On a bonus episode (No. 52) of The CCHA Reporter's Corner, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer welcome in Tech Hockey Guide's Tim Braun to discuss the fallout following a thrilling final week of regular-season action in the CCHA.

Augustana was the only team that wasn't in league action on the final weekend. Still, somehow, the Vikings still found themselves sitting in first place in the CCHA standings following a Friday night in which none of the other four teams in contention for first place were able to leapfrog Augustana for the top spot.

That set up a thrilling finish to the regular season Saturday night, with eyes from all across the college hockey landscape falling on the CCHA to witness how it would end.

Bowling Green emerged with a 4-3 road win over MTU in overtime to capture five of six possible points, locking the Vikings into the No. 3 spot at the very least, before Minnesota State scored two late goals, including an empty-netter, to come away with a 3-0 win over Northern Michigan, which moved the Mavericks into at least a share of the MacNaughton Cup.

That left a final game in Bemidji to carry a lot of weight.

St. Thomas eventually claimed a shootout win over Bemidji State following a 2-2 tie, giving the Tommies the No. 2 seed and clinching MSU's eighth outright claim to the MacNaughton Cup in the last nine years.

In the end, there were a pair of two-way tiebreakers to decide teams that finished with only one point of each other. UST won its tiebreaker over an Augustana team it went 0-1-2 against in the regular season, while MTU claimed its tiebreaker against BGSU despite the Falcons earning five of six possible points in the regular-season finale.

Needless to say, the conference took a lot of flack for its tiebreaker scenarios in a season that was a bit of an anomaly.

In this episode, Rubado, Singer and Braun recap the weekend from their own perspectives, sensibly address some of the backlash and close things out with questions from listeners.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

It's time for a little prognosticating on this week's episode of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

On the 51st episode of the show, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer make their best guesses as to which players in the CCHA will garner the individual accolades.

With a week remaining in the regular season, there's still a lot to be decided among a number of the league's awards. However, the names in the running have mostly been decided.

The conference race remains a heated battle heading into the final weekend of play, with three home-ice spots and a MacNaughton Cup champion still to be decided.

From CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year to Player of the Year, Rubado and Singer discuss a litany of names in the running for the conference's top individual honors.

In a league full of elite netminders, which player will nab the award for Goaltender of the Year? Which forwards are emerging in a neck-and-neck race for Forward of the Year? What will the all-conference first team and all-rookie team look like?

Rubado and Singer talk about all that and more in this hour-long episode.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

The 50th episode of The CCHA Reporter's Corner takes a bit of a detour this week.

With busy schedules on the docket, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer went outside the conference to talk with a legend of college hockey, inviting in longtime Boston University hockey broadcaster Bernie Corbett.

For 41 years, Corbett has been the play-by-play voice for the Terriers. A 1983 graduate of BU, Corbett is also the host of a SIRIUS/XM NHL Radio show called Hockey On Campus, and just last weekend, Corbett was honored with Bernie Bobblehead Night at Agganis Arena in Boston.

In this episode, Corbett talks about his early days of watching BU hockey before he got into broadcasting in college.

Corbett then takes the co-hosts down memory road, recapping what it was like to watch the Terriers win the program's fourth national title in 1995.

Corbett also talks about BU's 2009 run to a national championship, the third in which Hall of Fame coach Jack Parker led the program.

A man full of stories, Corbett discusses his favorite memories of the annual Beanpot tournament, including the infamous Blizzard of 1978 when several hundred fans were stuck at the Boston Garden for several days.

Of course, it wouldn't be fitting if Corbett didn't get the opportunity to talk about his passions outside of hockey. The longtime broadcaster has co-authored more than a dozen books on various different topics, including his all-time favorite band, The Rolling Stones. Corbett talks about how fulfilling the process was to get to explore the roots of his favorite band.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

On episode No. 49 of The CCHA Reporter's Corner, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer welcome in one of the top defensemen in the country, with Michigan Tech's Jack Anderson joining the show.

Coming off back-to-back CCHA Defenseman of the Week awards and a National Defenseman of the Month award, Anderson has racked up 13 points since the start of the new year.

The senior blueliner currently has 19 points on eight goals and 11 assists this season for a Huskies team that's coming off a crucial five-point sweep against Augustana last weekend in Houghton, Michigan.

As it stands, the Huskies are ranked No. 17 in the country and are sitting in second place in the CCHA standings with 45 league points. With a 20-10-2 record, MTU has won nine of its last 11 games and is firmly in the mix for a potential at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

At the center of it all is Anderson, an alternate captain who hails from St. Louis.

In this episode, Anderson talks about what's been working so well for the Huskies during the second half of the season and how his play has found another level throughout his team's recent surge.

Anderson talks about growing up in a unique hockey market in Missouri, his early days of playing roller hockey, and how he made his way to Lindenwood, where he racked up 25 points in his first three seasons of college hockey.

Anderson was a part of the Lions' inaugural team in 2022-23, so he provided some insight into how special it was to play for the first Division I team in his home state.

After Bill Muckalt was hired to take over the MTU program in May, Anderson was one of three Lindenwood players who followed their coach to Houghton. Anderson talks about what went into that decision and how rewarding it's been to play in front of one of the CCHA's most passionate fanbases.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

On the 48th episode of The CCHA Reporter's Corner, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer turned to the listeners for a special mailbag edition.

No questions were turned away in this week's episode, which lasted a little longer than an hour and a half.

Producer Cordell Wright stepped in as a host of sorts and asked a number of questions submitted to the show by listeners from around the league.

In this episode, Rubado and Singer discuss the prospect of CCHA expansion before answering a couple inquiries about how the new rule allowing CHL recruits to play in the NCAA has changed their consumption of Canadian major junior hockey.

Also, Rubado and Singer give their picks for which player(s) on each of the nine teams in the CCHA are most likely to make it to the NHL.

What schools in the NSIC could be poised to be the next to make the jump to Division I hockey? Which team is going to emerge between Ferris State and Northern Michigan in the race for eighth spot in the Mason Cup Playoffs?

The CCHA Reporter's Corner co-hosts give their takes on all of that and more before closing out with some fun quick-hitting questions, including a glimpse into Rubado's facial hair routine and the CCHA burner accounts that have left the most lasting impressions.

Thanks to all those who submitted questions for this week's episode. The hope is to try this again at some point in the future.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

On the 47th episode of The CCHA Reporter's Corner, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer talk with St. Thomas rookie forward Nathan Pilling.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Pilling is one of 10 freshmen for the Tommies, who have won 10 in a row and are currently in control of the first-place spot in the CCHA standings with an overall record of 16-7-3.

With 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists, Pilling has played a big part in UST's success in 2025-26. The 6-foot-4 attacker is tied for the team lead in shorthanded goals (three) and has recorded a pair of game-winning tallies on the season.

The Tommies have a 13-3-2 record in CCHA play, and with 42 league points, they enter the final eight games of their conference schedule with a five-point lead in the standings.

In this episode, Pilling talks about the reasons behind St. Thomas' success this season before diving into his early playing days in Calgary.

Pilling is the first player to join the Tommies' program from the CHL, where he played four years in the Western Hockey League with three different teams. He played his first year of major junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors before being traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings in his second season. Then, in 2023-24, Pilling was traded again to the Seattle Thunderbirds, where he recorded 67 points in 67 games in 2024-25 as an alternate captain.

Pilling discusses how he made his way to St. Thomas and what it was like to score the first goal at the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, which opened in late October. He also talks about the impact of several of his current teammates, including captain Lucas Wahlin, who leads UST with 18 goals this season.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode with Nathan Pilling, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner continues this week with episode No. 46. Co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer welcome in Bowling Green junior blueliner Breck McKinley.

Hailing from St. Albert, Alberta, McKinley joined the Falcons' program in 2023-24 and has emerged as a defensive force this season for a Bowling Green team that's 4-1-1 over its last six games and is now 12-6-4 on the season. McKinley is tied for third on the team in points with 18 (two goals, 16 assists).

As it stands, the Falcons are sitting in fourth place in the CCHA standings with 30 points and a 9-4-3 league record.

McKinley talks in this episode about growing up in a hockey hotbed before joining the junior hockey ranks with the nearby Spruce Grove Saints in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

After originally committing to play college hockey under Ty Eigner, McKinley and his Bowling Green teammates experienced a coaching change in the 2024 offseason. He talked about the driving force behind the Falcons' collective commitment to remain with the program under new coach Dennis Williams.

McKinley has more than doubled the point total he amassed in his first two seasons combined. With 14 newcomers on this year's Falcons team, the junior defenseman discussed how his teammates have helped elevate his game as well as what he's done personally to step things up.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode with Breck McKinley, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner rolls on this week with its 45th episode, in which co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer welcome in Augustana senior defenseman Will Svenddal.

A native of Minneapolis, Svenddal served alongside teammate Ben Troumbly as an ambassador for the Vikings' program in 2022-23, a year before the team played its inaugural season. The 6-foot-1 blueliner is an alternate captain on this year's Vikings squad, which will play a home series this weekend versus Ferris State.

AU (14-6-3) is currently ranked No. 15 in both national polls and is sitting at No. 12 in the NCAA Percentage Index, which would qualify the Vikings for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today.

In this episode, Svenddal discusses how he got his start in hockey, playing at the varsity level for The Blake School in Minneapolis. He talks about his experience in getting to play in the prestigious Minnesota boys hockey state tournament as well as his junior hockey days with the Minnesota Magicians.

Svenddal also dives into why he decided Augustana was the best fit for him, the early days of the Vikings' program and what it was like being a part of building a fledgling program, which is already in national contention in only its third year of existence.

What makes Josh Kotai so special? Is Christian Manz the next great Vikings goaltender? What do players like Hayden Hennen and Brett Meerman bring to the table? Svenddal breaks all of that down — and more — in this episode.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode with Will Svenddal, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

This week marks episode No. 44 of the CCHA Reporter's Corner, as well as a refreshing rebrand for the listening audience.

Since the start of the 2024-25 season, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer have been talking with players and coaches from around the CCHA, but the start of the new year has brought about some exciting new changes to the show.

Beginning in 2026, the CCHA Reporter's Corner is now available to watch on Midwest Sports Plus!

It's a new era for the show, and it wouldn't be made possible without the hard work and expertise of producer Cordell Wright.

Listeners can continue to take in the audio-only episodes of past and future shows by subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. The show is also available to hear at bemidjipioneer.com and siouxfallslive.com.

Dropping the puck on this new era is the show's first-time recurring guest in Minnesota State goaltender Alex Tracy, who was one of 25 players on the first-ever U.S. Collegiate Selects team that made the trip to compete at the prestigious Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

In this episode, the reigning CCHA Player of the Year talked about his experience in Switzerland, from the moment the team first met in Boston to when he made the arduous trek back to the United States to join his Mavericks team in Palm Springs, California.

Tracy made his first start between the pipes for the Selects squad on Dec. 30 in a semifinal tilt versus HC Sparta Praha, a game in which the USCS won 5-3 to advance to the championship.

The Selects lost the championship game against tournament host HC Davos in a 6-3 decision on New Year's Eve, but their tournament run certainly left a lasting impression. In fact, it didn't take long for the college hockey all-star team to become fan favorites while playing against professional club teams in Europe.

In making his first trip overseas, Tracy recapped how formative of an experience it was for him to be a part of the historic journey. He also discussed getting the opportunity to learn and grow from fellow goalies Josh Kotai of Augustana and Adam Gajan of Minnesota Duluth.

On this week's episode of "The Reporter's Corner," Jared and Trent interview Alex Tracy of the Minnesota State Mavericks.

Hosts

Trent Singer is a sports reporter for Sioux Falls Live. He focuses his coverage on Augustana men's hockey and Sioux Falls area sports. Singer's previous stops include Just Women's Sports, the Southeast Missourian and the Kentucky New Era.

Jared Rubado took over as sports editor at the Bemidji Pioneer in February 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Alexandria Echo Press and sports editor of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal newspaper group.

About

On The Reporter's Corner podcast, sports journalists Trent Singer and Jared Rubado talk to players and coaches from around the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Note: This episode was originally published on "The CCHA Show" podcast.