Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Bulldog Insider

Season 8 of Bulldog Insider begins with episode 1 premiering Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. In the premiere episode, co-hosts Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider are joined by KDAL's Bruce Ciskie to talk about their thoughts heading into the 2025-26' UMD men and women's hockey season.

You'll be able to catch new episodes almost every Thursday throughout the UMD hockey season.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcast.

The 'Insiders' answer your questions about the 2024-25 season and the future of the UMD men's and women's hockey programs in Part II of the two-part Season 7 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Duluth's UMD hockey "Insiders" evaluate the 2024-25 Bulldogs men's and women's hockey seasons, and look ahead to 2025-26, in Part I of the two-part Season 7 finale of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bulldogs sophomore Grace Sadura shares her journey from Minnetonka to UMD, tells us what it was like as a sophomore going through the coaching change and answers questions submitted by teammates.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Seniors Carter Loney and Owen Gallatin share memories from their four years at UMD, including what that first day was like back in 2021-22. Who were the teammates they looked up to as freshmen?

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Fifth year seniors Clara Van Wieren and Nina Jobst-Smith return to Bulldog Insider to look back on their five years as Bulldogs, and figure out who said what crazy thing previously on the podcast.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bulldogs seniors Jenna Lawry and Brenna Fuhrman take a look back at an eventful four years at UMD as they try to make one last run at an NCAA Frozen Four berth and national championship.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bulldogs freshman goaltender Klayton Knapp only got one start in his first three months of college hockey. Since Christmas, the man known as Knapper, Napkin and Kidnapper has been UMD's go-to-goalie.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Like every senior in college, UMD defenseman Hanna Baskin has to start thinking about what life after college is going to look like. As a future professional hockey player, it's as uncertain as ever.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Associate head coach Adam Krause discusses how the Bulldogs men's hockey team is recruiting major junior leagues in Canada now that the NCAA has lifted the ban on players who were once off limits.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Former Husky Joe Molenaar is just what UMD was looking for with 11 freshmen on the roster this season. The Bulldogs are exactly what Molenaar was looking for at this point in hockey career and life.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:00 Intro

0:49 Transferring to a young team

4:28 Leadership role at UMD

7:06 Coach Scott Sandelin vs Brett Larson

10:52 Journey to UMD

15:08 NCAA 5th year rule

19:51 Listener questions

24:25 Quick hits

35:47 Outro

Minnesota Duluth freshmen defensemen Adam Kleber and Ty Hanson may still be teenagers, but they both know what it’s like to live and play hockey away from home.

Kleber left Chaska High School following his sophomore year of 2021-22 and moved to Nebraska to play the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Goaltender Tindra Holm and forward Olivia Mobley entered the transfer portal seeking a school that would push them as hockey players. The culture of the Bulldogs women's hockey program won them over.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:00 Intro

1:23 Tindra Holm's Journey to UMD

9:24 Olivia Mobley's Journey to UMD

23:52 Favorite College Hockey Rinks

26:58 Coaching Transition

31:43 UMD Compared to Other Programs

37:01 Thoughts on the Transfer Portal

45:43 Close

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we're rewinding the tape and reliving our favorite moments from the first half of Season 7 and the 2024-25 season.

Some of the top moments from the first half include the banter between roommates Cal Arnott, Jayson Shaugabay and the Plante brothers, Zam and Max. Future police officer Gabby Krause shared the perfect crime and Adam Gajan talked about his World Junior Championship experience prior to coming to UMD.

This week’s episode also features Caitlin Kraemer, Laura Schuler, Dominic James, Joey Pierce and Aaron Pionk.

The Bulldog Insider Podcast is hosted by News Tribune college hockey reporter Matt Wellens and the voice of Bulldogs hockey on My 9 Sports, Zach Schneider. You can find the Bulldog Insider Podcast at DuluthNewsTribune.com/BulldogInsider, and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop almost every Thursday throughout the UMD men's and women's hockey seasons.

0:00 Intro 

0:49 The Plante Brothers

6:47 Cal Arnott & Jason Shaugabay

14:04 Gabby Krause

18:51 Caitlin Kraemer

25:10 Laura Schuler

32:18 Joey Pierce & Aaron Pionk

36:50 Dominic James

42:07 Adam Gajan

46:41 Outro

UMD men's and women's hockey is at the holiday break. One team has struggled to start the 2024-25 season. Another is on track to host an NCAA tournament game. The 'Bulldog Insiders' break it down.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

0:00 Intro

0:54 UMD Women's Team: Thumbs Up

5:59 UMD Women's Team: Thumbs Down

13:16 UMD Women's Team: 3 Stars

16:37 UMD Men's Team: Thumbs Down

31:17 UMD Men's Team: Thumbs Up

34:26 UMD Men's Team: 3 Stars

41:51 Closing Thoughts

Slovakian goaltender Adam Gajan kept getting overlooked in his home country. That is until he came to the United States to play in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. A few games in, everything changed.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

#duluth #duluthnews #bulldoginsider #bulldoginsiderpodcast #podcast #hockeypodcast #hockey #collegehockey #bulldoghockey #umdbulldogs #sports #sportspodcast #adamgajan #slovakia #slovakiahockey #goalie #hockeygoalie

Like many, former UMD and Hibbing forward Adam Johnson made an impact on the lives of Bulldogs defenseman Joey Pierce and Aaron Pionk, both in life and death.

Pierce and Pionk joined the DNT’s Matt Wellens on the podcast this week ahead of Adam Johnson Memorial Night at 5 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena when the Bulldogs host Western Michigan in the finale of their NCHC series. They discuss the legacy of Johnson, including neck guard requirements that are in place almost everywhere — the NCAA and NHL being the exception.

The two former Hermantown High School Hawks also answer listener/viewer questions, Pierce shares his journey from Ely to Hermantown, and talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

UMD senior forward Gabby Krause was forced to medically retire this fall, giving up her dream of playing hockey to preserve another dream of becoming a K9 officer.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Roommates Callum Arnott and Jayson Shaugabay, both freshmen forwards for the Bulldogs, share their path from King City and Warroad to UMD, as well as what it's like to live with the Plante brothers.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. #duluth #duluthnews #bulldoginsider #bulldoginsiderpodcast #podcast #hockeypodcast #hockey #collegehockey #bulldoghockey #umdbulldogs @UMNDuluth @umdathletics #sports #sportspodcast

While most people dread starting from the bottom again, Bulldogs freshman center Caitlin Kraemer is relishing the challenge of once again working her way up the NCAA hockey ladder.

On the podcast this week, Kraemer spoke with the News Tribune’s Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider about her path to UMD and how the Waterloo, Ontario-native became a hockey star, while her sisters thrive in soccer.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Bruce Ciskie of KDAL joins Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune and Zach Schneider of My9 Sports this week to answer listener and viewer questions on this week’s edition of the Bulldog Insider Podcast.

The “Bulldog Insiders” who cover the Minnesota Duluth men’s and women’s hockey teams also give their thumbs up and thumbs down for both squads.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the News Tribune’s Bulldog Insider Podcast, it wasn’t just the new WCHA commissioner joining Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider.

Michelle McAteer is an original Bulldog — or OG as she likes to tell people — whose college career began in 1999-2000 with the first ever varsity women’s hockey team at UMD. The WCHA also began play that season, and a year later the NCAA started awarding a national championship in the sport.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Minnesota Duluth’s senior captain Dominic James had only been to the state of Minnesota once in his entire life growing up, coming to the Twin Cities when he was around 12 years old for a youth hockey tournament.

James talks with News Tribune Bulldogs beat reporter Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports about those experiences, and we get to know his roommates back here in Duluth and on the road, like this week when the Bulldogs travel to UMass-Lowell for a nonconference series.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

After two years apart, brothers Zam and Max Plante are back home in the Twin Ports, and roommates again. The Hermantown natives both moved away in 2022 to play hockey elsewhere following a win for the Hawks in the Minnesota Class A state championship game. Zam Plante went to Chicago, and later Fargo, to play in the United States Hockey League while younger brother, Max, moved to Plymouth, Michigan, to play for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

When Maura Crowell left the Bulldogs this year to become the head coach at Dartmouth, Schuler finally got the job she sought after nine years ago. The new UMD women’s hockey coach joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast to record an episode prior to the season-opening series at Ohio State, to share what she’s learned along the way.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Bulldog Insider Podcast is back for its seventh season with Matt Wellens of the News Tribune, Zach Schneider of My9 Sports and KDAL’s Bruce Ciskie previewing the 2024-25 UMD women’s and men’s hockey seasons.

The Bulldogs women open the year with a key WCHA series Sept. 21-22 at Ohio State, while the men ease into things with a nonconference home game against Bemidji State on Oct. 5, followed by an exhibition against Manitoba on Oct. 6 at Amsoil Arena.

We solicited questions from listeners and viewers prior to recording the Bulldog Insider Podcast Season 7 premiere, but couldn’t get to all of the question in the episode.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Season 7 of Bulldog Insider begins with episode 1 premiering Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. In the premiere episode, co-hosts Matt Wellens and Zach Scheider are joined by KDAL's Bruce Ciskie to talk about their thoughts heading into the 2024-25' UMD men and women's hockey season.

You'll be able to catch new episodes almost every Thursday throughout the UMD hockey season.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producer Wyatt Buckner. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcast.

The 2023-24 Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey seasons came to a close less than two weeks ago, but the offseason news is only heating up. And we know you have lots of questions about the programs moving forward.

The Duluth News Tribune's UMD hockey beat reporter Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL get together on a snowy day in the Twin Ports to try and answer those questions from you, the fans, about Blake Biondi, Cole Spicer, Will Francis, Ben Steeves, recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL and the coaching staff. They predict who will captain the Bulldogs in 2024-25 and give a sneak peak of the schedules for next season.

This is the second episode of a two-part Season 6 finale. In Part I, the Bulldogs hockey "Insiders" break down what went right and what went wrong for both teams in 2023-24, what to expect in the offseason with recruiting and the transfer portal, and they take a look at what to expect in 2024-25.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

The 2023-24 Minnesota Duluth men's and women's hockey seasons have come to a close following the UMD women's loss to Ohio State in the NCAA tournament and the Bulldogs men getting swept by Denver in the NCHC quarterfinals.

The Duluth News Tribune's UMD hockey beat reporter Matt Wellens, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL get together on a snowy day in the Twin Ports to break down what went right and what went wrong for both teams in 2023-24, what to expect in the offseason with recruiting and the transfer portal, and they take a look at what to expect in 2024-25.

This is the first episode of a two-part Season 6 finale. In Part II, the Bulldogs hockey "Insiders" answer questions from fans about Blake Biondi, Cole Spicer, Will Francis, Ben Steeves, recruiting, the transfer portal, NIL and the coaching staff. Watch for that episode to post in the near future.

0:00-0:34 Essentia Health Sponsor

0:35-1:51 Intro

1:52-26:42 UMD Women's Team Season Overview

26:43-28:12 Ad Break

28:13-47:48 UMD Men's Team Season Overview: What went wrong?

47:49-49:00 Part 2 Preview and Outro

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team is hitting the road this weekend for the NCHC quarterfinals, and while senior defenseman Darian Gotz would much rather be playing at Amsoil Arena this weekend, the destination this week of Denver is an OK consolation prize.

Gotz joins the podcast this week, and we ask him about his favorite desintations in the NCHC over the last four seasons. We also talk about his high school hockey career at Hermantown and dive into the politics of the Minnesota Class A state boys hockey tournament. Gotz also shares stories of growing up in Hibbing and being babysat by former Bulldogs forward Adam Johnson, who died in October playing hockey in England.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is heading to the WCHA Final Faceoff this weekend at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, and after that, the Bulldogs will very likely be playing in the NCAA women's hockey tournament for a fourth-straight season.

One player who has stepped as of late to get the Bulldogs where they are is redshirt sophomore forward Mary Kate O'Brien. She holds the distinction of being the first known Massachusetts native to play for the UMD women's hockey program. She joins the podcast this week to discuss UMD's postseason run, how she became a Bulldog and what it was like for her growing up playing boys and girls hockey in the Northeast.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we breakdown and debate the UMD Women's Hockey 25th anniversary team that has now been released in its entirety.

The authority on UMD women’s hockey, UMD director of athletic communications Kelly Grgas-Wheeler, joins Matt and Zach to talk about the process of putting the team together, and to highlight players who are not just legends at UMD, but in the sport of women's hockey.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens provides an update in Bulldogs Hockey for the men and women's teams. Matt also discusses what to expect for the next episode of Bulldog Insider. 

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year seniors Luke Loheit and Quinn Olson join the podcast to reflect on their Bulldogs hockey careers and share what could be coming next for both.

Loheit and Olson both arrived at UMD in the fall of 2019 when the program was chasing a third-straight NCAA title. They look back on that season, and what it was like to play with members of the back-to-back national championship teams like Hunter Shepard, Nick Wolff and Noah Cates.

We discuss their favorite memories from on the ice and off it, how much team dinners were during the NCHC Pod in Omaha, and the people that made a significant impact on their time as students and as athletes at UMD.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth women's captain Mannon McMahon makes her long overdue debut. It comes at the perfect time as she is approaching two significant UMD women's hockey program records.

McMahon, who has been in the Bulldogs lineup since Day 1 of her college career, has played in 164 career games at UMD, all consecutively. She can break the program's consecutive game streak this weekend against St. Cloud State at Amsoil Arena. Next weekend at Minnesota, she can tie the total career games played record. Anna Klein currently holds the record for consecutive games at 165. Naomi Rogge holds the total games played record of 168.

In addition to talking about the records she is chasing, we take a look back at McMahon's career, unfortunately opening up a painful wound from McMahon's sophomore season that she had buried. The fifth-year senior forward also shares some of her favorite things about Duluth and what's possibly next in her hockey career.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Minnesota Duluth sophomore center Jack Smith grew up in St. Cloud watching the St. Cloud State hockey team. He played for St. Cloud Cathedral in high school against Blake Biondi, Joey Pierce, Aaron Pionk and the Hermantown Hawks.

Now Smith is in his second season at Minnesota Duluth, playing alongside the former Hawks with the Bulldogs. On this week's episode of Bulldog Insider, Smith talks about his path from St. Cloud to Duluth, and the injuries he's had to battle along the way.

We also play a game of "Start, Bench, Cut: Minnesota Edition" to get hit thoughts on hockey arenas, rivals, the state's pro sports teams and its unique cuisine.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Two of the top up-and-coming goaltenders for the Canadian women's national hockey team hail from opposite ends of the country, however, both can be found this season in Duluth, Minnesota.

Sophomore Hailey MacLeod of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and freshman Eve Gascon of Mascouche, Quebec, have been a formidable 1A-1B punch in goal this season, giving the Minnesota Duluth women's hockey program a chance to win every night. Both are ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in save percentage, meaning coach Maura Crowell can't go wrong when it comes to deciding who starts in net on any given day.

Gascon and MacLeod join the Bulldog Insider Podcast to discuss their competitive, but friendly and supportive relationship. They also play a game of "How well do you know your fellow goaltender" where that friendly and supportive competitive nature is on full display.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth freshman Aaron Pionk of Hermantown talks about his transition from forward to the defenseman, and what it was like growing up with four older brothers.

Pionk was a forward throughout his high school days with the Hermantown Hawks, making the move back to the blue line when he was 18 and playing junior hockey in Cloquet with the Minnesota Wilderness of the NAHL. Shortly after switching to defense, he landed a college scholarship offer — initially from Minnesota State before coming to UMD — and then was drafted by the Minnesota Wild.

His first season at UMD marks just his third as a defenseman, so Pionk admits that there is still much for him to learn about the position. One thing he doesn't need to be taught is toughness. That comes from growing up with four older brothers in Hermantown. One of those brothers who got on him — literally at times — is now one of his biggest resources. That's Neal, a former defenseman at UMD who now plays in the NHL with the Winnipeg Jets.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Hanna Baskin joins the show to talk about her breakout season on the Bulldogs blue line and how she got to this point in her college career.

Baskin shares the story of her freshman year of high school when her coach asked her to switch from forward to defenseman, and go play another season with Minnetonka's 15U team to learn the position. She said she hated the season, but it changed the course of her hockey career and eventually led her to UMD.

Baskin, who after playing behind the likes of Ashton Bell and Maggie Flaherty her first two seasons, is now the Bulldogs leading scorer on the blue line with five goals and eight assists through 20 games. She is coming off a five-point weekend against Bemidji State that included a goal and four assists to earn her WCHA Defender of the Week honors.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Will Francis joins us fresh off his first game back on the ice with the Bulldogs last Saturday at St. Thomas. Francis was away from the team and UMD campus for the entire first semester after announcing in August that his leukemia had relapsed.

Francis takes us through his journey over the past five months, from the days leading up to learning cancer had returned to the exhibition on Saturday in Mendota Heights. He shares what it was like training on his own for a semester — though he did eventually find a partner in an NHLer looking to get back in the league — and what he's looking forward to getting back on campus with his teammates and classmates this winter. We also talk about his clothing line with Sauce Hockey, and the deer he shot this fall.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we bring you Part II of our mini-series of Nittany Lions-turned-Bulldogs with UMD women's senior forward Olivia Wallin.

Like Bulldogs senior forward Connor McMenamin, Wallin transferred this offseason from Penn State to Minnesota Duluth. A civil engineering major, Wallin credited McMenamin with encouraging her to come to Duluth once she entered her name into the transfer portal after three seasons with the Nittany Lions.

Wallin brings a different perspective of life at Penn State having played for the women's program, which does not play with its fellow Big 10 schools in the WCHA. Penn State is part of College Hockey America, where the level of play and travel is very, very different.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, the so called "Bulldogs Insiders" who follow the UMD hockey teams all year long take a look back at the first half of the 2023-24 season and see how their preseason predictions are holding up.

Matt Wellens of the News Tribune, Zach Schneider of My 9 Sports and Bruce Ciskie of KDAL hand out some unofficial awards as well, taking a look at the most impactful transfers and freshmen, the biggest surprise on each team and the first-half MVP for both squads.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, freshmen forwards Anthony Menghini and Matthew Perkins of the UMD men's hockey team dish on life as college freshmen, sharing what has stood out to them about life as Bulldogs on the ice and off it.

Both took different paths to Duluth with Menghini growing up in Baxter, Minnesota, and Perkins coming from Balgonie, Saskathchewan. The two were adversaries in May when Perkins and the Youngstown Phantoms defeated Menghini of the Fargo Force in the 2023 USHL Clark Cup Final. What was life for both of them bussing across the USHL?

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, Minnesota Duluth fifth-year senior wing and assistant captain Connor McMenamin shares what it's like going from a Big Ten program at Penn State to an NCAA Division II school like Minnesota Duluth, that plays Division I hockey.

The short answer from McMenamin is that the Nittany Lions and Bulldogs programs are quite similar when it comes to resources and amenities. The big difference between the two programs is their location, the communities they call home and the leagues they play in — which impacts the style of play.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, UMD men's fifth-year senior captain Luke Loheit reveals the keys to growing a good mustache during November for the Movember Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for men’s physical and mental health issues. It’s a campaign that the men’s hockey community has really rallied around, and that includes the Bulldogs.

Many members of the UMD men's hockey are growing — or trying to grow — mustaches this month for Movember. You can check out their progress and make a donation to their Movember team page here. It's a campaign that's personal inside the UMD locker room after goaltender Zach Stejskal went through his battle with testicular cancer during his sophomore season. On the podcast this week, Loheit talks about Movember's emphasis on mental health awareness and why that is important to him as captain of the Bulldogs.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

Duluth News Tribune sports reporter Matt Wellens provides an update in Bulldogs Hockey for the men and women's teams. Matt will also discusses what to expect for season 6, episode 8 of Bulldog Insider, which drops Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. 

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes air every Thursday.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, it's Luke Bast's turn to faceoff against his former team when the Minnesota Duluth men's program hosts North Dakota at Amsoil Arena.

Bast transferred to UMD in the offseason after two years at North Dakota, where injuries derailed much of his sophomore season. He spoke about what was important to him when he began his search for a new school, what it's like playing for both Scott Sandelin and Brad Berry and why the infamous Red Pepper is not at the top of his list for restaurants in Grand Forks.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, UMD fifth-year senior wing Reece Hunt joins the podcast fresh off her homecoming to Bemidji State. Hunt transferred to the Bulldogs this year after playing four seasons for the Beavers. She played her first game at Sanford Center last Friday as an opponent, and scored the game-winning goal for UMD in the 2-1 victory.

Hunt provides a unique and honest assessment on this week's episode about what it is like to return to your school after transferring to an in-league rival that she already knew pretty well. She compares what the Bulldogs say about Bemidji to what Bemidji says about the Bulldogs when they play each other. How accurate is all of it?

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, former Bulldogs captains Gabbie Hughes and Ashton Bell share what life has been like since both were drafted by Ottawa in the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League draft last month.

The PWHL is set to open training camps for all six teams in mid-November while the first season will get underway in January. How are they preparing in the meantime for the new league, and what does it mean for both to be part of what everyone hopes is women's hockey history?

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.

This week on the Bulldog Insider Podcast, we take a stop in Cohasset, Minnesota, instead of just passing through on U.S. Highway 2 like we usually do.

UMD senior goaltender and Cohasset native Zach Stejskal joins the podcast to tell us about the little town outside Grand Rapids that has produced a couple of quality goaltenders for the Bulldogs. Also the hometown of Hunter Shepard, Stejskal describes life growing up in Cohasset, and highlights some of the people in the Grand Rapids hockey program who helped him become the goalie that he is today.

Bulldog Insider is co-hosted by Matt Wellens and Zach Schneider. Episodes are edited and produced by Duluth News Tribune digital producers Wyatt Buckner and Dan Williamson. You can find more Bulldog hockey coverage at duluthnewstribune.com and more episodes of Bulldog Insider wherever you listen to podcasts.