The PodKaz continues its series of episodes talking with NCAA women's hockey head coaches in new locations with a conversation with Syracuse's Brian Idalski.

Idalski is back in college after a season coaching the PWHL expansion team in Vancouver, and he talks about how this change has been different than others in his career, which also includes college head coaching jobs at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, North Dakota and St. Cloud State.

He also is coaching Czechia, and he discusses how the scheduling change for the Women's World Championship will impact college teams.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

Max Gavin has been a women's hockey assistant coach at Dartmouth and Boston College, and now he's stepping into the top role at Lindenwood. He joins hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski on a preseason episode of The PodKaz to talk about the move.

Gavin discusses the learning that he is doing with Lindenwood and the influences on his coaching career. He also talks about the opportunity to grow the Lions program.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

A change came out of the blue for Providence's Nicole Norton this offseason, and she moved up from assistant coach to interim head coach. She's our guest on this edition of The PodKaz as we continue preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA women's hockey to launch Season 4.

Norton discusses the departure of previous Friars head coach Matt Kelly, which was announced Aug. 16, and touches on the support she has received from Providence administrators and Katie Burt, who moved up from an assistant coach to become interim associate head coach.

Norton also touched on the importance of building relationships with players to give the Friars the best chance at success this season.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

Our preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA hockey to launch Season 4 of The PodKaz continue with Maine's Alex Gettens.

Gettens took over the top job in Orono after spending the last two years as an assistant at Colgate. He discusses how the end of his playing career prepared him to get into coaching and how he wants the Black Bears to play with a high tempo and with an aggressive mindset.

He also touches on the landscape in Hockey East and how Maine can get itself closer to the top of the conference.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

Season 4 of The PodKaz continues with our preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA women's hockey.

Hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski find out about Minnesota coach Boom May, who has worked in multiple roles at the school before moving up to the top job after the Gophers parted ways with longtime coach Brad Frost. May discusses the structure and discipline that he thinks people will notice with the team.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

We're starting season four of the PodKaz, the USCHO.com podcast dedicated to NCAA women's hockey, early with a series of episodes featuring interviews with new head coaches.

Hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski find out about Merrimack coach Courtney Kennedy's introduction to the school, why this was the time for the longtime assistant coach to move into a head coaching position, her time coaching the U.S. Under-18 Team and more.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

The final weekly edition of the PodKaz for the 2025-26 season has hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com reflecting on the Frozen Four.

Wisconsin took home its second straight NCAA championship by beating Ohio State 3-2 in Sunday's championship game. Is having the Badgers and the Buckeyes play for the title four years in a row a good sign, though?

Friday's semifinal attendance of 5,176 set a Frozen Four record, with Penn State fans making it a wonderful atmosphere for the Nittany Lions' first Frozen Four appearance.

Then we look back on more of what we saw in State College, including a packed crowd for the Patty Kazmaier Award ceremony.

We finish with thoughts on the coaching change at Minnesota, where Brad Frost is out after 19 seasons and four NCAA titles. Greg May is the new leader of the Gophers. And Merrimack made a big splash by hiring Courtney Kennedy as its new coach.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

The March 17, 2026, edition of the PodKaz from USCHO.com features hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski getting ready for the Frozen Four, which starts Friday in State College, Pa.

Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northeastern won regional finals on Saturday, and the host NIttany Lions are in the Frozen Four for the first time after beating UConn 3-0. How much will home ice help?

Wisconsin will set a record with its 17th Frozen Four appearance and its fourth in a row. The Badgers got there by beating Quinnipiac 6-0.

Northeastern was the only road team to win last weekend. The Huskies beat Minnesota 4-2 to earn their third Frozen Four bid and first since 2023.

And Ohio State claimed a spot in its sixth straight Frozen Four with a 6-1 win over Yale. The Buckeyes have been looking to avenge last season’s overtime loss to Wisconsin in the championship game.

We take a closer look at the semifinal matchups: Ohio State vs. Northeastern and Wisconsin vs. Penn State.

And we close with some thoughts on things to do in State College if you’re going.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

On the PodKaz from USCHO.com for March 10, 2026, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski are wrapped up in the NCAA National Collegiate women's hockey tournament that starts Thursday and how we got there.

First, a look back at the five conference championship games. Penn State, Quinnipiac, UConn, Franklin Pierce and Ohio State came away with titles, but only Franklin Pierce of the NEWHA wasn't already going to make the NCAA field. The lack of upsets opened the door for Minnesota Duluth, which lost in the WCHA quarterfinals, to earn the last at-large bid.

Our second segment is a preview of all four NCAA regionals, hosted by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota. The three first-round games Thursday have Yale playing Minnesota Duluth, UConn playing Princeton and Quinnipiac facing Franklin Pierce. The winners play Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively Saturday. Minnesota and Northeastern also play Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four.

And we wrap up with a look at the 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award and the three finalists for the women's hockey goalie of the year award.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

On the March 3, 2026, edition of the PodKaz, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com dig into the five days of play ahead leading to conference playoff championships.

First, however, we take a look back at how we got here. There were only two teams advancing via upsets last week: Minnesota State over Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA and Vermont over Boston College in Hockey East.

Minnesota, Quinnipiac, Princeton and Assumption also needed to win Game 3 on Sunday to make it to the final week.

Four leagues have their semifinals on a day to themselves this week, with Hockey East going first Tuesday, NEWHA following Wednesday, the WCHA going Thursday and ECAC Hockey wrapping things up Friday. Then all five leagues have their playoff championship games Saturday.

We wrap up by checking in with the NCAA Power Index, which determines selection and seeding for the NCAA tournament after Saturday’s games.

If you’re new to the NPI, check out Nicole’s story from 2023 on how it works. 

And here’s our story laying out who’s locked into the field and who’s still trying to earn a bid. 

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].