The Rink Live

Dan Myers is a longtime hockey reporter and Minnesota State University-Mankato graduate (2003-07). Myers covers the Minnesota Wild for nhl.com/wild . He is covering Hockey Day Minnesota in Mankato this week and discusses the event. He also discusses this season's Mavericks men's and women's hockey teams, history of those programs, the Minnesota Wild this season and more with The Rink Live's Mick H...

The Rink Live's Matt Wellens, Jess Myers and Mick Hatten take a look back at last weekend's action in the NCHC, Big Ten and WCHA. www.therinklive.com

Joe Molenaar and Josh Luedtke see one another daily at hockey practice as members of the St. Cloud State men's hockey team. So what did they do during Christmas break? Hang out together in Minnetonka, where both of them grew up. The former Skippers talk about their fantasy football league, playing this weekend against former teammate Bobby Brink (now a forward at Denver), playing pond hockey, how...

Brian Lawton has been a familiar face to Minnesota hockey fans since he was the No. 1 overall draft pick of the North Stars in 1983. Lawton also played in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Boston Bruins and San Jose Sharks before retiring in 1993. He then started his own agency for players, worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning and now works for the NHL Network. La...

The Rink Live team discusses the latest host topics in college hockey, starting with Gophers' goalie Jack LaFontaine signing with the Carolina Hurricanes mid-season and ending with college players going to the Olympics.  Matt Wellens , Jess Meyers , Brad Schlossman and Mick Hatten .

Taylor Lind grew up in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, a town of about 1,700. She grew up in a hockey family with two brothers and a sister, who all play hockey. One of her brothers, Kole, has played forward for the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken in the last two seasons. She discusses her family, her improvement each season with the Huskies, helps preview this weekend's series against Minnesota Dul...

Mike Gibbons has played or coached hockey for 60 years and is one of the great storytellers in the game. He played college hockey for Bob Peters at Bemidji State from 1975-79 and was a two-time All-American as a defenseman and helped the Beavers win a national title. Peters also enticed Gibbons to start his coaching career in 1981 at Bemidji State. Gibbons shares some of his memories of Peters, wh...

Bemidji State men's hockey head coach Tom Serratore discusses how his team played in the first half — strengths, things it needs to work on, playing St. Cloud State, how former Huskies assistant coach Mike Gibbons came back for another season and more in this podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten. Here's the time stamps: :45 The first half for Bemidji State 2:50 The Beavers power play 3:19 2 un...

Sloane Martin did not take a common route to being a hockey play-by-play announcer. She grew up in Southern California and did not watch hockey growing up. She played NCAA Division III basketball and then was the play-by-play voice for the University of Buffalo. She talks about moving to Minnesota, discovering high school hockey in the state, being the first woman to do play-by-play for the boys s...

Aidan Spellacy is home for Christmas, but took the time to be on the podcast this week. He discusses how he ended up at St. Cloud State after three seasons playing for Robert Morris University, how he is adapting to a new school and teammates, growing up and playing hockey in Ohio and winning the NAHL's Robertson Cup as a member of the Lone Star Brahmas in 2017. Discover all this and more in this...

Derek Schooley has been the head men's hockey coach at Robert Morris University since 2004. The last eight months have been unlike any that most college coaches experience. RMU was the host institution for the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh in April with a number of restrictions in place due to the pandemic. Then on May 26, the university announced it was cutting its men's and women's hockey programs....

If you had asked St. Cloud State men's hockey fans before the season which player would lead the Huskies in scoring at the holiday break, it is fair to say that Kevin Fitzgerald would not likely have been the first pick. But the graduate student has 21 points (already a career high) through 16 games. Fitzgerald talks about his fast start, takes a look at where the Huskies are, discusses teammate J...

On Dec. 3, Josh Fenton announced he will be leaving the NCHC at the end of this season to become the commissioner of the Summit League. He discusses what it was like starting the conference, the success of the Frozen Faceoff tournament, his most challenging stretch as commissioner, what makes a good commissioner and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten and Jess Myers. Time stamps: 2:40 the proces...

Former Gophers All-American and TV analyst Pat Micheletti breaks down last weekend's NCHC series split between North Dakota and St. Cloud State. He also takes a look at the the Huskies 16 games into the season and discusses the play of Kevin Fitzgerald, Veeti Miettinen, Jack Peart, Micah Miller, Seamus Donohue, David Hrenak more in this podcast with Hosted by The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.

Natalie Darwitz is one of the most decorated players to play hockey. Darwitz is a member of the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame and the Minnesota High School League Hall of Fame. Timestamps: - Opened with talking about current University of Minnesota women's team 4:45 -- How Natalie ended up as an assistant coach with the Gophers this season 7:00 -- How women's hockey ha...

Dave Starman is a college hockey color commentator for CBS Sports Network and has also done work for the Big Ten Network. During the World Junior Championships, he is the color commentator for the NHL Network. Dave discusses a variety of topics with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten and Jess Myers.   Timestamps: 3:54 -- Long Island University 10:43 -- Minnesota Duluth 13:23 -- North Dakota 17:00 -- Sain...

Forum Communications announced Monday that it is partnering with athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go-to destination for North Dakota and Minnesota hockey coverage. On Friday, The Rink Live added St. Cloud State Huskies defenseman Jack Peart as a brand ambassador. A former player for the Fargo Force of the USHL, Jack was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the 2021 NHL...

Forum Communications announced Monday that it is partnering with athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go-to destination for North Dakota and Minnesota hockey coverage. On Thursday, The Rink Live added University of Minnesota Duluth forward Blake Biondi as a brand ambassador. Blake played parts of two seasons for Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL and was picked by the Montreal Canadiens in...

Forum Communications announced Monday that it is partnering with athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go-to destination for North Dakota and Minnesota hockey coverage. On Wednesday, The Rink Live added University of Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber as a brand ambassador. The first Minnesotan selected in the 2020 NHL Draft, Brock Faber was the 45th overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings. A...

Forum Communications announced this week that it is partnering with athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go-to destination for North Dakota and Minnesota hockey coverage. In the 2020 NHL draft, Jake Sanderson was selected fifth overall by the Ottawa Senators. Welcome to The Rink Live Team Jake. A sophomore studying kinesiology at the University of North Dakota, Jake is an assistant captai...

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald and The Rink Live broke the story on the upheaval in the Omaha Lancers organization in the United States Hockey League that led to the league postponing three of the teams games last weekend. Schlossman also helps preview this weekend's nonconference matchup between the University of Minnesota at the University of North Dakota with The Rink Live's Jess Mye...

Goalie Maddie Rooney backstopped the U.S. to the 2018 Olympic gold medal. Welcome Maddie to The Rink Live Team as the U.S.  aims to repeat as gold medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics in February. Forum Communications is excited to partner with like-minded athletes to expand The Rink Live brand as the go to destination for North Dakota & Minnesota hockey coverage.

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald and The Rink Live broke the story on the upheaval in the Omaha Lancers organization in the United States Hockey League that led to the league postponing three of the teams games last weekend. Schlossman also helps preview this weekend's nonconference matchup between the University of Minnesota at the University of North Dakota with The Rink Live's Jess Mye...

Ben Holden has been doing play-by-play announcing for college hockey games since 2004. Last season, he unexpectedly was let go by the CBS Sports Network after helping broadcast the NCHC Pod in Omaha. Holden has rebounded and is now doing telecasts of KHL games and is also continuing to work college hockey games. He discusses his career, the KHL and more with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten and Jess My...

Jayson Hajdu was the long-time sports information director for the University of North Dakota and well-known in the college hockey circle. His wife got a new job and he left UND, moved to Kansas City and has been working for The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures. After three years away from the college hockey scene, he was recently hired as the new director of communications for College Hocke...