Simms scored on a penalty shot with 18 seconds left in the third period Sunday to tie the game against Ohio State, and then at the 2:49 mark in overtime, she scored on a rebound to give the Badgers a 4-3 victory and its eighth national title.  

There was a video clip on social media that showed Badgers head coach Mark Johnson on the bench asking who wanted to take the penalty shot and Simms’ hand went up right away. 

“I can’t really say it was initially my choice,” Simms said with a laugh. “I had everyone on the bench screaming ‘Simms, you do it,’ so I was like ‘You know what, whatever.’ Coach is going to need to see my hand go up for me to actually go. After that, everyone just really instills confidence within me, and I actually have to thank all my teammates for that because I was super nervous going into that moment, obviously. But they all calmed me down and reminded me to just be confident in what I do and what I decide to do, and it (ended up) working out for us.” 

When asked about that video clip, Johnson talked about the mentality needed to be able to score on a penalty shot in that crucial of a situation. 

“Most (people) don’t want to go out there and embarrass themselves,” he said. “I’ve had players that don’t want to take penalty shots even though they were awarded one because they’re thinking negatively. They think they’re going to miss it. If you’re lining up for your birdie putt and you think you’re going to miss it, you’re probably going to miss it. I wanted to see who wanted to step up and own it. Who felt comfortable in the setting, because you can’t have one ounce of negativity in your mind as you pick the puck up. It’s got to be all positive, because if you think about what’s going on, you’re going to miss your putt and you’re going to miss the shot. That’s what the ultimate pressure in our game is about, and you can’t get any more pressure than that. 3-2, you’re down, national championship game. If you miss, the game is probably over other than maybe we get something off a faceoff on the power play.

“Laila (Edwards) came back, she was adamant that their player had their glove on the puck inside the crease, which your team is awarded a penalty shot. Then it comes down to who wants to step up. So, a couple players mentioned Kirsten and then the ownership is hers. ‘I’ll take it.’ ‘Okay, go get it.’

“I looked away. I didn’t even watch. I was like (goalie) Ava (McNaughton). I was asking several people after. I don’t know if I was playing, I would take the shot just because you’ve got to be as free as you can be right in that moment. You can’t be thinking about anything other than I’m going to score.” 

Familiar foes in the national title game
This was the third year in a row where Wisco faced OSU for the national title. After coming up short last year, the Badgers got the job done this time around. The Badgers also finished the season with a stellar record of 38-1-2, with the only loss coming against the Buckeyes back in November.  

“Obviously, we found a way to win,” Johnson said. “I don’t think we played one of our better games, but as I told the team a few minutes ago, we figured out how to get to the finish line. I’ve always said Monday always comes. Well, Monday’s coming tomorrow, and we’ve got the national championship trophy back in Madtown. So, it’s a good day.” 

While the Badgers were celebrating, the Buckeyes were visibly distraught with a few players lying face down on the ice and attempting to come to grips with what just happened as they were just seconds away from back-to-back national titles and their third overall in program history.  

“There’s not a lot to really say after a tough loss,” said OSU coach Nadine Muzerall. “Fantastic human beings (her players). I thought they played phenomenal tonight. I think it was just more of the way we lost, with 18 seconds left. It was just an unfortunate outcome. A debatable penalty shot, hard to challenge it when we’d already used our timeout. Very exciting hockey game though.” 

When asked about Simms’ penalty shot, which came because OSU’s Maddi Wheeler covered the puck with her hand in the crease, Muzerall explained what the officials told her after a video review. 

“The covering of the puck, she (the referee) just said she (Wheeler) had her hand covering it,” Muzerall said. “It’s not like she just swatted it away. She actually put her hand over it, and then you kind of lost sight of it because it went under her. I get that it was a penalty shot. I just question the actual penalty shot. And we didn’t have enough proof to rule against it in that quick moment. But we were contemplating if the puck moved back on her penalty shot, and I already used a timeout, so I didn’t want to go down, possibly 6-on-3.” 

The first period was a tight one throughout as both teams generated decent chances early on, but made some key defensive plays near the net to keep it at 0-0. The Buckeyes got on the scoreboard first thanks to a great individual effort by Joy Dunne. With OSU trying to kill a penalty, the sophomore zoomed past three Wisconsin players and deked out McNaughton for a shorthanded goal to make it 1-0 at the 8:22 mark.

However, just 12 seconds later, Wisco cashed in on its power play as Edwards did almost the same thing to Buckeyes goalie Amanda Thiele, beating her to the left post, just before a diving OSU player could knocked the puck away.  

OSU answered back though as Sloane Matthews skated into the Badgers zone along the far boards and beat McNaughton top shelf to put the Buckeyes back up 2-1 at 14:44. The Buckeyes would maintain that slim lead going into the second.  

Just 10 seconds into the second, the Buckeyes struck again. OSU’s Makenna Webster skated around the Badgers net and tried to feed Jocelyn Amos in front, but the puck deflected out to a waiting Emma Peschel, who blasted a shot past McNaughton to make it 3-1 Buckeyes.

Wisco wouldn’t go away though. At 5:27, the Badgers’ Caroline Harvey trimmed the deficit to one goal. Harvey got a pass across the slot from Simms and sniped it past Thiele to make it 3-2 heading into the third.  

After struggling to get good chances throughout the last period of regulation, the Badgers got a great one in the last 1:50 as the Buckeyes were whistled for too many skaters. With McNaughton on the bench for the extra attacker, Wheeler committed her penalty, Simms was given a penalty shot and she buried it to tie things up at 3-3 and force overtime. 

The post Simms Steps Up appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — If there’s one thing that Alex Bump definitely does well, it’s scoring goals at Xcel Energy Center.  

Denver players Kent Anderson (left) and Zeev Buium (middle) celebrate one of their three second-period goals. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

For the Pioneers, who won last year’s Frozen Faceoff on their way to a national championship, it was a tough ending as they held what appeared to be a secure lead going into the third.  

Alex Bump scores the overtime-winner 22 seconds into the second OT period while being defended by Denver’s Zeev Buium. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Early in the second, Western still stayed in control, but then the Pioneers caught fire. At 5:46, DU got on the scoreboard on a goal by Jake Fisher. After Slukynsky stopped Samu Salminen’s shot, the rebound went right to Fisher, who tapped it into an open net to make it 1-0.  

Western Michigan players celebrate their NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship on March 22, 2025. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“That is a huge hill to climb, down 3-0 to Denver in the third,” Ferschweiler said. “That’s such a great hockey team, and they’re so dangerous. But I thought our players were getting better throughout the game and there was lots of belief in that locker room. We just talked about being urgent from the first shift on and not waiting ’til the end to try to press. We couldn’t. We had to get three goals, not one goal.

“Then the big-time play by Liam Valente to pull up and find Zack Sharp, who calmly buries it under the bar, and you could feel ‘Okay, the belief was there.’ This is a confident group. The belief is always there, but then you could just feel the momentum build, and I just thought we got better and better and better even throughout the overtime.” 

The post Broncos Answer The Last Call appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

During Friday’s Mason Cup Championship, Groll got to hang on to a precious moment as he scored an empty-netter to clinch a 4-2 victory over rival St. Thomas and win the Mavericks’ third Cup in four years. He was happy that there was a little less pressure on the line for him to score this time around.

“Thankfully, our team was in a really good spot and it didn’t matter if I scored or not,” he said with a smile. “(Evan) Murr put the game-winner in before me. There was no pressure this time to make sure it counted, but it felt great. Having (Adam) Eisele hold me up like Simba and going around was really cool and saluting the crowd was fun after that. Just having the breath of fresh air and that relief after scoring was great, especially in a tight moment like that in the playoffs when everyone is kind of gripping their sticks a little bit. It gets everyone’s shoulders a little less tense.”

Things may have seemed a little tense heading into the third period as the game was tied 2-2, but Mavericks coach Luke Strand said that there wasn’t any stress in the Mankato locker room during the period break.

“Going into the third, there was a neat feeling in the room,” he said. “There was zero panic and very comfortable being an even game. I don’t think you take moments like this for granted, and that’s the maturity of this, this group.”

UST’s Chase Foley skates with the puck with Minnesota State’s Zach Krajnik behind him in their game on March 21, 2025. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

While the Mavericks were all smiles, the Tommies’ mood was significantly different. UST rolled into the game on an eight-game winning streak and was arguably the hottest team in the nation at puck drop. However, the Tommies fell one game short of being able to hang a CCHA Championship banner in their new arena next fall.

“I definitely feel for all the seniors and the age-outs,” Tommies captain Lucas Wahlin said. “They deserve better obviously. I’m going to be kicking myself for sure a little bit, and I’m definitely going to miss a lot of those boys, especially my linemates (Liam Malmquist and Matthew Gleason). It’s tough. They battled their hearts out and a lot of those guys stepped up when we needed them. You could see it tonight with goals from Gleason and Liam, two guys that won’t be here next year that gave it their all. (Jake) Sibell in net, I just feel bad for those boys. Hopefully next year, we can have a better outcome.”

When reflecting on the season as a whole, it was clear that Tommies coach Rico Blasi was proud of what his team accomplished during its big second half run that earned it home ice in the first round of the CCHA Tournament and a home semifinal win.

“There’s not too many teams in the country that go 15-4-1 in the last 20 games,” he said. “Led by the guy to my left (Wahlin), who drives our bus every day in practice and in games. This is what we play for. This is what St. Thomas hockey is going to be about. Playing for championships. So, everything that we do in our process from day to day will be geared toward that, on and off the ice.

“Our culture is in a really good place, our leadership group is in a good place. Our identity is what it is, and I don’t think we’re going to change that. There’s a lot of people that wrote us off at Christmas time, but this team buckled down and came together. They understood their roles and believed in each other. We have a saying in our locker room, Faith in Brother, and there’s a lot of meaning to that. Obviously, there’s faith in something bigger than ourselves, but also faith in each other and that’s what this team has and that’s where our program is at.”

An even game between the Tommies and Mavericks
The first period was evenly played overall. The Mavericks came out with a little more jump in their skates as the puck spent the majority of the first half of the period in the Tommies’ zone. However, as the period went on, things started to even out. There weren’t many high-quality scoring chances for either team, so the goalies weren’t tested much. However, they both made saves when they had to, and the score was 0-0 after 1.

Things were a different story in the second period as both teams started to get into a groove offensively. UST got on the scoreboard first on a great individual effort by Gleason. The senior forward collected a loose puck by the side boards, skated in hard and beat Mavericks goalie Alex Tracy blocker-side at the 6:56 mark.

UST defenseman Chase Cheslock chases a Minnesota State player with the puck in the CCHA Championship game on March 21, 2025. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“I think that was a big confidence booster for our squad,” Wahlin said. “I would say that was our goal coming out. They obviously came out the first 10 minutes and gave us their best, so props to them. We kind of punched back the last 10 minutes of the first and we ended up getting our first goal of the game, which was huge for us. It brought our squad a lot of confidence and that was what we were looking for. We kind of came into the game with that confidence of ‘Hey, we’re going to score first’ and that was our mentality. We didn’t really get the bounces that we wanted to, so props to Minnesota State.”

However, Mankato answered back on the power play at 10:40. After UST was called for tripping, Mavs center Luigi Benincasa got a cross-ice pass from Rhett Pitlick and beat Sibell glove-side to tie the game at 2-1. The Mavericks then took the lead at 13:14 on a goal by Kaden Bohlsen. With Sibell trying to cover the puck, it squirted free and Bohlsen tapped it into the open net to make it 2-1.

The Tommies wouldn’t go away though. After the Mavs were called for interference, Malmquist brought the puck into the slot and toward the right post where he snapped it past Tracy to tie things up at 2-2 going into the third. That was Malmquist’s 20th goal of the season, which currently leads the CCHA, and his league-leading 45th point.

Things remained tight and a back-and-forth affair throughout the third period. The Mavericks grabbed the lead at 10:13 thanks to a shot by Murr. The CCHA Defenseman of the Year fired a shot from the point that beat Sibell to the far post to put Mankato up 3-2. The Tommies got a couple of good chances to tie the game, but Tracy denied them both. UST was also unable to pull Sibell for the extra attacker until 45 seconds were left in the period thanks to some good pressure from the Mavs, and then Groll finished off the win with his empty-net goal.

The post Mavs Win Mason Cup appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

New Boss On The Bench, Part 1

University of St. Thomas women’s hockey head coach Bethany Brausen went through a big and unexpected change last November after then-coach Joel Johnson’s surprising resignation. Brausen then became the interim head coach, and she said that her immediate focus was on the players, not on her new promotion.

“I think in the immediate moment, our priority was just so high on making sure that every single day was such a great experience or the best experience we could be providing for our players,” Brausen said recently. “So, to be honest, I didn’t really think about it too much from a future job perspective. I think me and (assistant coaches) Marty (Sertich) and Alli (Berg) stepping into that role, we were so focused on the experience of the student athletes that we weren’t really thinking too much about the long-term at that moment. And I think a part of that, too, was the three of us, we really had a lot of autonomy in the first year because that was the Olympic year (2022), and coach Johnson was away quite a bit for the Olympics. So even during that year, I was the acting head coach and Marty and Alli took on some pretty heavy responsibilities that year, too.

“So, it wasn’t a completely foreign space for us to step into. It was something we are actually pretty comfortable with because we’ve already done it and we had done it in a year that you could argue was a lot more challenging with it being the first year of transitioning to Division I. One of our coaches at St. Thomas shared this with me during that transition window this year, but she said ‘keep what’s important, important,’ and that was Jen Trotter, our softball coach, and I just thought that was such great advice. Do things the right way with integrity one day at a time and keep what’s important, important, and to us, that has and always will be, the student athlete experience first and foremost.”

Weekend sweep is a weight lifted
After 12 games, including an exciting sweep of then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth last month, the Tommies removed the interim tag and Brausen officially became the head coach, and she said that weekend against UMD was important to everyone in the program.

“It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders, but more so for our players, I think,” she said. “We talked a lot about this as a coaching staff. They have been so deserving of that type of weekend. You can look from an outside perspective and just be like ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that happened,’ and internally within the locker room, I think all the collective group of 26 of us would say ‘I can, I can believe it happened’ because we’ve been there every single day along the way, and we’ve seen the effort that they’ve put in and the extra time and the skill sessions and the video. Just the way that they are committed to the full experience at St. Thomas on a daily basis.

“So for us, it’s not that it wasn’t something to just tremendously be celebrated, but I also think it’s something that they’ve really worked for and they’ve really earned. So, I think that little bit of weight off the shoulders really came for the players sake because they’ve really earned that, and they’ve been earning it for a long time, and they finally got rewarded in a win-loss column standpoint. It was a huge weekend for us, but what I love about our group is they’re just not satisfied with it at all. They feel like we’ve started to turn the corner, if we haven’t already started to arrive, and I think they feel like they have a lot left to prove and so they did that in the second game against Duluth and then they had a great weekend against St. Cloud (State) and we split with another close to top-10 team in the country, and I just think that we have a group that’s really resilient and really excited to keep pushing the needle of what it means to be St. Thomas hockey.”

When asked if her job has changed at all since the interim tag got removed, Brausen said it hasn’t changed much.

“I think that fundamentally at the foundation of who I am and who we are as a staff, nothing really changes for myself and Marty and Alli when it comes to how we’re gonna be as people,” Brausen said. “I think that hopefully remains true for any coach that is really kind of living into their own authenticity, is that at your core of who you are you continue to always do things in the right way and with integrity. I think that logistically, there’s definitely some different pieces now, right? Like whether that’s for myself or the two other members on our staff.

“Of course, there’s a lot more long-term planning now. We’re starting to say ‘Okay, now that this is the official transition here, those tags are removed, we can really move forward and proceed differently, knowing that we have that future really solidified in front of us.’ So, what does that look like from a recruiting standpoint? What does that look like from a full culture development as we project into the future? So, I think there’s the excitement now of just officially turning the page and really starting a new chapter in the program’s history.”

Coaches are constantly recruiting throughout the year and now that she’s officially been given the center spot on the Tommies bench, Brausen is really emphasizing the importance of connections between players and coaches.

“I think that, I mean from the best staff that I’ve seen, either working with staffs, or from a distance and learning from others, I think the biggest thing with recruiting is you do need to do it by committee,” she said. “I think that when athletes and families are signing up for going to a school, they’re signing up for your full staff because you know the head coach ultimately makes a lot of the decisions, and maybe does a lot of that administrative side of things, but they are in a eight-month process every single day with multiple people, and so to me, I think it’s really important, not only from a talent acquisition and evaluation standpoint, that we have multiple members on our staff seeing these different potential recruits and trying to recruit them in the future, but it’s also that relationship element.

“I think it’s really important that families are able to connect not just with me or just with Marty or just with Alli, but that they really know that we have a great group that can offer a lot of different things for these athletes in the future.”

Navigating the puzzle pieces of the portal
The transfer portal has been a blessing and a curse in college hockey, and Brausen says each year is going to be different for each program.

“It is absolutely a puzzle,” she said. “It is such a different day and age of athletics. I mean, compared to when I was an athlete at Minnesota in 2010 to 2014, it’s a completely different landscape now. I keep going back to the importance of academics and continuing to learn being a lifetime learner, I think the same is true professionally in the athletic space. You do really have to adjust and pivot and start to learn things like ‘What is the new normal in athletics?’ and ‘How do we keep adapting with those changes over time?’ I think the portal makes it really tricky, but I think the biggest thing is year-to-year, it’s a puzzle, and so every single year is going to look a little bit different. I think it really depends on your needs year-to-year.

“There might be a certain year where you’re like, ‘Gosh, we are dire to get a defenseman for the following fall. There might be other years where we’re like ‘You know, we’ve actually got a little bit of wiggle room. We might be able to absorb a couple players that really help overall build our program.’ So, while every year is different, I do think it’s important, like I said, that we keep adapting and changing and kind of being on our toes as coaches with the ultimate goal to give a incredible experience to our current student athletes, while knowing that you’re always in the hunt to build the best program you can possibly build.”

The portal has had a huge effect on men’s hockey as it seems to get updated every couple of hours as soon as the season ends, but Brausen says it’s affected women’s hockey as well.

“I think it’s had a pretty heavy impact,” she said. “I mean I look at sports that are really the extreme version of what the portal you know can do, and implications they can have like football, the basketballs (men and women). Those are really extreme cases, but those are also pretty widespread and massive sports, think about how many teams are playing and so I would say relative to women’s hockey, it certainly has had a tremendous effect. We just have less teams and less players compared to some of those other sports, and so I think one of the biggest areas is just the kind of the student athlete experience and my hopes, and my goals as a coach in the recruiting process is to help players get it right the first time.

“I think if families and these players in particular are signing up for experiences that really are tailored toward their ultimate goals and their holistic experience. What do academics look like? What is the social experience at this school? What is the hockey coaching staff? You really should be, hopefully, signing up for all of those factors and not solely just one or the other because no different than life, it’s challenging. It’s hard. There might be days where players are frustrated with their playing time and so you really do have to treat the portal as families, as not necessarily a back up option, but an opportunity that would be more in a unique situation. I would love for players to get it right the first time, and for coaches to honor those same opportunities on the other side of it as well.”

Tourney time next season?
At the time of this article, the Tommies had four regular season games left, three of which scheduled at home before entering the WCHA Playoffs where the season will come to an end. However, next season, both of the UST hockey teams will be eligible for the NCAA Tournament, and Brausen says that changes things quite a bit.

“I think it absolutely does,” she said. “Phil Esten, our athletic director, he’s been doing all the right things to have that move in the right direction, and so it’s a testament to his leadership and his commitment to athletics to say ‘How can we advocate and fight to get that five-year drop down to one less?’ And that’s a really big deal for student athletes because I think every competitive athlete wants to compete for something big at the end of the year, and I think our players are no different.

“I’m gonna run the statistics on this, because I’d be very interested to see how that shakes out, but you know we look back and there were certainly some games that could’ve gone either way, that we could’ve won. I reflect on some games in November and we went to Nashville. We had two really great games with nonconference opponents in Clarkson and Penn State, who were both Top 15 in the country at the time and those were 50-50 games. I think those could’ve easily gone either way, and I would just be curious statistically if some of those games do, where are we sitting? Because right now, I think we’re around 20 in the NPI (NCAA Percentage Index), and when you are in the top 11, that’s the national tournament, and so for us in our first few years to go from you know essentially, technically, the last-place team when you first start to climb by 10, you know 10 points or 10 teams in your first year and to climb another 10 to climb another 10, all of a sudden, we’re looking statistically at an opportunity.

“It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does tell you that if your trajectory and your development remains the same that you at least give yourself a fighting chance of being a part of that national tournament type of picture one year from now, and so that’s the big overarching goal and that’s what everyone’s shooting for, but it does come down to those daily habits, that 1% better, doing it the right way over the offseason and putting in the time and effort. But it’s certainly something that I know our players are committed to.”

With the postseason rapidly approaching, Brausen thinks that both her program and women’s hockey is in good shape for the future.

“I think it’s a really exciting time, not only to be a part of St. Thomas, and that I think there’s no more exciting place to be in women’s hockey right now than the University of St. Thomas for a lot of reasons, but I think it’s an exciting time to be a part of girls and women’s hockey in general,” she said. “I mean, you just look at the PWHL and all the strides that it has made. It’s in its first couple years and they’re filling out these NHL facilities of 18,000 or 19,000+ people, and what a great thing for women’s hockey to have exposure like that and to just see how many people are excited to show up when they’re given the opportunity. I think that there’s a lot to be excited about in general, but certainly to be at St. Thomas, like I said, it just feels like there’s no place that has the same academic resources, the same hockey experience within our league. So, it’s been a lot of fun to be a part of and something that I feel really honored and excited to move forward into the future with.”

The post New Boss On The Bench, Part 2 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

A few weeks ago, Bethany Brausen officially became the head coach of the St. Thomas women’s hockey program after having the interim tag placed on her for 12 games following the abrupt resignation of then-head coach Joel Johnson.

After a successful playing and coaching career at the University of Minnesota, along with the Tommies’ sweep of then-No. 4 Minnesota Duluth during Brausen’s interim stage, it was no surprise that UST decided to put the future of the program in her hands.

Hockey is basically in Brausen’s blood, and some family influences helped guide her into fully embracing the sport she loves.

“My dad, he always kind of played, more informally though, so he would always kind of just do some pick-up hockey and stuff, so we definitely grew up in the rink,” Brausen said recently. “But a lot of the credit I give to my hockey involvement was actually for my cousin Connor, and he was like my best friend. I was attached at the hip with Connor, and he decided that he was wanting to play hockey, and so anything that he did, I was sold on as well. So, looking back, that was probably the biggest reason I got in was my best friend, my cousin. And then I feel like once I started playing, as most people know, it’s a hard sport to get out of. It’s just something you fall in love with pretty quickly.”

After earning Ms. Hockey honors as a senior and leading Roseville Area High School to a state championship in 2010, Brausen stayed in the Twin Cities and decided to suit up for the WCHA powerhouse Golden Gophers, even though it wasn’t as easy of a decision as one might think.

Choosing the Gophers
“When I was growing up, Minnesota was kind of the premier program in the Twin Cities,” she said. “It was really the only option in some ways for Minnesota kids just to get really high-level visibility, and so when I was growing up, there were people that I knew like Winny Brodt and Ronda Curtin, they were both Roseville people, and they ended up at Minnesota. So, I think I was kind of the traditional story of growing up in the Twin Cities and having the Gophers 10 minutes away from my home, and so that was definitely a big part for me when I went through the recruiting process.

“There were some other schools that I was considering. I thought about going out east. I even considered, you know, could I go to an Ivy League, things like that. But at the time just growing up in the Twin Cities and having an option that was close to home that had just such a rich tradition of success was definitely a big part of it.”

Brausen helped lead the Gophers to back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014 and then back to the title game in 2015. Then she decided to turn to coaching, which ended up being a perfect fit for her considering what she majored in during her time at Minnesota.

“I think to some degree I always knew that I wanted to coach in some capacity,” she said. “What’s interesting is I think growing up and even into my college years, I don’t know if coaches do a good enough job really kind of advocating and promoting a career profession of coaching. So, for me when I was at Minnesota, I’d never really thought about it as a full-time job. I actually originally got my master’s (degree) in counseling, and then I was pretty much set up with my PhD applications. I thought I’d go on and become a psychologist and maybe work in sports psychology, or industrial organizational psychology.

“So that was kind of my path originally and then at that point when I was starting my second year of my master’s program is actually when (Gophers head) coach (Brad) Frost called me and offered for me to come back and coach Minnesota. I think I always knew I wanted to coach. I coached at high school (at Breck) for a couple years. I coached in OS stuff all growing up but for me, I never really thought of it as a career profession until the opportunity presented itself. And then, similar to falling in love with hockey at a young age, it felt impossible not to fall in love with the coaching side of it as well later.”

When asked if her multiple degrees have helped her as a coach, Brausen said they definitely have played a role.

“My undergraduate was in psychology,” she said. “I think that that really applies to any sector that you go into and that’s kind of why I was drawn to that degree originally and then the masters in counseling. I actually did a internship with Premier Sports Psychology as well during that time and so, I really got pretty nuanced in the mental side of sports, and really just kind of the mental side of life, too, and how we can be the healthiest version of ourselves. And so, I think between those two programs and then the current one I’m in right now is actually in organizational leadership.

“So, for me, education has always been something I’ve been really passionate about and I just believe that everyone can and should be lifetime learners if we want to keep getting better. So, I definitely think between those three different types of degree programs it’s really set me up to be a really well-rounded coach.”

As far as her PhD goes, the soon to be Dr. Bethany is in her last year of her program and is in her dissertation stage before she’ll be defending it later in 2025. The topic is appropriately related to women’s hockey, which is a topic “near and dear to her heart.”

“I’m looking at four different coaches across the country Division 1 women’s hockey, and the question I’m trying to answer is what are the thoughts, beliefs, and practices of these four coaches who seek to help their student athletes flourish,” she said. “Essentially the question is really about how do we go above and beyond, kind of, traditional approaches to coaching. How do we go beyond kind of just black-and-white there’s a player you have their coach and it’s kind of old-school and traditional, but how do we go beyond that and actually develop these student athletes holistically and from a social psychological academic full life perspective?

“So that’s the answer, or the question I’m trying to answer, and I will get back to you in some months hopefully. If I get some good insights in that way.”

Brausen says all four of the coaches she’s researching are female and not just from the WCHA, which makes for an interesting study.

“It’s called purpose of sampling,” she said. “So, what you do is, if you were actually kind of ingrained or engulfed into a certain population or a certain demographic, you can actually hand select people based on your experience or feedback from others of who would be the best candidates, and so that’s how I went about selecting my participants. I can’t say specifically who they are from an anonymous standpoint, but they are all female and that was just by chance. It could’ve been a male, but just by chance, the four that were really the best fit for the study were females. I have a couple of head coaches, and a couple are associates or assistant coaches. I have one that’s an Ivy League coach, I have some from the WCHA, and some from other conferences. So, it’s really a nice blend to get some different perspectives from a wide range. So, it’s been fun.”

Joining the Tommies as an assistant coach
With a psych background and a successful tenure at Minnesota, Brausen joined the Tommies bench and there were a couple of factors that made her switch from maroon and gold to purple and gray.

“I think the biggest thing is that, number one, I had been with Minnesota both as a player and as a coach for so many years at that point, so nearly a decade, and it was fun and it was rewarding and it was so many great things, but it was a very seasoned program,” she said. “So, for me, the opportunity to go somewhere that was new and different and really building from the foundation up, was pretty much the opposite experience of what I currently had. Like with academics, I’m just a really high achiever by nature where I want to do things differently. I want to always keep pushing myself, and so for me, the opportunity to go coach somewhere that was new, and was different, and was building something from that foundation level was such a new challenge and very exciting for me.

“And the other part of it is I went around and I walked the St. Thomas campus when I was considering coaching there. I vividly remember the thought of ‘Gosh, it’s going to take some years. It might take three or four years to really kind of start to build that program, but that is not a program I want to recruit against in the future.’ I just remember vividly having that thought because as a potential student athlete when I walked around that campus, this is where I would’ve wanted to go. If I could do the recruiting process now today, the fact that it’s this beautiful, small private school in a very safe part of the Twin Cities, your professors come to your games, they know you by name, they know your family members’ names. It was just a different academic and athletic experience. Just being a lot more intimate. Our athletic director (Phil Esten) and our sports administrators, they’re at almost every single game.

“So, it’s just a different environment at St. Thomas. So, I think it was both of those things. It was this new and different challenge that was so different than anything I’ve experienced and then on the other side of it, it’s not for everyone necessarily, but for the right people looking for something different in our conference. St. Thomas offers a completely different experience than any other school in the WCHA.”

The post New Boss On The Bench, Part 1 appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Ryan Stieg writes about the Gopher women’s hockey team defeating Bemidji State on outdoor ice.

This story was originally published in the MHM February 2025 HDM Shakopee Recap.

The post College Women: Enjoy The Ride appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

After having a solid junior season as a transfer from Wisconsin, Malmquist has emerged as the Tommies’ most potent offensive threat as he currently has 19 points, with 13 of them being assists. Two of his six goals have been shorthanded.

Malmquist may put on a good show on the ice at times, but when asked about his accomplishments so far, he stays humble. However, he does admit that as an Edina alum, he’s embraced the stigma of being a “cake eater” to hockey fans around Minnesota.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said, with a laugh. “You grow up and guys know what Edina is. You get so used to it. You never really hear it (at first) because you’re always around other Edina guys growing up, but when you branch out, you’ll hear it. I think it’s funny.

“We were playing at Bemidji State this year and we were coming off intermission during Saturday’s game and they had some Bemidji alumni thing. We were walking through the tunnel and one of the alumni screamed ‘Hey Malmquist, you cake eater.’ It was a crucial game, so I was trying to stay focused, but I smirked and laughed at it. I’m used to it and it doesn’t bother me at all.”

It’s hard to rattle Malmquist on the ice as he carries himself with a quiet poise. As a former tennis player, he knows how to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.

“I like having the puck,” he said. “I like having the plays there for me and being able to see the whole ice sheet and seeing guys move to where they’re going to be. I like when I can do some quick cut-ups and enter the zone with speed and use my edges to change direction to try to catch people off guard. I also like if there’s a play and I can take a chance to try to do it by using my speed.

“Hockey is like a tennis match in a sense. Each shift and each period and each game is brand new. Maybe in different games, I try to use my speed depending on the team, and other times, I’ll need to be a lot smarter and use my head more than my legs.”

Liam Malmquist said being called an Edina “cake eater” doesn’t bother him. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

College-hockey decision was a tough choice
When it came time to decide on where to play college hockey, Malmquist had a tough time deciding as he wanted to find the perfect fit like his father found playing for Harvard or his brother Dylan found suiting up for Notre Dame. Liam eventually found it in Madison playing for the Badgers.

“It was a tough decision,” he said. “I was talking to other schools and a lot of the people I was talking with were really nice, and I have nothing but good things to say about my recruitment process. I wanted to make sure I was going to a place where I was going to get an opportunity. I didn’t want to rush, but I also had an opportunity to play junior hockey at the same time. Madison, at the end of the day, was the right fit. I respected (then head coach) Tony Granato and his way of thinking about the game and how he approached recruiting me.

“My two years in Madison were unbelievable. We didn’t have the best records or the playoff runs that we’d hoped for, but the guys were really nice and supportive. I learned a lot from my first two years just going to a big school with a city feel to it. At the end of the day, it worked out where I got to experience it and now, I’m back closer to home.”

After Malmquist’s sophomore year at Wisconsin, Granato was fired and replaced by former Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings. After some initial discussions with his new coach, Malmquist decided the perfect fit might be somewhere else.

“I was still hoping to play hockey in Madison, but they had Mike Hastings come in, and I had a couple conversations with him prior to entering the portal,” Malmquist said. “I have nothing but respect for him as well. He’s the real deal. I wanted to express what I thought I could be and where I saw myself. I’m sure he had his own system and his own ideas in place, and it didn’t end up fitting mutually.

“So, it was a personal decision to enter the portal. I kind of took a leap of faith. I had a lot of people supporting me and people who had my back and taught me how to manage. It was pretty stressful and it’s hard when you’re at a place for two years and it feels like your home. But then time moves so fast and you kind of blink and it’s gone and then you’re back to where it started with recruitment.

“I was fortunate to talk with some schools and heard a lot hockey minds and perspectives on things, and I guess it all shifted when I got the call from (Tommies head coach) Rico (Blasi), (assistant coaches) Leon (Hayward) and Cory (Laylin). They were super supportive and really excited to talk to me. It was easy for me at the time because I knew what they were bringing in and I knew a lot of the guys already and who they had already recruited from the portal. My decision to leave Madison wasn’t against anyone. It was just kind of personal and wanting to try a different experience. I’m taking what I learned at Madison and am trying to continue to grow at St. Thomas.”

Before skating with Wisconsin and St. Thomas in college hockey, Liam Malmquist won the Class 2A state championship with Edina in 2019. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

Malmquist has produced on the stats sheet for Tommies
The Tommies were predicted to be better last season, but ended up surpassing preseason expectations by finishing second in the CCHA. Malmquist was a big reason for that as he finished with 10 goals and was second on the team in points with 27. When asked what created that sudden offensive explosion, Malmquist said there were a lot of factors, but it might’ve just come down to a new mindset.

“I think the biggest thing when I got to St. Thomas was the feeling of ‘I’ve got nothing to lose,’” he said. “Rico was really appreciative of who I was right away, and he gave me confidence and an opportunity that a lot of guys would want. I had the support of teammates and some really good guys and got set up with special teams with really good players. It kind of took off and after that first game at St. Cloud, we got that win and everything burst wide open. It was just, go out and play and just enjoy it.”

Now that he’s on track to probably having an even better statistical season this year, Malmquist said that he’s continuing to block out the noise around him.

“When you’re not focusing on the things you can’t control, things tend to work out point-wise,” he said. “You get compliments and you get some confidence from it. I’m just continuing on what it was last year. Everyone in that room, including myself, is there to win a hockey game. I know everyone will do whatever they can to get a result. Individually, I try not to focus on any of that. If we can get a clean breakout and move five guys on the ice and snap it around five or six times and create a chance, that catches my eye more than stats.

“It goes back to having confidence in myself. Last week, I was playing with (teammates) Matt (Gleason) and Lucas (Wahlin), who are unbelievable players, and two years ago at Madison, I maybe wasn’t playing as much. Now, I’m here as a senior, and it’s pretty amazing. I’m playing a top role on a top team with all these top players.”

Malmquist may be underrated nationally, but right now, it’s clear that he’s the Tommies’ top guy.

The post Tommies’ Top Guy appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Last year, the Tommies had two former Colorado College players on the roster. With center Matthew Gleason sticking around for one more year, UST added two more in defenseman Chase Foley and forward Ray Christy to have a total of three former Tigers on the Tommies roster this season.

Gleason grew up with Christy and then played against him and Foley in high school before they eventually all went off to Colorado Springs.

“I was actually really good buddies growing up with Ray’s younger brother Robert,” Gleason said. “He was my age growing up, so we were always on the same youth teams. And then Ray was on my older brother’s team. That’s how we connected. Chase, I didn’t know too much, but we did the same summer training program growing up, so we crossed paths with that and also playing against each other. All three us were on the same high school elite league team as well.

Added Foley: “We all kind of committed to CC around the same time, so we definitely knew each other going in, and it’s special that all three of us were committed from the same area.”

First stop: Colorado College
All three were recruited to CC by former Tigers assistant coach and current Tommies assistant coach Leon Hayward. Foley liked the idea of playing where his dad played hockey and his parents met, while Christy also had a family connection.

Ray Christy, playing for Colorado College, takes a shot during a 4-3 win over Denver University on March 8, 2024. Christy played at St. Thomas Academy in high school, and has come full-circle returning to play for the University of St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“I originally committed there with my brother, so it was just an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Christy said. “Another big factor was Chase’s dad played there, and he had a super big impact on not only myself, but Chase’s career and my brother Robert’s career. It just was a cool spot and a great opportunity.”

Once they all arrived on campus, it didn’t take long for the guys to reconnect and strengthen their bonds.

“It was awesome just moving in,” Gleason said. “I started second semester of my freshmen year moving into an apartment with those guys and Jackson Jutting (Bemidji State) and Jack Millar (AHL Ontario Reign). So, that was awesome. Just always growing up playing against each other either, especially with the Cretin (Derham Hall) and St. Thomas Academy rivalry. That was cool just becoming teammates and building that brotherhood and memories on and off the ice.”

Their freshman year was during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“So, there were barely any students on campus,” Foley said. “We could basically only hang out with your team because you weren’t allowed to be in groups bigger than 10 or so people. We got really close our freshman year and then it just continued into sophomore and junior year when Matthew was still there. We hung with each other away from the rink and going over to each other’s apartments to watch movies and hanging out. It was a lot of fun.”

One might think that because Gleason and Christy are forwards that they might’ve played a lot together, but the twosome only played two shifts together their entire careers with the Tigers. One time was during a game at Western Michigan in Gleason’s last season at CC, and the other was a game against CC’s archrival, Denver, which resulted in a memory the two of them can laugh at now.

“We were playing Denver, and me, Matt and Jackson Jutting all ran for the hills, and the Denver guys took the puck and put it in the back of the net,” Christy said, with a laugh. “It was memorable for the wrong reasons.”

Next stop: University of St. Thomas
In 2023-24, Gleason transferred to UST, while the other two stayed with the Tigers for another year and had the best seasons of their college careers after battling injuries through a good chunk of their time at CC. After last season, Christy and Foley entered the portal and were enticed about the idea to come back to their home rink.

Chase Foley carries the puck for Colorado College in a game against Arizona State on Dec. 1, 2023. This season, Foley has six assists in 10 games for St. Thomas. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College athletic department)

“There’s a lot of factors going into it, but I think the number one thing was being able to play at home in front of some friends and family,” Foley said. “So, they don’t have to travel as much to Colorado Springs. There’s other ones, too. Ray was obviously going to come here, and Matthew was one of my really good friends, and I wanted to be able to reconnect with those guys and being able to play Division I hockey at home is something pretty special and not everybody gets the opportunity to do.”

When St. Thomas coach Rico Blasi called, Christy said it was an opportunity to come home.

“I enjoyed my time in Colorado, it was great, but the opportunity to come home and be part of a new program that was on the rise was something that really interested me.” Christy said.

Hayward said Christy and Foley both fill a specific need on the Tommies roster, with Christy serving as a good replacement for another CC transfer in Noah Prokop and Foley being a leader on the power play.

“Ray knows who he is as a player,” Hayward said. “I don’t think he came here saying ‘Hey, I want to be on the power play’ or ‘I want to do this, or I want to do that.’ He really wanted to be part of a team and a team that has a chance to win some games and compete. I think that’s what ultimately drew us to him and him to us. I think it was a good fit in terms of stylistically what we were looking for at the time and what he had to offer.

“Chase is a power play 1-type guy with great hockey sense. He’s elusive. He’s just a really smart player, and he always has been. That was something we were looking for, for our power play and frankly, I don’t think we had had the first three years here at St. Thomas. So, he was a very specific need. Certainly, for us the portal has changed from ‘Hey, let’s just get guys to fill spots’ to ‘We have a very specific need and does this player fill it?’ Chase is a prime example of that. He had a few other options at some bigger schools, and I think we lucked out with obviously a little bit of a relationship there and then being able to come close to home. So, it worked out. But he was very specific. We really needed someone to run a power play, and I think you’re seeing that now and what that kind of means to our team.”

Reunited, and it feels so good
Now that they’ve all been reunited, Gleason and Foley are off to solid starts as the former is second on the team in goals and the latter is second in assists. Christy also returned to the lineup last weekend against Bowling Green after being out for two weeks with an injury. Almost two months into the season, the two newcomers feel that they’ve fit in nicely within the Tommies roster.

“Coming into a new team, it’s always a little nerve racking because you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Foley said. “But from the first workout in the summer, the sense you get from the guys is the team is bigger than the individual. That’s something that’s super easy to pick up on in our locker room. Everybody is playing for the guy next to them. Nobody is playing for themselves. Everyone has the greater goal, which is a championship in mind.

Added Christy: “It’s been great. I’ve been playing with them for quite a bit now. I know their games inside and out. Just having that special experience, just knowing where they’re going to be at and what plays they usually make. Off the ice, it does a lot because we have such good friendships where we’re not afraid to push each other or confront each other if things aren’t going the right way. To have those types of teammates that can be a rock and kind of build you to motivate yourself to be better, I’m super grateful to have them.”

Now that he’s played with both Christy and Foley at two colleges, Gleason says he’s built up a tight connection with both, and he said that benefits the team.

Matthew Gleason has five goals and one assist in 11 games with St. Thomas this season, matching his goal total from 2023-24 with the Tommies. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“Just during office conversations (with Christy), we always saw the game the same way,” Gleason said. “I think the cool thing with Ray is that he’s an older guy and he’s seen a lot of hockey. So, we have a lot of conversations about how the game works and what we can do as players to be better in those situations and how we can attack different teams. Basically, just work on our strengths to be more effective in games.

“With Foley, you understand the way somebody works on the ice and how they react as a person, it makes the communication better. I think that’s the biggest thing with playing with guys you build a relationship with. You know how to talk to each other. Sometimes you need to scream at each other and sometimes you just need to have a conversation. Just overall, getting on the same page and working toward that end goal.”

According to all three of them, that end goal is a CCHA championship. The Tommies were predicted to win the conference in the preseason CCHA polls, and even though they’ve gotten off to a bumpy start, they all believe that the team still has what it takes to finish at the top in their final collegiate seasons.

“For me personally, that’s what I want to hang my hat on here at St. Thomas,” Gleason said. “Helping the culture move forward brick by brick, as Rico always says. Building those relationships with guys and winning a conference championship and hanging that first banner in the new rink for those guys next year and the history going forward.”

Foley and Christy agreed with Gleason’s thoughts and said they’ll keep striving to make that happen.

“That was our goal at the beginning of the year and nothing’s changed,” Foley said. “That’s what we’re all working hard for.”

The post Tigers To Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

That wasn’t the case for the St. Thomas men’s squad Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center. After getting handed a 7-1 defeat Friday at the hands of No. 5 Minnestota, the Tommies were looking to bounce back, but a costly major penalty by Matthew Gleason in the second period led to two Golden Gophers goals and Minnesota ended up cruising to a 6-2 victory to complete the series sweep.

“Obviously, the better team won tonight,” said Tommies coach Rico Blasi. “I thought we played hard. I thought we came out really well again. Our emotions got the best of us, and we took a couple of undisciplined penalties. You can’t do that against a good team.”

When asked if tonight was a learning experience for his team in regard to physical play, Blasi said that playing hard and physical was part of the Tommies’ identity, but they didn’t make better decisions.

“Obviously, we’ve got to keep our hands down and be smart about it, and we didn’t do that tonight,” he said. “So, we’re going to have to continue to focus on that. I think it’s just a mindset in making sure that we do that. We know that. Our guys know that. We got caught up in the emotion tonight, and it’s unacceptable.”

For the Gophers, it was another strong victory as they’ve now won four games in a row with impressive offensive showings. Coach Bob Motzko said that their power play unit needed to step up, and it did as they picked up three goals.

Cooper Gay (No. 20) scored his third goal of the season on Oct. 26 to give St. Thomas a 1-0 lead over the Gophers in the first period at Xcel Energy Center. (Photo courtesy of Shannon Stieg)

“There was a lot of 50-50 hockey last night, and then tonight was special teams,” Motzko said. “Our power play needed to answer the bell, and you have to do that in the season. We needed to get our power play going and got three of them tonight, and that was big. I didn’t like the shorty we gave up at the end, but I also liked some maturity in our team. We kept our cool. We tried to stay out of it and just play hockey and get through it. We got pucks deep at the end, and we made smart line changes and some things you probably don’t want to hear about. But we played with some maturity tonight with a lead, and I liked that.”

Motzko also said that he and his staff emphasized the importance of taking all of the games against the fellow Minnesota schools like UST seriously, since the smaller schools see it as a big event.

“We addressed it this year with our guys at the start of the year,” he said. “There’s been some years that hadn’t been great for us at times, and we kind of challenged our guys. It started with our exhibition game with St. Cloud. That we wanted to really be on top of our game and take our nonconference against in-state teams seriously because they take it seriously against us and they want to come after us. We’ve got great leadership and great veterans that have taken hold of that, and I’m proud of them.”

Lamb takes advantage of Gleason’s major penalty
Just like Friday’s contest, UST struck first. At the 4:19 mark, Tommies defenseman Mason Poolman sent a pass from the point to forward Cooper Gay and he tapped it past Gophers goalie Liam Souliere to make it 1-0.

However, the Gophers weren’t deterred and continued to put pressure on the Tommies and goalie Aaron Trotter. Minnesota caught a break at the 10:42 mark as Trotter made a save on a Ryan Chesley shot, but the shot trickled through his pads and into the back of the net, tying the game 1-1.

Minnesota got on the scoreboard again less than two minutes later while on the power play. A Sam Rinzel shot was saved by Trotter, but the puck was free by the left post and the Gophers’ Brody Lamb tapped it into the open net to put them up 2-1 heading into the second period.

That’s when the Gophers broke the game open. Gleason was whistled for a contact to the head major penalty and a game misconduct. Lamb took advantage, scoring two goals on the lengthy power play to complete his natural hat trick. His second goal of the game came at the 6:43 mark when he one-timed a pass from Luke Mittelstadt into the back of the net, and then his third came at 8:36 when he beat Trotter to the right post to push Minnesota’s lead to 4-1. With less than a minute left in the period, the Gophers’ Aaron Huglen made it 5-1 going into the third.

UST got a goal back while trying to kill another major penalty early in the third as forward Liam Malmquist slid past the Gophers’ power play unit and scored on a shorthanded breakaway at the 4:02 mark. However, any hopes of a Tommies comeback were squashed at the 6:57 mark when Minnesota’s Connor Kurth scored his sixth goal of the season.

Next weekend, the Tommies host CCHA foe Augustana for the first time, while the Gophers open Big Ten play against Penn State.

The post Gophers Sweep Tommies appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

St. Thomas players Ryder Donovan and Jake Ratzlaff dodged career-enders last year, but their seasons still came to an unfortunate early end. Both of them have a unique story to tell.

The two players met playing hockey in the elite league in high school and, eventually, they met up again at Wisconsin, but strangely, in different sports. While Donovan suited up on the ice for the Badgers, Ratzlaff went a different route and played linebacker for the football team. Despite that, the two managed to reconnect a couple of years ago.

“Oh yeah, I knew who he (Ratzlaff) was just from the Minnesota hockey mill,” Donovan said. “He was two years younger, but I knew who he was. He was a higher-rated hockey player, and then he chose the football route. So, I knew him in Madison, not great, but he would come skate with us sometimes. (Tony) Granato, who was our coach at the time, had a really good relationship with Paul Chryst, who was their football coach. Here and there some days, when it wasn’t a super-intense practice day or where we’d scrimmage or something, Ratz would come. All of a sudden, you’d see a stick in the locker room that wasn’t one of our team sticks. So, we’d be like ‘alright, someone’s here.’ We’d let him skate with us in some preseason stuff before we had real practices, but then when we would have a Monday or Tuesday practice, he would come skate after we got off. He’d be in the locker room saying hi to guys and stuff.”

Jake Ratzlaff, a defenseman, is listed with a 6-2 height and 215 pounds with St. Thomas for the 2024-25 season. (Photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas)

Donovan also said that Ratzlaff, a Rosemount native, stood out from the crowd due to his size and that he looked a little awkward, but that it was obvious that he could play the game well.

“He was definitely a little heavy out there in the boots,” Donovan said with a laugh. “I think his shoulder pads went above his ear loops on his helmet. His shoulders were so big compared to ours. So, it was a pretty funny hockey visual picturing him in hockey gear then. Obviously, he was pretty rusty, and I can’t imagine how his body felt after three-a-days on the football field and film, but you could tell that this guy definitely played hockey, and he was a good player. Maybe not a little fine-tuned, but he’s just a physical freak. I think that he could pick up any sport in a couple of months and it’d be like ‘holy smokes, this guy could probably make our team.’ I knew when he was at Madison in the USHL and he started to drop his football weight, but he was still a monster. Even here now, he’s been playing hockey for a year plus, and he had injuries last year with his hips, but he’s just a physically freak athlete. All he thinks about all the time is sports, so it’s no surprise that he was able to make the transition back and be just fine.”

Ratzlaff said that his appearance has changed quite a bit since his football days and that he’s trying to mold himself back into a skater.

“I’ve definitely lost some weight,” Ratzlaff said with a chuckle. “I think at the heaviest I was 236 or 237 (pounds). I’m about 225, which is about 12 pounds down. I went heavier in the offseason so I could add some more muscle mass. Going into the season if I could go down to 220 or 225, it would work. I think my body type is different too. My upper body used to be bigger. Football players need those big upper bodies to be able to take on the blockers. I’m a little bit more leaned out in my face and everything, which is good. I hope I look different because I’m trying to mold myself more into a hockey player.”

Ratzlaff said that he went to as many Badgers hockey games as he could when he was at school. He missed being on the ice.

“My freshman year, my dorm was right next to the Kohl Center,” Ratzlaff said. “Just in walking distance. So, I would go from the dorm, especially in the wintertime when we were just doing our lifts, I would go to all the games. Sometimes I went by myself, sometimes some of the football guys would come with me. I loved playing football, but it was hard to watch those guys play and not be out there. I knew all the guys on the team. Even guys that weren’t Ryder and (St. Thomas forward) Liam (Malmquist). It was tough to not be out there, but it was fun to watch them.”

Ryder Donovan was sidelined for much of last season after getting injured in an off-ice incident. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

Donovan transferred to St. Thomas last season
Going into last season, Duluth East grad Donovan knew that the Badgers were going to hire a new coach and decided he hadn’t “reached his full potential” playing in Madison. In the 2019, NHL Draft, the Vegas Golden Knights drafted Donovan in the fourth round (110th overall). Enticed by UST’s rise to Division I and its coaching staff, he decided to enter the transfer portal and join the Tommies. Donovan played in three games and ended up scoring the game-winning goal during the season opener against St. Cloud State, but after that early success, things went downhill for him through no fault of his own.

“It was an off-ice incident,” Donovan said. “Just the team hanging out and he didn’t mean to do it, but someone not in their right state of mind came up and flipped me from behind in a house in a doorway. We were playing the Gophers that weekend, and I was already out with a lower-body injury that I was dealing with from our preseason training camp and the first couple games. I played against St. Cloud and I was fine. Played the first game against Minnesota at the X (Xcel Energy Center), and I realized I could barely push off on my leg. So, I was going to be out for just a couple weeks, maybe. Not a big deal, but I ended up having my life literally flipped upside down and my body flipped upside down in an off-ice incident. Thought it was just a concussion at first. I told the coaching staff, and I was obviously really frustrated because it was kind of a freak accident that I didn’t expect. I realized I had a lot bigger issues going on with my neck and my brain overall. I probably could’ve broken my neck and I thankfully didn’t.

“So, since last October and through this summer, I really couldn’t do much. I just had to start from scratch and try to do a pushup without a headache or run without a headache and get back on the ice. I went to Vegas’ camp over the summer and they just had me down there for physicals and to meet with their medical personnel and be around the guys. I couldn’t even skate in July, so I’m really thankful for where I’m at right now. It wasn’t too far long ago, but at the end of July and August I started to get back on the ice without getting headaches and neck pain and build from scratch and get everything back. So, it’s been a bit of a journey.”

Ratzlaff overcomes injuries, switches from football to hockey
It’s also been a journey for Ratzlaff, who ended up switching from football to hockey thanks to some nagging injuries. He also joined the Tommies last season. However, his year was also cut short halfway through, thanks to an injury, and he ended up going under the knife.

Jake Ratzlaff is back on the ice this season after working his way back from multiple injuries. (MHM Photo / Ryan Stieg)

“I had double hip surgery,” he said. “Both labrums had been torn previously, football injuries. When I came into last season, I had my shoulder done that previous season. I was in the USHL, and I played 10 games or whatever and I had to get surgery. Last season, I played the first half of the season and then after Christmas, I got surgery on both of my hips. I’m back playing now, and I feel good. It was just one of those things. I’ve had four surgeries in the last three years, so it’s been a test on my body for sure. I’ve been staying resilient and enjoying the process. As many sports as I played in high school and then having the opportunity to go play football, it took a toll on my body. I was trying to do everything and, at some point, my body started to break down on me a little bit and those surgeries had to happen. Thankfully, we have people in this world that can put you back together, but it’s tough to go through that. I just try to keep that positive mindset. I’m thankful to be playing the game and being healthy, for the most part.”

Both season-ending injuries were rough on the two Tommies as Donovan spent the majority of his time on his own seeing medical specialists, while Ratzlaff spent the summer “trying to figure out his game” after recovering from surgery and trying to get back to being a hockey player. However, both are back on the ice and feel like they’re back to their old selves.

“Nobody is fully 100% in a physical sport,” Donovan said. “I got to the point where I thought I was in the best physical shape I’ve ever been in. Usually in the offseason you’re doing fun stuff with the guys more, and I had to keep it pretty strict and keep to a strict routine of workouts and visiting medical people I’d been working with, and our team trainer is great. I was a little unsure about hitting and physical play would go. We kind of leaned into it and with our preseason starting in September, we did more scrimmages and contact. I dealt with some symptoms, but I knew I was turning the corner coming into the season. I’ve taken plenty of blows, and I know I’m fine. It’s just another injury like someone blowing out their knee. You just try to stay ahead of it and make sure you’re protected.”

Added Ratzlaff: “Over the summer, I put in a lot of work to improve my skating and to improve a lot with my game. I worked with a skating coach, which I hadn’t done the previous summer, and I do feel like throughout the summer, I was getting to 100% and then once the season started, especially in the preseason, I felt like I was at 100%. In terms of 100% in the games, I think it takes a little bit now. I played half the season last year, which was great, but the first game went fine, and I think as I go along this season, I’ll keep building and getting better. But in terms of my body, I feel good.”

The twosome (three, if you add Malmquist) sometimes talk about their times in Madison, but right now, they’re focused on helping the Tommies win a CCHA Championship and enjoying the ride.

“We definitely talk about some of the good times that we had,” Ratzlaff said. “It was fun to get to know them. Their experience in Madison was interesting. It was different. My experience playing football and being over on the hockey side a little bit and going back and forth, it was different. We still talk about it every once in a while, but we’re all super thankful for the opportunity of what we have here at St. Thomas. We have an opportunity to do something special this year, and Ryder and I are both healthy. We’re really happy about this year, so I think we’re trying to stay as present as possible.”

Added Donovan: “It’s definitely a mutual excitement for all of us, for me, Ratz and Liam to be here and knowing that you’re a part of something pretty damn cool. Being able to build the program up and getting a new opportunity and still play the game you love and try to do it at the best level you can.”

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