The Rink Live

Huskies radio play-by-play voice joins the Huskies Hockey Insider podcast to talk about the season, what's at stake in the final weekend of the regular season and how he prepares for 14 games at once.

A conversation with the University of Minnesota graduate student, who won the Patty Kazmaier Trophy as women's hockey's best player last season. A look inside the competitive mind of the star center.

The St. Cloud State men's hockey team needed three points in a series against Nebraska Omaha to clinch home ice for the quarterfinals of the NCHC playoffs. The Huskies did that with a win on Friday, but the Mavericks bounced back for a series split. Mick Hatten talks about the ups and downs of the weekend.

Minnesota Duluth split with last-place Miami, including a 4-1 loss on Senior Night. The Bulldogs are preparing for series at SCSU to finish the regular season. Matt Wellens and Hatten help preview that series, which will help determine where UMD plays in the opening round of the playoffs.

North Dakota picked up an overtime win and a shootout win at Colorado College and is in sixth place going into the last weekend of the regular season. The Fighting Hawks are one point behind UMD in the standings. Brad Schlossman discusses an interesting weekend for the Fighting Hawks, which included a 0-0 tie that went to a shootout.

Top-ranked Minnesota rolled to two wins over visiting Ohio State to wrap up its Big 10 regular season schedule. Jess Myers talks about coach Bob Motzko's unique plan for the off week.

In the WCHA, there were rumblings going into the weekend that there would, at least, be a three-game series or two. Instead, the home teams all swept, including UMD winning two against SCSU and Minnesota blasting St. Thomas twice. Hatten and Wellens discuss the series between the Bulldogs and Huskies. Myers reviews the Gophers series.

Sydney Wolf talks about the Minnesota girls state hockey tournaments that saw Gentry Academy and Warroad win championships.

The question of the week is: Who is the senior or fifth-year player that the team(s) you cover will miss the most next season?

Brian Idalski has doubled the number of wins from 2021-22 in his first season as Huskies head coach. He discusses how that has happened, some of his key players and what it will take against UMD

Ben Clymer grew up in Bloomington and ended up playing on a state championship team as a sophomore for Jefferson High School in 1994. Clymer ended up playing for Team USA in two IIHF World Junior Championships and played in the NCAA Division I tournament for the University of Minnesota in 1997. He was taken in the second round of the 1997 NHL Draft, ended up having shoulder surgery and missing the 1997-98 season. He left college and played one season in the WHL for the Seattle Thunderbirds before signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played for the Lightning from 1999-2004. From 2007-10, he finished his playing career overseas, including one season for Dynamo Minsk in the KHL in Russia.

Clymber is now an analyst for Minnesota Wild and the Univeristy of Minnesota hockey games on Bally Sports North, the Big Ten Network and ESPN. He is also a squirt youth hockey coach. Clymer talks about the many roads he's traveled because of hockey on The Rink Live podcast with Jess Myers and Mick Hatten.

The Rink Live's Sydney Wolf and Eli Swanson take a look at the MSHSL Girls Hockey Tournament brackets and preview the matchups coming up this week at the Xcel Energy Center.

For tournament coverage, including brackets, stories, photos, streaming information and more, visit The Rink Live's Tourney page!

Bulldogs move into two-point lead over Fighting Hawks for fifth in NCHC, Minnesota picks up two road wins. SCSU, UMD and Minnesota women each finish regular season with sweeps

KSTP-TV sports reporter Chris Long is a former club hockey player who has worked in the Duluth and Twin Cities markets. He will be on the crew for the state boys and girls state hockey tournaments.

R.J. Enga, who works with the forwards, discusses the Huskies, helps preview this weekend's series at North Dakota and talks about some key areas of practice on the Huskies Hockey Insider podcast.

For more, visit the Rink Live podcast: https://www.therinklive.com/

It could have happened last weekend, but Wisconsin spoiled the party for the University of Minnesota men's hockey team. The Badgers were able to pull off a Big Ten series split with the Gophers to keep Minnesota from celebrating a conference regular season title.

Jess Myers recaps a somewhat frustrating weekend for the Gophers and looks ahead to this weekend's series against Penn State. Myers also discusses last weekend's series split between the Minnesota and Wisconsin women and where that leaves the Gophers in their WCHA title chase.

In another WCHA series, Minnesota Duluth picked up five points over visiting St. Cloud State. Matt Wellens and Mick Hatten discuss why the Huskies could be a tough out in the WCHA playoffs. UMD is locked into the No. 4 seed for the playoffs, which start Feb. 24. The Huskies can be either the No. 5 or the No. 6 and play Minnesota State University-Mankato this weekend, a team they are tied with for fifth.

Hatten also helps preview this weekend's series between North Dakota and St. Cloud State in Grand Forks with Brad Schlossman. The Huskies are coming off a bye week and Schlossman also discusses the Fighting Hawks coming off a tough sweep at Denver.

The question of the week is which player on the team you cover is the best undrafted free agent?

Host Sydney Wolf also discusses some of the nominees for the top girls hockey awards in Minnesota.

For more hockey coverage, visit The Rink Live.