something like that, like let a little play on.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_02: I I think that's what it would be.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_02: Uh BD's good.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's tough.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_02: It's not like it's not your typical, like you can't, I guess Dorney, but like that kind of sounds that's not very good.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know what I mean?
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: There's nothing, there's no stereotypical hockey thing to give them.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_02: That sounds I that doesn't sound great either, Jared.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_02: Dorner?
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_02: You don't like Dorner?
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_03: The Dorner he's he's he's number 19.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_03: So BD 19.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_03: B D 19.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's almost like CD12.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_03: BD 19.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_02: I kind of like BD 19.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_03: 19er?
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_02: That's the best one, I think.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_02: BD 19.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we're gonna uh you know, he he works summer camps in the summer with my my other son Sean, and uh they've they've actually developed a pretty good relationship.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_03: He's a phenomenal human being, great kid.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I can just I hope that coaches and parents and most importantly players kind of took from that interview the fact that he owned it, you know.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_03: It wasn't his parents dragging him to the rink at 5 a.m.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_03: in the morning, it was him saying, Hey, I'm gonna go do this.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I think he's I mean, results speak for themselves.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_03: He's he's living the life right now, and he's gonna be a successful young man no matter what.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_03: But I'm just I'm so so impressed by by Blake.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_03: I thought that was a great one of our one of our better interviews.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_03: We've had a lot of good ones.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_02: He was very he was the most well spoken of any player we've had.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_02: He was better than some coaches on this show, yeah.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously, he's a smart guy.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_02: too.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_02: I mean he's he's only at Northwestern, you know.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_02: I mean only at Northwestern.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_03: So well.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_02: You should have asked him about that uh billion dollar stadium they built.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah well we'll have him on again um as we go into the season next year.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe we'll get a little bit of maybe we'll get a little bit of uh too many men on the mic uh on on on campus report for him that'd be pretty cool that would be sick.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_02: Well speaking of stadiums aren't the Bears trying to come up with a new stadium why don't they just play over at Northwestern wouldn't that be sad a pro team having to play at the college stadium because they can't find it happen in Arizona with the Phoenix with the Arizona Cats they were building a new one at least like no one moved into that was yeah that was even sadder yeah yeah so well Grant Grant are you are are are you are you are you sweating right now because uh your bet is uh is is is not looking good right now or are you just are you are you are you digging in and uh uh are are you feeling confident right now with the canes down or no the canes up I should say three to nothing right now I know this is a Wednesday night before the Thursday broadcast how you feeling about your bet not great especially after three two back to back uh three to two losses both in overtime I mean this series could easily be three zero canadians or two one canadians and I it was unlucky yeah tonight it looked they lost two overtime games they don't shoot the puck they lost two overtime they had they had more icings than shots in the last game i'm not joking they lost they lost two overtime games shoot the puck shoot the puck which is pretty amazing considering they only shoot the puck 13 times a game and that just shows you how their goaltender has just uh uh I mean he's the MVP of of that team uh Carolina had like 38 shots last game and uh barely won uh so kudos to the goalie uh yeah keep keep keeping them alive the pride of dismet Jew i don't think Dorner would have like I don't think BD19 has much appreciation for Dobish coming from Desmet but yes he's been amazing uh so so what I want to know is when you uh when you lose this vet grant and you're at our too many men on the mic uh acoustics show uh do you have uh pipes is there something that you like to sing no uh no no man come on what do you listen to in the car you're not coming alone either right you're gonna bring you're gonna bring i'll I'll bring yes june 18th yeah listen to him backpedal he's like on june 18th though I have to be somewhere June 18th right find on my calendar as long as I don't have to work I'll be there oh god what do you listen to in your car what's your go-to band in your car right now I've been listening to a lot of Drake lately he just released a new album but if I had to go like a band more of a singer I I love Kenny Chesney that's my go to I'm gonna be honest if I'm if I'm listening to like singing it's him um I like Noah Khan okay he just released a new album yeah yeah Drake how about we give you a list of of artists and you pick the your favorite song sure let's do it right now name it favorite Led Zeppelin song I don't know I know who Led Zeppelin is I don't I I couldn't name a song favorite favorite favorite favorite pearl jam song no clue all right we're gonna have to have a whole uh set of hours where we're just gonna brain dump on ACDC Thunderstruck well you can't I can't play ACD we can't play acdc thunderstruck on acoustic guitars on acoustic guitars like okay give me another give me one more Dave Matthews I mean I can't believe I'm gonna say Dave Matthews but Dave Matthews I mean I know who Dave Matthews is too but I don't know any songs that one I don't like I know Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam songs I just can't think of any I don't know one Dave Matthews song I'm very confident about that.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_05: So before next week's show I want you to bring a list yes of songs that you like you've named three of them already bands that you like but but let's get it down to the songs and then you gotta bounce this off of this because uh uh when you're at the show on the 18th uh we gotta um uh we gotta play something and maybe you can even come up on the mic and add some vocal qualities or maybe we'll give you a triangle or a tambourine that one I can do I speak behind a mic for a living and I'm I have no fear of public that is one thing I would never do is sing in front of oh come on you'd be fine you've never done karaoke well yeah I've done karaoke I can't sing well you'll be singing the uh you know you're gonna be singing the brass we'll we'll make up words to the brass bananza and you can sing that I'll do the triangle well I think we'll figure something out can I do the cowbell more cowbell you've got to have more cowbell you know I mean we could go walk in here we could go don't fear the reaper and you can just be uh you can just be cowbell actually we could do don't fear the reaper we can figure that out do you do any Johnny Cash?
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah oh yeah I like uh the man in black I like that how about how about Folsom Prison Blues it's a good one I like uh Ring of Fire as well we sang Ring of Fire over Christmas didn't we Drew didn't somebody like yeah that was uh that was a good that was an interesting night that was an interesting all right so so so that may have legs we may be able to put Johnny Cash in there I think we may have found something there 100 all right we'll come back to that but uh uh great show I think uh we gotta leave the audience with uh with a drill we've got a little drill draw so let's throw our throw our drill draw up there and um there should be organ number nine should you know we gotta put our gotta put our logo up there for drift let's put the logo up for drift I got you and then organ number nine organ number nine yes organ number nine please number nine I mean that is right out of your Sega console if I've ever heard that was awesome and this uh episode this you know segment of Dri this segment of drill draw is brought to you by Drift uh the all-in-one hockey tool uh head over to app.drift.com to sign up for the desktop version we just released Brian and his team just released the app version on the iPhone store go into the iPhone uh app store and type in Drift hockey you'll get the app great features that are are you know coming on a daily basis and we're so excited to be partnered with Drift uh go ahead and scan that QR code up in the top right hand corner to take you to the signups page and uh mention too many men on the mic and you'll be part of their beta testing and be able to uh you know get a great deal on uh being a part of Drift hockey which is all in one practice planning film study registration scheduling communication you name it it's all in one it's as if Huddle and Team Snap and Crossbar and Sports Engine and IHS all got together and uh got mixed up in a big pot and now you've got drift hockey it's a great application and we're we're happy to be partners with it.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_03: Let's pull over onto drill draw.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_03: All right I'm gonna add add the uh the so this is this is my week here and I'm gonna there's a lot of names for this game um some have called it the the gambler some have called it uh you know taking a risk um I'm gonna call it balance bet and in this game you are basically dividing into two teams with two goalies playing in the neutral zone and you're going at the same time and it can be 2v2 or 3v3 and you have to communicate with your teammates and say hey are we gonna go three on one three on two three on oh are we gonna sit back and defend but the ice is set up like this so let's get our first our nets out there so you have one net at the dot over here and you have another net at the dot over here you'll have your blue team all lined up over here with pucks and you'll have your red team all lined up over here with pucks and like I said you can go either 2v2 or 3v3 don't typically go 1v1 because it takes some of the decision making out of it oh hang on that goalie's gonna be blue there we go nope I'm sorry I'm backwards because I don't know what the heck I'm doing here we go all right and let's get a pile of pucks and we'll say we're playing three V three right now player two player three and over here we've got player one player two and player three so the cool thing about this game is you're you have two pucks you're playing with two pucks at the same time if you the the goal here is obviously to score but it's to communicate with your teammates and see who can score first because if you score first then you can get all your players to go and compete on the other side try and win that puck possession if they haven't scored yet and go score again.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_03: So on the whistle let's say we've got one player skating with the puck and he's gonna attack now the other two players have to decide are we going to attack with him or are we going to defend um you lost your arrow I got it right here.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_03: There we go.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_03: And are we gonna the other two players can say are we are we gonna attack with him?
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe they fake attack and then come back and play some defense.
• 55:50
  SPEAKER_03: Meanwhile same time the other team has a puck as well and they're gonna attack and so then the question becomes do these other two players stay back and defend against whatever they're bringing that way or do they gamble or my or my uh game's name they take they make that bet and they try to go three on oh or three on one or outman the other team and score as fast as they can you know what we need uh on this drill we need Kenny Rogers the gambler in the background just absolutely just kind of quiet just in the background but uh yeah that that that'd be a good on a ring up in Brentwood I know that song oh here you go oh look at this guy the Kenny Rogers so the the great thing about this game is you're in a small area you've got some coaches in case a puck gets lost so we can place a couple coaches on you know just outside the zones in case the pucks bounce out and they're able to play a puck back in but the key here is is how quick can you score how fast can you process but most importantly these three players have got to communicate and that's the key if these three players are communicating and they're saying okay they're looking across the way and they're seeing these three players and maybe one stays back like we know if we score quickly if we go three on two we can score quickly come back here and get that puck and then play again you play until both pucks have been scored um a lot of times both pucks get scored right off the bat but what ends up happening if you keep score is the players in line they make the decision before the game before their their turns up and it it helps teach this awareness this communication but it also is like things are not always going to go as planned during a game you're gonna take chances during a game and you should be encouraged to take chances and risk um but it's also being able to like okay I made this decision but should we change should somebody stay back should two guys bust back?
• 57:59
  SPEAKER_03: I mean what's what makes the most sense so usually the game lasts for each round about 60 seconds in some instances it goes a little longer.
• 58:08
  SPEAKER_03: Oftentimes they're done in like 30 seconds um it's fast paced guys as soon as as soon as a puck scored you're the up it becomes a three on three with one puck and then as soon as that puck scored the next three guys in line from each side go attack.
• 58:22
  SPEAKER_03: So we call it balance bet.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_05: It's one of those drills where the players are always asking before hey let me go one more time one more time one more time but uh coach you've seen this drill in action what are some thoughts that you have on it oh it's absolute chaos it is exactly what you would think it is uh that and first step is key this is one of those first on puck drills so if uh if you're the uh it doesn't matter what team you're on if you're the person with the puck well what I see time and time again is boy those first two or three steps of the player that's leading the charge I mean it's like they're shot out of a cannon and then to your point um can they score quickly can they regroup get back uh help defend uh and then take the puck the other way uh it doesn't last long uh rarely more than a minute uh but it's just pure chaos and so it's a lot of fun to watch it's a lot of really quick movements and to your point uh it's all about the communication and there's no right way or wrong way i i I think we've seen every scenario where all three go two of the three go uh one of the three go and two of them stay back I don't know that there's any one method that's better than the other uh but uh but it's a fun drill and the kids the kids really enjoy it yeah it's it's fast paced um and you've got to have good coaches in the outside the zone because sometimes on those shots the puck goes flying which also means the kids in line have to pay attention so this is one of those drills and games um where everybody's got to have their heads up and you said it best it's like you you've got to communicate in just chaos and that's what hockey games can turn into and when you turn and this is an opportunity to train your brain when you're in the midst of that chaos can you like be calm can you make a you know decisions you know can you make that bet?
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_02: You know can you go score that goal so we call it uh balanced bet it can be also called the gambler there's several other great um ones for it but everyone that we've been able to have this play this game with seems to love it and they like they like we said they're always saying hey one more coach one more coach so you'll be able to find that on our website um right after the show today at toomanymetonthemic.com along with at least a two dozen more great drills and games that are brought to you by folks from USA hockey and hockey organizations around the country really around the world but uh that segment of uh too many men on the mic as we mentioned before brought to you by drift hockey this is powered by drift hockey the all-in-one hockey tool all right we're back from drill draw uh still three nothing grant uh what's uh uh but it's right at the top of the third so tell me uh what what kind of conversations do you think were going on between second and third period break uh if you were in the the the Montreal locker room what do you think is was being discussed during that break probably something to the you know boys this game's we're probably not gonna win this game let's let's just take a knee on the get out of this one let's pack it in we're not gonna win let's go let's steal one at their place in game five we'll come back game six win that then anything happen in game seven that's what I I can tell you exactly what's not being said that is exactly what I would think uh I would say hopefully one thing that's being said as I uh the Canadians currently have 15 shots I would say uh shoot the puck is uh one suggestion that I hope the uh the Canadians are getting I'm in a win-win situation either Canada still doesn't win a cup and the memes continue or I win uh I win the bet.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_03: I can't lose a round of golf you win a round of golf that's right well you can't lose I uh I would say that what do you know Logan Steincoven scored again hmm I don't know you might want to put a guy on him he's killing them um yeah I think I I think I think uh Marty Saint Louis is probably saying you know boys you know let's get the first let's get the first goal of the period within the first three minutes um we're coming in with 15 shots we've got to probably average two shots two shots a minute um but like get to the net and that's the thing that uh the hurricanes just do so well is they they get in you know into that you know high you know that gritty grimy ugly area we call it home plate on the ice um but they get to the net Montreal they get down near the net I like to say they're kind of near and around the net but they still they still the majority of their players are such perimeter players and and there's just they need a little bit better mix I think they've got to get some folks a little bit you know that's Lefkowski he's got the size he should be down um you know as as coach likes to say he should know what that what uh Freddie Anderson had for breakfast you know you gotta get that that's coaches uh that's coach's like famous saying it's you gotta know what that goalie's having for breakfast um yeah you should be able to smell the goalie and uh and on top of it I'll just offer a stat you got to stay out of the box so Montreal for two periods has 10 minutes of penalties that's way too many uh you can't be given Carolina power play after power play that's just gonna eat you alive so uh uh stay out of the box would would would would be my suggestion yeah and um you know look I'm rooting for seven games I want to see more hockey i'm I'm disappointed that Colorado couldn't extend the series last night um but uh you know I just want Grant to experience the culture and the the musicality of coming to a too many men on the mic acoustic show broaden his horizons I'll tell you this win or lose I'll probably be there either way winner lose what a commitment wow what a Switzerland yeah pending my job pending my job well well coach I think that's been a we we gotta put a bow on this one what a what a great guest um and I'm not talking about Grant um but thanks again to Blake Dorn for for sharing you know a little bit of his journey with us and our audience um I think there's a lot to learn there hopefully we get a lot of folks listening to the show and um you know we'll be able to as we promote this we'll we'll share Blake's uh Instagram and hopefully people are connected and following him and and shout out to the Northwestern Wildcats ACHA team um you know just another great organization for us to root for as the as we go along our journey when it comes to hockey and now ACH hockey uh in the United States so um it's all about BD19 I loved it BD19 I love it too it's gonna have to be his new handle whether he likes it or not so all right Grant take us home he shoots he scores play the song thanks everyone see you next week
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_05: Here we go.
• 1:06:02
  unknown: I'm rocket by Divian.