March 19, 2025 • 43 mins
In this week’s episode, Bill and Alex welcome the NCHC’s Michael Weisman to preview what to expect in St. Paul at this weekend’s Frozen Faceoff (1:20). The guys then dig into UND’s prospects at the X before recapping impressive final acts for basketball and indoor track and stellar mid-season runs for softball and tennis (24:30). On the B-Side (36:05), the March Madness selection committees show little love for the mid-majors, while Liverpool fall flat on their biggest week of the season.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Bill Shaves Podcast presented by Mid
Coast Sports. Yes, the winter's yest is winding down, but
midc means you care about doesn't stop with the coming
of spring. Keep up with all things you and be
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softball and track and field and tennis all on Mid
(00:21):
Coast Sports Plus. This is how we do spring, and
this is the Bill Shapes Podcast. Welcome to another edition
of the Bill Shaves Podcast. We are taping this on
a Tuesday morning, the eighteenth of March. Bill Shaves. Of
course Alex Hener a special guest that we're going to
introduce shortly. Bill Howard things the day after Saint Patrick's
(00:43):
Day in your world.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Everything is excellent, Alex. We are You're right. Spring has
kind of sprung for us, right, We're going to talk
about that in the podcast. It seems like all of
our teams are really going and maybe heading towards uh
Summit lea play at least in softball, so tennis has
already gotten going. So exciting times for sure, but we
(01:07):
also have another winter team that's still playing.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yes we do, Yes you and the Hockey able to
extend their season with a quarterfinal sweep on the road
at Omaha last weekend. They're off to Saint Paul this
weekend for the Frozen face off. Another guy that's off
to Saint Paul joins us now on the podcast. Too.
Better to talk about what they've dubbed the Last Call
in Saint Paul than NCCHC Associate Commissioner Michael Weisman. He's
(01:31):
a repeat guest on this podcast. He's a voice that
you know well. Mike. Thanks for being with us on
such a busy week for you.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Absolutely, guys, thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Appreciate you having me on the podcast or He is
a pleasure to talk hockey with you guys in NCCHC
and we're looking forward to an exciting final Last Call
in Saint Paul.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, So where does today find you? Michael? Where are
you right now and when are you heading to the
State of Hockey?
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Currently, I am at my home in Colorado Springs. After
this podcast, I will head into the office to do
some more work and finish printing off various things and
approving things and getting things off to the printer, all
that fun stuff, and then I fly up to Saint Paul,
myself and Sam Keiney, our digital content coordinator. The two
of us will fly up to Saint Paul tonight from
(02:17):
Denver get in late tonight and then Heather Wims, our commissioner,
will pick us up and we'll be full steam ahead
starting tomorrow morning.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
This is the biggest lift that the league has over
the course of the season to invite four different teams
to this neutral site and NHL venue. You're sharing it
with the Wild this week, we have a couple of
games that you're kind of working around. There's just so
many logistics that come with this along with all the
fan experiences. What is this week like for you? How
do you pull all this off year in year out
(02:45):
to make this work?
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah, it's definitely a lot of work. I don't know
fans know. There's only three full time staff members at
the NCCHC, plus our Director Officiating Mike Schmidt, so if
you count him, we have four staffers. So not a
lot of people doing a lot of different things, as
you may should. We have the actual games themselves, logistics
of that make sure teams have what they need. But
then we do have a lot of fan events surrounding
(03:07):
at FanFest, our awards celebration on the eve of the
Frozen face off. A lot of my time and Sam's
time goes into that making sure all the awards are prepared.
We do a program, we have videos, Alex as you know,
you're one of the MC's of it. So it's a
very nice event that we've had, you know, well, pretty much.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Since the beginning.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
It's moved locations a couple of times. But yeah, there's
a lot of things that go into it. You know,
some of the things I'm in charge of, I'm more
the media side of things, so handling credentials, media requests,
setting up interviews, running press conferences. We'll be doing some
media sessions with the coaches and a student athlete of
the four participating teams later today, so I'll be hosting those.
(03:46):
Perhaps I'll see on one of those Alex and and
just all sorts stuff. Well, press conferences on Thursday after
each practice and then obviously the games Friday and Saturday.
So yeah, as you said, a lot of logistics, lots
of different aspects hotel, travel, food, all things that maybe
people don't necessarily think about, but all things that someone
(04:06):
has to do and get organized. As as you said,
four different teams from different locations all come to one place.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So Michael Alex alluded to it. And each each week
during Championship Week is a little different depending on what
the wild schedule is. How wild does it get when
when they're here in this time they've got two games?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Love a good pun there, Bill.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Tes, Yeah, I'll be here all week, Michael good Levity.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
No, it's a really good question, and it definitely complicates
things quite a bit, to be honest. The I think
this is our sixth frozen face off at Excel Energy Center,
and I think about half the time they've had a
wild game on the Wednesday night leading into our tournament.
This week, in particular, it's a nationally televised game, and
I don't think it starts till about eight fifty local time,
(05:00):
which makes it a very late night. So the biggest
thing that that complicates it really affects the equipment managers
probably the most. Normally, if there's no wild game on Wednesday,
whenever teams arrive Wednesday afternoon Wednesday evening, the teams, you know,
they bring their busts of players and their truck with equipment,
and they unload everything they can, get their locker rooms
all set up, set up all their equipment. Unfortunately, when
(05:22):
there's a Wild game on the Wednesday, they cannot do
that naturally because the Wild and the visiting team are
using the locker rooms in the hallway space and all that,
and they're pretty strict about that. So what will happen
tomorrow is as teams arrive, is we'll have a kind
of a storage area in the loading dock, and teams
will be able to just kind of drop off their
equipment and then leave. I'm not even sure that players
(05:42):
and teams will come because there's not really anything they
can do. And then I believe it's starting around two
or three am Thursday morning, once the visiting team has
moved out and the Wild has moved out and they've
cleaned up, you know, the locker room hallway equipment managers
and their staffs have the fun task of going in
and setting up the locker rooms super early.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
In the morning.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
We're really late, depending on how you look at it.
And I don't think fans realize how tough it is
on equipped managers. They're usually the first ones there, the
last one's out, and they have to deal with with
these types of things where you can't get in until
three in the morning, and guess what, teams have practice
starting at ten am Thursday, so you better have the
locker room set up and ready to go. So full
credit to those guys, and yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
It is a bit a bit of a workaround.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
The one other thing that having a wild game, more
so on Saturday than than Wednesday, is it does limit
us in terms of branding a little bit. Putting our
logos in the ice, things like that. We will have
the frozen face off word mark in the ice for
practices Thursday and games semifinal games Friday, but with the
wild game Saturday, they're going to take it out and
(06:46):
then obviously won't have time to put it back in
for the championship. So for those that were at the
Target Center, and even I think the first year or
two at Excel Energy Center, we had the ad the
big NCHG logo at Center Ice, which was awesome, but
unfortunately with the wild that that was another thing that
we just couldn't do anymore. So there are definitely some
additional logistics and challenges with Wild games going on when
(07:08):
we're there.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It's got balance, right. It's awesome that fans who are
coming now have this opportunity to go see if they
want to, to outstanding college hockey semi finals on a Friday,
the Wild play with the Sabers at one o'clock on Saturday.
Like you can get four great hockey games over the
course of a weekend. But it does, as you said,
complicate things a little bit. And I know that's not
(07:30):
the that's not the sole reason or even like one
of the top probably five or six or seven reasons
why you're changing formats in the future, but things will
be a little bit different next year. Could you talk
a little bit through maybe again, I know we've discussed
this before, but just the conference's view on why this
is the last call in Saint Paul, why you are
going to go to home sites beginning in twenty twenty
six throughout the postseason.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Yeah, good question, Alex.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
And you know, for those that don't know, like you said,
this will be our last neutral site championship beginning in
twenty twenty six, our entire postseason tournament will all campus sites.
The first round will still be the same as it's
always been with the top four seeds hosting the bottom
four seeds in quarterfinals, but unlike how we've had it
past years, and this year, it'll be a three week tournament,
So the four quarter final winners will advance to two
(08:14):
semi finals at the two highest remaining seeds in two
different locations, play those on Saturday nights, and then the
two winners advanced to the championship game the following week
at the highest remaining seeds. So basically the highest seeds
are continuously hosting and it's not all in one place.
It changes locations week to week, so quite a bit
different format, but we're very excited about it. We think
(08:37):
the atmosphere and the energy that fans will bring will
be great. Obviously, crowds during the regular season are awesome.
We've seen it in some other conferences. I know the
CCCHA has had a lot of success with their on
campus tournament and packing buildings and really making it a
raucous atmosphere, and so we're excited about that. That was,
you know, one of the reasons. You know, we've loved
(08:57):
being at Accelery Center in Saint Paul, and there's a
lot of history even before us with the WCCHA Final
five and packing that building. And you know, I don't
want to say it hasn't maybe worked out as we hoped,
but you know, I think everyone admit we're not packing
the building like the WCCHA Final five was, And so
maybe there's some of that thought too, that you know,
let's pack the building while we can. We've got our
(09:18):
own beautiful buildings. Obviously North Dakota has a beautiful building,
but so do many of our teams in the NCCHC.
And we think if we put you know, semi finals
and championships in that type of atmosphere to really fill
the place and make it exciting. And the one other
thing that I think the coaches kind of liked is
right now, four teams have to travel to neutral location
(09:38):
and then if you win, you're probably not getting home
till Sunday. And now with NCAA tournament games starting on Thursday,
that can make for very quick turnaround. Denver knows this
probably better than anyone last year, having won our tournament,
flies home Sunday, has to leave Tuesday to fly across
country to go out east. Ultimately, it seemed to work
out okay for them but it.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Didn't hurt us too much in the long run.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Yeah, but yes, it doesn't seem like an ideal situation.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
And naturally you're not giving yourself potentially the best chance
because you so much traveling in such a short time span.
And what this will allow to do is really that
last weekend, what would be our frozen face off weekend,
only one team will now be traveling. Only two teams
are left playing, one team is hosting it, so only
one team is traveling that that weekend. There was some
(10:25):
talk and I'm not sure we've made a final decision
on this, and Bill maybe you would know, but of
moving that championship game to even Friday to just allow
one more extra day before the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
I believe the CCHA does that currently They're.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
The only one I think so, just it provides a
little more rest heading into the NCAA tournament rather than
kind of four teams and likely four teams not necessarily
this year, but in most years that are heading to
the NCAA Tournament having to travel to Saint Paul, back
to their place, and then travel again to wherever the
regional is. So though those are kind of the sum
(10:58):
of the reasons. I think that we felt like it. Bill,
you were in those discussions. If there's anything I'm missing.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
No, No, you've said it correctly. And I think you
know we're going to see this weekend the big ten
Atlantic Hockey. They'll have their finals at CCHA will have
their finals, so similar formats. I think that that's what
folks can look at for next year. That'll just provide
just a different level of the logistical issues I think
(11:26):
for the conference, right, I mean, you're just going to
be spinning multiple plates literally across multiple time zones.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Yeah, it'll be interesting. I think potentially it'll be maybe
a slightly less work for me. But I don't know
that there's just a little less planning you can do
because you don't know, like right now we plan all
these fan events and the awards celebration, and like the
awards celebrations probably going away or at least as we
know it, some of the fan events, so some of
the ancillary stuff and some of that planning that we
(11:55):
can do now selling tickets months in advance, we just
won't really be able to do as much of that
as far in advance. So yes, I think like the
two or so weeks heading into it could be kind
of crazy, but there might not be might have been
able to plan as much heading into it. And one
other thing kind of I think why we also released
the coaches like the campus sites is a lot of
(12:15):
our coaches are big proponents of taking nca regionals back
to campus sites, and so I think some of that
too is if we're going to make a hard push
to maybe try and get the nca to ever change
that to campus site regionals, we should probably have our
own tournament on campus sites as well.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, no, that makes sense. The last one for me, Michael,
you you mentioned in most years, usually three or four
of the teams that are in the frozen face stuff
already know they're going to play in the NCAA's the
next week. You know, this year, it's a little more
unique where two teams are in, two teams are not,
so you've got these really high stakes games coming up
on Friday. Obviously, that isn't what the NCAC would like,
(12:52):
like it'd be awesome to have, you know, five teams
firmly in the top fourteen of the pairwise, but it
will make for a really exciting couple of days. Potentially,
It's a be a bid Steeler perhaps for the first
time in league history. Just a zoom, not really quick.
We know why the ncchcs in this spot. You had
a lot of really good teams that were really banged
up early in the season and the non conference just
(13:12):
didn't go your way. What were the ncchc's thoughts and
how this season played out as a whole and where
the league is right now in the greater landscape of
college hockey.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, good question.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Yeah, as you said, you know the pair wise and
then how teams get into the NCAA tournament, which is
the pairwise. A lot of that depends on your non
conference success. As a lot of people say, and I
like to say, you know, everyone goes five hundred in
conference play, right, No one's getting better or worse. Everyone's
going five hundred. As a league, you're going five hundred.
So it's really tough to move up and down. Certainly,
you know, if a team runs like the table, they're
(13:41):
going to move up a little bit, But in general,
it's tough to move up up too much within your conference.
So it really does come down to winning those non
conference games. And yeah, for whatever reason that the algorithms
and the formula, and the pairwise didn't seem to like.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
What the NCHD did.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
I think we did win some decent non conference games,
but I think some of them came in over time,
and so we didn't maybe get the full credit. You know,
Omaha has wins over Minnesota, but it came in overtime,
and there's so I think there's some other ones like
that where there look like big wins on paper, but
the fact that they came in overtime maybe in the
pairwise it doesn't matter quite as much. And so I
(14:16):
think there was maybe some of that where it looks
like we had some better means on paper because they're wins,
but the pairwise doesn't count them as.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Big wins as we do.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
So you know, as you said that that obviously affects
how many teams get into the NCAA tournament. That's something
that from a league office, we unfortunately can't really control
too much. So you know, there's not a whole lot
we can do about it. Obviously, we cheer for our
teams in the non conference and want them to have success,
but you know this, if we only get two, this
would be the first time in our history that we've
only had two. We've had three i think four other times,
(14:48):
including our first year, so that that wouldn't be totally
unheard of. But in terms of the greater landscape, we
feel like we're really strongly positioned. Obviously, we added Arizona
State this year. They have a great success second place finish,
won their first playoff series, made their Frozen face off
in their first year, so they've seem to have been
(15:08):
a great addition their Mullet, their fans at Mullet had been,
you know, rocking that place. We had a couple of
CDs Sports Network games there as you know Alex and
those those were great on TV and great atmospheres, and
so we think they've been a great addition. And then
with Saint Thomas coming in in two years, personally, I'll
be excited to get back to an even ten teams.
I think that makes things a little bit nicer from
(15:29):
a scheduling standpoint. We don't have teams on buys on
the final weekend of the regular season, things like that.
So we're excited to have Saint Thomas coming in. Obviously,
they are in the CCHA Final, so they're they're headed
in the right direction, good trajectory, unfortunately not eligible for
the NCAA tournament this year, but by the time they
join our league in the NCACH they will be eligible.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
And I'll give us ten.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Teams, and I know their building is coming along nicely,
so we feel like we're in good shape. I know, Heather,
our commissioner, has really been at the forefront of conversations
with the NCAA and making sure that hockey is being
kind of thought of and taking care of, because college
hockey in particular is so unique in the fact that
we have D one, D two, and D three full
(16:11):
time members playing Division one college hockey within our conference
alone and other conferences. And so I think when the
NCAA is looking at all these new rules in terms
of nil and you know, paying players or whatever they're
calling it these days, distributions, they don't really think of
(16:32):
college hockey because they're really looking at the college football
in the college basketball model, which is that Division one model,
and it clean break from Division two Division three. So
I think there's a lot of questions. I know, Bill,
you had some questions about how how does this stay
level across Division two and Division three, you know, when
when most of these rules apply to Division one schools,
(16:52):
and so I think how there's done a really good
job of staying on the NCAA making sure they're aware that, hey, we.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
We still exist too. You know, you need to make
sure your.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Rules apply to hockey as well, and not to forget
about us, and and even looking at you know what,
what is the future of college hockey and how can
we position ourselves to better, whether it's obviously HL players
being eligible, ni L being a big deal now just
all these new things that are coming in. How can
how can we make sure the NCHC on college hockey
(17:22):
as a whole is in a good space, in a
safe space. And I know Heather has meetings with other
commissioners UH to talk about those things. You know, we've
talked a little bit with Hockey East about trying to
figure out some sort of scheduling partnership going back to
the paralyzed to try and kind of bolster that. A
lot of our teams already play them, but you know,
if we kind of have it on a set weekend,
(17:42):
you can do maybe a challenge or something a little
more exciting that would kind of guarantee some of those
higher level UH non conference games. Obviously, have you have
to win them, but but it would, but it would
help with that. So, as I said, we feel feel
good about where things are. Even if this year, you know,
by maybe fansies wasn't quite as good as we've had
in years past, in the long run, we feel like
we're still positioned very well. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Well, it's the track record speaks for itself. Again. It's
been the best conference in college hockey really since the
puck dropped, and you've been there since the beginning, Michael,
So twelve years is hard to be part of this
league roughly half of that time as associate commissioner. We
were joking pre pod Mike wasn't even sure when that
promotion happened sometime right around the POD. But you've did
a phenomenal job again helping steering the ship for this group,
(18:26):
and we're certainly excited for this week. This is always
such a special week on the sports calendar. Fans are
really going to enjoy these great matchups North Dakota, Western Michigan,
Arizona State, Denver and then a champion to be crowned
on Saturday. Best of luck to you and the team, Michael,
as you make it all happen for the last call
in Saint Paul.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Thanks Alista, Well, thanks guys.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
Certainly a little bit bittersweet having been from the first
one at Target Center all the way to the last
call in Saint Paul. But yeah, we have a lot
of fun things planned for fans and some things to
kind of remember the history of championships in the Twin Cities.
So we hope fans will come out and like you said,
should be some great games.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
I'm sure it would be just as exciting is the
final goodis in Darby.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yes, yes, we'll see in a few days. Michael.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
All right, safe travels. Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Great to have Michael Weisman on, especially this time of year.
I mean, this is just high point in the season
building up towards this great tournament weekends that's coming up.
Like it's such a special thing, and I'm glad he
could kind of share again where the NCC is coming
from and the pros and cons in the transition. Not
an easy decision, not one that they took lightly to
move it away from Saint Paul, but there are good
(19:30):
reasons why they're doing it and why this will be
the last one.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, you know, I was in a lot of those conversations,
and I think every time, you know, every every situation
maybe has a chapter that concludes. And I think it
was a good move for us at this moment. It
doesn't mean that we wouldn't think about going back and
doing something later on, but maybe taking a little bit
(19:56):
of a break, so to speak, or trying something else
was a good thought. And you know, I think we
saw proof of concept with some of these other conferences,
and it seems like, you know, they they've they've had
really good environments and that's exciting, and it's really going
to be kind of exciting for schools that have you know,
(20:18):
really good years and they get the opportunity to host
really meaningful games and so you know, but this weekend
it'll be great too. I mean, so you know, either way,
you couldn't really lose. It was sort of a win
win decision, but we just felt like it was the
right thing at the right time.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I've always said, so this will be my gosh,
I don't know how many Frozen Faced offs I've been to.
Have been my fourth one where I'm covering it, you
know for CBS and calling the games. I think it's
the greatest event until almost you get to like the
championship depending on what the matchup is. And on Thursday,
you've got all the teams there and you have practice
and you've got this opportunity to see like it feel.
(20:58):
It feels like an NCAA tournament, right, You've got one
team going on after another. There's great atmosphere, Fans are
there to watch practice, kids are getting pucks. It just
feels big time. And Friday semi final has that same feel.
Four teams in it, so many possibilities. The crowds are
usually pretty full, and then depending on who makes it
to Saturday, there's almost like this little letdown and it
should crescendo, like you should, you should keep building toward
(21:21):
the championship. But if certain teams don't make it, and
you've got teams that maybe don't travel as well from
a fan base perspective, the crowds are still there, but
now they are more spectators. They're not fans, you're just
you're I'm a hockey fan. I'm watching the game. I'm
not living and dying with every puck moving up and
down the ice. And I think that's how I felt
(21:42):
almost the last three years, Like you get to that
point that should be the best.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
It's inverted. It is a little bit yeah, weirdly, and
it's all relative to in sometimes you know what teams
make it to the finals. But I think you get
yourself protected by the fact that whomever is going to
get that last game, that community is going to be
(22:09):
really excited.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah, it doesn't matter where it's at, whether it's in
from Oxford to Tenpe, from the grandporkst.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Eventually ten to ten. When saying Thomas comes in, if
anyone has it, it's that building, people will be off
to chandeliers.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Yeah, if you've watched any of the CCHA or Big
Ten championship games that they've hosted the last couple of years,
whether that's been at Mankato or at Mariucci or wherever,
like it's the it's the craziest atmospheres because it is
it is like it is you're hosting a championship opportunity.
That's the kind of student atholet experience that you want
(22:42):
to give these kids. And again, it is amazing to
be in an NHL venue and to go through the
wild locker room and to see everything in the State
of Hockey's grandest facility and be a part of that,
but then the puck drops and it's just not quite
the same when you've got you know, half the building's
half full, which is still tenthout people. It's just different
when you're living it.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
As we've seen, it's almost alex like for those of
you that are not really familiar with college hockey. You know,
the reality of it is, it feels a little bit
like baseball stadiums. Each each venue is its own and
it's it's awesome in its own way. It's it's almost
(23:25):
like grounds over in England, right, I mean it just
they all have their uniqueness and they all have a
different vibe to them, and that vibe will be on fire,
like when they're hosting a championship game.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
That'll be fun, be exciting. But this weekend'll be awesome too,
Like The X does a great job, Saint Paul does
a great job. Visit Saint Paul does a great job.
So you know their games will be on CBS. Of
course you'll be calling the games with Dave and Sharen,
so that'll be fun. So at the end, you know,
you couldn't lose either way. But you know, I think
trying something new might add a little freshness to it.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah, I think so too. Yeah, honestly too. I think
because this is the last one, I think there will
be a little more of a swell of excitement. So
I think there will be I think I think knowing
this is going to go away, I know I'll feel that,
I know, just wandering through and doing the routines and
kind of knowing, yeah, we're not going to do this again.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Yeah a while, Yeah, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
They'll I think fans will come out, maybe a little
bit more than we've seen, and I think we'll go
out in a high note this weekend. North Dakota, as
we turned the page, would love to go out on
a high note this weekend because that would mean their
season would can see sure with Margo at the NCAA
Regional fantastic couple of games down in Omaha now be
winning three two both nights to book their spot in
Saint Paul. Two very different games in some sense Saturday,
(24:49):
they had to come from behind down by two in
the third period, but some certainly common threads. Great goaltending throughout,
and just that will and that ability just to make
something happen when it needed to. That was evident on
both nights.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, to two really consistent themes. I think alex one
was TJ's playing at a really high level right now
and goal that that helps in our penalty kill has
gotten I think has has been as good as it's
been all year, and so that gives you a little
bit of a chance. And you're right, I mean two
(25:23):
off like different games all ending the way it always
ends in a one goal game feels that way, doesn't.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
It feels that way? Yeah, playoffs, right, It just it
was It was cool to see the fact that North
Dakota was able to get the job done Saturday when
it looked like they were not. It was like, well,
we're going to probably go three. I think a lot
of people had that expectation going in based on what
had happened the week before. I get too evenly match teams.
It's the playoffs. Hard to end someone's season. We're probably
going to Sunday and and then and then we weren't.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, and we know that Simon le Cozy was the
first team goal for the NCHC. He didn't look like
he was going to be solved that night. He just
had it, just had that feel. But then one one
went in all of a sudden, Boy, it felt like
the momentum changed just a little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
The second one went in twenty nine seconds later, and
it's tied in a different game. I love that there
were just guys who stepped up that we've not seen
step up in that way over the course of the season.
Kate Littler with three goals on the weekend, including the
game tying goal on Saturday. Jaden Jubenville, who's a freshman defenseman,
kind of a stay at home, unheralded guy that you
don't really notice because he does all the little things.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Man jumped into the play.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Huh, even when Dylan Simpson was telling him not to,
he went forward because he told he talked about it
after the game. His instinct just took over. I saw yep,
I got to go, and Sasha Wavera finds him and
he scores with ninety six seconds left and boom, you're
off to the frozen face off.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah, what was neat about that? Is? Who? You know? Yeah,
if it doesn't go in, who knows he's jumped into
the play. Who knows? Maybe they have an odd man
rushed the other way. Maybe, But what was the time
left Alex in the game when he scored.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, minute and a half. I mean it was, yeah,
one thirty six.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Eventually, you're gonna have to make a play, right, whether
it was whether it was then or they cleaned the
ice and you're playing overtime.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Yeah, the fact that you Andi did not have to
do that. We'll see if that pays dividends. They'll play
a Western Michigan team now that also won in two games,
also by identical store alines Night one, Night two. North
Dakota played Western four times this season. Two of them
went to overtime, North Dakota one to one in Kalamazoo.
Maybe you should have had a better fate on Friday
Night out at Kalamazoo. We've discussed all this Western is
(27:40):
though they have proven there the best team in the
league over the course of the regular season. Fifty seven
points is a big that's a big haul. Like they
have been incredibly consistent, They've been non conference and in conference.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Had a good, very good year.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
They have had a very good year. It's their first
ever Penrose Cup, first ever regular season title in program
history since the nineteen seventies, So it's a big task.
It'll be at seven thirty on Friday night. But I
think in situations like this, anything is possible, and North
d Coote has obviously shown they can beat this team,
so we will see how it all goes down.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yeah, I think that's right. I think our guys are,
you know, feeling like they're playing their best hockey right now.
So you go down and you know, do all the cliches, right,
do all those but but yeah, I think you go
down and you feel good about where we are, and
we'll take our team. We'll take our team and we'll
(28:31):
see what happens. And you got to just worry about
Friday night at this point and then if you're ever
lucky enough and then you know, you got to win this.
You got to win this weekend prior to teams knowing
that they're going to be playing the following weekend, but
they're going to be in the same boat then. Anyways,
So here we are.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Here we are, So here we are sets up for
a great couple of games, and that's on Friday night
you have Western Michigan seven thirty CBS Sports Network Live
at the Xcell Energy Center. The Champion Tip game would
be the following night at seven thirty. If North Dakota
can get the victory, we should wrap up. Really with
both men's and women's hoops teams wrapped up in the
sum League. Both won a game in the quarterfinals, some
(29:10):
pretty impressive performances against good seams in the quarters, and
then just came up short in the semis. Just your
thoughts on hoops as they now wrap up their seasons.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yeah, they both had somewhat of a similar year, you know,
record wise, not what we were looking for. On the
overall side, I thought we played some of our best
basketball down in Suit Falls, you know, just not as
consistent I think as the coaches would have wanted all
year long. And I think we had our ceiling was
(29:40):
pretty good, but unfortunately the gap between our ceiling and
the floor was too wide. And so, you know, so
here we are in roster construction season, Yes we are.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yes, It's it's amazing to see names jumping in or
rumors of names to go into the portal. So but
we won't us those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Now, the portal giveth, the portal taketh.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
The portal take it. That's that's how it goes. So.
But on the women's side zero Seniors again got to
retain the crew of course and build some new pieces
in but opportunity there to build on what was it? It
ended up being a pretty good season. They went for
the last seven the close things out and then for
them obviously special shout out to Trace and Eagle staff
who said fifty one points set a Summer League Championship
record in the quarter finals. That's pretty good. So some
(30:25):
some cool moments for our fans who came down to
sut Falls to enjoy that. Over those those two days
in March. Some other performances to wrap up from previous weeks.
Indoor track and field, we got two All Americans.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Amazing, amazed.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Enna Curry finishes tenth in the way through. It's another
All American honor for her. Jaden Keeler finishes tenth in
the five k. Only three Summit League athletes male or
female made it to indoor national Championships in Virginia. Beach
like it is. It is hard like. It's a lot
harder to do than outdoor, and we had two young
ladies do it and they placed top ten in the country.
(30:57):
Kudos to both of them. Outstanding job.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
That's it. Congratulations, I don't know what else to be said.
You described it very very well, but that's that's just
really really impressive. And now we're just right into outdoors, Alex,
we go indoor to outdoor.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
It was even like crossover. I think there was an outdoor.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I think, yes, we didn't even start right zero break.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
You just lost right into the next thing, So be
on the lookout for that. But again, great job to
Jade and Kella, who both were MVPs of the indoor
Track and Field Championships in the Summer League, making a
difference on the national stage. Softball just continues to roll now.
Fifteen and fourteen, pretty good week in Tennessee. They beat
a couple of teams I think four and two over
(31:41):
the course of like two kind of mini little invitationals.
Mikaela Carr was a single league Pitcher of the Week.
Now for the second time during non conference. And now
the non conference is done. You've made them through sort
of the quote unquote grinds of going all across the
country and now they're going to be hanging out in
the Midwest from here on out. A couple of games
at South Dakota this weekends, than at Omaha and then
(32:02):
home to start April. It's it's incredible that they're at
this point and they're above five hundred.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah, it's a crazy sport, right if you're the northernmost
Division one program in the country, which let's lean right
into that. So that's what we are. You play twenty
nine games and you know our next one, we play
at home, will be our first one.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
It's just really impressive that they've been able to do
what they've done. Some really high profile and pretty good stuff.
Incredible consistency for Jordan Stevens in company. So best of
luck to that group as they turn the page into
some league action. You mentioned tennis. Also, the men have
won ten in a row. That times a program record
for the longest win streak. They're thirteen and three overall,
two and zero in the conference. Very similar story for
(32:46):
the women, twelve and four overall, two and one in
the league. Some league play now will really begin in
full ye and all of these Obviously, all these duels
matter so much because you don't get very many of them,
and only the top four move on to the championships,
which are coming up next month. But both of those
programs have been fantastic again this season.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yeah, Tom Boyson and Kyle Anderson doing a great job
with our teams, and uh yeah it was awesome. We
uh we went down to Florida over spring break. Both
teams went and had a really successful spring break and
uh yeah it's just really really good to see. But uh,
you know, and started the Summit League. Well, so top
(33:24):
four teams make the uh the tournament and in the
Summit so you know, it's tough. I mean, you got
you got to win. I mean if you don't, you
don't get them back. There's no there's no round robin,
so you just, uh, it's one and done against these teams.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, it's crazy that there are just on the men's side,
three conference duels left. That's same story for the women
and then championships of the eighteenth and nineteen of April
and don it's.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Just like soccer, Alex, you know what I mean, where
where where your your conference match matches are are are twofers? Yeah,
it's it's it really is. It's it's you know, you
just get someone at home, but you're not going back
to their place, so you can't ever even it out.
So really it's a two for one.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yeah, so big matches coming up. I love that Tom,
by the way said, So they played those matches in
Orlando outdoors. I mean not like an extreme heat, but
it's eighty degrees and humid and like different, and they
turned around. It was like a day of travel and
then one day of practice and they were launching right
back into a big duel at choice. And for both
of those programs to do so well in that turnaround,
I think Tom was very impressive, like, we've really challenged
(34:28):
ourselves with this schedule, and you don't know what you
can do unless you really push yourself. We found out
a little bit what we're made of. So they got
a great shot to do something special here coming up
over the next couple of weeks. So keep posted on that.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
It's exciting.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
And then just to wrap up from a U and
D perspective, football spring practice is just we're just getting
little nuggets of what's going to happen and how things
are going to get going. What's the update from Eric
Schmidt's first go at springball?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Yeah, good question, And what Eric wanted to do was
actually push it after spring break. So we had a
lot in previous years prior to spring break, and each
coach does its own thing. But I think the way
when Eric got here, he wanted as much time as
possible in the weight room and to get to know
(35:12):
the guys and so so I think that has really
helped over the last several months. And that's kind of
the reason why you're seeing kind of the late practices
and exciting starting on Thursday. So we're excited for that,
and I know there's a lot of energy and they've
had a good off season or I should say, you know,
(35:33):
kind of winter lifting timeframe. So yeah, we're rolling fifteen
spring practices, Alex and let's go.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, well that ends with the spring game. By the way,
there's a little bit of a different third and we
haven't gotten the official word. More of a scrimmage type thing,
is that.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Yeah, I think it'll be more like a spring rap
like we've done before. But you know, I think he
was still trying to work that out as to what
he wants to do, and sometimes it really depends upon
the hell your squad too.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Yeah, so we'll best of elected them is they get
rolling here coming up in just a couple of days.
Super quick flip to the B side, just very quick
little flipick clip. I wanted to just get your thoughts
on March badness briefly, just from a somewhat league perspective.
We have Omaha as a fifteen seed on the men's side,
South Dakota State is a ten. She felt a little
low on the women's side for a team that in
the last three games all season. Just your thoughts on
(36:24):
the greater feel of what March madness is. And from
a mid major perspective, do you feel like that those
schools are getting enough enough love for lack of a
better turn?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Yeah, good question. I spent you know, a lot of
time over the weekend when I was in Baxter, you know,
talking to the Omaha folks, and they truly did feel
like the fifteen line was gonna be the what's going
to happen? And so I think that was fair. And
then it's just a matter what two you get, and
you know, they got a pretty good two that play.
(37:00):
Let's just say they play up and down, so we'll
take care of the ball. And so that would be
my recommendation as a guy from Connecticut who's watched them
play Saint John's a couple times this year. They do
like to turn you over that's for sure. Now the women,
I was really surprised. I don't I haven't read much.
(37:22):
I've got my own stuff to worry about here. So
but at the end of the day, I was shocked.
I'll be honest with you. I thought I thought they'd
be a seven, a seven or an eight, and then
all of a sudden, so kind of they're a seven
because there were ten. Sort of, It's one way to
look at it, class half full. But it felt felt
(37:43):
a little interesting to me because the Rabbits had some
big wins too.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, they had a couple against top twenty five teams.
There there was some you know, pushback because they lost
to Texas by so much. That seemed to be the
thing of like, well you got beat by.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Forty by Actually we're going to one game.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
It's weird. Even though they lost to do Kuza two
seed by five. There were just some things that seemed
a little bit off. It wasn't even so much about
this South Dakota State scene, but just like the thoughts
of if the committee looks at this team in this
resume and they're like, yeah, ten, I mean, what does
that mean for anybody else? Who else has a chance,
Like from a mid major perspective to even get up
(38:22):
into like a more of a decency to six or
a seven, like, it's just it just seems like the
deck is so stacked against you, even when you got
and schedule great teams and have good results where it's
almost like, yeah, we'll take this team that was like
seventh or eighth in the ACC and they'll be like
a five seed and they would.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Have had a better chance in some ways. I probably
to get tripped up in the conference just because you've
played them before and things can happen in conference play.
But holy cow, if you're gonna get beat up for
losing to Texas, and imagine if they had lost a
game in the Summit League, I mean that, I mean,
holy cown, they might have kicked him on to the tournament.
(39:02):
Oklahoma State's gonna find out that they're pretty good.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
Yeah, well they I mean Jace Hoyt is their coach
who was at Kansas City for a long time, so
Jacey's very well aware of what South Dakota State is
all about. But if they win that game, they get
Yukon in stores Connecticut, So tough round to thirty two
there against Gino and page backers in company. But we
will see if they can fly the flag for the conference.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
And we'll see. We'll say, you know what, go play,
go play the cowgirls. There you go, and then just
see what happens start there.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, I love that. So that's underway. And then last thing,
I don't really want to talk about the carabout cup finals.
So and the Spurs lost to Fulham at the weekends,
although you did have a nice win in the Europa League.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
So yeah, we we're just using the Premier League at
this point as nice training opportunities at this stage of
the game, getting ready for Europa. And yeah, it seems
like you got it. Almost felt like we were driving
back and I was watching some of it as Eric
was driving, and it felt like Newcastle was on the
(40:03):
front foot that day.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Whole game. There was never there were like the opening
exchanges of kind of even back and forth, but even
Newcastle had the better of those, and certainly after the
goal was scored, like there was no response. I think
it just I don't know if it is just the
exhaustion of the season. So the defeat on Tuesday at
(40:26):
Anfield's PSG that knocked him out of the Champions league.
I think really there was a hangover from that. Certainly,
they just they've put a lot of miles on the
odometer and there's not been as much rotation perhaps in
recent weeks as there should have been, knowing that the
league is kind of locked up. Like he played, Slot
played basically the same starting eleven against Southampton at the
weekend before the PSG game. Southampton, if you have not
(40:48):
been tracking, is very much in last place in the
table and is one of them.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
I don't think the recently. The last time they scored
was against Tottenham.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
They are one of the worst teams in Premier League
history in terms of goal difference in points right now,
but we still throughout all the big guns in that game.
They didn't play the full ninety minutes. But I think
that's the part now that I think people are starting
to wonder, like, eh, did we maybe just push this
a little bit too hard? And should we be surprised
that we've kind of run out of steam at this
(41:18):
point in the season. So they'll win the league, but
it's too bad. That's so you will have.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
You'll win the prem but no other, no other.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Because they lost they lost now in all of the Cup.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Competition, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, so yeah, well
Newcastle hadn't won a trophy since sixty nine.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Seventy years Bill, but almost seventy years.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
It's great. I know they I gotta believe they're still
celebrating in Newcastle right now. It was kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
It was really cool. I mean to see their generation.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
There was generations there, generations.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Guys were weeping like grown grown then with like big
tattoo sleeves, are just sob after the second goal, like
they haven't even won yet, like there's still a half
hour away. We're just it got a little diic when
Liverpool scored. There were multiple times where I'm like I
should just shut this off, maybe go do something else,
like no, no, we're gonna stay till the ends because
(42:15):
you never know. And then Federicko Ki the scores game on,
game on, they got four minutes left, and but yes,
credit to Newcastle. You like to see a team that
has not won in so long earn some silverware, so
all credit to them. We'll see if Spurs can do
the same.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
And what's really exciting right now, we're back to an
international break. Perfect we'll end the pot on that.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
I think so I think so. Oh well, good stuff well,
big thanks to Michael Weisman for joining us today on
one of his busiest weeks of the year. Get out
to Saint Paul. Everybody enjoyed this weekend. Go cheer on
North Dakota and enjoy some great hockey. Bill, have fun
into Twin Cities. We'll see you there.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
We'll see you there.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Elex excellent, good deal. He's Bill Shaves. I'm Alex Seyder.
Big thanks to Paul and Alec on the back end.
Thank you for listening. Enjoy a big week of you
and the athletics. We'll talk to you any other stuff.
You're listening to the Bill Shaves Podcast presented by Mid
Coast Sports. Yes, the winter's yest is winding down, but
midc means you care about doesn't stop with the coming
of spring. Keep up with all things you and be
hockey with you. Episodes of Through These Doors, get updates
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coast social media channels, and watch live you and these
softball and track and field and tennis all on Mid
(00:21):
Coast Sports Plus. This is how we do spring, and
this is the Bill Shapes Podcast. Welcome to another edition
of the Bill Shaves Podcast. We are taping this on
a Tuesday morning, the eighteenth of March. Bill Shaves. Of
course Alex Hener a special guest that we're going to
introduce shortly. Bill Howard things the day after Saint Patrick's
(00:43):
Day in your world.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Everything is excellent, Alex. We are You're right. Spring has
kind of sprung for us, right, We're going to talk
about that in the podcast. It seems like all of
our teams are really going and maybe heading towards uh
Summit lea play at least in softball, so tennis has
already gotten going. So exciting times for sure, but we
(01:07):
also have another winter team that's still playing.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yes we do, Yes you and the Hockey able to
extend their season with a quarterfinal sweep on the road
at Omaha last weekend. They're off to Saint Paul this
weekend for the Frozen face off. Another guy that's off
to Saint Paul joins us now on the podcast. Too.
Better to talk about what they've dubbed the Last Call
in Saint Paul than NCCHC Associate Commissioner Michael Weisman. He's
(01:31):
a repeat guest on this podcast. He's a voice that
you know well. Mike. Thanks for being with us on
such a busy week for you.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Absolutely, guys, thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
Appreciate you having me on the podcast or He is
a pleasure to talk hockey with you guys in NCCHC
and we're looking forward to an exciting final Last Call
in Saint Paul.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Yeah, So where does today find you? Michael? Where are
you right now and when are you heading to the
State of Hockey?
Speaker 4 (01:57):
Currently, I am at my home in Colorado Springs. After
this podcast, I will head into the office to do
some more work and finish printing off various things and
approving things and getting things off to the printer, all
that fun stuff, and then I fly up to Saint Paul,
myself and Sam Keiney, our digital content coordinator. The two
of us will fly up to Saint Paul tonight from
(02:17):
Denver get in late tonight and then Heather Wims, our commissioner,
will pick us up and we'll be full steam ahead
starting tomorrow morning.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
This is the biggest lift that the league has over
the course of the season to invite four different teams
to this neutral site and NHL venue. You're sharing it
with the Wild this week, we have a couple of
games that you're kind of working around. There's just so
many logistics that come with this along with all the
fan experiences. What is this week like for you? How
do you pull all this off year in year out
(02:45):
to make this work?
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah, it's definitely a lot of work. I don't know
fans know. There's only three full time staff members at
the NCCHC, plus our Director Officiating Mike Schmidt, so if
you count him, we have four staffers. So not a
lot of people doing a lot of different things, as
you may should. We have the actual games themselves, logistics
of that make sure teams have what they need. But
then we do have a lot of fan events surrounding
(03:07):
at FanFest, our awards celebration on the eve of the
Frozen face off. A lot of my time and Sam's
time goes into that making sure all the awards are prepared.
We do a program, we have videos, Alex as you know,
you're one of the MC's of it. So it's a
very nice event that we've had, you know, well, pretty much.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Since the beginning.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
It's moved locations a couple of times. But yeah, there's
a lot of things that go into it. You know,
some of the things I'm in charge of, I'm more
the media side of things, so handling credentials, media requests,
setting up interviews, running press conferences. We'll be doing some
media sessions with the coaches and a student athlete of
the four participating teams later today, so I'll be hosting those.
(03:46):
Perhaps I'll see on one of those Alex and and
just all sorts stuff. Well, press conferences on Thursday after
each practice and then obviously the games Friday and Saturday.
So yeah, as you said, a lot of logistics, lots
of different aspects hotel, travel, food, all things that maybe
people don't necessarily think about, but all things that someone
(04:06):
has to do and get organized. As as you said,
four different teams from different locations all come to one place.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So Michael Alex alluded to it. And each each week
during Championship Week is a little different depending on what
the wild schedule is. How wild does it get when
when they're here in this time they've got two games?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Love a good pun there, Bill.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Tes, Yeah, I'll be here all week, Michael good Levity.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
No, it's a really good question, and it definitely complicates
things quite a bit, to be honest. The I think
this is our sixth frozen face off at Excel Energy Center,
and I think about half the time they've had a
wild game on the Wednesday night leading into our tournament.
This week, in particular, it's a nationally televised game, and
I don't think it starts till about eight fifty local time,
(05:00):
which makes it a very late night. So the biggest
thing that that complicates it really affects the equipment managers
probably the most. Normally, if there's no wild game on Wednesday,
whenever teams arrive Wednesday afternoon Wednesday evening, the teams, you know,
they bring their busts of players and their truck with equipment,
and they unload everything they can, get their locker rooms
all set up, set up all their equipment. Unfortunately, when
(05:22):
there's a Wild game on the Wednesday, they cannot do
that naturally because the Wild and the visiting team are
using the locker rooms in the hallway space and all that,
and they're pretty strict about that. So what will happen
tomorrow is as teams arrive, is we'll have a kind
of a storage area in the loading dock, and teams
will be able to just kind of drop off their
equipment and then leave. I'm not even sure that players
(05:42):
and teams will come because there's not really anything they
can do. And then I believe it's starting around two
or three am Thursday morning, once the visiting team has
moved out and the Wild has moved out and they've
cleaned up, you know, the locker room hallway equipment managers
and their staffs have the fun task of going in
and setting up the locker rooms super early.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
In the morning.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
We're really late, depending on how you look at it.
And I don't think fans realize how tough it is
on equipped managers. They're usually the first ones there, the
last one's out, and they have to deal with with
these types of things where you can't get in until
three in the morning, and guess what, teams have practice
starting at ten am Thursday, so you better have the
locker room set up and ready to go. So full
credit to those guys, and yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
It is a bit a bit of a workaround.
Speaker 4 (06:26):
The one other thing that having a wild game, more
so on Saturday than than Wednesday, is it does limit
us in terms of branding a little bit. Putting our
logos in the ice, things like that. We will have
the frozen face off word mark in the ice for
practices Thursday and games semifinal games Friday, but with the
wild game Saturday, they're going to take it out and
(06:46):
then obviously won't have time to put it back in
for the championship. So for those that were at the
Target Center, and even I think the first year or
two at Excel Energy Center, we had the ad the
big NCHG logo at Center Ice, which was awesome, but
unfortunately with the wild that that was another thing that
we just couldn't do anymore. So there are definitely some
additional logistics and challenges with Wild games going on when
(07:08):
we're there.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It's got balance, right. It's awesome that fans who are
coming now have this opportunity to go see if they
want to, to outstanding college hockey semi finals on a Friday,
the Wild play with the Sabers at one o'clock on Saturday.
Like you can get four great hockey games over the
course of a weekend. But it does, as you said,
complicate things a little bit. And I know that's not
(07:30):
the that's not the sole reason or even like one
of the top probably five or six or seven reasons
why you're changing formats in the future, but things will
be a little bit different next year. Could you talk
a little bit through maybe again, I know we've discussed
this before, but just the conference's view on why this
is the last call in Saint Paul, why you are
going to go to home sites beginning in twenty twenty
six throughout the postseason.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Yeah, good question, Alex.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
And you know, for those that don't know, like you said,
this will be our last neutral site championship beginning in
twenty twenty six, our entire postseason tournament will all campus sites.
The first round will still be the same as it's
always been with the top four seeds hosting the bottom
four seeds in quarterfinals, but unlike how we've had it
past years, and this year, it'll be a three week tournament,
So the four quarter final winners will advance to two
(08:14):
semi finals at the two highest remaining seeds in two
different locations, play those on Saturday nights, and then the
two winners advanced to the championship game the following week
at the highest remaining seeds. So basically the highest seeds
are continuously hosting and it's not all in one place.
It changes locations week to week, so quite a bit
different format, but we're very excited about it. We think
(08:37):
the atmosphere and the energy that fans will bring will
be great. Obviously, crowds during the regular season are awesome.
We've seen it in some other conferences. I know the
CCCHA has had a lot of success with their on
campus tournament and packing buildings and really making it a
raucous atmosphere, and so we're excited about that. That was,
you know, one of the reasons. You know, we've loved
(08:57):
being at Accelery Center in Saint Paul, and there's a
lot of history even before us with the WCCHA Final
five and packing that building. And you know, I don't
want to say it hasn't maybe worked out as we hoped,
but you know, I think everyone admit we're not packing
the building like the WCCHA Final five was, And so
maybe there's some of that thought too, that you know,
let's pack the building while we can. We've got our
(09:18):
own beautiful buildings. Obviously North Dakota has a beautiful building,
but so do many of our teams in the NCCHC.
And we think if we put you know, semi finals
and championships in that type of atmosphere to really fill
the place and make it exciting. And the one other
thing that I think the coaches kind of liked is
right now, four teams have to travel to neutral location
(09:38):
and then if you win, you're probably not getting home
till Sunday. And now with NCAA tournament games starting on Thursday,
that can make for very quick turnaround. Denver knows this
probably better than anyone last year, having won our tournament,
flies home Sunday, has to leave Tuesday to fly across
country to go out east. Ultimately, it seemed to work
out okay for them but it.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Didn't hurt us too much in the long run.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Yeah, but yes, it doesn't seem like an ideal situation.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
And naturally you're not giving yourself potentially the best chance
because you so much traveling in such a short time span.
And what this will allow to do is really that
last weekend, what would be our frozen face off weekend,
only one team will now be traveling. Only two teams
are left playing, one team is hosting it, so only
one team is traveling that that weekend. There was some
(10:25):
talk and I'm not sure we've made a final decision
on this, and Bill maybe you would know, but of
moving that championship game to even Friday to just allow
one more extra day before the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
I believe the CCHA does that currently They're.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
The only one I think so, just it provides a
little more rest heading into the NCAA tournament rather than
kind of four teams and likely four teams not necessarily
this year, but in most years that are heading to
the NCAA Tournament having to travel to Saint Paul, back
to their place, and then travel again to wherever the
regional is. So though those are kind of the sum
(10:58):
of the reasons. I think that we felt like it. Bill,
you were in those discussions. If there's anything I'm missing.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
No, No, you've said it correctly. And I think you
know we're going to see this weekend the big ten
Atlantic Hockey. They'll have their finals at CCHA will have
their finals, so similar formats. I think that that's what
folks can look at for next year. That'll just provide
just a different level of the logistical issues I think
(11:26):
for the conference, right, I mean, you're just going to
be spinning multiple plates literally across multiple time zones.
Speaker 4 (11:34):
Yeah, it'll be interesting. I think potentially it'll be maybe
a slightly less work for me. But I don't know
that there's just a little less planning you can do
because you don't know, like right now we plan all
these fan events and the awards celebration, and like the
awards celebrations probably going away or at least as we
know it, some of the fan events, so some of
the ancillary stuff and some of that planning that we
(11:55):
can do now selling tickets months in advance, we just
won't really be able to do as much of that
as far in advance. So yes, I think like the
two or so weeks heading into it could be kind
of crazy, but there might not be might have been
able to plan as much heading into it. And one
other thing kind of I think why we also released
the coaches like the campus sites is a lot of
(12:15):
our coaches are big proponents of taking nca regionals back
to campus sites, and so I think some of that
too is if we're going to make a hard push
to maybe try and get the nca to ever change
that to campus site regionals, we should probably have our
own tournament on campus sites as well.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Yeah, no, that makes sense. The last one for me, Michael,
you you mentioned in most years, usually three or four
of the teams that are in the frozen face stuff
already know they're going to play in the NCAA's the
next week. You know, this year, it's a little more
unique where two teams are in, two teams are not,
so you've got these really high stakes games coming up
on Friday. Obviously, that isn't what the NCAC would like,
(12:52):
like it'd be awesome to have, you know, five teams
firmly in the top fourteen of the pairwise, but it
will make for a really exciting couple of days. Potentially,
It's a be a bid Steeler perhaps for the first
time in league history. Just a zoom, not really quick.
We know why the ncchcs in this spot. You had
a lot of really good teams that were really banged
up early in the season and the non conference just
(13:12):
didn't go your way. What were the ncchc's thoughts and
how this season played out as a whole and where
the league is right now in the greater landscape of
college hockey.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, good question.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Yeah, as you said, you know the pair wise and
then how teams get into the NCAA tournament, which is
the pairwise. A lot of that depends on your non
conference success. As a lot of people say, and I
like to say, you know, everyone goes five hundred in
conference play, right, No one's getting better or worse. Everyone's
going five hundred. As a league, you're going five hundred.
So it's really tough to move up and down. Certainly,
you know, if a team runs like the table, they're
(13:41):
going to move up a little bit, But in general,
it's tough to move up up too much within your conference.
So it really does come down to winning those non
conference games. And yeah, for whatever reason that the algorithms
and the formula, and the pairwise didn't seem to like.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
What the NCHD did.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
I think we did win some decent non conference games,
but I think some of them came in over time,
and so we didn't maybe get the full credit. You know,
Omaha has wins over Minnesota, but it came in overtime,
and there's so I think there's some other ones like
that where there look like big wins on paper, but
the fact that they came in overtime maybe in the
pairwise it doesn't matter quite as much. And so I
(14:16):
think there was maybe some of that where it looks
like we had some better means on paper because they're wins,
but the pairwise doesn't count them as.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
Big wins as we do.
Speaker 4 (14:25):
So you know, as you said that that obviously affects
how many teams get into the NCAA tournament. That's something
that from a league office, we unfortunately can't really control
too much. So you know, there's not a whole lot
we can do about it. Obviously, we cheer for our
teams in the non conference and want them to have success,
but you know this, if we only get two, this
would be the first time in our history that we've
only had two. We've had three i think four other times,
(14:48):
including our first year, so that that wouldn't be totally
unheard of. But in terms of the greater landscape, we
feel like we're really strongly positioned. Obviously, we added Arizona
State this year. They have a great success second place finish,
won their first playoff series, made their Frozen face off
in their first year, so they've seem to have been
(15:08):
a great addition their Mullet, their fans at Mullet had been,
you know, rocking that place. We had a couple of
CDs Sports Network games there as you know Alex and
those those were great on TV and great atmospheres, and
so we think they've been a great addition. And then
with Saint Thomas coming in in two years, personally, I'll
be excited to get back to an even ten teams.
I think that makes things a little bit nicer from
(15:29):
a scheduling standpoint. We don't have teams on buys on
the final weekend of the regular season, things like that.
So we're excited to have Saint Thomas coming in. Obviously,
they are in the CCHA Final, so they're they're headed
in the right direction, good trajectory, unfortunately not eligible for
the NCAA tournament this year, but by the time they
join our league in the NCACH they will be eligible.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
And I'll give us ten.
Speaker 4 (15:49):
Teams, and I know their building is coming along nicely,
so we feel like we're in good shape. I know, Heather,
our commissioner, has really been at the forefront of conversations
with the NCAA and making sure that hockey is being
kind of thought of and taking care of, because college
hockey in particular is so unique in the fact that
we have D one, D two, and D three full
(16:11):
time members playing Division one college hockey within our conference
alone and other conferences. And so I think when the
NCAA is looking at all these new rules in terms
of nil and you know, paying players or whatever they're
calling it these days, distributions, they don't really think of
(16:32):
college hockey because they're really looking at the college football
in the college basketball model, which is that Division one model,
and it clean break from Division two Division three. So
I think there's a lot of questions. I know, Bill,
you had some questions about how how does this stay
level across Division two and Division three, you know, when
when most of these rules apply to Division one schools,
(16:52):
and so I think how there's done a really good
job of staying on the NCAA making sure they're aware that, hey, we.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
We still exist too. You know, you need to make
sure your.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
Rules apply to hockey as well, and not to forget
about us, and and even looking at you know what,
what is the future of college hockey and how can
we position ourselves to better, whether it's obviously HL players
being eligible, ni L being a big deal now just
all these new things that are coming in. How can
how can we make sure the NCHC on college hockey
(17:22):
as a whole is in a good space, in a
safe space. And I know Heather has meetings with other
commissioners UH to talk about those things. You know, we've
talked a little bit with Hockey East about trying to
figure out some sort of scheduling partnership going back to
the paralyzed to try and kind of bolster that. A
lot of our teams already play them, but you know,
if we kind of have it on a set weekend,
(17:42):
you can do maybe a challenge or something a little
more exciting that would kind of guarantee some of those
higher level UH non conference games. Obviously, have you have
to win them, but but it would, but it would
help with that. So, as I said, we feel feel
good about where things are. Even if this year, you know,
by maybe fansies wasn't quite as good as we've had
in years past, in the long run, we feel like
we're still positioned very well. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Well, it's the track record speaks for itself. Again. It's
been the best conference in college hockey really since the
puck dropped, and you've been there since the beginning, Michael,
So twelve years is hard to be part of this
league roughly half of that time as associate commissioner. We
were joking pre pod Mike wasn't even sure when that
promotion happened sometime right around the POD. But you've did
a phenomenal job again helping steering the ship for this group,
(18:26):
and we're certainly excited for this week. This is always
such a special week on the sports calendar. Fans are
really going to enjoy these great matchups North Dakota, Western Michigan,
Arizona State, Denver and then a champion to be crowned
on Saturday. Best of luck to you and the team, Michael,
as you make it all happen for the last call
in Saint Paul.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Thanks Alista, Well, thanks guys.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
Certainly a little bit bittersweet having been from the first
one at Target Center all the way to the last
call in Saint Paul. But yeah, we have a lot
of fun things planned for fans and some things to
kind of remember the history of championships in the Twin Cities.
So we hope fans will come out and like you said,
should be some great games.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
I'm sure it would be just as exciting is the
final goodis in Darby.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yes, yes, we'll see in a few days. Michael.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
All right, safe travels. Thanks guys.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
Great to have Michael Weisman on, especially this time of year.
I mean, this is just high point in the season
building up towards this great tournament weekends that's coming up.
Like it's such a special thing, and I'm glad he
could kind of share again where the NCC is coming
from and the pros and cons in the transition. Not
an easy decision, not one that they took lightly to
move it away from Saint Paul, but there are good
(19:30):
reasons why they're doing it and why this will be
the last one.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
Yeah, you know, I was in a lot of those conversations,
and I think every time, you know, every every situation
maybe has a chapter that concludes. And I think it
was a good move for us at this moment. It
doesn't mean that we wouldn't think about going back and
doing something later on, but maybe taking a little bit
(19:56):
of a break, so to speak, or trying something else
was a good thought. And you know, I think we
saw proof of concept with some of these other conferences,
and it seems like, you know, they they've they've had
really good environments and that's exciting, and it's really going
to be kind of exciting for schools that have you know,
(20:18):
really good years and they get the opportunity to host
really meaningful games and so you know, but this weekend
it'll be great too. I mean, so you know, either way,
you couldn't really lose. It was sort of a win
win decision, but we just felt like it was the
right thing at the right time.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I've always said, so this will be my gosh,
I don't know how many Frozen Faced offs I've been to.
Have been my fourth one where I'm covering it, you
know for CBS and calling the games. I think it's
the greatest event until almost you get to like the
championship depending on what the matchup is. And on Thursday,
you've got all the teams there and you have practice
and you've got this opportunity to see like it feel.
(20:58):
It feels like an NCAA tournament, right, You've got one
team going on after another. There's great atmosphere, Fans are
there to watch practice, kids are getting pucks. It just
feels big time. And Friday semi final has that same feel.
Four teams in it, so many possibilities. The crowds are
usually pretty full, and then depending on who makes it
to Saturday, there's almost like this little letdown and it
should crescendo, like you should, you should keep building toward
(21:21):
the championship. But if certain teams don't make it, and
you've got teams that maybe don't travel as well from
a fan base perspective, the crowds are still there, but
now they are more spectators. They're not fans, you're just
you're I'm a hockey fan. I'm watching the game. I'm
not living and dying with every puck moving up and
down the ice. And I think that's how I felt
(21:42):
almost the last three years, Like you get to that
point that should be the best.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
It's inverted. It is a little bit yeah, weirdly, and
it's all relative to in sometimes you know what teams
make it to the finals. But I think you get
yourself protected by the fact that whomever is going to
get that last game, that community is going to be
(22:09):
really excited.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Yeah, it doesn't matter where it's at, whether it's in
from Oxford to Tenpe, from the grandporkst.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
Eventually ten to ten. When saying Thomas comes in, if
anyone has it, it's that building, people will be off
to chandeliers.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
Yeah, if you've watched any of the CCHA or Big
Ten championship games that they've hosted the last couple of years,
whether that's been at Mankato or at Mariucci or wherever,
like it's the it's the craziest atmospheres because it is
it is like it is you're hosting a championship opportunity.
That's the kind of student atholet experience that you want
(22:42):
to give these kids. And again, it is amazing to
be in an NHL venue and to go through the
wild locker room and to see everything in the State
of Hockey's grandest facility and be a part of that,
but then the puck drops and it's just not quite
the same when you've got you know, half the building's
half full, which is still tenthout people. It's just different
when you're living it.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
As we've seen, it's almost alex like for those of
you that are not really familiar with college hockey. You know,
the reality of it is, it feels a little bit
like baseball stadiums. Each each venue is its own and
it's it's awesome in its own way. It's it's almost
(23:25):
like grounds over in England, right, I mean it just
they all have their uniqueness and they all have a
different vibe to them, and that vibe will be on fire,
like when they're hosting a championship game.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
That'll be fun, be exciting. But this weekend'll be awesome too,
Like The X does a great job, Saint Paul does
a great job. Visit Saint Paul does a great job.
So you know their games will be on CBS. Of
course you'll be calling the games with Dave and Sharen,
so that'll be fun. So at the end, you know,
you couldn't lose either way. But you know, I think
trying something new might add a little freshness to it.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah, I think so too. Yeah, honestly too. I think
because this is the last one, I think there will
be a little more of a swell of excitement. So
I think there will be I think I think knowing
this is going to go away, I know I'll feel that,
I know, just wandering through and doing the routines and
kind of knowing, yeah, we're not going to do this again.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Yeah a while, Yeah, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
They'll I think fans will come out, maybe a little
bit more than we've seen, and I think we'll go
out in a high note this weekend. North Dakota, as
we turned the page, would love to go out on
a high note this weekend because that would mean their
season would can see sure with Margo at the NCAA
Regional fantastic couple of games down in Omaha now be
winning three two both nights to book their spot in
Saint Paul. Two very different games in some sense Saturday,
(24:49):
they had to come from behind down by two in
the third period, but some certainly common threads. Great goaltending throughout,
and just that will and that ability just to make
something happen when it needed to. That was evident on
both nights.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Yeah, to two really consistent themes. I think alex one
was TJ's playing at a really high level right now
and goal that that helps in our penalty kill has
gotten I think has has been as good as it's
been all year, and so that gives you a little
bit of a chance. And you're right, I mean two
(25:23):
off like different games all ending the way it always
ends in a one goal game feels that way, doesn't.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
It feels that way? Yeah, playoffs, right, It just it
was It was cool to see the fact that North
Dakota was able to get the job done Saturday when
it looked like they were not. It was like, well,
we're going to probably go three. I think a lot
of people had that expectation going in based on what
had happened the week before. I get too evenly match teams.
It's the playoffs. Hard to end someone's season. We're probably
going to Sunday and and then and then we weren't.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, and we know that Simon le Cozy was the
first team goal for the NCHC. He didn't look like
he was going to be solved that night. He just
had it, just had that feel. But then one one
went in all of a sudden, Boy, it felt like
the momentum changed just a little bit.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
The second one went in twenty nine seconds later, and
it's tied in a different game. I love that there
were just guys who stepped up that we've not seen
step up in that way over the course of the season.
Kate Littler with three goals on the weekend, including the
game tying goal on Saturday. Jaden Jubenville, who's a freshman defenseman,
kind of a stay at home, unheralded guy that you
don't really notice because he does all the little things.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Man jumped into the play.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Huh, even when Dylan Simpson was telling him not to,
he went forward because he told he talked about it
after the game. His instinct just took over. I saw yep,
I got to go, and Sasha Wavera finds him and
he scores with ninety six seconds left and boom, you're
off to the frozen face off.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
Yeah, what was neat about that? Is? Who? You know? Yeah,
if it doesn't go in, who knows he's jumped into
the play. Who knows? Maybe they have an odd man
rushed the other way. Maybe, But what was the time
left Alex in the game when he scored.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, minute and a half. I mean it was, yeah,
one thirty six.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Eventually, you're gonna have to make a play, right, whether
it was whether it was then or they cleaned the
ice and you're playing overtime.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Yeah, the fact that you Andi did not have to
do that. We'll see if that pays dividends. They'll play
a Western Michigan team now that also won in two games,
also by identical store alines Night one, Night two. North
Dakota played Western four times this season. Two of them
went to overtime, North Dakota one to one in Kalamazoo.
Maybe you should have had a better fate on Friday
Night out at Kalamazoo. We've discussed all this Western is
(27:40):
though they have proven there the best team in the
league over the course of the regular season. Fifty seven
points is a big that's a big haul. Like they
have been incredibly consistent, They've been non conference and in conference.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
Had a good, very good year.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
They have had a very good year. It's their first
ever Penrose Cup, first ever regular season title in program
history since the nineteen seventies, So it's a big task.
It'll be at seven thirty on Friday night. But I
think in situations like this, anything is possible, and North
d Coote has obviously shown they can beat this team,
so we will see how it all goes down.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
Yeah, I think that's right. I think our guys are,
you know, feeling like they're playing their best hockey right now.
So you go down and you know, do all the cliches, right,
do all those but but yeah, I think you go
down and you feel good about where we are, and
we'll take our team. We'll take our team and we'll
(28:31):
see what happens. And you got to just worry about
Friday night at this point and then if you're ever
lucky enough and then you know, you got to win this.
You got to win this weekend prior to teams knowing
that they're going to be playing the following weekend, but
they're going to be in the same boat then. Anyways,
So here we are.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
Here we are, So here we are sets up for
a great couple of games, and that's on Friday night
you have Western Michigan seven thirty CBS Sports Network Live
at the Xcell Energy Center. The Champion Tip game would
be the following night at seven thirty. If North Dakota
can get the victory, we should wrap up. Really with
both men's and women's hoops teams wrapped up in the
sum League. Both won a game in the quarterfinals, some
(29:10):
pretty impressive performances against good seams in the quarters, and
then just came up short in the semis. Just your
thoughts on hoops as they now wrap up their seasons.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
Yeah, they both had somewhat of a similar year, you know,
record wise, not what we were looking for. On the
overall side, I thought we played some of our best
basketball down in Suit Falls, you know, just not as
consistent I think as the coaches would have wanted all
year long. And I think we had our ceiling was
(29:40):
pretty good, but unfortunately the gap between our ceiling and
the floor was too wide. And so, you know, so
here we are in roster construction season, Yes we are.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yes, It's it's amazing to see names jumping in or
rumors of names to go into the portal. So but
we won't us those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Now, the portal giveth, the portal taketh.
Speaker 1 (30:02):
The portal take it. That's that's how it goes. So.
But on the women's side zero Seniors again got to
retain the crew of course and build some new pieces
in but opportunity there to build on what was it? It
ended up being a pretty good season. They went for
the last seven the close things out and then for
them obviously special shout out to Trace and Eagle staff
who said fifty one points set a Summer League Championship
record in the quarter finals. That's pretty good. So some
(30:25):
some cool moments for our fans who came down to
sut Falls to enjoy that. Over those those two days
in March. Some other performances to wrap up from previous weeks.
Indoor track and field, we got two All Americans.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Amazing, amazed.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
Enna Curry finishes tenth in the way through. It's another
All American honor for her. Jaden Keeler finishes tenth in
the five k. Only three Summit League athletes male or
female made it to indoor national Championships in Virginia. Beach
like it is. It is hard like. It's a lot
harder to do than outdoor, and we had two young
ladies do it and they placed top ten in the country.
(30:57):
Kudos to both of them. Outstanding job.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
That's it. Congratulations, I don't know what else to be said.
You described it very very well, but that's that's just
really really impressive. And now we're just right into outdoors, Alex,
we go indoor to outdoor.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
It was even like crossover. I think there was an outdoor.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
I think, yes, we didn't even start right zero break.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
You just lost right into the next thing, So be
on the lookout for that. But again, great job to
Jade and Kella, who both were MVPs of the indoor
Track and Field Championships in the Summer League, making a
difference on the national stage. Softball just continues to roll now.
Fifteen and fourteen, pretty good week in Tennessee. They beat
a couple of teams I think four and two over
(31:41):
the course of like two kind of mini little invitationals.
Mikaela Carr was a single league Pitcher of the Week.
Now for the second time during non conference. And now
the non conference is done. You've made them through sort
of the quote unquote grinds of going all across the
country and now they're going to be hanging out in
the Midwest from here on out. A couple of games
at South Dakota this weekends, than at Omaha and then
(32:02):
home to start April. It's it's incredible that they're at
this point and they're above five hundred.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Yeah, it's a crazy sport, right if you're the northernmost
Division one program in the country, which let's lean right
into that. So that's what we are. You play twenty
nine games and you know our next one, we play
at home, will be our first one.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
It's just really impressive that they've been able to do
what they've done. Some really high profile and pretty good stuff.
Incredible consistency for Jordan Stevens in company. So best of
luck to that group as they turn the page into
some league action. You mentioned tennis. Also, the men have
won ten in a row. That times a program record
for the longest win streak. They're thirteen and three overall,
two and zero in the conference. Very similar story for
(32:46):
the women, twelve and four overall, two and one in
the league. Some league play now will really begin in
full ye and all of these Obviously, all these duels
matter so much because you don't get very many of them,
and only the top four move on to the championships,
which are coming up next month. But both of those
programs have been fantastic again this season.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Yeah, Tom Boyson and Kyle Anderson doing a great job
with our teams, and uh yeah it was awesome. We
uh we went down to Florida over spring break. Both
teams went and had a really successful spring break and
uh yeah it's just really really good to see. But uh,
you know, and started the Summit League. Well, so top
(33:24):
four teams make the uh the tournament and in the
Summit so you know, it's tough. I mean, you got
you got to win. I mean if you don't, you
don't get them back. There's no there's no round robin,
so you just, uh, it's one and done against these teams.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Yeah, it's crazy that there are just on the men's side,
three conference duels left. That's same story for the women
and then championships of the eighteenth and nineteen of April
and don it's.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
Just like soccer, Alex, you know what I mean, where
where where your your conference match matches are are are twofers? Yeah,
it's it's it really is. It's it's you know, you
just get someone at home, but you're not going back
to their place, so you can't ever even it out.
So really it's a two for one.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yeah, so big matches coming up. I love that Tom,
by the way said, So they played those matches in
Orlando outdoors. I mean not like an extreme heat, but
it's eighty degrees and humid and like different, and they
turned around. It was like a day of travel and
then one day of practice and they were launching right
back into a big duel at choice. And for both
of those programs to do so well in that turnaround,
I think Tom was very impressive, like, we've really challenged
(34:28):
ourselves with this schedule, and you don't know what you
can do unless you really push yourself. We found out
a little bit what we're made of. So they got
a great shot to do something special here coming up
over the next couple of weeks. So keep posted on that.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
It's exciting.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
And then just to wrap up from a U and
D perspective, football spring practice is just we're just getting
little nuggets of what's going to happen and how things
are going to get going. What's the update from Eric
Schmidt's first go at springball?
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Yeah, good question, And what Eric wanted to do was
actually push it after spring break. So we had a
lot in previous years prior to spring break, and each
coach does its own thing. But I think the way
when Eric got here, he wanted as much time as
possible in the weight room and to get to know
(35:12):
the guys and so so I think that has really
helped over the last several months. And that's kind of
the reason why you're seeing kind of the late practices
and exciting starting on Thursday. So we're excited for that,
and I know there's a lot of energy and they've
had a good off season or I should say, you know,
(35:33):
kind of winter lifting timeframe. So yeah, we're rolling fifteen
spring practices, Alex and let's go.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Yeah, well that ends with the spring game. By the way,
there's a little bit of a different third and we
haven't gotten the official word. More of a scrimmage type thing,
is that.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Yeah, I think it'll be more like a spring rap
like we've done before. But you know, I think he
was still trying to work that out as to what
he wants to do, and sometimes it really depends upon
the hell your squad too.
Speaker 1 (36:01):
Yeah, so we'll best of elected them is they get
rolling here coming up in just a couple of days.
Super quick flip to the B side, just very quick
little flipick clip. I wanted to just get your thoughts
on March badness briefly, just from a somewhat league perspective.
We have Omaha as a fifteen seed on the men's side,
South Dakota State is a ten. She felt a little
low on the women's side for a team that in
the last three games all season. Just your thoughts on
(36:24):
the greater feel of what March madness is. And from
a mid major perspective, do you feel like that those
schools are getting enough enough love for lack of a
better turn?
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Yeah, good question. I spent you know, a lot of
time over the weekend when I was in Baxter, you know,
talking to the Omaha folks, and they truly did feel
like the fifteen line was gonna be the what's going
to happen? And so I think that was fair. And
then it's just a matter what two you get, and
you know, they got a pretty good two that play.
(37:00):
Let's just say they play up and down, so we'll
take care of the ball. And so that would be
my recommendation as a guy from Connecticut who's watched them
play Saint John's a couple times this year. They do
like to turn you over that's for sure. Now the women,
I was really surprised. I don't I haven't read much.
(37:22):
I've got my own stuff to worry about here. So
but at the end of the day, I was shocked.
I'll be honest with you. I thought I thought they'd
be a seven, a seven or an eight, and then
all of a sudden, so kind of they're a seven
because there were ten. Sort of, It's one way to
look at it, class half full. But it felt felt
(37:43):
a little interesting to me because the Rabbits had some
big wins too.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, they had a couple against top twenty five teams.
There there was some you know, pushback because they lost
to Texas by so much. That seemed to be the
thing of like, well you got beat by.
Speaker 2 (37:58):
Forty by Actually we're going to one game.
Speaker 1 (38:01):
It's weird. Even though they lost to do Kuza two
seed by five. There were just some things that seemed
a little bit off. It wasn't even so much about
this South Dakota State scene, but just like the thoughts
of if the committee looks at this team in this
resume and they're like, yeah, ten, I mean, what does
that mean for anybody else? Who else has a chance,
Like from a mid major perspective to even get up
(38:22):
into like a more of a decency to six or
a seven, like, it's just it just seems like the
deck is so stacked against you, even when you got
and schedule great teams and have good results where it's
almost like, yeah, we'll take this team that was like
seventh or eighth in the ACC and they'll be like
a five seed and they would.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
Have had a better chance in some ways. I probably
to get tripped up in the conference just because you've
played them before and things can happen in conference play.
But holy cow, if you're gonna get beat up for
losing to Texas, and imagine if they had lost a
game in the Summit League, I mean that, I mean,
holy cown, they might have kicked him on to the tournament.
(39:02):
Oklahoma State's gonna find out that they're pretty good.
Speaker 1 (39:05):
Yeah, well they I mean Jace Hoyt is their coach
who was at Kansas City for a long time, so
Jacey's very well aware of what South Dakota State is
all about. But if they win that game, they get
Yukon in stores Connecticut, So tough round to thirty two
there against Gino and page backers in company. But we
will see if they can fly the flag for the conference.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
And we'll see. We'll say, you know what, go play,
go play the cowgirls. There you go, and then just
see what happens start there.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, I love that. So that's underway. And then last thing,
I don't really want to talk about the carabout cup finals.
So and the Spurs lost to Fulham at the weekends,
although you did have a nice win in the Europa League.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
So yeah, we we're just using the Premier League at
this point as nice training opportunities at this stage of
the game, getting ready for Europa. And yeah, it seems
like you got it. Almost felt like we were driving
back and I was watching some of it as Eric
was driving, and it felt like Newcastle was on the
(40:03):
front foot that day.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
Whole game. There was never there were like the opening
exchanges of kind of even back and forth, but even
Newcastle had the better of those, and certainly after the
goal was scored, like there was no response. I think
it just I don't know if it is just the
exhaustion of the season. So the defeat on Tuesday at
(40:26):
Anfield's PSG that knocked him out of the Champions league.
I think really there was a hangover from that. Certainly,
they just they've put a lot of miles on the
odometer and there's not been as much rotation perhaps in
recent weeks as there should have been, knowing that the
league is kind of locked up. Like he played, Slot
played basically the same starting eleven against Southampton at the
weekend before the PSG game. Southampton, if you have not
(40:48):
been tracking, is very much in last place in the
table and is one of them.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
I don't think the recently. The last time they scored
was against Tottenham.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
They are one of the worst teams in Premier League
history in terms of goal difference in points right now,
but we still throughout all the big guns in that game.
They didn't play the full ninety minutes. But I think
that's the part now that I think people are starting
to wonder, like, eh, did we maybe just push this
a little bit too hard? And should we be surprised
that we've kind of run out of steam at this
(41:18):
point in the season. So they'll win the league, but
it's too bad. That's so you will have.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
You'll win the prem but no other, no other.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
Because they lost they lost now in all of the Cup.
Speaker 2 (41:29):
Competition, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, so yeah, well
Newcastle hadn't won a trophy since sixty nine.
Speaker 1 (41:35):
Seventy years Bill, but almost seventy years.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
It's great. I know they I gotta believe they're still
celebrating in Newcastle right now. It was kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
It was really cool. I mean to see their generation.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
There was generations there, generations.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Guys were weeping like grown grown then with like big
tattoo sleeves, are just sob after the second goal, like
they haven't even won yet, like there's still a half
hour away. We're just it got a little diic when
Liverpool scored. There were multiple times where I'm like I
should just shut this off, maybe go do something else,
like no, no, we're gonna stay till the ends because
(42:15):
you never know. And then Federicko Ki the scores game on,
game on, they got four minutes left, and but yes,
credit to Newcastle. You like to see a team that
has not won in so long earn some silverware, so
all credit to them. We'll see if Spurs can do
the same.
Speaker 2 (42:29):
And what's really exciting right now, we're back to an
international break. Perfect we'll end the pot on that.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
I think so I think so. Oh well, good stuff well,
big thanks to Michael Weisman for joining us today on
one of his busiest weeks of the year. Get out
to Saint Paul. Everybody enjoyed this weekend. Go cheer on
North Dakota and enjoy some great hockey. Bill, have fun
into Twin Cities. We'll see you there.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
We'll see you there.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
Elex excellent, good deal. He's Bill Shaves. I'm Alex Seyder.
Big thanks to Paul and Alec on the back end.
Thank you for listening. Enjoy a big week of you
and the athletics. We'll talk to you any other stuff.
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