Bulldog Insider

The UMD women's hockey program wore its most recent special edition jersey last Saturday against Minnesota State and will do so again Friday against Wisconsin at Amsoil Arena in Round 1 of the WCHA Regular Season Championship.

It's a throwback inspired by what the men's team wore in the early 1950s.

Joining us to talk about jerseys of Bulldogs past, is UMD women's hockey associate head coach Laura Bellamy and director of hockey operations Nick Bryant. Laura's grandfather played for the Bulldogs in the 50s and sported the No. 4 jersey.

The game-worn jerseys and socks are being auctioned off at umdbulldogs.com/auctions.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

Senior wing, assistant captain and leading scorer of the Bulldogs' men's hockey team Nick Swaney joins the podcast this week.

Swaney takes us back to his middle school and high school days when he had big dreams and goals to play the sport he loves at the college and pro levels. Now he is living out those dreams, being a two-time national champion and being drafted by the Minnesota Wild, and says he is grateful for every opportunity.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

UMD women's hockey juniors McKenzie Hewett and Gabbie Hughes joined us via Zoom this week shortly after getting news that this weekend's series with Minnesota State had been called off. The Mavericks have pushed pause for seven days because of positive COVID-19 test results. This is the third time this year the team has gotten this news on game week and the juniors say it doesn't get any easier to hear.

But it's not all pandemic talk, we get to lighter subjects as well, including the return of a fun game of Canada vs. the U.S.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

This week on the podcast we're joined via Zoom by a pair of freshmen from the UMD women's hockey team, which just got done dismantling St. Cloud State 4-1 and 6-0 at Amsoil Arena.

Clara Van Wieren and Nina Jobst-Smith have the challenge of being freshmen on a college hockey team during a pandemic but to them this is what they know. They haven't had the opportunity to realize what they are missing and for both of them that makes them "grateful for what they have now."

We learn about their cooking skills since they've had no meal plan this year, who holds three different passports from three different countries, and who has sailed on Lake Michigan and now Lake Superior.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

They grew up playing for Bruce Plante at Hermantown, now the junior forwards play for Bruce's son, Derek, at UMD. Cole Koepke and Jesse Jacques share their favorite Bruce Plante stories, what it's been like playing for Derek Plante so far this season and how the father-son duo differ in coaching style.

Koepke and Jacques also talk about the support and sometimes added pressure that comes from playing for the Hawks and then moving down the hill to play at Amsoil for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

He spent three years at Cornell before using the NCAA's graduate transfer rule to come to UMD.

Senior defenseman Matt Cairns takes us through his journey from Cornell to the Bulldogs, starting with what prompted the move.

He also shares how the hockey experience here and in the NCHC compares to Cornell and the ECAC.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

Who has better outdoor rinks? Canada or Minnesota?

Helping us settle this debate is UMD women's junior defensive duo Maggie Flaherty of Lakeville, Minnesota, and Kailee Skinner of Penticton, British Columbia.

The Bulldogs were at Portman Square in Duluth's Lakeside neighborhood recently in what has become a tradition for the program to get out and skate on one of the outdoor association rinks.

Flaherty and Skinner share their outdoor rink experience growing up and what it means to them to be able to skate with young kids in the community.

Another tradition we discuss is Rookie Idol, of which Skinner has made a name for herself. Famous for her rapping skills, Skinner shares a little something she's been working on.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

He grew up a North Dakota fan, his sister is a Minnesota Gopher, but somehow freshman defenseman Wyatt Kaiser found a home in Duluth.

Kaiser, who led Andover to the 2020 state tournament, shares what originally drew him to UMD, why he picked the Bulldogs and his thoughts on being compared to other players like Hobey Baker winner Scott Perunovich.

We also learn the Chicago Blackhawks draft pick is pretty skilled in the kitchen and will occasionally prepare lobster and salmon for his roommates.

The year started with a four OT playoff game for the UMD women's hockey team and a canceled three-peat attempt by the men due to a pandemic. The year wrapped up with the women's team playing games at an empty Amsoil Arena and the men opening their season in December in a three-week Pod in Omaha, Nebraska.

A lot of things happened in between and here to help us dissect what a strange year it was for college hockey is the radio voice of the Bulldogs, Bruce Ciskie from KDAL and Zach's colleague on the My 9 Sports team, Kelly Hinseth, also of CBS 3.

The media crew discusses the wins and losses of 2020 and wagers a few predictions for 2021.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.

She's photographed more than 20 games and taken over 50,000 images since entering the NCHC Pod in Omaha a few weeks ago.

Photographer Tyler Schank, who is back in her hometown shooting for the News Tribune, Grand Forks Herald and The Rink Live, joins us on the podcast this week to share what her experience has been like. She hasn't been allowed to access certain areas of the arena that she normally would while photographing hockey games but she hasn't let that stop her from producing new and creative images.

"Just because of the world we are living in right now and how limited this entire year has been for any photographer and you know how much we feel we are all missing, this feels like such a big deal," she said. "It's so nice to be photographing hockey again."

You can find her images from the NCHC Pod here or on the News Tribune Instagram page.

The Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens and My9 television voice of Bulldog hockey Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila.

All episodes are being recorded remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com.