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2024-25 NCAA women's hockey preview: Thoughts on all 44 teams · The PodKaz: USCHO Women's Hockey

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Usc cho dot com. Hi everyone, welcome back to season
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: two of the podcasts. My name is Todd Maleusky. Here
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: as always with Nicole Hasey and Nicole we're launching into
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four twenty twenty five season, looking ahead
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: to NCAA women's hockey. If you're new to the podcast,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: podcast podcasts, Okay podcasts, Patty kas My award is the
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: top player in Division one women's college hockey and this
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: is a podcast. So Nicole, I believe through some friends
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: of hers, came up with this moniker in our early
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: in our debut season. We're back for season two. Nicole.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: It's great to see you again, great to talk to
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: you again, and I'm looking forward to a lot of
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: really good things in college hockey this season. You know,
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: glad to be with you. Tell me a little bit
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: about what you're looking for as we get started here
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: this season.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I shout out to my friend Tony for coming
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: up with the podcast name. It's perfect. Yeah. I am
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: in that liminal space where I am very excited hockey
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: is back and very overwhelmed with the fact that hockey
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: is back. But yeah, I just the amazing freshman class
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: coming in for me. One thing I've noticed is I've
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: been looking at some of the rosters, is that how
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: many names I recognize? Right, because I've been going to
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: the E eighteen tournaments now for the past three years
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: and so really excited just about to see some of
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: these players that I've I've you got to see on
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: the international stage starting to make their their n C
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: depu and see what they can do and the impacts
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: they can make. And there's some really big names this year.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: So it should be a lot of fun.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot. Well, we're playing on talking about a
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: lot of them today. We will talk about a lot
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: of them throughout the season, but also new faces and
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: new places is one of the big themes this season.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: We know that the transfer portal has transformed a lot
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: of college sports, no different in women's hockey. There will
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: be some PAC players. Will probably talk about some of them.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: In today's show. We're going to be doing kind of
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: a look around the entire scope of the forty four
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: teams of women's college hockey and Division one, so giving
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: each hopefully sixty seconds. Hopefully we'll keep to that. I
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: don't think we're gonna be very successful at that, honestly,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: but that's the goal. So this is a thumbnail of
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: where things stand. Nicole. I know you'll be writing more
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: on usho dot com kind of looking into where where
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: a lot of these teams stand and you know, some
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: of the key players that will be part of things
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: this season. But it's also coaching change time too. I
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: mean we saw over the course of the offseason, I
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: think was nine of the forty four teams have new
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: coaches this season. Margins, you know, right in that twenty
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: percent range feels like a lot.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: It feels like a lot.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: There were some leagues that didn't have any however, Atlantic Hockey,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: which is okay, we should mention that too. It's Atlantic
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: Hockey now, not Hockey America. Atlantic Hockey America is the
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: official title of the merged men's and women's league because
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: they were both run under the same umbrella, Atlantic Hockey
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: Association on the men's side, College Hockey America on the
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: women's side. We know them both now as Atlantic Hockey,
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: which will be all take a little bit of a
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: get right, but.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Forgive us for the number of times we say c cha.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Yes we we ask for your grace with that and
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: many other things. But for them now. But no coaching
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: changes there, I believe, and no coaching changes in Hockey East, so.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Which that means, like I think maybe that's why it
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: feels so much, because it's so concentrated, it's such a.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Well yeah, yeah, the new HA has four new coaches,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: w c h A has three new coaches, and uh
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: two in the ac AC. So we will talk about
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: those here, uh shortly, but just before we we gat
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: into that, we're going to take a look by conference
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: at each of those teams. But just a real quick
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: reflection on last season. Ohio State won its second national
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: championship in three seasons by beating Wisconsin in New Hampshire.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: We were both there, we saw that, we kind of experienced,
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: you know, we've been there for a couple of years
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: now and seen that game happen twice essentially where it
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: was a one nothing game. Wisconsin won it in twenty
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: twenty three, Ohio State won it in twenty twenty four,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: and I know a lot of people are kind of expecting,
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: you know, judging from the preseason rankings, Wisconsin and Ohio
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: State are going to be somewhere in there in some
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: order when we get to the to the end of
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: the season.
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely. I actually think it's interesting. I kind of
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: thought it was a formality that everybody just was going
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: to vote last year's national champion number one to start
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: the season, so I thought it was It's been interesting
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: to see p voting Wisconsin, just like I said, because
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: for so long it was just an automatic you would
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: write that down. But yeah, you know, Wisconsin didn't have
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: a ton of turnover. Ohio State did have some turnover,
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: but as is, their wont has reloaded through the portal
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: and also have some really exciting rookies, so I can't
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: imagine Ohio State has much lost anything, even despite the
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: fact that, like you know, the Lakes of Olympians have
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: left their roster. So yeah, and then you know, I
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: think a number of teams but like Clarkson, Minnesota port
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: hell all would love to have something to say about
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: whether or not those two in a national championship games.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: So and this season's Frozen Four is at Rider Arena
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: in Minneapolis, so I know Minnesota has you know, some
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: some extra motivation to be there given that the last
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: time the tournament was there in twenty eighteen, seventeen. I'm
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: blanking on the year. But they didn't make field, and
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: so that was they they kind of people were there,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: but they saw everyone else partying on on their ice.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: So I would imagine that's a bit of a goal
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: for them to be back in that mix. The season
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: they were over what four overtime goal away from being
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: in the Frozen four last season, I don't I can't remember.
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: Clarkson yea four.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Times five or times whatever it ended up being. It
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: was a lot of overtime play. Clarkson got past them
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: and got for the Frozen four along with Coldgate was
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: the fourth member of the Frozen Four last season. And
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: you know, ec A C has has really crafted some
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: really high end teams over the last few years. And
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: I know there's gonna be some some teams there that
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: are also you mentioned that that are going to be
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: in that mix for who's winning a championship at the end,
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: because there's some important pieces that have left those teams.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: But I know there's a lot of talent that's coming
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: back in the ACAC this year.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think, you know, I said a couple times
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: on Twitter, I got my you know, here's your preseason
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: ballot please for you know, the two national polls, like
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: please submit it, and I started like my one Ohio
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: state to Wisconsin and then I went, oh, what's happening
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: in the ECAC. So yeah, I certainly don't have any
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: crystal ball. Yeah, it's going to be super interesting. There's
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: a lot up for grabs there, and I mean, I
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: think there's just gonna be several teams as always that
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: are super talented. But it you know, someone like Colgate
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: turned over a lot and so on paper, the pieces
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: are there about how does that come together? That sort
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: of thing, so it will will certainly be interesting.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, let's get into this. What we're gonna do
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: here on this week's episode, our season preview episode is
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: we're going to take the five conferences and preview each
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: of the teams going sixty seconds at a time, in
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: the order that they finished the regular season last season
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: in those conferences. So that's that's a little bit of
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: how this is gonna work. We will be uh starting
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: we'll go off of medical by conference, starting with Atlantic
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Hockey now, which is still the first conference, would have
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: been last year too, but as the c CHA, but.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: I appreciate that continuity.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: Thank you. It's good that we don't have to, you know,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: change our bookmarks or anything like that, you know, for
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: those of us who do that kind of thing and
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: things in alphabetical order. Yeah, that's me. So that is
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: all right. Let's let's get into this. So last year's
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: uh Atlantic Hockey Champion, our CHA champion, let's just started
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: calling it Atlantic Hockey. Penn State. They start this season
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: at number twelve in the us h A poll. First
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: made it to the NCAA Tournament last year as the
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: CHA then CHA playoff champion. Uh Uh, Tesla Janicky is
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: is a dynamic player. Uh. Tell me your thoughts about,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: uh what what you see from Penn State this season.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: I think it'll be I mean, they lost to Saint
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: Lords in overtime in that for like, we got to
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: watch that game in Madison, and you know, Tessa I
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: was has always the star, but I was just impressed
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: overall with Penn State. I thought I kind of thought
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: Tessa would stand out so much that you wouldn't see
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: anything else. And I think it's to the team's credit
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: not to discredit from Tessa that, like the rest of
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: the team, what's playing up to a similar a similar level.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: And so I think, you know, they return a lot
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: of their roster. I think they have a ton of experience.
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: I think nobody wants uh Tessa to to graduate without
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: having done a little bit more. And so I feel
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: like they're they've just you know, in their preseason call
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: coach Campers, I was talking about like, Okay, we've we've
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: sort of laid all the foundation, right like we've done
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: we we these are all our recruits, these are all
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: people who've had experience. These are all you know, our
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: our players, and so I think they're really looking to
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: take another step beyond just like Okay, we're going to
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: win our conference.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Mercy Hurst finished second last season. They lost their
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: top scorer in Sarah Bouchet. The transferred to u n
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: H in the offseason, which is you know, one of
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: those things that's that happens. Now you have to adjust
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: to who you who you lose, and see who you
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: can bring in. The Lakers are a team that you know,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: we're right up there with Penn State toward the end
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: of last regular season in the for the league championship.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Do you think that's and they're picked for a second
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: in the coach's poll in the conference this season? Is
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: that is that where you expect them to be in
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: that mix?
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Again, yeah, I think part of it is just like
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: they're they have great coaching and they just are sort
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: of a perpetually, never out of it team, and I
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: think that they're also a team that can kind of
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: push Penn State. Like I do think it's Penn State's
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: league to lose, but I think if they're going to
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: lose it, it's to Mercy Hurst. And one of the
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: things that they do really well in EERIE is pull
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: in international talent, and so you know, they've brought in,
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: like I'm really excited about their goalie, Magdalena lug In,
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: and so I just I'm certain I'm saying that wrong.
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: I apologize to hurt Advance, but yeah, I just I
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: think that they they always have just such intriguing players,
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: and I think they're hard to prepare for because of that.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: So you know, they've got a couple of players that
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: have spent time in the SDHL, playing pro in Sweden,
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: and so yeah, I think they're they're just one of
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: those teams that's perpetually going to be interesting because of
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: this mix of talent that they bring in. Magdalena, you know,
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: it's from Austria, has national team experience, She's five nine.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: I think she's just going to be a really interesting
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: addition to them. And then you know, I think that
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: when we talk international players, they just bring maturity. It's
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: a different style of game in Europe, and I really
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: think that's one of the things that gives Mercy Hurst
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: such an advantage or an opportunity to sort of always
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: be in the game and it just doesn't hurt. Like
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Michael Tosti, he's in there from the beginning, He's been
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: at Mercy Hurstin's before there was a Oldvin's hockey team.
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: They just they're perpetually. They're not a team I would
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: ever overlook.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Robert Morris picked for third, finished third last year and really,
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: you know, as a return goes that that went probably
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: about as well as you're really for a team that
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: was coming back from the depths from not having a
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: program right. And as a freshman last season, Elena Gimpetro
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: nineteen goals, thirty one points, really good debut. And I
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: think this is these are the building blocks, right, this
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: is what Robert Morris has to do. They have to
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: keep improving upon things to get back to where they
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: want to be. And you know, in a league like
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: Atlantic Hockey you know, there's some opportunity to climb there,
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: to be a team that can win a few more
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: games every year.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, And I think again, you know, just because of players,
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: like tests and stuff, you talk about Penn State as
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: a given, but I just think that the rest of
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: the conference is pretty wide open. And I just mean
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: that because there's some opportunities. They're a team like RB,
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: like gmpahro and some of their returners. I mean, they
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: had a couple of girls that took a whole year off,
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: they didn't leave and came back and stayed with this team,
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: and so they just they have a lot of experience,
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: they have a lot of heart, They've they've gone through
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: a lot in the last couple of years, and so
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: I just I think it's hard to those they really
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: carry those intangibles.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, T finished fourth last season and also
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: picked fourth by the coaches or this season. They only
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: had one ten goal scorer last season, that was Kylie Aguaro.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: That that is I think where everyone would imagine you
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: have to you have to improve. You needs more scoring
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: and more depth in scoring to try and get up
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: the stack in the conference and really nationally. They finished
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: thirteen nineteen to three overall last season. What strikes you
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: about the Tigers, Well.
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: They always have such great goaltending, right and so it's
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: like it's so frustrating sometimes to see that they they
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: can't add that that offensive component. So I do think,
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: you know, they've got some really interesting incoming players. You know,
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: ireland Stein is a five to nine forward from Saskatoon
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: that I think could be really interesting, and I just
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: I'm hoping that, you know, adding some of that depth
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: there that they it's about being able to keep building
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: and so that it's not they're not counting on one
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: person and they're not asking their goalie to do gymnastics
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: and be a do sport athlete.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: Yep Linnon Wood is picked for sixth in the conference
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: this season. The Lions finished fifth last season, just ahead
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: of Syracuse. Lyndon Wood is a team that does not
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: have a returning goalie from last season. Transfer Anna la
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Rose coming in from Maine with Catherine Hodges and Madison Bowtel.
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: Also another transfer interesting here Josie Down from Minnesota, transferring
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: back near her hometown in the Saint Louis area. There's
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: a player that you know didn't make a didn't you
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: really get a chance to make a huge impact with
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: the Gophers, but I feel like might have in a
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: fifty year situation, might have a chance to do that
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: with Lindon one.
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, I think you know, when you're talking the
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: transfer portal this year, there's certainly a couple of big games,
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: but I think much more interestingly is looking at some
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: of the players that were clearly not getting the playing
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: time they wanted where they were and have gone to
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: maybe like less high profile programs, Josie being one of them.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: And so I think it'll be fun to see how
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: some of those players, hopefully like really blossom and get
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: to be better. And then another big name transferred for Lynnen.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: What is they got Hungary and it's Sophia Pasmandi. She
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: was the Suniac Rooky of the year in D three,
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: she was at Plattsburgh. And again I was just talking
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: to somebody about sort of the overlap of like D
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: three talent and where that places them if they were
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: playing in D one. And you know, for some players,
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: particularly maybe somebody from a country that doesn't get highly scouted,
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: they might not have gotten D one offers. So the
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: portal offers an opportunity. There's there was a lot more
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: I thought movement between D one and D three this year.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: So she's someone I'm excited to watch.
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: And Syracuse finished last in the sixteen league last season.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: They're picked for fifth this season. Tatum White is the
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: only one of their top eight scorers from last season
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: that's back this season, and so that's there's a lot
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: to bring in new for the Orange this season, and
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: I know there's there's a desire to kind of turn
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: things around as quickly as they can there and try
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: and get some positive momentum going.
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's got to be you know, from a
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: stats like they were the only score two goals game
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: to begin with, and now they lost their top eight scorers, Like, oh,
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: that is an uphill battle to climb. So I think,
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: you know, this is going to be one of those
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: sort of learning years for them and rebuilding. And I mean,
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: I think I hope that they prove us all wrong,
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: but I think this is one of those years where
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: they take the experience and hope to be able to
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: build on it. You know, in the next couple of years.
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: That is Atlantic Hockey America. That is the first of
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: our five conferences. We'll be looking at when we come back,
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: we will be turning our attention to ECAC Hockey, So
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: stay with us on the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast,
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four to twenty five season preview edition.
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: Todd Molski here with Nicole Hose, and we are turning
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: our attention now to ECAC Hockey. Give you a look
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: at the twelve teams in that conference, and right at
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: the top, we're going in order of last year's finish.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Colgate won the championship in the regular season last season.
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: But there's a new coach after Greg Fargo moved on
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: to the PWHL, Stefan Dekas comes in as the head coach.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: It's a team that was in the Frozen four last season.
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: What do you what do you imagine that a coaching
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: change does to a really, you know, highly thought of
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: program on the heels of Frozen four appearances.
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: Well, in this particular instance, it helps that Takasa was
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: the assistant, right, So I would think that this transition
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: is a little easier than we'll see in maybe some
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: of the other programs, just because I would have assumed
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: there's not a massive change in philosophy, or if there is,
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: he's not going to, you know, do it wholesale to start,
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: he'll be able to ease everybody in. But yeah, not
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: only are they talking about a change of coach, but
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: like you know, Daniel Dacney moving on, goalie Kiley Osborne
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: moving on, just like they lost their number one d
• 18:43
  Speaker 2: their number one forward and their number one goalie along
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: with their coach. So I just there's just a lot,
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: I feel like for Colgate. The thing is that it's
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: like there's all the pieces are there, but I just
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: am not sure if they're going to come together. Like
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: at this moment, I can't say that's going to be
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: the top team in the ECAC until we see, you know,
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: what their talent can do and what their players, because
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: they're gonna need some of their younger players to step up.
• 19:08
  Speaker 1: Clarkson finished a half point behind col Gate.
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: Okay, we're gonna yeah, exactly right, the way that the
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: c a c does points half points for tie games.
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: Uh Okay, But Clarkson was second, and there's you know,
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: some interesting changes there this season. The coaches picked them
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: for first their their fifth in the preseason.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: US e h O poll. Michelle Setchnik the Goalie of
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: the Year nationally last season is not on the roster
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: as we understand it, uh from some people at Clarkson,
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: she had a really good job offer and decided to
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: take it back home in Canada, and uh that that
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: changes things quite a bit for for a team that
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: you know, had everything locked down in goal with Satchnik.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: Our last you know I thought of her was the
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: you know what we saw in the frozen four semifinals
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: against Ohio. Say when she turned off, you know, it
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: was forty some saves, a lot of are remarkable. What
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: do you see for Clarkson given that change?
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: I mean, that's the absolutely massive question mark for them,
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: right I think if you, if you could put aside
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: for a second that you don't we don't know what
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: their goaltending situation is going to be. I think they
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: look really scary. They had one of the most active
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: portal exchanges, right, like, they picked up three but lost five.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: I think in the portal they've had a ton of turnover.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: But like they have you know, multiple Olympians that are
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: just now entering their senior year, and you know, I
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: like it's Nicole Gosling's of fifth year. Haley winn is
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: only a senior I really liked Madison Chandler, who comes
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: over from Quinnipiac. So I think that they've got a
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: ton of really interesting talent and so that to me
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: makes them super scary. The question becomes goaltending, but they
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: also have really strong defending, so it's also kind of
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: like how strong does the goaltending need to be? And
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: then to contradict myself again, they won several games and
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: like they had a ton of games that they sent
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: to overtime by scoring in the last couple of seconds,
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: and so again, then goaltending needs to be really strong
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: in extra time and all that sort of stuff. So
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: there's just there's a lot of question marks there. But
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: for me, they're like, I'm not I almost feel like
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: maybe they're not getting enough respect or attention heading in
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: Like to me, they're the scariest ECAC team heading into
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: the season.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: Saint Lawrence finished in third place, not far behind Colgate
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: and Clarkson. They're in that mix for a lot of
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: the season, behind the the top two scoring combination of
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Abbie Hustler and Julie Gosling. Gosling has moved on to
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: the p WHL, Hustler is back the coaches picked Saint
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Lawrence for fourth, Saint Lawrence being eighth in the preseason
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: US Echo poll, a team that you know you mentioned before.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: We saw them beat Penn State in the first round
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: of the NCAA Tournament last season and really, you know,
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: tight game defense, well defensively played, and I just just
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: wonder where you think this goes from here? Can they
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: take that next step and get back to a frozen fourth?
• 22:18
  Speaker 2: I mean, I feel like the that sort of second
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: group of e C A C T that's kind of
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: like being in the middle of the w C H
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: A like improved. The step from where you are to
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: the next step is just so massive. So like, even
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: if you improve a little, are you going to get
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: do any better than fourth? I don't. I don't know.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: So that it's it's got to be so frustrating for
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: the coaches and and for the players too. I do
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: think that they're you know, they bring in such a
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: strong goalie with m Sophie Nordstrum, and as you mentioned,
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: Abbe Hustler. They're also bringing in a transfer from U
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: Sports for for fifth year, so I think that could
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: be a lot of fun and interesting. But yeah, you know,
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: Reachel be Oregan went to a Marrigath, May Bathurston and
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: Julia Gostley graduated. There was a lot of change in turnover.
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: So that being said Hustler, I thought was probably one
• 23:02
  Speaker 2: of the surprises of the second half of the season.
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: And she just was really impressive and like plaid herself
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: into Pattika's contention, and so yeah, if she has another
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: year under her belt, can only get better. I would
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: love to see a shake up just because it's fun.
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: But I'm not sure how you how you push down Colgate,
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: Cornell or Clarkson right now. It's just it's just a
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: really frustrating place to be in that conference. I think.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Cornell was fourth place last season and had the Patty
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: Kasmeyer Award winner and Isy Daniel she has moved on
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: and that leaves Lily Delianitis as the leading returning scorer.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: What what stands out to you about the Big Red
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: this season? This is a looks like a team that
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: you know, has, you know, kind of expectations of charged,
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: you know, pushing Colegate and Clarkson to be in that
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: top top mix.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think they were, you know it
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: sometimes in the conversation last year and just fell a
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: little short, right, So now they come back with more experience.
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: They have annily s Bergman and Nett who got better
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: as the season went on. They had a good freshman
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: class last year that now has that experience, and they
• 24:15
  Speaker 2: add in a really talented incoming class of freshmen, tons
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: of national team experience on the US in Canada.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: That.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, to me, I think Cornell's probably the sleeper of them.
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: But I feel bad saying this because I like but
• 24:32
  Speaker 2: I keep getting excited about Cornell's incoming classes and then
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: them not quite reaching that and that maybe it's not
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: their fault that might be like my expectations, but I
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: feel like I need to see them. I need to
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: see all these individual talented players play well together before
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: I totally buy in.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: Quinnipiac was fifth place last season, picked for fifth again
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: this season by the coach. Is number ten in the
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: preseason us CHO pol But there's a lot of change
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: for the box this season. Goalie Logan Anger is gone.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: Only for of top ten scorers returning. They'll have to
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: pick things up and and find some new ways of
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: producing this season.
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, some of like they're One of the things with
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: Quinnipiac has always been that. There hasn't always been like
• 25:15
  Speaker 2: one standout player, but there's just been a couple of
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: really girl good women up top and you never knew
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: exactly who could make that move. But it might be
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: Veronica Back, it might be mass Chandler, it might be
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: need a sign gooff. Well, they all left, so there's that.
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: They do have nine five fifth year seniors this year.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: The ECAC, as a side note, is going to be
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: interesting because with the ivys, several players came in as
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: freshmen during COVID and didn't use a year that year,
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: so they essentially have like a double senior class this year,
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: if that makes sense. So you just have a lot
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: of experience on rosters in the ECAC this year. I know,
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: obviously Quinnipiick is not an IVY, but just seeing the
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: nine fifth years reminded me of that. Yeah, I again,
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: could be really interesting. They also brought in an stinct
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: three player in Meg Brittenhouse Catherine Stockfale for Connecticut. I
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: feel like Quinnipiac and Clarkson and Colgate all just like
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: shuffled the rosters together and some of the girls went.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: It was Yeah, ECC has been a little whild that way.
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: This year in trading players and uh yeah, Quinnipi Cks
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: roster both has nine returners and has six people just
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: out of the portal. So yeah, no, I can I
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: just admit I have no idea what to expect and
• 26:26
  Speaker 2: hope it's fun.
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: Like well, okay, so also admitting we have no idea
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: what to expect, let's talk about Yale for another reason.
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: We don't have a roster for Yale being being one issue.
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: But I think that is a team that, you know,
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: could go in in a few different directions here this season.
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: That's just a feeling that we've seen the good Yale
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: and we've seen the bad Yale in the last few years,
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: and I don't know which direction they're pointed.
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: I don't either. It really helps to have p A. D.
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: Grich Ingle, right, like being able to count on that.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: But el Hartscher was the soul of that team for
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: several years and so she graduated in the pedu this year.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: So they need somebody to step up. They have to
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: score more goals. They just this league is too powerful
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: and I think that they've you know, sort of been
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: on the lower scoring end of one as one of
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: the good teams, and so I think they just have
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: to be more dynamic on offense if they're going to
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: push those top teams.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: The post Sarah Filier tenure begins for Princeton this season,
• 27:32
  Speaker 1: picked for seventh after finishing seventh, starting number fourteenth, in
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: number fourteen in the USAHO Poll. Sarah paul is a
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: sixteen goal scorer last season. Kind of maybe in the
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: shadows Sarah Filier, and maybe there's an opportunity for her
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: to take a step this season with more of a
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: starring role, I guess yeah.
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: And they also are bringing in a couple McKenzie, Alexander,
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: Angelina Diirolimo or I'm sorry, Chia Dierolamo, both of them
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: really the Tirola most sisters, but Lucie is the one
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: that was on the national team. They bring in some
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: really intriguing younger players, and so obviously there's there's a
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: lot of opportunity here, right, Like those are huge skates
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: to fill. But you know, they also have Unia Cornea
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: in net and I'm hoping I'm saying that right. I'm
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: sorry if I am not. And so I just think
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: like there's a lot of opportunity here. You know, it
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: was a little sad to not see them be able
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: to do a little bit more when they had you know,
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: Maggie Connors and Phillyer and stuff, and so I sort
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: of just feel like I'm pulling for Princeton to take
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: that next step.
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: Brown is a team that has gotten over his first
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: over her first two seasons seventeen and sixteen goals from
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: Jade again, Law and I I feel like there's a
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: you know, even a higher ceiling that could happen there
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: for her and then by extension for Brown picked for eighth,
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: which is where they finished last season. But if there
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: can be some more complimentary pieces there, maybe there's there's
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: a chance to slide up a few notches.
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: It feels like she has between bringing in Melrousy and
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: getting Jade, it feels like it's raised their profile, right,
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: and so that just allows them to be in on
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: different recruits in a way that they weren't before. And so, yeah,
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: it does feel like they are definitely there's there's so
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: the ceiling for them is just so high, right, Like
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: there's just so much opportunity. But again, it's the ECAC
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: and so it's just hard to make those steps. So
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: small changes and incremental just isn't gonna It may change
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: your record, it may change the number of goals scored,
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: but it may not change how where you end up
• 29:45
  Speaker 2: in the conference at the end of the season. And
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: so yeah, for them, I think it's got to be
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: you know, sort of an even bigger push and it
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: would be super helpful. It would be frankly just fun
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: to watch some players that can really you know, feed
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: Jade and play alongside her, because she's special to watch.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: Then there was a big gap last season between eighth
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: and ninth, ninth being rent Lair, and that's where they're
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: picked to finish again this season. That gap was eleven
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: points between eighth and ninth, and so that that's where
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: you start to see that real everything kind of fall
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: off at that point.
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: Right and respectively, like Brown was one of those bottom teams,
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: Like that gap didn't used to exist, so like they've
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: climbed up and yet it's yeah, it's hard.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: So Andrea Trinkova was a defender and a freshman led
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: the team last season for Rensse Lair and and in scoring,
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: and I well, that's that's great for her. That's not
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: necessarily great as a sign for for your team. Probably
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: if if there's a freshman and a defender as your
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: top scorer, and we'll see if if there are changes
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: there that can happen. I think that there are some
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: some new pe there that that seem intriguing from from
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: what I remember.
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Natalie Tolchinsky comes in from Saint Anselm and she was,
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: you know, one of the leading scorers in New Han
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: and so yeah, I just I would like to see
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: RPI show that they like, they can be competitive and
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: they just have to be more dynamic and I can't
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: just be, like you said, a freshman defender. So I'm
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: hoping that someone like Tolchinsky coming in, who has been
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: a dynamic forward, who has you know, played on a
• 31:28
  Speaker 2: team that is in New Ha, can show that like
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: what is possible and really sort of like helped change
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: some of the attitude at RPI, because I think I
• 31:36
  Speaker 2: think she could really make an impact there and I
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: think it could be a lot of fun.
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: A new era for Dartmouth with a lum mora Kroll
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: coming in as head coach, uh after a good stint
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: at Minnesota Duluth. What changes there? What I mean, that's
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: a big move for more to make and I wonder
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: how whether you can see results immediately or this is
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: something that is going to take a few years.
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: Uh. Some from column and some from COLUMBI. I think
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: I think Dartmuth was moving in the right direction. You know,
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: they had Liz Keaty and she had made you know,
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: much like Brown had like made some changes and really
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: had like I felt like, had bought into the program
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: and bought in like that. This is like, we can
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: make some changes, the team can be better than it's been.
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: And Liz had talked about the buy in from Dartmouth,
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: So I would assume that some of that is part
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: of what drew Moore a home. I mean, that's where
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: she's from. It like she she went, you know, partly
• 32:35
  Speaker 2: for family. But I feel like this job there's a
• 32:38
  Speaker 2: lot of opperty, Like this is a team that has
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: a ton of history long before NCAA, and I as
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: I understand it, you know, the university is buying in
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: and so yeah, I do think I don't. I don't
• 32:50
  Speaker 2: think Dartmuth's problems were just coaching, right, Like, I think
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: Liz was a great coach, and I think we saw
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: changes that she made that improved it. So uh with
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: no offense meant to more because she's a spectacular coach.
• 33:01
  Speaker 2: I don't think that like that can change overnight, But
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: I do think that more is experience being at a
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: smaller school but still building resources, you know, not being
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: at a sort of the Wisconsin's and the Minnesotas of
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: the world, but being at a school that like has
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: limited resources that you know, plays D three and other sports.
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: I think all of those things that she experienced while
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: still being successful at U and D I think that
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: can really help here at Dartmouth and help sort of
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: re like to shift the expectations and like what can
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: be possible for women's hockey at Dartmouth in twenty twenty
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: four and beyond.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: Union picked for twelve, finished eleventh last season. This is
• 33:45
  Speaker 1: probably a season where they're they're looking forward to a
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: lot of things that are coming, correct. I mean this
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: is they're a year away, I believe, from a new
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: arena and a brand new church. They're adding, Yes, things
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: are changing. What what do you expect that out of
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: changes here?
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: I mean, my own personal soapbox is like incredibly frustrated
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: at how little attention the women's team when the men,
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: you know, are like a small school that makes a
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: huge impact on the men's side, right, like they want
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: a title in the last ten years, right, you know
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: that's better than me. Okay, I thought so. But anyway,
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: their new coach is Tony Macy, who was an assistant
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: at Clerkson. I love that just from the again that
• 34:32
  Speaker 2: similar standpoint of being like a small school that made
• 34:34
  Speaker 2: a massive impact and who also as a school that
• 34:38
  Speaker 2: treats their women's hockey as important as their men's hockey.
• 34:42
  Speaker 2: And so I really hope that Tony brings that mentality
• 34:45
  Speaker 2: to Union because I just it bugs me greatly that
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: this is a school that really puts a lot of
• 34:51
  Speaker 2: credit in their their ment hockey program, and the women's
• 34:53
  Speaker 2: program has been you know, one of the worst in
• 34:57
  Speaker 2: the NCAA for as long as we've both been covering
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: the sport, So it would be it will be nice
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: to see them be pushed for that. And yeah, like
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: you said, I think it's just going to be transitioned,
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: right like Tony. These aren't Tony's recruits that they're impluenting
• 35:10
  Speaker 2: a new schema things like that, So their players deserve
• 35:16
  Speaker 2: better than they've got from their university over the however
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: many years you want to credit it for, but I'll
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: say at least the past few and so yeah, I
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: just hope this change, both at the university level and
• 35:27
  Speaker 2: with their coaching staff, signifies that this program can get
• 35:32
  Speaker 2: can be what it really should be capable of.
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: And Harvard finished twelfth last season, a really tough year
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: for the Crimson on a lot of fronts on the
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: ice and off the ice. I would imagine they really
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: want to get back on the ice this season and
• 35:50
  Speaker 1: and play some games with you know, maybe some clouds
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: not hovering over over over that. I don't know if
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: that's the case, but I feel like that's you know,
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: this is a team that needs to take a next
• 36:09
  Speaker 1: step and move along, and we'll see if that happens
• 36:12
  Speaker 1: this year.
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's sort of it's felt like every time you
• 36:16
  Speaker 2: see a poster or like a quote from Laura Bellamy,
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: there's just like so much undercurrent to everything, right, So
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: I hope for her sake that she that just gets
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: to be her team with, like you said, without all
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: those clouds, without sort of anything else going on, and
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: she gets just this focus on the players, because the
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: players aren't at fault for any of this stuff that's
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: been surrounding them, and so yeah, I you know, this
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: is a team that can recruit well, that has a
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: ton of history that you know, has the means and
• 36:45
  Speaker 2: the like, both monetarily and like alumni support and big names,
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: and just like there's so much potential for what Harvard
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: Cannon should be able to do. I mean the last
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: time they I mean they were in the frozen fo
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: what in like twenty sixteen was it? I'd have to look,
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: but twenty fifteen, and so like we're not that far
• 37:05
  Speaker 2: removed from this being this very great team that turned
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: around and finished twelve in the ECAC last year. So
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: that's a massive change in a decade basically, And so
• 37:15
  Speaker 2: I hope that. Yeah, I just think this is a
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: storied program, and regardless of Katie Stone and all those
• 37:22
  Speaker 2: stories which are incredibly important and need to be talked about,
• 37:25
  Speaker 2: need to be investigated. I don't want to be dismissive
• 37:28
  Speaker 2: of any of that, but just talking about this current
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: roster and their ability to play, I hope that for
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: their sakes they can just do that.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: Okay, that's ECAC hockey. Lest's turn now to Hockey East,
• 37:41
  Speaker 1: which last season was a conference that had only one
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: team make the NCAA tournament, which is unusual, and I
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: know there's there's a lot of people there that want
• 37:53
  Speaker 1: to see that be a one year fat and get
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: back to being a multiple bid team. And we'll start
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: with the team that did make Dancia's last season. That
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: was Yukon picked for the finish first again this season.
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: They'll host the playoff championship this season in Hockey East.
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: Ninth overall in the US Echo poll. Two extraordinary goalies,
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: can we say? I mean Tha One Megan Warner, both
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: nine to fifty one saf percentage, which over the course
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: of the season have two goalies above nine to fifty
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: and both playing. I think it ended up being about
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: like sixteen games, sixteen and twenty one or something like that.
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: The number of games that was incredible, twelve shoutouts between them.
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: Is that the kind of team Yukon will be again,
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: lockdown on the defensive.
• 38:43
  Speaker 2: Side, Yeah, I think that's exactly the team they're going
• 38:46
  Speaker 2: to be. I think they have to hope that they
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: become a little more offensive. They need to be able
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: to score more goals per game, just flat out they
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: can't a They can't only rely on their goalies and
• 38:58
  Speaker 2: be just like they're like the other that conference is
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: really up for grabs. I think it is Connecticut's to lose.
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: But I also think that like the gap of maybe
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: the top five teams there is, it's very small at
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: this point in the season until we see more from
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: from some of the newcomers and things like that. But yeah,
• 39:15
  Speaker 2: they're they're going to be shut down defensive, They're going
• 39:17
  Speaker 2: to be close games. And but like how exciting for them,
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: right Like in their first NCAA birth was their first
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: title they really took advantage of, Like the opportunity was there,
• 39:28
  Speaker 2: the conference was wide open, and they stuffed stuffed up
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: and took it. And so just from a like we
• 39:36
  Speaker 2: need in the end, the the Frozen Four and the
• 39:38
  Speaker 2: nineteen tournament ended up looking mostly the same. But like
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: I just it's always good when we're getting you know,
• 39:44
  Speaker 2: Saint Lawrence, We're getting Connecticut, you know, all these other
• 39:48
  Speaker 2: teams we had do how we had pence to you know,
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: like we it's good for the growth of the sport to
• 39:53
  Speaker 2: have new programs making it big. I mean that's going
• 39:56
  Speaker 2: to help them and recruiting, which is only going to
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: help them get better. I know they're fans that are
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: sick of seeing the same couple of schools, so always
• 40:03
  Speaker 2: exciting for another school to sort of step up and
• 40:06
  Speaker 2: make an impact. And I just thought it was really
• 40:09
  Speaker 2: fun to see in Hockey East one it was kind
• 40:13
  Speaker 2: of wide open to watch that fight throughout the season,
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: and I think, to some extent that's going to be
• 40:18
  Speaker 2: I know, I keep seeing things are fun, like I
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: just I like chaos, and so the fact that it
• 40:22
  Speaker 2: like wasn't a given and that we really didn't know
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: who was going to come out of last season as
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: the winner and made it made those games so much
• 40:29
  Speaker 2: more fun to watch. And sometimes in Hockey East, I
• 40:31
  Speaker 2: feel like there's openings and some of the teams aren't
• 40:33
  Speaker 2: great at like stepping up and taking stepping through those
• 40:36
  Speaker 2: openings and taking that opportunity. And so I really enjoyed
• 40:39
  Speaker 2: watching Connecticut do that with Chin and mournering.
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: That Northeastern was a team that was you know, I
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: had a lot of expectations last season going to Phillips
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: and Goals obviously a great player. She she has has
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: graduated and moved on the Huskies, which you know were
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: the Huskies. We're talking about Yukon too, but Northeast and
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: Huskies were quick for a second in the Coaches Bowl
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: Number thirteen in the preseason US Echo poll, what do
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: you get from Northeastern this season? What what kind of
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: vibe do you have?
• 41:16
  Speaker 2: It sure feels like it's going to be defensive first
• 41:19
  Speaker 2: tonight say that, even like, I mean, they have had,
• 41:22
  Speaker 2: you know, two of the best goalies over Like what
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: does it feels like it's basically ten years that they
• 41:27
  Speaker 2: had that, And so yeah, Frank before that, so you're
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: talking to players that are playing professionally in the PDUB
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: and who are putting in time with the US national team.
• 41:37
  Speaker 2: So like just defense was not I mean, they had
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: great goaltending, but defense wasn't their focus, right, Like this
• 41:43
  Speaker 2: was an offensive team that had a great goalie. So yeah,
• 41:46
  Speaker 2: they they just are I think going to need to
• 41:48
  Speaker 2: focus on some of that defense and really get to
• 41:50
  Speaker 2: settle in and figure out. You know, they have some
• 41:52
  Speaker 2: really great young talent players like Peyton Compton who made
• 41:56
  Speaker 2: an impact at times last year, and so I think,
• 41:58
  Speaker 2: you know, they again are bringing and some really interesting
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: international talent and some interesting young players, and so I
• 42:05
  Speaker 2: think it's just about them being able to be solid
• 42:08
  Speaker 2: in the back and give those players time to find
• 42:12
  Speaker 2: their roles and be impactful.
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: New Hampshire finished third last season. Carrie Judokus Juducas, I'm
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: going to mess that up every single time. I apologize
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: the Wildcasts eighteen sixteen and two. We're in a battle
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: for with Northeastern for the second place, really right down
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: to the finish, and I saw that the coaches picked
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: them for fourth have Boston College bumping back up past them.
• 42:46
  Speaker 1: This feels like a team that could you know, could
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: be there and challenge, but also needs a lot of
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: good things to happen to make that work for them.
• 42:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like it might be, you know, closer
• 43:00
  Speaker 2: than maybe both people think what was interesting for New
• 43:03
  Speaker 2: Hampshire last year is like kind of how even they were,
• 43:05
  Speaker 2: Like their goals scored and goals against two point four
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: both ways. They're adding we mentioned earlier Sarah Bouchet leaving Mercier.
• 43:12
  Speaker 2: She has come to New Hampshire, so I think that
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: is just a huge boost to their offense. But yeah,
• 43:18
  Speaker 2: they they are. They kind of like were quietly. I
• 43:20
  Speaker 2: think if you told people New Hampshire finished third in
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: Hockey's last year, they wouldn't necessarily been able to like
• 43:26
  Speaker 2: know that that's how that went down. And so I
• 43:28
  Speaker 2: do think that they've sort of quietly been a really
• 43:30
  Speaker 2: interesting player and they brought in, you know, Maddie Crawley
• 43:34
  Speaker 2: k Hill from BC and Andy Calderon from THEU. They
• 43:38
  Speaker 2: also had a couple of girls move on. But I
• 43:40
  Speaker 2: just I think that they have a bunch of players
• 43:42
  Speaker 2: that have an opportunity and really like have the ability
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: and just haven't been able to show it yet. So
• 43:50
  Speaker 2: I'm hoping for their sakes that that some of these
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: players have a little bit of a breakout because I
• 43:55
  Speaker 2: feel like they they're they're the sneaky team in Hockey
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: East this year.
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: Boston College, as I mentioned, picked for third finished fourth.
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: Last season, Sammy Tabor led the the Eagles thirteen goals
• 44:10
  Speaker 1: thirty two points in her freshman season and that's I
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: know they love seeing that, but I know what they
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: would love to see some veteran you know support there too,
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: to you know, keep things moving along offensively on the heights.
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah, this is a fairly young team overall. I mean
• 44:29
  Speaker 2: there's only two fifth years on here, only a couple
• 44:31
  Speaker 2: of seniors. But those players really need to be impactful.
• 44:36
  Speaker 2: One thing that BC has done really well over the
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: past couple of years is recruiting. They've been recruiting girls
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: off the U eighteen national teams from the US and Canada.
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: They're bringing him players that are really experienced, sort of
• 44:48
  Speaker 2: really mature in their play and so giving them the
• 44:53
  Speaker 2: opportunity to go out. I mean, it's great that Sam Taber,
• 44:56
  Speaker 2: as you said, went out and led the team, but
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: I would like to see it be more than just
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: one person having a breakout season from them. So I
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: think like the whole you know, the whole group needs
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: to take that step up and be better together so
• 45:08
  Speaker 2: that it's not one line, you know, and it's not
• 45:11
  Speaker 2: just the four words. I just I think there's an
• 45:12
  Speaker 2: opportunity here for some of these players to really take
• 45:16
  Speaker 2: a step up and work together. And we've seen them
• 45:18
  Speaker 2: play internationally really well. So Alana Devlin is one of them,
• 45:23
  Speaker 2: Molly Jordan, who's a sophomore this year, some of those
• 45:26
  Speaker 2: players I just think I really want to see big
• 45:28
  Speaker 2: years from and then like it would be great to
• 45:30
  Speaker 2: see some of the players like Abby new Hook and
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: Gabby Waugh who Abby's a senior, Gabby's a fifth year
• 45:38
  Speaker 2: sort of really put together all the things that they've
• 45:41
  Speaker 2: shown bits and pieces over the course of the past
• 45:44
  Speaker 2: couple of seasons really put them together into like solid
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: seasons this year.
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: Providence in fifth place last season, picked for fifth again
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: this season after a thirteen seventeen and five overall record.
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: I know that's probably not h I was gonna say,
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: not where they wanted to be. They would love to
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: be over five hundred overall, but they need to get
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: some more scoring to do it. That's we're talking about
• 46:13
  Speaker 1: that with a lot of teams in Hockey's honestly, but uh,
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: that really feels like the key to unlocking some some
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: improvement for a lot of these teams, and I think
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: Providence is probably one of them.
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean just generally, I think the like the
• 46:26
  Speaker 2: goals for average across Hockey East is like under three
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: for pretty much every team, and so yeah.
• 46:32
  Speaker 3: Just well, when you have the goalies that that's a
• 46:35
  Speaker 3: valid point kind.
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: Of like which one comes comes higher.
• 46:37
  Speaker 2: A valid point. But yeah, I just like you said,
• 46:40
  Speaker 2: it's just got to be more dynamic across the board.
• 46:42
  Speaker 2: And you know, for Providence, they they've had such strong
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: goaltending for so long that I feel like maybe they
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: were that you know that they were building out of
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: the back of that, and without that this season quite
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: so obvious. Anyway, there they need to find their identity
• 46:56
  Speaker 2: and I think, you know, they brought in a couple
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: of interesting players like Milliserium that hopefully can can build
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: off that. And I really like Raking Kirkshmeier. She transferred there,
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: I think after her freshman year, and I think she's
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: a player that has not yet shown all that she's
• 47:14
  Speaker 2: capable of. So I would really love to see her
• 47:16
  Speaker 2: be able to to maybe have a breakout season and
• 47:18
  Speaker 2: play and lead the team because they just, you know,
• 47:22
  Speaker 2: graduated a couple of players in the last couple of
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: years that were sort of like programmed defining, and so
• 47:26
  Speaker 2: I just this feels like a team in need of
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: a leader and in need of an identity, and so hopefully,
• 47:32
  Speaker 2: you know, they can figure that out.
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: Over to Vermont, which lost its leading scorer, Natalie blink
• 47:42
  Speaker 1: Kova to Minnesota and the transfer portal in the off season.
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: That leaves Evelyn Bla Savoy as the leading returning scorer
• 47:50
  Speaker 1: with twenty one points, as a twelve point gap between
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: the leading scorer last season and the leading returning scorer,
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: which means that there's again there's there's offense to be
• 48:00
  Speaker 1: up here when you're talking about.
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: The catabo, right, And they also lost Krista parkin In
• 48:04
  Speaker 2: to Minnesota, Bellaprento to Saint Lawrence, and goalie Jesse McPherson
• 48:08
  Speaker 2: to Minnesota State. Ma Cato and McPherson had just some
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: absolute standout games over the last couple of years. So
• 48:14
  Speaker 2: a lot of pieces, a lot of sort of the
• 48:17
  Speaker 2: drivers of what was making Vermont a team that was
• 48:20
  Speaker 2: making waves. But much like we were talking about with
• 48:23
  Speaker 2: Josie Dunn and Lyndon Wood, I think Josie Hemp come
• 48:25
  Speaker 2: from Minnesota coming to Vermont is someone that could really,
• 48:28
  Speaker 2: you know, make a big impact and have more of
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: an outsized opportunity here than she maybe had with the Gophers.
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: Jane Gervay left Wisconsin to come here, so I assume
• 48:39
  Speaker 2: she will be contending for that cold to spot. Yeah.
• 48:43
  Speaker 2: I think this is one of those teams that I
• 48:45
  Speaker 2: will love to check in on, like come winter break,
• 48:49
  Speaker 2: because there are more questions and answers here and I think,
• 48:55
  Speaker 2: and not necessarily in a bad way, but I just
• 48:57
  Speaker 2: because of all of the change, it's unclear how this
• 49:00
  Speaker 2: team's going to come out of this offseason and so
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: it'll it'll be you know, watch and see with them.
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: Boston University finished seventh last season. The coaches predicted them
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: to move up spot the sixth. This Terror's team, Well,
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: maybe I'll let you have, but I wanted to point
• 49:22
  Speaker 1: out Clara Yun was the top is the top returning
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: goal scorer. She only had nine last season. This is
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: again we're getting on the same theme here with with
• 49:30
  Speaker 1: hockey e s that there's you know, the big scorers
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: aren't here I and I just don't know if they
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: will be. So if if you can tighten up on
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: defense too, that also helps you, you know, even out
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: the equation there and maybe get a few more wins.
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: And maybe that's where the BU looks at things this season.
• 49:51
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like we haven't quite gotten to see
• 49:54
  Speaker 2: exactly what terror Watchworden's BEU team is going to look
• 49:59
  Speaker 2: like like, what her you know, ten year at BU
• 50:02
  Speaker 2: is going to look like. So we're just starting to
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: get into like, you know, her recruits and this is
• 50:07
  Speaker 2: her I was double checking it's her third season.
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: Right, I'll for it.
• 50:14
  Speaker 2: I went to her douching page. That doesn't easily say. Anyway,
• 50:19
  Speaker 2: I just think I still want to know what a
• 50:22
  Speaker 2: team under Tara is going to look like. Oh, she
• 50:25
  Speaker 2: was named the head coach in April twenty twenty three, Okay,
• 50:28
  Speaker 2: so anyway, I just think she's still trying to figure
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: out and put together a roster that is both recruits
• 50:34
  Speaker 2: that are already signed up and using the UH transfer portal.
• 50:37
  Speaker 2: And so you know, I she brought in the Wealthy
• 50:40
  Speaker 2: Sisters from Maine. They're German national team players and I
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: one of them, I believe it was Louisa was was
• 50:47
  Speaker 2: injured for part of last year. There are some there
• 50:50
  Speaker 2: are players that I think could really break out. Alex
• 50:53
  Speaker 2: Law is a player that could really break out, but
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: they also be used the transfer portal and brought in.
• 50:57
  Speaker 2: You know, some of the best scorers they have if
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: Kerry from Stonehill, Riley Lalsh from from Union and Lindsay
• 51:03
  Speaker 2: Bakna from Providence who are all top scorers on their teams.
• 51:07
  Speaker 2: And so that's one way that you know, BU is
• 51:09
  Speaker 2: attempting to address that that scoring thing. But I just yeah,
• 51:13
  Speaker 2: I think there is a possibility or there is opportunity
• 51:17
  Speaker 2: for be you to become a really I think terror
• 51:20
  Speaker 2: could be a really interesting coach and make some waves,
• 51:22
  Speaker 2: and I just I'm not sure that she's had the
• 51:23
  Speaker 2: chance to do that yet. So it's it's for me.
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: It's a thing I'm keeping an eye on to when
• 51:29
  Speaker 2: it feels like we're seeing Terror's team and not you know,
• 51:32
  Speaker 2: what was left of the very long and distinguished Brian
• 51:34
  Speaker 2: de rocha Era.
• 51:38
  Speaker 1: Speaking of coaches trying to form an identity with their schools,
• 51:42
  Speaker 1: you could probably say the same thing about Molly instrument Maine. Right.
• 51:45
  Speaker 1: This is you know, uh, something you try and you
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: come in and try and rebuild. I think that's what Maine
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: is doing. They're they're also getting I think it's it's
• 51:57
  Speaker 1: important to point out getting some rink improvements in the
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: future too. Uh. The alphon is getting renovated. I'm not
• 52:04
  Speaker 1: exactly sure the timeline on that off off the top
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: of my head, but you would think that would help
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: with recruiting, and I know that's that's where a lot
• 52:10
  Speaker 1: of the starts. When you're a couple of years in
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: as a coach. What do you see for the Black
• 52:14
  Speaker 1: Bears this season.
• 52:17
  Speaker 2: Or now? It feels like they have been focusing on
• 52:20
  Speaker 2: the defense first and and again there's only so much
• 52:23
  Speaker 2: we can we can beat that storyline about needing to
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: score more. I'm excited to see Frederica Foss, who is
• 52:30
  Speaker 2: a freshman from Denmark. She's a forward that I think
• 52:34
  Speaker 2: could bring some really interesting a different style, a game
• 52:38
  Speaker 2: style for them. But yeah, I mean some of their
• 52:41
  Speaker 2: biggest gets in the portal and some of their biggest
• 52:43
  Speaker 2: freshmen gets are are goalie and on defense. So to
• 52:49
  Speaker 2: be fair, you know, you build out out of the back,
• 52:52
  Speaker 2: and so that's the foundation you want to have. And
• 52:56
  Speaker 2: and so I think, you know what's interesting about this
• 52:58
  Speaker 2: team is there some there's some really tall women on
• 53:01
  Speaker 2: this team, and so I like the Molly has been
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: going for size, and I think we could see a
• 53:06
  Speaker 2: really physical team. And I think she is taking advantage
• 53:09
  Speaker 2: of sort of some of the loosening of the way
• 53:12
  Speaker 2: that some of the physicality stuff is being called. And
• 53:14
  Speaker 2: so I can see main making life difficult for the
• 53:19
  Speaker 2: rest of the conference and really sort of pushing themselves
• 53:23
  Speaker 2: around and making themselves relevant through that using their physicality.
• 53:28
  Speaker 1: Ninth place Merrimac again picked the finish ninth by the
• 53:31
  Speaker 1: coaches this season. I this it feels like a team
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: that sometimes gets lost in the mix in Hot East
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: and maybe in the greater Boston area's terms of that,
• 53:47
  Speaker 1: it's off when there's that many schools in a small area,
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: small area, but in an area, and Merrimack is trying
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: to carve out its niche. I think I don't know
• 54:00
  Speaker 1: that that they've really done that yet to it to
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: an extent where they can, uh say, we're climbing. Maybe
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: this is this is a start of things this year.
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: Maybe they can pull something together to to start that
• 54:15
  Speaker 1: process happening and be more of a Hockey East player.
• 54:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually think that they've been really smart. I
• 54:21
  Speaker 2: think Aaron Hamlin has been really smart in the portal
• 54:24
  Speaker 2: the last few seasons and getting players that aren't necessarily
• 54:28
  Speaker 2: just for their fifth year, but if you went back
• 54:30
  Speaker 2: and looked at, you know, players that weren't the big
• 54:34
  Speaker 2: thing splash, but also weren't you know, on the bottom
• 54:37
  Speaker 2: of the depth chart, but sort of those those middle
• 54:39
  Speaker 2: of middle grade players on bigger teams. She's bringing in
• 54:43
  Speaker 2: some of those those players, and I think that that's
• 54:45
  Speaker 2: really helping to build the identity. I mean that is
• 54:48
  Speaker 2: no offense to anybody, just as a description, but just
• 54:52
  Speaker 2: trying to to find that mix of like showing you know,
• 54:55
  Speaker 2: her younger players what they can be capable of, what
• 54:59
  Speaker 2: how they should be played, like the level of play
• 55:01
  Speaker 2: in the league. So, you know, again this year she's
• 55:04
  Speaker 2: bringing in Rachel Bjorgen from UH Saint Lawrence. We've got
• 55:09
  Speaker 2: Madison Cardacci from Boston University and Gabby Jones from Saint Lawrence.
• 55:12
  Speaker 2: And both those two beliagus from Saint Lawrence played you know,
• 55:16
  Speaker 2: in the NCA tournament last year, and so not only
• 55:19
  Speaker 2: do they bring just experience, but they that like desire
• 55:23
  Speaker 2: to what it means to play in a tournament game,
• 55:25
  Speaker 2: what it meant for their program to get back in
• 55:27
  Speaker 2: that position. So I think Aaron Hamlin has sort of
• 55:30
  Speaker 2: quietly been doing a lot to make the sort of
• 55:35
  Speaker 2: changes that you really can build a program off of
• 55:38
  Speaker 2: that has sort of like lasting effect and not it
• 55:40
  Speaker 2: isn't just about like the one year of play you
• 55:43
  Speaker 2: get from that player, if that makes sense.
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: And tenth place. The Holy Cross picked to finish tenth
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: again this season, had you know, lost lost some of
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: the better players to the transfer portal. Alexia Moreau is
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: back after an eleven goal twenty one point season. It's
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: a long climb from the bottom. Let's be fair and
• 56:10
  Speaker 1: let's be honest. Is this a year holy Cross can
• 56:14
  Speaker 1: can make ground up in that? Do you think?
• 56:17
  Speaker 2: I feel like if you have asked me that in isolation,
• 56:19
  Speaker 2: i'd say yes. But since I just was talking about
• 56:22
  Speaker 2: how good I think Merrimack can be in there, the team,
• 56:24
  Speaker 2: you know, the coach is picked right ahead of them,
• 56:25
  Speaker 2: It's like, goodness, it really is that. Like it's just
• 56:28
  Speaker 2: so steep and every step like there's so much the opportunities,
• 56:33
  Speaker 2: Like every team is trying to do that, and so
• 56:35
  Speaker 2: like not only is the gap that already exists, but
• 56:38
  Speaker 2: like the team aheavy is also taking steps forward. And
• 56:41
  Speaker 2: so I just feel like it's going to be really
• 56:43
  Speaker 2: tough for holy Cross. I mean, you're just talking about
• 56:45
  Speaker 2: Merrimac as the Boston area team that often gets forgotten,
• 56:48
  Speaker 2: but like holy Cross too, and so yeah, I just
• 56:51
  Speaker 2: want to see them get you know, it's got to
• 56:55
  Speaker 2: be so disheartening, it's got to be so frustrating. I
• 56:58
  Speaker 2: want them to get the attention. I know it's tough
• 57:00
  Speaker 2: because they don't get to play on campus and all
• 57:02
  Speaker 2: that sort of stuff. And as you said, like I
• 57:04
  Speaker 2: think there are four four top scores all transferred out.
• 57:07
  Speaker 2: It's just you want better for the players and for
• 57:09
  Speaker 2: the program, and I just I hope that you know,
• 57:12
  Speaker 2: they brought in some interesting transfers. Abbey Garvin from Saint Thomas,
• 57:17
  Speaker 2: Kenzie Hope from Saint Cloud State. And again those are
• 57:19
  Speaker 2: players coming from sort of similarly placed programs and other
• 57:23
  Speaker 2: and other conferences that are like at a place where
• 57:26
  Speaker 2: like that uphill climb is so hard, and so I
• 57:29
  Speaker 2: think a those two will bring physicality, but I also
• 57:31
  Speaker 2: think just a mentality that can really help Saint tom
• 57:34
  Speaker 2: Or I'm sorry, Holy Cross.
• 57:37
  Speaker 1: All right, that is Hockey East. We are three conferences
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: down in our season review. We are going to take
• 57:43
  Speaker 1: a breather here. After the break, we'll be back to
• 57:47
  Speaker 1: talk about the new hat and the WHA. Stay with
• 57:50
  Speaker 1: us on the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast along
• 57:58
  Speaker 1: with Nicole Hasey. I'm Bleski. This is the season preview
• 58:03
  Speaker 1: episode and we are going through all forty four NCAA
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: Division one women's hockey teams. We have finished Atlantic Hockey America,
• 58:14
  Speaker 1: ECACA Hockey and Hockey East and next alphabetically is the
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: New England Women's Hockey Alliance New HA known it's in
• 58:24
  Speaker 1: a lot shorter phrase by us. Let's start at where
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: the league was at the top last season, and that
• 58:34
  Speaker 1: was Long Island by quite a bit. Ended up winning
• 58:39
  Speaker 1: the conference by I think fifteen points, finished twenty eight
• 58:45
  Speaker 1: to nine overall last season, but did not get the
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: NCAA Tournament bid upset in the playoffs, and not only
• 58:53
  Speaker 1: that after in the offseason they lost their star goalie
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: Tinder Holme to Minnesota Duluth and transfer portal. Another kind
• 59:01
  Speaker 1: of hit there, But I feel like l iu is
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: is really building something to be a year after year
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: competitor for the top of New ha Am I too
• 59:15
  Speaker 1: far off on that, No, I.
• 59:16
  Speaker 2: Agree with that for sure. I okay, we should just
• 59:21
  Speaker 2: preface all conversation about the new has that most of
• 59:23
  Speaker 2: these teams do not have updated rosters on their websites
• 59:26
  Speaker 2: at the moment. You know, small schools don't have a
• 59:29
  Speaker 2: lot of resources, and usually I know, like for instance,
• 59:33
  Speaker 2: Franklin Pierce just got their sports information director like this week.
• 59:37
  Speaker 2: So on the one hand, I feel for them, and
• 59:40
  Speaker 2: on the other it is really hard to do this
• 59:42
  Speaker 2: when I can't even see a roster. I don't know,
• 59:44
  Speaker 2: like we can know what we know by checking portal information,
• 59:48
  Speaker 2: but we don't know who's there, who's not. We don't
• 59:50
  Speaker 2: know the incoming players. So as I always feel like
• 59:54
  Speaker 2: we don't, I personally don't spend enough time talking about
• 59:57
  Speaker 2: New HAW but also, like friends, I can't talk about
• 59:59
  Speaker 2: something I can't do any research on, and so in
• 1:00:01
  Speaker 2: this instance, I'm very sorry in advance, but like I
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 2: don't know.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 3: La U.
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 2: Yes, I think they've done an amazing job for a
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 2: program that just started a couple of years ago. I
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 2: think they've been recruiting well, they've been recruiting internationally, which
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 2: is amazing. I think the loss at Tendril Hoolme is
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 2: going to be a rough one for them. She just
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 2: was such something for them to build off of to
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 2: begin with, and I think, I think, and I hope
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: that they'll just have a lot of sort of anger
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 2: and revenge this year after the loss in the postseason.
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 2: I mean, again, as somebody who loves chaos, you guys
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 2: knew postseason last year was amazing, amazing. Every one of
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 2: those games in the their quarterfinals and semifinals was nuts. There.
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 2: Both their semifinals and their championship game went overtime. So
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 2: much fun. So that makes New HA like just an
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 2: absolute amazing time to watch and kind of makes me
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 2: feel like I can't predict anything, which is bad in
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 2: terms of like doing my job, but honestly, so much fun,
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 2: great college hockey. It's it's super fascinating to watch. You
• 1:01:04
  Speaker 2: never kind of know what you're going to get, and
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 2: so apologies for not having smarter things to say, but
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 2: New HA is chaos and it's great, so you should
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 2: watch it.
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 1: Well, we'll try to tell you the facts that as
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 1: we know them here anyway in sant Anselm.
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 2: Keeping me on trick you guys.
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 1: Uh, well, we'll try new coach at st ansel One
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 1: of the four new coaches in New Santatoric has taken
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: over there. You mentioned earlier in talking about our PI
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 1: Natalie Tilcinski is transferred from sant Anselm to RPI. So
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 1: that's a twenty goal scorer that is hard to replace.
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 1: We don't necessarily know how they're going to do that
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 1: because we do not have names to go with the Yeah,
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: but if she's back Brooklyn Schneider and seventeen goals last season,
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: which is, you know, a pretty impressive season, and I
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: don't know, can you say anything about announce them about
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 1: what we know so far.
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think, you know, when we were
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 2: just talking about scoring in hockey, st Anselm was averaging
• 1:02:18
  Speaker 2: more than three goals a game. They had I think
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 2: five double digit goal scorers. And then you know, goal
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 2: scoring up and down the roster, like not just here
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 2: or there, and so there was a depth there that
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 2: necessarily you're not seeing from some of the other schools.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 2: And so I do think that they can make him
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 2: impact and that they you know, sort of even without
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 2: Tolchinski and not knowing what this roster looks like, I
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 2: have faith that they are a team that is kind
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 2: of consistently in it and that I don't expect that
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 2: to change this year.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: Stonehill was a team that did go to the NCAA
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 1: Tournament out of the New huh last season, their first
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 1: ever NCAA tournament appearance, and that was thanks in large
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 1: part to Eve Stone and Goal, the playoff MVP for
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: the conference for the season nine nineteen save percentage of
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 1: two thirty six goals against. So once you've had a
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 1: taste of it, I know you you want to try
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: to get back, and really the path to do that
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: in New High is to win the playoff tournament. But
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: the regular season is the you know, sort of the
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 1: key to having good position to be in you know,
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 1: have hosting rights in the playoffs. So where do we
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 1: see stone Hill coming off of that kind of breakthrough
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 1: tournament appears.
• 1:03:38
  Speaker 2: Well, it's funny you mentioned goaltending too, because the assistant
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 2: coach they had added in the off season is Aaron Frinkle.
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 2: So when you've already got good goaltending and you bring
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 2: in Aaron Frinkle, you can imagine that it's only going
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 2: to get better. One of the things that stone Hill
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 2: did amazingly in the postseason was that you'd never knew
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 2: who was going to be the goal scorer, and so
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 2: they also, you know, they're number one goal scorer. Alexis
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 2: Petford transferred out, so they have you know, they're gonna
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 2: have to make up some ground there that she really
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 2: she was great, she moved down to Colgate, but so
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 2: they they showed that they don't necessarily need her to
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 2: be the only person putting the puck in the net
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 2: for them to be able to win games. And I
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 2: think that is going to be huge for them. That's
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 2: the sort of lesson that they can take away from
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 2: last season. And I also think, you know, Lau sort
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 2: of ran away with the regular season last year, and
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 2: I feel like everybody, I think it was a really
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 2: good story of resilience for all of these schools to
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: learn that like, no matter what's happening, like there is
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 2: always that tournament, and that that even if you're the
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 2: team that runs away with it, like you can't rest
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 2: on your laurels. And so I feel like there's a
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 2: lot of really good lessons for some of these really
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 2: young programs that just got started, that came out of
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 2: that last season, and so I expect a lot from Stonehill.
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, again, another relatively new coach, Lee
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 2: Jay is just getting I mean Tara left here to
• 1:05:01
  Speaker 2: go to be so sort of that same story about
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 2: being able to create your own your own program. Leja
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 2: is just in the start of that. But I like
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 2: bringing in Air Frinkle. We saw a lot of the
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 2: Boston PWHL players get jobs as college coaches this offseason.
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 2: I like that there's that crossover. I like that we're
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 2: getting places like stone Hill connected to the program and
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 2: that it's we're not just talking about some of those
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 2: top top tier programs, And so I think the just
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 2: the ability to see and learn, you know, Aaron can
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 2: bring teammates to the practice, and like, there's just an
• 1:05:34
  Speaker 2: opportunity here for stone Hill that I think is really
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 2: cool and I can't wait to see what they build.
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 2: They seem to have the buy in art right.
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: Sorry, No, I'm sorry. Sagred Hard finished fourth last season,
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 1: fifteen twenty one and two overall, thirty points in the conference.
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 1: Isabella schapourte I'm gonna say that wrong. I apologize. I
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 1: don't know which accent they'll be putting on. Sorry. Nineteen
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 1: points twelve goals last season. She's the leading returney scorer
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 1: for the Pioneers. What okay, big picture for Sacred Heart,
• 1:06:10
  Speaker 1: I guess where where do you feel like they're headed?
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 1: And because this is a mid pack team right now
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: in New ha you can go up, you can go
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 1: down where if you had a feeling, which way would
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 1: it be?
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 2: I think this is a team on the way up.
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 2: I mean, this is one of those teams that was
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 2: before New haw Thorn that was like playing you know,
• 1:06:32
  Speaker 2: was in that No Man's End as an independent was
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 2: playing D one schools and so I kind of have
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 2: always liked sort of their approach to things, and they
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 2: thought that they always had some sort of like spoiler ability.
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I think there's some really talented players here.
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 2: They've they've again made use of the portal and brought
• 1:06:52
  Speaker 2: in a couple of players that had have had experience
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 2: at sort of different programs, and I think can really
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 2: lead to changing the mindset here that like we can
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 2: we can be pushing for the top. And I kind
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 2: of feel like even through these first few years of
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 2: New HA, like Sacred Heart has always been in the conversation, right,
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 2: like theyre always a team that is is on the
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 2: top half of the standing. So yeah, I again, without
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 2: knowing as much as we would like to know about
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 2: the conference, I feel like they are a fairly young
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 2: team that's brought in some really interesting younger players and
• 1:07:31
  Speaker 2: they there is room for them to make a splash
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 2: and take take some space.
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: Franklin Pierce just missed out on a hosting, Well, they
• 1:07:42
  Speaker 1: missed Frankly Pier's just missed out on a lot of things.
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: It was close last season, so in the regular season,
• 1:07:48
  Speaker 1: point away from having home ice in the first round
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 1: of the playoffs, and then made it to the championship
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 1: game and lost in overtime. Correct, I'm rearing that right,
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 1: although the last three games in overtime in New Ha, Yes,
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 1: they lost stillin overtime. Yeah, So it was you know,
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 1: they were that close to being a fifth place team,
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: winning its way into the NCAA Tournament on the road,
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: and I wonder if that that helps the program, you know,
• 1:08:22
  Speaker 1: even though it didn't really amount to more than being
• 1:08:25
  Speaker 1: in the championship game, didn't get you to the to
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 1: the to the big dance, being in that conversation at
• 1:08:30
  Speaker 1: the end, I would I would hope they try to
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: build off.
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 2: Of that, right, Yeah, this is probably the roster I'm
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 2: most mad that I can't see right now because they
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 2: were sort of such chaos agents in the postseason and
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 2: so there's just nothing there's no way to replicate that
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 2: experience and confidence that they got from that postseason. Right,
• 1:08:53
  Speaker 2: Like we were just talking about Sacred Heart, I mean
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 2: they don't Sacred Heart best two out of three. They
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 2: took both games like they cruised through those quarter five
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 2: was like it felt like everything they'd been doing all
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 2: season just really came together like that, barely missing out
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 2: on hosting like kind of kick their button gear. And
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 2: so for their sake. I just hope again without the roster,
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 2: we don't know. Sorry to keep be lying this, but
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 2: it's so frustrating. I just feel like I don't necessarily
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 2: know what I'm talking about, which I do any feel
• 1:09:20
  Speaker 2: that way anyway, but especially, but it just I think
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 2: that they're They're the team that I would be most
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 2: afraid of if I was another new hout squad. Just
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 2: looking what they did in such a short time to
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 2: close out that season, like sort of when their backs
• 1:09:34
  Speaker 2: were against the wall and they just they were rolling
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 2: amazing goals sort of out of nowhere. And yeah, I
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 2: think that the confidence boosts that they're gonna have, the
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 2: belief in their selves and what they're capable of is
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 2: going to make them very dangerous this season.
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 1: Assumption has a new coach this season, Joe Grossman, who
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 1: was an assistant at stone Hill last season and at
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 1: Harvard before that, has replaced Jack Sweeney after a ten
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 1: twenty two and four season, Alexa Hanrahan ten goals as
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 1: a freshman back for a sophomore season. What do you
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 1: see here with Assumption?
• 1:10:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, brand new program, caven in place. You know,
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 2: six at the end of the regular scene is pretty
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 2: freaking amazing to begin with. So you know, there's been
• 1:10:22
  Speaker 2: a lot of turnover and a lot of change there,
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 2: and like it's not great that they had to go
• 1:10:26
  Speaker 2: with a new coach already, but bringing in someone that's
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 2: familiar with the conference is huge for them. And I
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 2: just think again, like this conference has been great because
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 2: just these brand new programs have been able to make
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 2: impacts so fast, and it would it would be so
• 1:10:43
  Speaker 2: different if they had to go play, you know, in
• 1:10:46
  Speaker 2: the ECAC or somewhere else, right, Like, the ability to
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 2: play with these similarly sized programs and similar talent level,
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 2: it's just I think made a huge difference that they
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 2: wouldn't They're they're going to be able to continue to
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 2: build and grow and recruit based on what they're doing
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 2: within New HA, right, like as opposed to going and
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 2: losing a bunch of games to much bigger programs. So
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 2: I'm excited. I think every time we had a new
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 2: program to New HAW that like it's really fun to
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 2: see what is possible, and it sort of changed my
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 2: opinion on what a new program can do in their
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 2: first couple of years.
• 1:11:25
  Speaker 1: Post finished seventh place last season, then also has a
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 1: new coach, this season, Pat Bingham takes over after being
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: president of the Colorado Rampage Triple A youth program. Replaced
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 1: Gretchen Silverman at post. This is one that I had
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: to look up twice and going through their roster and
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 1: compared to the what they had last season, they returned
• 1:11:49
  Speaker 1: their top thirteen scorers, which I don't know if I've
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 1: ever seen going that far down to find a roster
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 1: where you lose someone. Now, we'll if that what that
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: really means in the end, but continuity can can be
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: a good thing. And I think even though you're changing
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 1: head coaches, having continuity of players who know each other
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 1: can can help a little bit. Anyway.
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I like my initial thought was like top thirteen scorers,
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 2: but like, what did that? How many points did the
• 1:12:20
  Speaker 2: thirteen score?
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 1: D They none more than fourteen?
• 1:12:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know they scored one point one goals a game. Yeah. Sorry,
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 2: We've been doing this for a while and be I'm
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 2: genuinely sarcastic. I I you know, it's I just feel
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 2: so bad for programs like this, right, like the it's
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 2: just got to be so defeating to out and play
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 2: a season like that and only get those couple of
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 2: wins and score a goal a game, and you know, again,
• 1:12:50
  Speaker 2: I'm you got to hope that the new coaching staff
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 2: just sort of brings in a new mentality and that
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 2: that more can be done for this program and for
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 2: these players, because it being a D one college athlete
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 2: is so much work, and I like, I feel like
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 2: this isn't worth it for them. So I hope that
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 2: just for the player's sake, that things, you know, start
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 2: to look up.
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 1: Speaking of hoping, I think we can all hope that
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 1: Saint Michael's has a better season.
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I said all that for posts, and it gets
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 2: worse from here.
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 1: St Michael's thirty five and one last season, another new
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 1: coach here, Megan Sweezey comes in. She was an assistant
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 1: under Chris Donovan, who was the only coach to the
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: program had ever known over twenty four varsity seasons. So
• 1:13:36
  Speaker 1: that the change there.
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 2: On the one handgate change on the other.
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: Was right change. But yeah, there's there's I think we
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: said uh not long ago with Holy Cross and hockey,
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: So there's a long way to go from the bottom,
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: and I think that that maybe goes double for Saint
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 1: Michael's in New Ha.
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think they're just it's to sort
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 2: of be a whole sale change of approach and the
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 2: thought and program like ethos. Right, like, whatever whatever was work,
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 2: whatever was happening before, just was not working, particularly when
• 1:14:15
  Speaker 2: we're talking about this conference of chaos, where like it
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 2: feels like any team could win pretty much any game.
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 2: It feels like there's almost no excuse in New Hot
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 2: to go win less, and so I just, yeah, I
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 2: think they need a change. I hope that a change
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 2: to the assistant of the person that was there for
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 2: so long is enough of a change. But yeah, I
• 1:14:37
  Speaker 2: just these players deserve better than what they got. So yeah,
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 2: it's it is a long road, but I think in
• 1:14:46
  Speaker 2: New Hot it's not quite as difficult to make those
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 2: you know, those leaps. I mean Post one three games,
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 2: So can can Saint Michael's to round three of their results?
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 2: You know, not saying that Post won't win more, but
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 2: just it's got to be baby steps. But those baby
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 2: steps can't just be like we scored a few more
• 1:15:04
  Speaker 2: goals or we got one or two more wins.
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 1: All right. That is New Ha. That is our fourth
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 1: of five conferences, which leaves us one conference in eight
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 1: teams that is the WCHA, which has a defending national
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 1: champion in Ohio state as the also defending regular season champion.
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 1: Nadine Mazral's team won its second NCAA championship in three
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 1: years last season, beating Wisconsin in the championship game. They
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 1: are number one in the us Echo dot Com preseason
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 1: poll but number two in the WCHA coaches poll at
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 1: the preseason. So obviously a lot of the team as
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: the part of it was a team last year heavy
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: in fiftyer seniors and that moved on. But National Rookie
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 1: of the Year joy Done is a it feels like
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 1: a potential cornerstone player for the next three years, and
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: we're going to see that develop even more this season.
• 1:16:10
  Speaker 1: Your thoughts on joy Don and I guess the Buckeyes
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: as a whole.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah, what I think is important is she's a cornerstone
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 2: player that is getting other young talent around her that
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 2: will continue to be able to grow together, which I
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 2: think is huge. Right, It's not that she didn't have
• 1:16:26
  Speaker 2: talent around her, but she had to make instant chemistry
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 2: with people that then moved on. And now you're talking
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 2: about bringing in Josie Saint Martin from the US national team,
• 1:16:36
  Speaker 2: and you're Junucker from Sweden, who I think is a
• 1:16:41
  Speaker 2: player that maybe a lot of Americans or North Americans
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 2: aren't super familiar with, but should get there because she's
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 2: going to be an impact player, just like no doubt
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 2: in my mind. They also brought in a bunch of
• 1:16:53
  Speaker 2: portal talent, including Maddie Wheeler from Wisconsin, Serra Swoderski from
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 2: Clarkson Brookdisher from Boston University. One of their big losses
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 2: in the off season was breaking goalie ragging Kirk to graduation.
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 2: They do have Amanda Teeley, who was the cornerstone of
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 2: their first national championship title, but who had sort of
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 2: lost out on playing time. But they bring in Haley
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 2: McLeod who split time for most of the season at
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 2: UMD and was kind of one of the more shocking
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 2: players to go into the portal in my opinion. But
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 2: as she, you know, wins, that starting spot for the
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 2: Buckeyes is going to be really solid for them, and
• 1:17:28
  Speaker 2: obviously it's just super comfortable playing against WHA players and talent.
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 2: So it kind of feels like people think because of
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 2: the names that graduated from Ohio State like that it
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 2: was you know, Kayla Barnes and Hannah Bolka and some
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 2: of those players that like Ohio State, Like I don't
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 2: friends they just reloaded. They're still really good. They're not
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 2: going to take a step back. Like it seems weird
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 2: to me to look at the team that they have
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 2: and be like, the returning national champions. Don't get my
• 1:17:55
  Speaker 2: automatic number one right now, Which is no offense to
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 2: anyone else, but I just they've proven that they're the
• 1:18:00
  Speaker 2: top team in the country and I see nothing based
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 2: on their moves to think that at this like someone
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 2: has to prove to me that they're better than them
• 1:18:08
  Speaker 2: right now.
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: That may in Wisconsin. Wisconsin trying to transition into Wisconsin
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: here as the second place team in the WHA last season,
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 1: and they've talked before the season about, you know, wanting
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 1: to have another shot at Ohio State, and so they
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: will get it a few times this season, including at
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 1: Wrigley Field, which is one of the in Chicago, one
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 1: of the the highlights of this season. As part of
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: a Big ten event, Ohio State and Wisconsin are playing
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 1: in Chicago outdoors on January fourth. But Wisconsin brings back
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 1: an awful lot from last season Kurson Simms the national
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 1: lead scoring leader, Casey O'Brien right behind her two points
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 1: behind her, and he cast top three that both of them.
• 1:18:58
  Speaker 1: Ave McNaughton is back in goal after she won the
• 1:19:03
  Speaker 1: job late in the season after splitting time with Jan Gervay,
• 1:19:07
  Speaker 1: who has since moved on to Vermont. So there's you know,
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 1: some question about how that will shake out, you know,
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 1: with McNaughton being really the only experience goalie over an
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 1: entire season. But you know, Wisconsin just looks really strong
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 1: in a lot of areas here. And oh, by the way,
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 1: we haven't mentioned Caroline Harvey, right.
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 2: I mean right, you just named a bunch of players
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 2: and you didn't name three US national team players.
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a team of stars and and really what
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 1: it's going to come down to is those stars playing
• 1:19:40
  Speaker 1: as a team. So turn it back around on itself
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: a little bit for sure.
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 2: And like absolutely me saying, like, you know, Ohio State,
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 2: like one, I get that on paper, like everybody's like yes, Wisconsin,
• 1:19:51
  Speaker 2: but I also feel like Hell State group, they were
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 2: the better team when they went head to head. So
• 1:19:56
  Speaker 2: for to me, like that's how I look at it,
• 1:19:57
  Speaker 2: Like Wisconsin has their opportunity to go out and prove
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 2: they're the better team. Not only do they have all
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: that massive talent that we already mentioned, but they have
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 2: some really experienced and interesting newcomers coming in You eighteen
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 2: team member Finley McCarthy, but also Maggie Ciannel, who was
• 1:20:19
  Speaker 2: the leader of the US team that won gold in
• 1:20:22
  Speaker 2: Switzerland in January. And then Emma Venucio, who is a
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 2: defender from Canada who just has a lethal shot like
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 2: she doesn't she's small, she doesn't look like she unleashed
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 2: what she does and when she does it's it's sort
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 2: of jaw dropping. She didn't use it enough in my
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 2: opinion at You eighteens in twenty twenty three in Sweden,
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 2: and so excited to see what she does. But I
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 2: think she is a player and a sort of underrated
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 2: player of this incoming class that I think will make
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 2: people sort of stand up and pay attention.
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 1: While a player who is not underrated coming in for
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 1: Minnesota defender who has a lot of expectations and really
• 1:21:06
  Speaker 1: has at every level she's been at and has met.
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 2: That or surpassed them.
• 1:21:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, or so, is there any reason to think that
• 1:21:13
  Speaker 1: she won't with the Gophers this season and beyond, it's
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 1: a Minnesota team, like we mentioned, hosting the Frozen Four
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 1: this season, so has a little bit of incentive there.
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: Abby Murphy is back after a thirty three goal season.
• 1:21:27
  Speaker 1: I mean that's there are there are a lot of
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: really good pieces this I would say.
• 1:21:33
  Speaker 2: In any other year, like it would be a given
• 1:21:36
  Speaker 2: that you're talking about Minnesota as the number one team
• 1:21:39
  Speaker 2: both in their conference in the country if you look
• 1:21:41
  Speaker 2: at this roster and and sort of all of the pieces,
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 2: and like, unfortunately for them, you have the roster that
• 1:21:46
  Speaker 2: Wisconsin and Ohio State each half. But like they graduated
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 2: medialone Weington, which is no like small feat but like
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 2: that's pretty much the only piece they lost. So you
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 2: have a team that finished, you know, near the top
• 1:21:59
  Speaker 2: of the country last year, has Abbie Murphy and is
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 2: bringing in players like Chloe Properano. So yeah, on paper, again,
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 2: this is a Gopher team that had to find an
• 1:22:09
  Speaker 2: identity after Taylor Heisie and Grace someone call you know,
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 2: leftf for five years and I'm not sure that they
• 1:22:14
  Speaker 2: totally got their last season. And so I think that
• 1:22:17
  Speaker 2: if the Gophers can really sort of gel and come together,
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 2: like they're gonna be lethal, Like there's there's a lot
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 2: of really good players on this team.
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: It's a bit of a change at Minnesota du lutha
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 1: season we'd mentioned more krawl going to Dartmouth, Laura Schuler,
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: her former assistant, taking over leading the Bulldogs this season,
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: a team that has has been trying to crack that
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 1: top three, which is not very easy to do. And
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 1: we'll we'll talk more about teams trying to crack things
• 1:22:53
  Speaker 1: in the WHA as we continue going down here. But
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 1: it was a big gap between Minnesota and Minnesota Dulof
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 1: last season in the standings. I don't know that I
• 1:23:07
  Speaker 1: see it being a whole lot different this season, but
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 1: I know that the Bulldogs have really good players. If
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: Gascon in goal can win games, there's gonna be some
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: some points that they're going to take off of the
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 1: leaders this season. And I just don't know if it's
• 1:23:25
  Speaker 1: gonna be enough to really upset the top three, as
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 1: as we've kind of established those before.
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like to some extent we could just
• 1:23:34
  Speaker 2: copy and repeat right like nobody but Minnesota Duluth knows
• 1:23:38
  Speaker 2: how much Minnesota hates like that. The two teams in
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 2: front of them are so stacked because this is a
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 2: great Minnesota Duluth team, and like, I don't think there's
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 2: a chance to finish higher than fourth, and I think
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 2: they may they need to get some key wins in
• 1:23:51
  Speaker 2: order to like really assure that they're going to be
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 2: a postseason NCAA team. You know, I think obviously the
• 1:23:57
  Speaker 2: fourth team in the ECC probably agree, but yeah, like
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 2: what a what a team to be stuck in fourth
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 2: place in your conference, Like that's it's got to be frustrating.
• 1:24:06
  Speaker 2: It's got to be really difficult. You know. They like,
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 2: as you mentioned, more is gone. We said to Haley
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 2: McLeod the goalie man and McMahon graduated, and she was
• 1:24:15
  Speaker 2: sort of just a heart and soul of this team.
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 2: I really like fifth year senior Nina job Smith on defense.
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 2: I think she is sort of one of those quiet
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 2: leaders on this team. And they're big incoming freshman Kaitlyn
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 2: Kramer and I big big both in stature and just
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 2: in in promise. She is just uh I think didn't
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 2: Chloe Permurando gets a lot of the attention, but Kramer
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 2: is is broken several records, including one set at a
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 2: young age by briefly play on as a U eighteen
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 2: and so she can score, she's physical, she sort of
• 1:24:51
  Speaker 2: is proven, and I think she's gonna be a delight
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 2: to watch and I'm excited to watch some of like Wisconsin,
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 2: Minnesota House State, and Minnesota luth have some of the
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 2: top U eighteen talent from the last two years coming
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 2: in and getting to watch all those teams those players
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 2: play against each other for the next four years, It's
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 2: going to be a lot of fun.
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: Saint Cloud State is another team trying to continue building
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 1: because a few years ago we wouldn't have thought of
• 1:25:19
  Speaker 1: Saint Cloud State as a team trying to make that
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 1: you know, about to make a top half and they
• 1:25:26
  Speaker 1: were close last season, and we get into some of
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: the same discussion of how do you move past where
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 1: you are in the w c h A if you're
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: not in the top two or top three. And we
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: saw last season Saint Cloud had I mean, they beat
• 1:25:45
  Speaker 1: Ohio State in Ohio State. Correct, I'm not just inventing that,
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 1: am I that? So it's a team that can win
• 1:25:54
  Speaker 1: really big games. They just ran into a gauntlet in
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: the second half last season where they had to play
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: I think Ohio State Wisconsin, Minnesota, Minnesota, Duluth in four
• 1:26:02
  Speaker 1: straight weekends and.
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 2: That was moralizing.
• 1:26:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, right, And Brian Adolski basically said that that's
• 1:26:10
  Speaker 1: that's tough to keep the the morale up when you're
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: you feel like you're you know, you're going somewhere, but
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: then the wins just don't come in those really key matchups.
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: I think I think we see with a goal like
• 1:26:27
  Speaker 1: Sania Hoola that then good things can happen. I just
• 1:26:31
  Speaker 1: don't know if there's a you know, a chance for
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 1: them this season that they get past fifth, like like
• 1:26:38
  Speaker 1: you were saying with the luth is there a chance
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 1: for them to get above fourth. I don't know if
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: there's a chance for the Saint Cloud to get above fifth.
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 2: No, they've had the I mean much like we were
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 2: talking with Connecticut right like, they have this amazing solid
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 2: goalkeeping duo with Sanya Hola and Jojo Chobek. And then
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 2: for them, I mean, the graduation of Clara Himlorova is
• 1:26:56
  Speaker 2: just a massive loss just what she brought to the team.
• 1:26:59
  Speaker 2: Part two, picularly on the power play, is going to
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 2: be very difficult for the team to replace, much less
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 2: any single one player. Saint Cloud and Adelski obviously did
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 2: this when he was at North Dakota, but just he
• 1:27:14
  Speaker 2: continues to bring in some really great top talent. Some
• 1:27:17
  Speaker 2: of the best players from Finland's U eighteen and the
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 2: youngest players of the national team now play in Saint Cloud.
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 2: And so not only is that individually is that cool,
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 2: but the fact that you've got so many of them
• 1:27:30
  Speaker 2: that are comfortable and familiar with each other, I can
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 2: really change the dynamic of a team. And so I think, again,
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 2: as we mentioned with some of the other coaches, Brian
• 1:27:37
  Speaker 2: starting to really be able to put his his stamp
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 2: on this team and sort of revamp the way that
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 2: they approach things. And I expect they do play a
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 2: more European style, and I think there is a maturity
• 1:27:49
  Speaker 2: and a finesse to their game that you don't see
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 2: from many from many sort of like fifth place or
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 2: bottom half of the conference teams. And so yeah, they
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 2: also brought in some really good and interesting transfers to
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 2: and so I think, you know, if you're you're talking
• 1:28:04
  Speaker 2: about you know Ali Qually from Merrimac, you have a
• 1:28:06
  Speaker 2: prommers Burger from Saint Thomas, preapparent from Saint Thomas. Those
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 2: are players that are going to be able to make
• 1:28:10
  Speaker 2: an impact, and so uh yeah, I think do they
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 2: crawl any higher? Probably not, which is just it's to
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 2: put in all that work and see improvement and know
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 2: that your team is better than it has been in
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 2: several years and not at the end of the season
• 1:28:27
  Speaker 2: not have it look any different. It's just got to be.
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 2: I don't I don't know how mentally you deal with that,
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 2: And it's a thing that we're going to just keep
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 2: seeing in some of these conferences, and I assume at
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 2: some point it comes to a head, whether that means
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 2: like coaches get frustrated and leave, or or these teams
• 1:28:44
  Speaker 2: don't continue to bring in, you know, players, or but
• 1:28:47
  Speaker 2: I don't know. I mean, we saw Brian get really
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 2: frustrated right last year, and I don't mean to call
• 1:28:53
  Speaker 2: him out because I think it was amazing that he
• 1:28:55
  Speaker 2: even talked about it and expressed that. So I like,
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 2: I don't think that it's a problem, But I do
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 2: you think that that it's just something that we're going
• 1:29:02
  Speaker 2: to have to contend it with in the sport at
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 2: some point.
• 1:29:06
  Speaker 1: There's a common thread with all of the new coaches,
• 1:29:09
  Speaker 1: new head coaches in the WHA the three of them,
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 1: and they were all an assistant coach on that team
• 1:29:17
  Speaker 1: last season. And so at Minnesota State that's Sherry Dickerman
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: who takes over after John Harrington retired, and she brings
• 1:29:28
  Speaker 1: back not only having that familiarity and having the players
• 1:29:31
  Speaker 1: know her, she brings back her top four scorers from
• 1:29:34
  Speaker 1: last season, Jamie Nelson a twenty goal season. This is
• 1:29:40
  Speaker 1: a team that you know will probably you know, be
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: in that same mix. They finished sixth last season. I
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 1: think that's probably as they were picked for seventh this
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 1: season in the WHA. I'm interested to see where this
• 1:29:56
  Speaker 1: program goes in the future. Maybe not, maybe it's not
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: happening this season, but but I really want to know where,
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 1: you know, this if they can prove to be kind
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 1: of the class of the second half, let's put it
• 1:30:11
  Speaker 1: that way of the w c h A. And so
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: we'll see if that develops. But uh, in a first year,
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 1: what do you think from the Mavericks.
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think they're a team that should scare
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 2: I mean it's such a cliche to say, and and
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 2: a lot of the coaches in the call who say,
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 2: like every you know, every game is tough at our
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 2: conference or whatever, But I think man Creato is a
• 1:30:34
  Speaker 2: team that absolutely will take points from from the top
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 2: half of the conference. I think that they kind of
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 2: always have the opportunity. They can be really smothering on defense.
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 2: They can really slowly gamed down and take some of
• 1:30:47
  Speaker 2: those more fast paced teams out of their own game.
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 2: But they continue to have players that are seeing you know,
• 1:30:54
  Speaker 2: you're seeing players from man Cato make it to national
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 2: team camps, and they keep bringing in the have a
• 1:31:00
  Speaker 2: couple of you know, former national team players coming in
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 2: as freshmen. And Jesse mcspherson, the Vermont Gollie we had
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 2: talked about, is now at Minnesota State, and so there
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 2: are all these pieces and in to Mimi and Cato
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 2: is one of those that sort of show out the
• 1:31:15
  Speaker 2: like if you have to get one good player and
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 2: then you can get another good player, and then you
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 2: get like you have to get that attention and you
• 1:31:20
  Speaker 2: have to be getting those premier wins, and that's what
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 2: starts to help you get those other you know, bring
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 2: in more talent. And so again, I don't know that
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 2: we'll see any change at the end of the season,
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 2: but if you're not afraid to play man Cato I
• 1:31:34
  Speaker 2: don't think you're paying enough attention.
• 1:31:37
  Speaker 1: Saint Thomas finished seventh last season, picked for sixth this season.
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 1: Joel Johnson was pretty blunt about you know the fact
• 1:31:45
  Speaker 1: that you know, this is the time in St. Thomas's
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 1: history as a Division one program a couple of years
• 1:31:51
  Speaker 1: in where they need to start being more competitive with
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 1: with the rest of the WHA And so, I guess
• 1:32:00
  Speaker 1: do you see that happening one and what impact do
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 1: you feel like their new arena coming in a few
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: years will will help with that and make them I mean,
• 1:32:11
  Speaker 1: they're in a major market, they're in the Twin Cities.
• 1:32:14
  Speaker 1: They can have some recruiting benefits. If they bring an
• 1:32:18
  Speaker 1: arena into that and a really cool place to play,
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: that feels like it could start adding up into a
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 1: couple more wins here and there every year and into
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: a point where they're starting to compete for being, you know,
• 1:32:32
  Speaker 1: on the rise.
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 2: I guess this might be a hot take, but I
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 2: really feel like Saint Thomas needs to be recruiting outside
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 2: of Minnesota and the Midwest more. They're just it is unlikely,
• 1:32:44
  Speaker 2: based on where things are at right now, that they're
• 1:32:46
  Speaker 2: going to be in competition for recruits that are also
• 1:32:49
  Speaker 2: looking at Wisconsin, Minnesota, UMD, Ohio state like they don't
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 2: have the credentials. You know, certain players will be excited
• 1:32:59
  Speaker 2: about helping build something, but I think that they need
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 2: to be using that. They need to use Joel's credentials
• 1:33:06
  Speaker 2: as you know, a former national team coach and the
• 1:33:08
  Speaker 2: new arena to be drawing in talent from other places
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 2: as opposed to taking recruits that were left behind from
• 1:33:17
  Speaker 2: other programs. I feel really awful saying it that way,
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 2: but I just think that there all of the things
• 1:33:23
  Speaker 2: you said are correct, and also that's not enough to
• 1:33:25
  Speaker 2: pull a recruit away from Minnesota, so I think they
• 1:33:29
  Speaker 2: need to be looking elsewhere for some of that talent.
• 1:33:31
  Speaker 2: That being said, if you look at the last couple
• 1:33:32
  Speaker 2: of you eighteen national teams, at least one girl from
• 1:33:35
  Speaker 2: most of the US teams from those U eighteen teams
• 1:33:39
  Speaker 2: was committed to Saint Thomas. I think Joel is very
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 2: good at making those connections, and the fact that he
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 2: you know, works within USA Hockey and coached Olympic team,
• 1:33:48
  Speaker 2: all of those things really do work in their favor.
• 1:33:50
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I think, as Joel pointed out, that it's
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 2: sort of passed the time to be building and needs
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 2: to just be moving forward. I think you can't just
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 2: sell a recruit oncome here and build something, and so
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 2: I just think that they need to be sort of
• 1:34:05
  Speaker 2: widening the net. And I think that you can getting
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 2: to play in the WHA, getting to play in front
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 2: of massive crowds, getting to play in a new arena,
• 1:34:14
  Speaker 2: like those are things you can sell or recruit not
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 2: from Minnesota on. And I think that is how Saint
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 2: Thomas makes themselves more relevant in the WHA, which is
• 1:34:25
  Speaker 2: not at all a preview for this coming season, but
• 1:34:27
  Speaker 2: I think for them just to go off like Abby promise,
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 2: we're going to reappearent both with win to Saint Cloud State,
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 2: that's not great for Saint Thomas. So scoring is gonna
• 1:34:34
  Speaker 2: be an issue and they need to figure that out.
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: And our last team but Midgie State, Amber Fricklin moves
• 1:34:41
  Speaker 1: up from associate head coach to head coach after Jim
• 1:34:44
  Speaker 1: Scalalen departs. It's a It was a really tough season
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: for the Beavers last year four thirty and two, and
• 1:34:54
  Speaker 1: in the WCCHA they were really just outmatched in most
• 1:34:58
  Speaker 1: of those games, and it got to the point where
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 1: I would imagine, you know, toward the end, it was
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 1: just kind of like, if we see the incoming, let's
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: get their healthy right. And there's only one returning player
• 1:35:19
  Speaker 1: that had ten points or more last season, that's Hailey Armstrong.
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 1: It's a it's a new era in Bamidge. I know
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 1: they feel like they have resources that can, you know,
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 1: help them rebuild, but I think it's gonna take some time.
• 1:35:36
  Speaker 2: It's gonna take some time. I mean, what Bamidgie has
• 1:35:39
  Speaker 2: always been great at is absolutely stifling defense, just totally
• 1:35:43
  Speaker 2: frustrating the crap out of their opponents. And they're gonna
• 1:35:47
  Speaker 2: have to start there right. One thing they did is
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 2: bring in Josie Boffin from Penn State, a goalie. I
• 1:35:54
  Speaker 2: think that's a huge move for them. I think that
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 2: it is the basis of what they want to do.
• 1:36:00
  Speaker 2: If they're gonna they're gonna make any ways, and this
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 2: is to start from goaltending. It's what they've done really
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 2: well for the past few years. They have a great
• 1:36:07
  Speaker 2: incoming freshman goalie, Lauren Mooney who's five to ten, but
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 2: having a year under Josie to be able to work
• 1:36:14
  Speaker 2: with her. Whoever wins, but being able to learn from
• 1:36:17
  Speaker 2: her is going to be huge for sort of the
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 2: future for them. But yeah, what they do best is
• 1:36:22
  Speaker 2: just bug the crap out of their opponent and just
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 2: really frustrate them and push them out of their their
• 1:36:28
  Speaker 2: comfort zone. So you know, this is a really young team.
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 2: There are a ton of freshmen on this team. I
• 1:36:33
  Speaker 2: don't in terms of if you're just talking like records
• 1:36:36
  Speaker 2: and outcomes, I don't see it getting much better than
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 2: last year. But I do think that there will be
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 2: plenty to pick up part and see that like improvements
• 1:36:46
  Speaker 2: individually that they can grow on. I think, I think
• 1:36:48
  Speaker 2: that's what you have to look for. Here is the
• 1:36:50
  Speaker 2: sort of spark of what this team can be in
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 2: the future.
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 1: All right, that's it. We made it forty four teams
• 1:36:57
  Speaker 1: across and say Division one women's hockey. We will have
• 1:37:01
  Speaker 1: more obviously on them throughout the season. This is just
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 1: the first of our our episode this season. The season
• 1:37:10
  Speaker 1: gets going right away. I mean this is Saturday opener.
• 1:37:15
  Speaker 1: What is the date, the twenty first.
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm rationally mad about it.
• 1:37:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Minnesota LO was playing at Ohio State, So I
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: mean on the first weekend of the season, the first
• 1:37:28
  Speaker 1: day that is possible team.
• 1:37:30
  Speaker 2: Don't even play their first exhibition for another two weeks.
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 1: But like, hey, get that going right out of the gate, right,
• 1:37:37
  Speaker 1: So actually there's there's plenty of stuff to come here.
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: We will be back with you any any closing thoughts here, Nicoleon,
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: And now that we've gone through the entire Division one.
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 2: I didn't like to put you to sleep or you know,
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 2: turn you off completely, like as I always try and
• 1:37:56
  Speaker 2: tell people, like particularly with the growth of the p
• 1:37:58
  Speaker 2: WHL and the international game, like call, all of those
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 2: players came from from the NCAA, Like pretty much everybody
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 2: that plays in the p UP is a product of
• 1:38:07
  Speaker 2: this of d one NCAA hockey like these are amazing players.
• 1:38:11
  Speaker 2: These are players you're gonna see from year to come,
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 2: years to come. Most of these programs either don't charge
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 2: or charge under ten dollars a ticket for a game,
• 1:38:20
  Speaker 2: like go watch women's college hockey. Uh, it's support these women.
• 1:38:24
  Speaker 2: Like women's sports is in a boom, and let's make
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 2: sure that women's hockey is part of it, including the
• 1:38:28
  Speaker 2: college game.
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 1: Very well, said Nicole. Thanks thanks to all of you
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 1: for listening. We will be back with you again soon.
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 1: Where another edition of the podcast for Nicole Hasey. I'm
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 1: Todd Malusky. We'll talk to you soon.