Podcast
The PodKaz: USCHO Women's Hockey
Hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski talk about NCAA women's hockey with insight gained from covering the sport for USCHO.com and the Wisconsin State Journal.
- Episodes
- 93
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 25 min
- On air since
- 2023
- Latest episode
- 16 hours ago
Episodes
93 episodes, newest first
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30 min
Princeton's best start and big weeks in the WCHA and ECAC Hockey
Season 4, Episode 17
Show notes
Princeton is 6-0 for the first time in program history, and that's where Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski start this week's recap edition of The PodKaz. The Tigers defeated Brown 3-1 and Yale 2-1 last week.
Other results of note last week included Minnesota winning a pair of one-goal games against Minnesota Duluth, UConn and Holy Cross combining for one goal in two games and some upsets in ECAC Hockey.
Wisconsin's Nela Lopušanová tied an NCAA rookie record with five goals against St. Cloud State on Saturday as the Badgers completed a sweep.
Nicole highlighted two pieces of NCAA women's hockey history: Cornell honoring its 1975-76 Ivy League title team and a Brown history podcast, "Pandas on Ice."
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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19 min
International absences, U.S. roster questions and what's ahead in women's college hockey
Season 4, Episode 16
Show notes
International absences are back in NCAA women's hockey, and Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski discuss the impact on this episode of The PodKaz.
USA Hockey training camp and exhibition games against Canada and a Women's Euro Hockey Tour stop in Sweden will have some players missing from this week's games.
The first November edition of the World Championship in the first year of the Olympic quad, pro players being in offseason form, opportunities to evaluate young talent and U.S. coach John Wroblewski's extension through the next Olympics are topics.
This week's games to watch include Wisconsin at St. Cloud State; Minnesota at Minnesota Duluth; Yale at Quinnipiac and Princeton; Clarkson at Harvard; Vermont at Boston College and and Robert Morris at Lindenwood in Atlantic Hockey.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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22 min
Recapping Boston College vs. Cornell and Ohio State's shutout sweep
Season 4, Episode 15
Show notes
A quieter week around NCAA women's hockey still had some teams make noise. Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski discuss last weekend's action on this edition of The PodKaz.
Boston College split with Cornell, with the Eagles getting a 2-0 win on a 39-save shutout by Avah Sedore and the Big Red rebounding with a 5-3 victory.
Ohio State gave Taylor Kressin both starts against Colgate, and she stopped all 24 shots she faced in 3-0 and 8-0 wins for the Buckeyes.
Yale won the Ice Breaker title over Minnesota State in a shootout after a 3–3 tie, while the Mavericks' comeback impressed.
In ECAC Hockey play, Quinnipiac swept Union and RPI while Princeton took five points, getting a Chloe Brinson overtime goal against the Garnet Chargers.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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23 min
World Championship rosters, November uncertainty and key Week 6 series
Season 4, Episode 14
Show notes
We're starting to see rosters for the November World Championships, and PodKaz hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski discuss how they'll impact college hockey.
Hockey Canada's 25-player roster features five current college players amid significant turnover and absences due to injuries, retirement and other factors.
USA Hockey's training camp is coming up, and it has 31 players in contention.
This episode also previews marquee weekend series: unbeaten Colgate at Ohio State; Boston College hosting Cornell; ECAC openers for Quinnipiac and Princeton at Union and Rensselaer; and the Ice Breaker Tournament at Boston University's Walter Brown Arena.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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23 min
Two early candidates for game of the year
Season 4, Episode 13
Show notes
It's only October but we already have two good candidates for the game of the year. PodKaz hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski look back at a pair of 6-5 games last Saturday.
Princeton finished a season-opening sweep of UConn by rallying from a 5-2 deficit in the final 10 minutes of the third period and won in overtime.
Ohio State avoided a sweep at Minnesota by rallying for a win behind a hat trick by Joy Dunne and a go-ahead goal by Hilda Svensson.
There were other big results over the weekend that caught our attention: Northeastern's tie and win over Quinnipiac, Cornell's sweep of Vermont and Penn State's 5-4 win over improved Lindenwood.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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17 min
Ohio State at Minnesota, key nonconference series headline Week 5
Season 4, Episode 12
Show notes
Ohio State took over the No. 1 spot in the USCHO.com Division I women's poll, and now the Buckeyes put it on the line with a trip to play No. 3 Minnesota.
In this episode of The PodKaz, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski look into the series between the Buckeyes and Gophers and some of the other key series to watch this weekend.
Among them: No. 6 Northeastern at No. 4 Quinnipiac, focusing on whether Quinnipiac can generate a more dynamic offense beyond Kahlen Lamarche's finishing.
No. 8 UConn plays No. 7 Princeton and No. 14 Cornell hosts No. 15 Vermont as the Ivy League schools get started. Also keep an eye on No. 10 St. Cloud State at St. Thomas in the WCHA.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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26 min
Ohio State takes over No. 1 after sweeping Wisconsin with third-period surges
Season 4, Episode 11
Show notes
There's a new No. 1 team in NCAA women's hockey but it's not a new face. Ohio State is atop the USCHO.com poll after sweeping Wisconsin last weekend.
This edition of The PodKaz has hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski looking back at the series in Columbus and the Buckeyes' third-period surges that provided 2-1 and 5-3 victories.
Around the country, Colgate swept St. Cloud State to move to 4-0, Syracuse earned an overtime upset over No. 4 Penn State before Penn State rebounded with a 4-0 win, and St. Thomas beat No. 10 Minnesota Duluth 2-1 before Duluth won 3-0.
Northeastern bounced back with wins over Providence and New Hampshire. Franklin Pierce kept it close with Vermont.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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22 min
National team camp impacts No. 1 vs. No. 2 and other Week 4 matchups
Season 4, Episode 10
Show notes
The teams that have won the last seven NCAA women's hockey championships are playing each other this weekend, with No. 1 Wisconsin traveling to No. 2 Ohio State. But the games will be impacted by absences.
PodKaz hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski cover the Canadian national team camp that's removing 14 current college players from their teams. Five of them would have been playing in the Wisconsin-Ohio State series.
This episode also looks forward to St. Cloud State playing at Colgate, Clarkson and St. Lawrence playing a home-and-home series and newly ranked Vermont traveling to Franklin Pierce.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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20 min
Rankings get shaken up after a chaotic early weekend
Season 4, Episode 9
Show notes
PodKaz hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski look back on a chaotic Week 3 of the NCAA women's hockey season.
Rensselaer delivered probably the biggest surprise with a 2-1 overtime upset of No. 5 Northeastern despite being outshot 42-14.
Vermont surprised Minnesota Duluth before the Bulldogs responded with an overtime victory in the second game of their nonconference series.
UConn rebounded from a pair of losses to sweep then-No. 9 Clarkson, including a 4-0 victory in the second game. And St. Cloud State swept Minnesota State behind Maria Mikaelyan's five goals in the series.
Ten of the 15 spots in the USCHO poll were changed from last week.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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30 min
Digging into NCAA women's hockey rule changes and this week's games
Season 4, Episode 8
Show notes
PodKaz hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski go through some of the rules changes in NCAA women's hockey, specifically the attempt to clarify what's legal contact and what should be penalized as body checking.
They recap a media webinar with NCAA secretary/rules editor Steve Piotrowski outlining guiding principles (including shoulder-to-shoulder pursuit, end-wall pursuit, forward angle/cutback, and 50/50 battles) and emphasizing judging the action that creates contact rather than the outcome, plus a definition of body checking as a distinct moment of impact using overt hip/shoulder/arm/torso action to separate the puck carrier.
Check out the NCAA rule changes here.
This episode also includes a look ahead at this week's big games: No. 9 Clarkson vs. No. 12 UConn, No. 13 St. Cloud State vs. No. 15 Minnesota State, Providence vs. No. 6 Quinnipiac and our first look at No. 5 Northeastern.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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24 min
Ohio State gets a sweep at Penn State, and other observations on Week 2
Season 4, Episode 7
Show notes
We're trying a new format this season on The PodKaz, with hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski delivering two episodes a week. This is one of our looks back at what stood out in the previous weekend's games. An episode later in the week will get into bigger topics and look ahead to upcoming games.
No. 2 Ohio State swept the first meeting of teams in the top five of the USCHO.com poll, getting a pair of 2-1 road wins against No. 4 Penn State.
We also reflect on sweeps by St. Cloud State, Quinnipiac, Minnesota Duluth and Wisconsin.
Make sure to check out Nicole's preseason coverage:
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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23 min
Meet new Syracuse coach Brian Idalski
Season 4, Episode 6
Show notes
The PodKaz continues its series of episodes talking with NCAA women's hockey head coaches in new locations with a conversation with Syracuse's Brian Idalski.
Idalski is back in college after a season coaching the PWHL expansion team in Vancouver, and he talks about how this change has been different than others in his career, which also includes college head coaching jobs at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, North Dakota and St. Cloud State.
He also is coaching Czechia, and he discusses how the scheduling change for the Women's World Championship will impact college teams.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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26 min
Meet new Lindenwood coach Max Gavin
Season 4, Episode 5
Show notes
Max Gavin has been a women's hockey assistant coach at Dartmouth and Boston College, and now he's stepping into the top role at Lindenwood. He joins hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski on a preseason episode of The PodKaz to talk about the move.
Gavin discusses the learning that he is doing with Lindenwood and the influences on his coaching career. He also talks about the opportunity to grow the Lions program.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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24 min
Meet interim Providence coach Nicole Norton
Season 4, Episode 4
Show notes
A change came out of the blue for Providence's Nicole Norton this offseason, and she moved up from assistant coach to interim head coach. She's our guest on this edition of The PodKaz as we continue preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA women's hockey to launch Season 4.
Norton discusses the departure of previous Friars head coach Matt Kelly, which was announced Aug. 16, and touches on the support she has received from Providence administrators and Katie Burt, who moved up from an assistant coach to become interim associate head coach.
Norton also touched on the importance of building relationships with players to give the Friars the best chance at success this season.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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21 min
Meet new Maine coach Alex Gettens
Season 4, Episode 3
Show notes
Our preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA hockey to launch Season 4 of The PodKaz continue with Maine's Alex Gettens.
Gettens took over the top job in Orono after spending the last two years as an assistant at Colgate. He discusses how the end of his playing career prepared him to get into coaching and how he wants the Black Bears to play with a high tempo and with an aggressive mindset.
He also touches on the landscape in Hockey East and how Maine can get itself closer to the top of the conference.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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25 min
Meet new Minnesota coach Boom May
Season 4, Episode 2
Show notes
Season 4 of The PodKaz continues with our preseason conversations with new head coaches in NCAA women's hockey.
Hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski find out about Minnesota coach Boom May, who has worked in multiple roles at the school before moving up to the top job after the Gophers parted ways with longtime coach Brad Frost. May discusses the structure and discipline that he thinks people will notice with the team.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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21 min
Meet new Merrimack coach Courtney Kennedy
Season 4, Episode 1
Show notes
We're starting season four of the PodKaz, the USCHO.com podcast dedicated to NCAA women's hockey, early with a series of episodes featuring interviews with new head coaches.
Hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski find out about Merrimack coach Courtney Kennedy's introduction to the school, why this was the time for the longtime assistant coach to move into a head coaching position, her time coaching the U.S. Under-18 Team and more.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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1 hr 9 min
Wisconsin doubles up, Frozen Four sets record and the season's final thoughts
Season 3, Episode 26
Show notes
The final weekly edition of the PodKaz for the 2025-26 season has hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com reflecting on the Frozen Four.
Wisconsin took home its second straight NCAA championship by beating Ohio State 3-2 in Sunday's championship game. Is having the Badgers and the Buckeyes play for the title four years in a row a good sign, though?
Friday's semifinal attendance of 5,176 set a Frozen Four record, with Penn State fans making it a wonderful atmosphere for the Nittany Lions' first Frozen Four appearance.
Then we look back on more of what we saw in State College, including a packed crowd for the Patty Kazmaier Award ceremony.
We finish with thoughts on the coaching change at Minnesota, where Brad Frost is out after 19 seasons and four NCAA titles. Greg May is the new leader of the Gophers. And Merrimack made a big splash by hiring Courtney Kennedy as its new coach.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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46 min
The 2026 Frozen Four is set, with Penn State ready to host and play
Season 3, Episode 26
Show notes
The March 17, 2026, edition of the PodKaz from USCHO.com features hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski getting ready for the Frozen Four, which starts Friday in State College, Pa.
Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northeastern won regional finals on Saturday, and the host NIttany Lions are in the Frozen Four for the first time after beating UConn 3-0. How much will home ice help?
Wisconsin will set a record with its 17th Frozen Four appearance and its fourth in a row. The Badgers got there by beating Quinnipiac 6-0.
Northeastern was the only road team to win last weekend. The Huskies beat Minnesota 4-2 to earn their third Frozen Four bid and first since 2023.
And Ohio State claimed a spot in its sixth straight Frozen Four with a 6-1 win over Yale. The Buckeyes have been looking to avenge last season’s overtime loss to Wisconsin in the championship game.
We take a closer look at the semifinal matchups: Ohio State vs. Northeastern and Wisconsin vs. Penn State.
And we close with some thoughts on things to do in State College if you’re going.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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1 hr 3 min
11 teams left, 10 games to go: Looking ahead to the NCAA women's hockey tournament
Season 3, Episode 25
Show notes
On the PodKaz from USCHO.com for March 10, 2026, hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski are wrapped up in the NCAA National Collegiate women's hockey tournament that starts Thursday and how we got there.
First, a look back at the five conference championship games. Penn State, Quinnipiac, UConn, Franklin Pierce and Ohio State came away with titles, but only Franklin Pierce of the NEWHA wasn't already going to make the NCAA field. The lack of upsets opened the door for Minnesota Duluth, which lost in the WCHA quarterfinals, to earn the last at-large bid.
Our second segment is a preview of all four NCAA regionals, hosted by Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Minnesota. The three first-round games Thursday have Yale playing Minnesota Duluth, UConn playing Princeton and Quinnipiac facing Franklin Pierce. The winners play Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin, respectively Saturday. Minnesota and Northeastern also play Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four.
And we wrap up with a look at the 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award and the three finalists for the women's hockey goalie of the year award.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for us? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
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