S1E6 Merry Christmas

Show Notes

Episode 6 of the Chasing MacNaughton Podcast from Tech Hockey Guide; "Merry Christmas." This week Tim Braun, Rob Gilreath, Dustin Lindstrom discuss(times are approximate):

• Preview of the GLI (1:54)
• Michigan/Michigan      State Support of GLI (11:10)
• Questions (18:50)
• GLI Predictions      (34:12)
• GLI      Question (Patreon Preview) (36:27)
• WCHA Non-Conference      Predictions (42:24)

For additional information and more episode liner notes, check out our episode overview on Tech Hockey Guide. To make sure we can afford all this fancy equipment we purchased for the podcast, please check out our patreon page and consider joining. Special thanks to our first ever group of patrons; Steve Buck, Marvin Wilson, Mark Bailey, and Alex Slepak. Patrons at our Black Level or above receive an authentic MTU jersey patch and access to extra podcast content including the unpublished “Episode 0” and extended versions of our other episodes. This week’s extended version is 95 minutes long with Shane Fredericks' comments about goaltending, the conference reshuffle, Coach Shawhan's references to religion, GLi scheduling, MTUs' ability to recruit and California's NCAA law impact on hockey. Follow us on twitter at ChasingMacPod and you can submit questions through our email address, [e-mail]. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Please rate and review which will help us reach more people, and tell your friends. Please check out Jonathan Zamaites series previews every Friday and Mike Anleitner's Old Dog in Texas column every Wednesday. Also, keep an eye out for new recruiting articles on Tuesdays. As always, special thanks to our patron saint Doc McResin for his generous donation to get this thing running, we hope you enjoy. Also, thanks to The Thank You Notes for all the bumpers in today’s episode. If you like what you hear, check them out at thethankyounotes.bandcamp.com

What is Chasing MacNaughton?

The Chasing MacNaughton Podcast is hosted by Tim Braun and various other contributors. We’ll discuss what’s happening with the Huskies, the CCHA and major stories throughout College Hockey. Typically the podcast will be a conversation of multiple topics plus interviews with former players, future players, opposing coaches, beat writers and others from around the CCHA.

If I was in Michigan student or
Michigan, alumni, I probably

wouldn't go either because I'd
be so sick of hearing the same

two songs 800 times and during a
game, but I would probably avoid

it too.
Heh cocky guide, presents the

chasing McNaughton podcast
covering the Michigan Tech

huskies and the WCHA with your
host.

Tim Brown Rob Gilreath and
Dustin Lindstrom.

Thanks again for the
introduction for Mitch Lake.

This is Tim Brown.
Your host of the chasing

McNaughton podcast.
We're going to have a brief

little show today.
Talking about the Jia Li and a

couple questions that came in
late last week.

Plus we're going to include some
of the content that got cut out

of the last two episodes and
provided only to our patrons to

give you guys a flavor of what
you're missing out.

We're going to go.
Do some.

Thank you notes.
And a brief note from our

sponsor will come back with a
preview of the Gia Lai.

How's that sound guys?
Sounds good to me.

And we're back from my little
break.

Let's preview the GLI, where
Michigan Tech starts off playing

Michigan State.
And Michigan is going to play

Ferris State.
Is that right?

Guys?
Yep.

Yeah.
That's the right order.

I think.
And I think I looked the guy

that MLive have a ranking for
the state and I thought,

Michigan Tech and Michigan State
were 12.

I forget which way and you know,
Michigan State's probably is the

second best team in this event
this year, which is kind of

weird to say, they haven't
exactly been that interesting of

a team and yet they're Sittin
want second place in the Big

Ten.
Yes, I don't know where they are

in the rankings.
And they're one above us in the

pairwise right now.
The a pairwise is pretty tight

with us right now.
I think I haven't had a chance

to really watch them.
Watch your look at the much.

But any thoughts, the I've I've
not seen a single Big Ten game

myself this year.
I haven't managed to watch any

of them.
It's been too much good.

WCHA stuff to watch even bother
with the Big Ten.

Yeah, you know all the sides met
in the package and trying to

find the games and everything.
I mean, I guess we have some of

it on there, but I think I've
had it a couple times where like

the Michigan or the the Big Ten
stuff has been like blacked out

on me, even though it says I
should be able to watch so

Michigan State.
Yeah.

They're right there.
A little bit ahead of us and

goals, scored.
Yeah, they're tied for second in

the Big Ten with Ohio State
right now at 19 points behind

Penn State.
Yeah, they're pretty much even

on goals the goal differential.
So Tech kind of has a little bit

of an advantage defensively
there.

But it's, it should be a pretty
good matchup honestly, which,

which kind of surprises me.
I guess I went into this season.

Not expecting a whole lot for
Michigan State, but they're

better than I thought it would
be.

Well, they're definitely better.
Well, the whole Big Ten, Be

backwards, right?
I mean, it's you got, you got

Michigan and Wisconsin on the
bottom.

And I remember what mission was
supposed to do this year.

But Wisconsin was supposed to
be.

This was like it's supposed to
Granado's ear to finally break

out and not be terrible with the
program and he hasn't done that.

Yeah.
Well, I know it's a weird

situation that you've got.
It's basically a complete flip

of what you'd really expect
with, Michigan, Wisconsin,

Minnesota, the bottom three.
Three Notre Dame is in the

middle.
Then Ohio, State, Michigan,

State, and Penn State are the
top of that conference.

I mean, well, Penn State and
Ohio State has been pretty

decent the last few years with
in the Big Ten they have.

But, but in that but more in an
abstract of like, where you

thought the conference would be
when it started.

Yeah.
No.

For sure.
I would agree you, you wouldn't

expect to see those three at the
bottom and certainly not all of

them.
Like I could see, you know, one

of them having the off year, but
all three kind at the same time,

seems a little weird to me.
But not only that.

I mean, it's not a small Gap,
either Michigan sitting with

seven points in the standings
and Penn State has 24 and kind

of state destroyed.
Michigan and they play them.

I think to me, that's not even
competitive at all.

Yeah, and then you've got the
big three, Minnesota, Wisconsin

and Michigan or what - 10 on the
one loss.

Minnesota's got four more losses
than wins, Wisconsin's, 7 and 10

and Michigan 6 and 10.
So 11.

I guess we should get in Penn
State split.

So it wasn't an in both games
weren't too far off.

So, Michigan played well against
Penn State this year.

There's the games.
I was thinking of Minnesota Penn

State destroyed, Minnesota, 822
and 6230 Michigan.

Have the exact same result
against Clarkson as we did.

They tied, and tied the first
night and lost the second night.

Yeah.
I think it's going to be pretty

even.
Yeah.

Michigan.
Michigan State.

As she intact, all three teams
to me, seem to be on pretty even

ground.
All have a really good chance of

winning the tournament.
I think there is probably a few

steps behind, but yeah, I don't
know if Ferris has a chance to

win, but I certainly think they
have a chance, a good chance to

be in the title game because I
think they've been playing

pretty well lately.
And some of that might be who

they've been playing, but I
certainly hope they do, get the

title game.
Even if that means that Tech has

to play it in conference
opponent for non-conference

game, but Like the kind of, or
it's always in Michigan and

Michigan State in the third
place game.

How does that work out pairwise
ratings?

Why is, if is it better for us
to have Ferris win that first

game and play and play out
opponent that is a division of

or annual conference opponent
pairwise doesn't care whether

they're in a conference opponent
or not.

But what it does is it if you
play Michigan and Michigan

State, it gives you that chance
at a veteran, your comparison

against another team.
The tech already has a chance to

do that with Ferris with
conference games, right?

The best opportunity for
Michigan, Tech, pairwise is for

Ferris and Michigan to play to a
tie and for Michigan to win the

shootout because the pairwise
doesn't care about that.

So then at least state are then
the and, and if and then

techniques to win their game
against State, and then you've

got four opportunities for the
conference to, to do something

positive, but in all honesty,
I'd rather see Ferris lose and

then somehow beat state.
So that we get to play both of

them, that's better for us.
But for the conference as a

whole, it's probably better that
it's a ferris Tech final but

then, you know, Tech has to make
sure they find a way to win, but

Ferris is not gotten swept since
early, November know when they

got swept by Western and a
home-and-home.

They split with Bemidji, which
is hard to do.

With Alaska, which everybody
seems to do except for us that

one series, they got four points
from Anchorage in Anchorage and

they got four points from
Huntsville and Big Rapids.

So their schedule certainly got
easier than it was but and

they're all close games.
I mean, so at least the you

know, they went to shootout
against Anchorage.

They want to they lost three on
three to Huntsville.

So it I think they have a chance
against Michigan, the way

Michigan's been lately.
But yeah, I don't really see

them beating state or Tech in
the final.

But, you know, anything can
happen when you get to that

point to, yeah, I think it'll be
interesting, how how far is does

for sure.
And I haven't even looked you

guys know how much of this is on
TV or how we were watching this

year.
I'm not sure if you look at like

college hockey news, the
schedule for the team's games

usually has a little link TV and
where it goes.

I don't see.
Of those for the ferris Michigan

game, at least that's the pager
monitor, you know.

Well, I think last year Friday,
the first day was all on Flow

and only the championship.
I thought was on Fox porch.

The schedule you SCH o, doesn't
even show the column for TV.

Doesn't show anything for either
game.

So it's not even it's not on
here, but that doesn't

necessarily mean that it isn't.
Somewhere.

Yeah, it doesn't activate the
way it's set up for the final on

the app.
Like I'm not sure it's gonna be

right.
Anyway, it's a little.

Yeah, so all this says yeah,
this doesn't even say that

Ferris Michigan will be on Flow.
It says Michigan State Tech will

be.
And then it doesn't say what's

going on with the day.
I don't know.

We'll have to see if whenever.
Tech does the release or I might

have to inquire to actually know
get that out in our liner notes

when I actually get this done.
Yeah, that'd be a question to

know, just ask you to really get
that little blue size because

it'd be nice to know or for
those games are going to be.

And when they're being played,
we're going to televise.

Yeah, because it'd be good to
know what we have to do to watch

right?
What are the dates that are they

actually is the 30th and the
31st in the first three verses

here.
Yep.

Right.
Yeah, anything else you guys

want to analyze about that
series.

I think it's surprisingly closer
than than what it was expected

to be.
I mean, other than that, help

Ferris can pick up the win and
and we see a, you know, another

Michigan third-place Camp.
Yeah, it should be fun.

I guess the only other thing
that I wouldn't mind touching on

a little bit is I think sometime
this week will be releasing a

little commentary from our one
of our editors and former

president Misfits met Cavender.
He's kind of taking a shot at

the Michigan and Michigan State
students.

Or not really showing up for
this tournament.

Trying to figure out why, when
they, when they're so much

closer than we are, and he kind
of listed a bunch of the

excuses.
He's gotten because they've even

like tried to talk to some of
the leaders of the other student

sections.
And they, you know, they have

every excuse in the book and
it's like, really you guys have

thousands of alumni and student,
you know, and current students

that live in the Greater Detroit
area.

Why can't you organize and
actually get people to show up?

for this thing, I mean and
neither teams bowl game is On a

day of the tournament.
So unless you're going I can't

even remember which team now.
I think it's Michigan.

Maybe, I don't know.
I don't even care that much but

one of them I think plays like
on Sunday in a bowl game

somewhere.
So maybe that whoever that is

like, that makes some sense that
you might not be able to make

it, but that's There should
still be plenty of more people

that could come and participate
because how many college

students are actually going to a
bowl game when they, you know, I

just don't understand how that
tournament isn't.

More interesting and maybe it's
because it doesn't don't

Michigan and State play there at
other times of the year.

Yeah, they have there.
They have their battle at the

deer or whatever.
They call it something.

Something like that.
Where they play place?

Do they still do that II?
Don't I don't know if it's on

the schedule.
Yeah, they do have it inside the

17th of February this year.
They play one of their games

versus State, a Little Caesars.
It says, according to the

footnote on College hockey news.
So yeah, they are playing Series

at the Joan.
Maybe, you know, maybe that's

the draw, but I don't know.
It's a holiday.

It's a holiday event.
And I know maybe that Michigan's

alumni base, maybe isn't as
centered around downstate

Michigan, they draw a lot more
from a wider area.

So maybe people going home for
the holidays.

Aren't necessarily going
somewhere, downstate, right, but

I still don't buy that as an
excuse.

There's a huge alumni base for
Michigan within the state.

I think it's pretty obvious.
Obvious that they're just not,

they're just not as dedicated as
fans Aztec and they're probably

just feel probably, you know, I
think we're just for better fan

base for Irish, but I think.
Yeah, I think you're right.

I think that's I think we're
more dedicated.

I think we, you know, part of it
too.

Is as a fan base.
We have less other Big Time,

Sports pulling us in other
directions.

That's that you can't deny that.
We don't have the call it the

football team.
That's Applying to care about.

And even then like it's not the
one but in the grand scheme of

things but we have what we have
a tenth the the Aviva tenth of

the students know I know and
that's the other thing.

We have such a small student
body.

It's not that hard.
Like I feel like the other

student groups are accepting
defeat without even trying to

organize.
Anything.

You telling me that a bunch of
other kids that maybe don't live

around here, wouldn't come to
games if you organize like, hey

guys, you know, who Wants I can
have four people crash at my

house kind of stuff you like,
like when they came down for the

one, Michigan Tech came down for
the final five, like, the last

time it was in st.
Paul under the new conference.

Like I had 30 kids sleep at my
house.

Like, you know, you do
everything.

You can to help everybody get to
where they need to be and help

Misfits, save money and stuff.
And I just don't feel like they

have that, that infrastructure.
At all.

And I know, you know, some of it
is that Tech is kind of a

special place when it comes to
all that and the Misfits are an

amazing group.
That's done, a great job of

sustaining all that but and some
and there's you know, a handful

of alumni that have done a great
job of staying involved in some

fashion and keep things up and
help and everything else.

But it, it amazes me that there
just isn't that with State or

Michigan, you know, they act
like what is it?

The children?
Of Yost or whatever.

They act like they're the best
in the country.

And like, I don't I mean I've
never been to ghost to see them

live in person, like, for a home
game, but like they sure as

heck, don't impress me when it
comes to traveling, so, I've

never heard of a Michigan
student or a Michigan Alum being

arrogant about their school.
So it doesn't make any sense to

me that they would, you know, be
that way.

I can kind of see it from their
point of view.

I, if I was a Michigan student
or Michigan, alumni, I probably

wouldn't go either because I'd
be so sick of hearing the same

two songs 800 times and during a
game.

I would probably avoid it too,
but that's It sounds like that's

the way it is all the time.
Right?

Maybe.
Maybe if they're banned learn

how to play another song or two.
That would be a little bit more

inclined to go.
Well, I'd be curious to see just

like the alumni base to I mean
our alumni base in downstate is,

is not small.
Right?

Right, you know, it's it's an
easy.

It's an easy way for a lot of
alums to reconnect with with

tech in the program down in
Detroit area without having to

drive, you know, the the long
drive.

All the way up North to Houghton
for a game.

So it becomes an easy way for
anyone downstate to jump in

because it's been a holiday
tradition for a lot of folks at

this point.
Yeah, I think that's I think

that's very true.
Isn't that?

That's a good way to put it.
Is a it is becoming a tradition

or it has been a tradition for
years for a lot of tech.

Alumni that that's what they do
over the holidays is visit

family and we're going to all go
to the GLI and I think that's

that's great because it is
really cool to see.

So many tech fans there and have
that much of an impact and

downstate.
I mean, it's the exact opposite

for my family, right?
It was the only time Tech was

ever on TV.
I think my mom and dad have been

to GOI.
Once I have never been, we

always stay at home in the
holding area because it's on TV,

and he was usually the only time
you could see tack on TV.

So we never gone over the
holidays.

I think my Mom Dad, I'm only
five gone one time.

I've never been to Detroit for
Aki and One of these years I'm

making over there, but I've
never been to jail.

I know and it but but you're
right just didn't like the whole

the whole family gathering
atmosphere that they've created

their the tech group has and
that the alumni Gathering area

and the pickled eggs and
everything else that they do to

like help make it like remind
people of their time and

Houghton really helps get the
alumni out to that event.

And the fact that we, you know
have won the tournament and

played for the championship.
Lot in the last, you know,

decade has really helped that
to, I think there's a welcome

change boring.
I think we could get into some

questions and then we'll
probably wrap up with maybe some

predictions on what we think is
going to happen in this

tournament.
Let's take a break and come back

and we'll do a couple questions.
All right.

So first question was from Paul
on Discord.

He asked if you could touch upon
attendance in college hockey

comparing capacity of Arena and
what percentage of fans attend

the games and where Tech fits
into that equation.

Anybody got anything they want
to say about that.

I mean, I think the last time I
saw stats pulled, somebody has

either on Discord or on USHL.
Somebody pulled stats there and

from a percentage based Tech
was, you know, first or second

those lease in the WC.
Jay.

It'd be interesting to run that
type of comparison for college

hockey as a whole, where you
compare the town population

versus an arena population in
what capacity were at?

Yeah, sometimes somebody's done
that before.

I have seen that.
Have you seen it.

Have you seen it for a college
hockey wide?

Or just WCHA.
I've seen, WCHA only, I have

seen a college hockey.
It was a few years ago and I, if

I if I'm not mistaken, I think
if you compare the Attendance to

the local population size of
local population that attack was

number one on the list.
Yeah, and it's not even close.

I don't think it's that.
Well nationally right now,

Michigan Tech is 24th in the
country in average attendance

period, which is, which is very
good.

And in my opinion, you have to
take it again to take the top

off that list for Arenas that
are massive.

And you know, you can't compare
Tech to North Dakota or

Wisconsin, when it comes to the
other thing, the other thing

that I have an issue with
whenever we do this and it kind

of came up on Twitter, was that
one of the problems I have is a

lot of these other Arenas are
counting.

Their capacity, as the number of
seats they have in Michigan,

Tech does not Michigan Tech uses
their fire code number for their

capacity.
So it's not really Apples to

Apples.
Like they are not going to sell

out every game to fire code
capacity at 44, 66 like, yeah,

you know, they're basically,
They sell more tickets than they

have seats, I believe, but they
don't get, you know, twelve

hundred, extra Standing Room
seats or people every game.

That's the big thing because
they're at 3163 and I got to

think seats in the building is a
brown that 3200 number.

I'm not sure.
Yeah.

I don't know what the actual
seat number is versus The

Standing Room capacity.
I don't know the answer to that,

to be honest.
And 3200, if Thinking about it

might be the number of regular
seats.

So you're you're talking another
hundred between the or a couple

hundred between the sweets and
on the boxes, but even then it's

still not the 44 66 that they
list at whereas like Yeah, I

mean, yeah, and you said Dustin?
Yeah, the top 10.

Our top 13 average more people
than Tech can.

Technically hold Minnesota,
state is 13th with 4480 for

their, the top.
And the WCHA, and I think Tech

is second right now.
Right above Northern Michigan,

Bemidji, Bowling Green.
Bowling, Green's really low

actually surprising like 2,500
capacitor attendance for 5,000

capacity.
That is that is surprising.

I would have expected them to be
better, tenant, especially with

how good they've been the last
10 years has a capacity.

I didn't realize that it really
isn't that big.

It doesn't look like big when
you're watching the games on the

fall.
But it might be because it's a

fuller Bowl than what to has
with.

It.
Certainly doesn't seem as tall.

I don't know where that number
comes from.

I've never looked into it, if
it's, yeah, if it's an

exaggeration for a fact, or
that's why the Rings have not

been to yet.
So don't have any don't know any

in person, you know, experience
with that into.

No, but I would have thought
they'd had less capacity in the

McGinnis.
But like you said, it's a full

ball all the way around, I
think, right?

Or is it not?
I don't remember.

I don't know.
I'm guessing it's at least a

three.
Order like a horseshoe.

I feel like that one end is not
but like, I feel like they have

a wall like we do on one side,
but I think the rest of it a

full, like a 3/4 bold.
But yeah, the Michigan Tech is

doing fine on attendance there.
That's not their problem at all.

I think they do a great job of
interacting having events

getting people out, especially
on like some of the weekends

that maybe students aren't there
as much that like they are doing

the community events.
Like last weekend are the last

Home Series against Clarkson.
They had that the the auto

dealer do that giveaway and
stuff and promote the games and

I think they've done a great job
with the tendons honestly, and

and that's not really a problem
and they're doing a great job

attendance at a time when
everybody is struggling with

attendance.
And you look around the country

to a lot of places, its
attendance is down and it's down

and in not just College hockey.
It's all kinds of different

sports professional and college,
or seeing attendance issues and

it seems like Texas doing a
pretty good job of weathering

that storm and it's always good
to see you full rink and it does

reflect really well on the
program.

And I think it reflects really
well in the community. 32 that

they're dedicating their
dedication to the program.

And the it's, it's not, it's not
all the students, right?

And it's hardly any alumni
because most of them that I

don't stay in Houghton, its
community members that are

coming out there and an
attending games.

So it's a, it's a credit to them
and their dedication.

I think.
Yeah, totally agree.

Yeah, that's always been one of
my favorite things about

McGinnis, how it is, you know, I
almost gets split between the

student side and the community
side, but both.

They're they're supporting the
team.

You know, there's not just one
student section or one, you

know, community-based section.
There's the the arena itself is

split, right?
You got the, the old stand up

old people signs and that kind
of stuff for the students.

Kind of harassed the other side
in a good-natured way.

The click click on side.
Yep, The Click Click from, from

from USC.
A chill has been there for a

long time, right?
That whole, the whole

atmosphere, in the McGinnis.
I think fits and works really

well for college hockey, like
you said, Dustin, The community

supports the program.
It's not just the university and

students, driving the
attendance.

It's the community as well.
And you're drawing from a

community whose population is
nowhere near or what most of the

other schools even in the WCHA
are pulling from.

So it's it's always a good thing
to see and really that is where

some of these other programs
have failed, right?

It with attendance.
Look at we, I think it past

podcasts.
We talked about Minnesota and

their attendance issues and Were
they have failed as nobody in

the community cares about go for
hockey anymore?

Sure, you have your, you have
the alumni, and the students and

stuff like that.
That care.

But there's no buzz, nobody and
nobody in the community cares,

and it's no.
That's where a lot of these

schools are losing attendance.
So it's important to make sure

that that connection stays
strong and that the school and

the community, you know, working
together and getting tickets out

there.
Like you said, with the That

they do.
I think it's good in a good

healthy relationship.
And that's very that's an

important thing to have.
Yeah, and Minnesota's third on

this list with 8200, but you and
I both know that that's not

happening half of those people
aren't coming even though they

paid like that, like, to a lot
of those games.

Like, there's there's a gap
between paid attendance and

attendance and right there
already.

Go for games that, you know,
flipping through the channels

that I've just looked to see
what the score is.

And I go for game and you see
that, you see the stands and

Don't think there's more than
2,000 2,500 people in Mariachi

for some of those games.
And when you have a ten thousand

seat Arena and it's that empty,
it looks, it looks awful.

Yeah, it looks real bad.
It looks real bad and you're

drawing from one of the major
metros in the United States in

the state of hockey and you
can't pull in, you know, enough

people to make your rink look
respectable on TV, it it's a

really poor reflection on the
state of hockey and And I mean,

the state of hockey has in the
state of Minnesota, but on this

isn't the where hockey is right
now for some of these Big Ten

programs that have just they've
lost.

Its feels like they've lost
interest in hockey as a sport at

these big 10 schools and maybe
it's just oversaturation of

Athletics, right?
Basketball and football are what

matter, and people just don't
care about hockey at the Big Ten

schools, but it wasn't always
that way.

I mean you look at well, I I
think a lot of its the fact that

these big 10 schools thought
that they could turn hockey into

a third.
Revenue Street, like a big

Revenue stream, and they shot
themselves in the foot, like

expanding prices, and and other
things.

And then the whole conference
reshuffle.

Like, it's all, you know, bad
timing, who was one of the

guests or what are you guys
mentioned a few weeks ago that

last week or two weeks ago, the
tickets for Mariucci for the

games were only five bucks
trying to get people in.

Yeah.
Yeah.

I think there's a tension that
yeah.

Someone on the show did and that
If you were paying a quarter of

the price to go see Minnesota
play hockey, compared to a tech

game.
Something is wrong with that

program.
At that point of they're

desperately.
Trying to get people back in,

kick it away for five dollars
and nobody went still.

Nobody went right?
Exactly.

I mean, my ticket to my take it
to the tech game versus

crickets, the second versus
Clarkson were twenty bucks, a

pop.
I don't have a problem with

that.
That's a reasonable price for a

college, hockey game to me.
But when of the program, like,

Minnesota in a major
Metropolitan Errol is paying,

there is a charge and five
dollars a game and they still

aren't getting the people into
the stands.

That's just, it's just sad to
see those big programs that were

were such a huge part of the old
WCHA not do well.

Yeah.
Let's see.

I think that's enough on that
one.

The only other question we got
was from Dave.

Korpi who asked via email is
Tyler Rockwell the most

Dependable defenseman on the
Huskies.

He kind of went into some other
details, but I don't know if we

need to get into all of that.
But I think if we go into all

the details we answer the
question.

All right.
Well, I'll K.

I'll give him his.
I'll let him give his side.

He's not flashy like Sheamus
skating.

The puck out of the defensive
end and maybe doesn't have The

big booming, shot from the point
like maybe data mom, but he

always seems to have a great
Poise with the puck under

pressure and make smart plays
defensively.

Whether it's Gap control or
chipping.

The puck out, high on the glass
to clear the Zone.

Do you guys agree?
And if so, why does he not get

more attention for how good of a
shutdown player?

He is.
I think he is the most depend.

I think, I think the question is
important to, I think he's the

most dependable.
Iseman, the team has I think

there's little doubt of that
especially after, you know, the

Donahue's had some problems with
with discipline, taking that bad

hit against Clarkson and that I
don't think that's the first

time this year.
He's done something like that.

You don't see that with Rockwell
Rockwell's Rockwell's?

Just been steady and and and
dependable is the right word.

I think, what about you guys?
I think is important.

Important trait of a defenseman
is just being that calming

Factor, right?
Not hurrying it.

If you will watch the really
good defense defensive and play

there.
They get to talk and it always

looks like it's effortless and
they just know where to go with

the puck and it and I think he's
got a little bit of that maybe,

and maybe that can be can grow
into that a little bit more, but

it's just that calming nature
work and that, I think that is,

that is And ability, right?
It's when players are playing

like that.
Then you can depend on them.

And so I think dependability
like you said, Tim is a great

way to put it one.
It helps that he's one of the

few upper classmen to yeah, when
a couple other things I'll point

out about him to just from, you
know, watching myself is that,

when he's up in the offensive
zone, he pinches up in a way

that, you know, it's really
smart compared to most.

I don't think about the rest of
the fence in, but you always

notice, Pitching up and and
holding the Blue Line, whether

it be by jumping down low a
little bit to keep it or not.

But his offensive zone play is
rock solid as well.

And I'm amazed that he only has
a single point this year, given

the fact that his plus minus is
six.

He's been on the I have his, his
place - be the highest on the

team, but he's only got one
point total.

He's got one goal with no
assists so he's out there for

goals being Being scored more
than anybody else on the team,

you know, but he's only got one
point.

So You know, I'd say at this
point, he's our best defenseman

both ways on the ice for sure.
Just Rock Solid Dependable.

Like you said, you know, kind of
like a Gretzky, right?

Exactly.
And he's a small guy to, he

looks, he looks like he would
get bullied by any larger for

order to somebody's going up
against in the corners, but he

manages to pop out of the
corner.

With the POC more often than not
when he's the guy going into

those Corner battles.
So, he just just plays with a

intelligence that makes size.
Not make a difference, being a

smaller defenseman.
It's impressive to watch him.

Yeah.
I think the other player that

probably deserves to be
mentioned here is goats.

I think he's done a great job as
a sophomore, but and he and he

certainly putting up more points
and I do feel like Joe really

trust him in a lot of situations
as well, but it's hard to say

that Rockwell isn't the most
Dependable guy on the team that

that Joe can trust the most in
any situation.

But yeah, that's about it, on
that one.

All right, let's do some
predictions.

What do you guys think is going
to happen in the July when we

start with Rob?
I'll go, I think you're gonna

have a tight game with Michigan
state that that's going to be

the more challenging in the two
games, but I think we pulled it

off against State and it's been
a few years since since we won

the whole thing.
So I'm going to actually call

call for us win and over
Michigan in the in the second

game.
I want to see a GOI win.

It's been it's been a while
relatively speaking over the

previous history of recent
history.

What do you think?
Dustin?

Well, Rob that was that was
gonna be my That prediction to I

think I think Tech is going to
win it and I think it's going to

be technician in the the
championship game.

Hopefully, I hope I hope you're
right.

This is really boring prediction
segments.

There's no bias here at all.
No bias.

No bias.
But I mean, I think it's hard to

argue that Tech isn't the best
team in this tournament, you

know, like the like, I guess you
have an argument.

Maybe Michigan state is but I
feel like, honestly, The

Michigan text had the harder
schedule, they have a slightly

better record and I think they
win that first game I think.

And I kind of feel like they run
away with the title a little

bit.
So yeah, we're all picking the

same thing.
I think it's going to be two

games against Big Ten teams for
Tech but they come home with the

title for the first time since
Copley within that.

Whenever the heck that was.
What was it 20?

13.
I got the wife feels like, it

feels like it was a long time
ago with that first win, but

well, not.
Not as long as the one before

that though.
All I well aware.

He Katie.
Yeah, I guess that's all we

really got.
I think we're going to run a

couple segment's from the last
two weeks, including

non-conference discussion.
And then we had a question.

I think last week about the GLI
that I held off to run this

week.
So, thanks for joining us, guys,

and enjoy the extra content, and
I guess we'll see you next week.

Yep.
Thanks.

So Erin Jolie was brought up the
GLI and was kind of wondering

why Michigan and Michigan State.
Never play each other in the

first round.
And since Tech is host.

Is it up to them to set the
schedule?

And he had a couple more kind of
peripheral questions about that.

But basically check and Michigan
are officially co-host of this

tournament in Michigan.
State is a permanent invitee of

Michigan.
We've talked a little bit before

about how we don't really agree
with who Michigan Tech is.

Chosen for that fourth team, the
last two or three years,

Michigan State and Michigan.
Do not play each other because

at least as far back as I can
remember, it's always been this

way.
I don't think it's ever not

happen.
Has a problem.

Do you know as far as I can
remember, as a little kid

watching on TV?
It's always been Tech plays one

of Those two first, they never
play each other their conference

opponents.
Yeah, it's kinda fun to make

sense.
You don't have to you either,

you know, you won't and it's
kind of set up to be like in all

honesty for a long stretch.
There.

It was always set up to be this
celebration of those two

schools, playing it for the
title of this.

Now, thankfully, three of the
last, like, four years,

Michigan, and Michigan State of
played each other.

In the third place game, which
is kind of cool.

If you want depressing stats.
Look at the Wikipedia.

A page for how?
Many times those two have played

each other in a row with that's
not involved.

Yeah, for the title.
Yeah.

Yeah.
Yeah, like all of my childhood,

my I've gone to two or three G
lies.

And I've never seen Tech win a
game.

I drank till you're full, lot of
fifteen dollar 77s at one of

those GLI games.
That sounds expensive.

Yeah.
It's set up that way for a

reason.
It's to like try and maximize

the interest for the title if it
falls Is that way?

If it doesn't, it doesn't and
yeah, you know, I don't want

like this year Tech and Ferris,
are there and Michigan and

Michigan State or there?
I don't want to play Ferris in

that first game.
So I don't have a problem with

that.
The bigger issue to me is what

the other thing that you talked
about.

Are you asked about their Aaron
is the schedule Tech has some

control over the schedule, not
so much the dates, but the time,

like, one of the changes that I
believe.

Jimmy Russell implemented was
check.

Not always playing the late game
on the semi-final so that they

would get the extra rest.
Some years that didn't really

help anything.
But, you know, I think that's a

good thing.
That text not always the late

game from from a competition
side of things but it is a

little bit, you know, taking
away from the Like the, the

luster of tech participating,
but I think it's fair if it's

get rotated regularly, and I
think the biggest thing is they

just need to, to get back to
eat, too.

They need to stop inviting WCHA
teams, really what it comes down

to, you know, until the League's
over.

But then it's the scent, you
know, just the same thing.

And, and the biggest problem
they have is they really want to

try and invite teams that are
close by and pretty much every

team that's close by.
Is in the WCHA or the Big Ten,

you basically have Miami.
That doesn't really travel fans,

which is their big push is to
try and get more people there

from the fourth team or Western.
And then all honesty.

If you gave me the choice, I
just say invite Western every

year.
Why not Notre Dame, they're not

far.
They're in the Big Ten.

We can't have three Big Ten
teams.

Yeah, I suppose they should have
been invited everyone.

They were in they were already.
Yeah.

And they also don't, they do
their own tournament.

I don't know.
Maybe they did for a while

there.
I don't know if they do any, I

don't know if they're still
doing it or not because then

they have like the Chalet league
tournament - yeah, I don't think

that lasted though, but I mean I
have an idea that will never

happen.
So we may as well talk about it.

Okay, I think the best setup for
the GLI would be Tech and

Michigan being permanent.
Just like we are right now.

Hosts every other year Western.
You can State take a spot so you

can State no longer being a
permanent invitee, but flip with

Western so we get Western
involved and then the fourth

team being a random, not random,
but an invitee from another

conference fully like an nchc
team or somebody else out east.

Yep.
Like I said, it's not going to

happen because Michigan state is
going to be a permanent invitee

for the foreseeable future.
But yeah.

That's just too bad.
There isn't a whole lot else

they can do because I don't see
Miami making sense.

I mean, I don't have a problem
with them being there, but

they're not going to do what
text looking for which is

provide, you know, a thousand
tickets sold.

Yeah, I just don't know where
else you go.

Like Notre Dame.
Would have been a great one

except they're in the Big Ten
now, I don't.

Yeah, but you know back when I
went I went and I think Boston

College was one of the years.
Yeah, but I'd love to see them

like invite North Dakota every
four years or something.

Like that would be nice.
Like I would love to have a deal

where, you know, Tech goes out
to Grand Forks and gets North

Dakota to go to the Jia Li, you
know, every couple of years shed

on it.
And to be honest, North Dakota

would bring more fans than most
of the Color, definitely be more

fans.
Dr. Cottle bring enough.

It plenty of fans.
It'll be it'd be it'd be good.

North Dakota fans are like a
virus.

They show up at every Hockey
event ever.

There's always one somewhere
even when their team is not

playing.
Yeah, thanks to him.

Right?
Yeah.

You can always find the North
Dakota fans, somewhere in the

stands.
Alright guys, so I have a list

over the next month.
The WCHA teams are playing 17

non-conference games.
And there's some pretty good

matchups on this list.
And there's quite a few games

here that have potential
league-wide pairwise

implications.
I'll just go over them all the

games real quickly Clarkson at
tech for two games.

Both ranked fairly high in the
pairwise lake state is going to

be at the Catamount cup though.
We playing Providence in one

game and Vermont in another
Mankato and Bemidji are both

going to be up in the mirror you
chica.

Isaac, the other two teams, are
st.

Cloud and Minnesota.
Tech will be at the GLI Tech and

fares will be at the GLI along
with Michigan and Michigan

State.
Miami is at Bowling Green for

one.
Huntsville is at North Dakota,

42 and Tech is at Arizona State
for two for a total of 17 games.

Lots of opportunities for
getting some good wins for the

league.
And I'm just going to pose a

question to you guys 17 games.
How many wins does it?

WCHA get?
So make a dough.

That's to, yeah, although they
might not both Movin On

conference, right?
Or is it set up that way?

No, there could potentially be
Mankato versus Bemidji, okay.

That's the Catamount one that
you said.

No, I don't look very, very
itchy.

Classic.
Scenario.

Chi.
Okay.

That's the Minnesota.
Yeah, that's right.

Make sense like State.
I don't versus pretty steep for

Mike States in bereavement tough
this year to watch.

I mean, like they should have
beat us in the second game will

an adult, right?
Yeah.

So we managed to hold on.
So I think Lake State picks up

12 in those audio conference
games.

Providence is going to be tough.
Providence is a good team this

year, but I think like like
state is going to be able to

hold their own against Vermont.
Rise.

Say about eight or nine.
One's.

Yeah, you know and I think if we
get eight or nine wins out of

that as a conference, I think
that's got to consider that a

pretty successful.
There's a few of them Huntsville

at North Dakota.
That's two losses.

Right?
What are you saying man?

Would that be a fantastic
pairwise bomb if they can pull

off an upset though?
Well, that would be naive.

But I don't see it is that nice
from ours perspective seeing

salwar North Dakota's in a
common opponent with the map

side of things.
Do we want Huntsville to lose

those from all pairwise
perspective?

Because we played, North Dakota.
Our, I'm going to say yes,

because I like chaos, our
ranking will go down because

North to guard strength of our
opponents.

Opponents are going to go way
down after that series.

Yeah, yeah.
Like 9.

Yeah, three of the four that
they have Siri the Clarkson and

Arizona State Lake state gets
one.

Mankato wins the classic.
I don't know what Bemidji does

if they can win the second game,
but I don't why I feel like

making a Minnesota and lose the
shootout.

I have a pair wise perspective.
I think Bemidji is got a pretty

good chance at beating
Minnesota.

I do but I don't want them to
play Minnesota state and the

title.
Yeah, I'd rather Minnesota

state.
Get the chance to win, beat both

of them.
But yeah, I think Tech has a

damn good shot at winning the
GLI that's here.

Fair state is most likely
finishing fourth in that

tournament.
I think Bowling Green should

beat Miami and then Constable
get swept.

And then ya Tek nears on the
state.

I think that's probably a split.
I also think it's kind of

annoying from just from Bowling.
Green's perspective.

The you know, you guys are
rolling pretty well this year,

but you don't have a lot of
conference.

It seems you only have four.
Is that what it looks like,

right?
They have the ice breaker.

So that's two there.
They had Miami.

That's three and four.
Notre Dame, five and six and

Western you got to own a series
of Western.

Okay.
I've missed you, police arrest,

the western series, which has
really helped our strength of

schedule, right?
Yeah, so it's kind of

frustrating.
You guys don't have a couple

more in there.
I think he keep it rolling.

I think bottom line is, if the
league does what we think, they

will happen in eight or nine
wins out of that group.

And wins the games that we think
they can win three teams in the

NCAA tournament becomes a very
real possibility and potentially

for potentially the biggest
thing there is like we said last

week is, you know, the biggest
thing is going to be how much we

basically need Huntsville.
And Anchorage, to just continue

to be terrible.
We can't have them stealing

points and making us the rest of
the WCHA get hurt by being the

only teams that lost probably
With Ferris to, and probably

Ferris to.
Because, like I said, it was

long as long as you beat those
bad teams or not.

They don't help you.
But it doesn't hurt you to be as

long as you're beating them.
Yeah.

Teams at the top of the league
cannot suffer losses to those

three teams that were otherwise,
it's just going to bomb their

pairwise.
Yeah.

Hey, look, what happened to
Northern, we set it and I think

we brought it up, right?
Rob.

It was what 200 points or
something?

Yeah, that hurt them, real bad.
I'm so sad.

Northern socks, right?
Maybe.

Shout out to a parts for doing
the whole hate listening and

actually liking the podcast.
Yeah, doesn't get to see agreed.

Yeah, Northern if they had won
the game, if they hadn't split

that series, they'd have they'd
have 5232 for pairwise, going

into this last weekend and
instead they were at 5064.

So they lost like 180 some
points or 160 some points.

They're pretty big loss.
Well, that should do it for this

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McNaughton podcast.

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Bandcamp.com.

I'm really into the stuff that
you're all about.

I was kind of hoping that this
might be our chance.

It's really dope.
All the things that you make me

want making magic baby.
Maybe this could be our last and

I'm super.
What are you aware about your

life and what you want to do?
Fighting.

The heart would be keeps on
bending your bed, a Boeing

pretending what you know, it's
about to break.

Why don't you let it shine?