Huskies Hockey Insider

With St. Cloud State about to honor its 2001 WCHA Final Five champion men's hockey team on Nov. 13 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, the insider catches up with Mark Hartigan. Hartigan, the program's career leader in goals (86) and is fifth in points (165), was the WCHA Player of the Year and a top three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2001-02. He discusses his playing career, life since hockey, living in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and more in this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten. There are two parts to this podcast due to some technical difficulties. This is Part 2.

Matt Hendricks has been an assistant directory of player development for the Minnesoa Wild since June 2019. In his position, he is a liaison between the organization and players that the team has drafted. Hendricks discusses two Wild draft picks playing for the Huskies (Jack Peart and Sam Hentges), duties involved in his job, how much travel is involved and more. He also discusses his playing career from leading Blaine to the Class AA state title in 2000, playing on a talent-laden St. Cloud State team that won the WCHA Final Five title in 2001 and about his playing career on this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Allie Cornelius grew up in St. Cloud, dreaming of playing in the WCHA. When she graduated from Cathedral High School, she was the all-time leader in goals for the St. Cloud Icebreakers and ended up accepting an offer to play for St. Cloud State. She became friends with her three teammates from Finland and is trying to learn the language from them. Cornelius was also a soccer player at Cathedral. She discusses all these topics, her progression as a player and more in this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

It is homecoming week at St. Cloud State and it will be a homecoming for University of Minnesota men's assistant hockey coach Garrett Raboin. Raboin played for the Huskies from 2006-10 and was an assistant coach for SCSU from 2012-18 before leaving to take his current job with the Gophers. He discusses the Gophers, answers some submitted questions from Twitter, playing for the Huskies, how he is helping honor Mack Motzko and more in this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Hard to believe, but Nick Oliver is beginning his fourth season as an assistant coach for the St. Cloud State men's hockey team. Oliver talks about the excitement surrounding this weekend's nonconference series at Minnesota State University-Mankato, keys for the Huskies, discusses last weekend's sweep over St. Thomas, assesses the four newcomers and gives you a couple of goal scorer terms that get used in the locker room. Discover all this and more in this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

When the NCAA announced that athletes who competed in the 2020-21 school year could have another year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Emma Polusny took her time to make her decision. During that last school year, she finished two undergraduate degrees and helped the St. Cloud State women's hockey team triple its WCHA win total from the season before. The senior and Mound-Westonka High School graduate decided to return and pursue an MBA. Polusny discusses her academics, discusses this season's team, her time with the USA women's national team and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Because of some internet issues, the podcast is in two parts. This is Part 2. The Huskies open their season at 6 p.m. Friday with a nonconference game against Lindenwood at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

When the NCAA announced that athletes who competed in the 2020-21 school year could have another year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Emma Polusny took her time to make her decision. During that last school year, she finished two undergraduate degrees and helped the St. Cloud State women's hockey team triple its WCHA win total from the season before. The senior and Mound-Westonka High School graduate decided to return and pursue an MBA. Polusny discusses her academics, discusses this season's team, her time with the USA women's national team and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Because of some internet issues, the podcast is in two parts. This is Part 1. The Huskies open their season at 6 p.m. Friday with a nonconference game against Lindenwood at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

Blake Winiecki did not know much about the ECHL when he left St. Cloud State to join the Florida Everblades. But having recently re-signed with the team for his fourth full pro season, he clearly enjoys playing for the team, which plays its home games in Estero, Fla., a suburb of Fort Myers. Winiecki discusses what it was like to back at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center last week for a pro camp, shares some of his experiences in pro hockey, talks about working in real estate, having a wife who is a former college hockey player and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Clark Kuster, in a way, came back home when he accepted a job as an assistant coach with the North American Hockey League's St. Cloud Norsemen. Kuster was a member of the St. Cloud State men's hockey team from 2015-20. Kuster spent last season as a defenseman for the Pensacola Ice Flyers in the Southern Professional Hockey League and was again a teammate of former Huskies forward Jake Wahlin. But about midway through this summer, he decided he wanted to start a career as a coach and got help from SCSU assistant coach Nick Oliver to hook up with the Norsemen. Kuster discusses his playing career, his start to his coaching career, the first few games for the Norsemen and more.

The Norsemen have their home opener at 7 p.m. Friday against the Bismarck Bobcats.

Blake Winiecki did not know much about the ECHL when he left St. Cloud State to join the Florida Everblades. But having recently re-signed with the team for his fourth full pro season, he clearly enjoys playing for the team, which plays its home games in Estero, Fla., a suburb of Fort Myers. Winiecki discusses what it was like to back at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center last week for a pro camp, shares some of his experiences in pro hockey, talks about working in real estate, having a wife who is a former college hockey player and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.