FROM OUR PUBLISHER Welcome all readers to our Fall Issue. We look forward to another season of covering the state of hockey. This issue is focused on the college hockey level, and in this state, the game has never been better. To see the strength, I only need to recall this past spring, where I saw a classic hard fought 2-1 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs victory over Notre Dame at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, with the Bulldogs capturing the National Championship. The Bulldogs come into the season as the top ranked team in the country, and if their first game is any indication, the parity in Minnesota colleges is extremely close. With a great rivalry game to open up the season, I witnessed another hard fought game, as the Bulldogs and Gophers battled to a 1-1 overtime tie. It was also the beginning of the Bob Motzko era, with Motzko moving over from the strong St. Cloud State Husky program he built, to taking charge of the Gophers. The Gophers are no longer the given as the top college team in the state. By most polls, they are ranked as the fourth-best team in the state, behind UMD, St. Cloud State and Mankato State. The Gophers are still ahead of Bemidji State, but with that program on the rise, that gap is closing. Sunday’s rematch in Minneapolis showed that Motzko is poised to get back to the top with a solid win over the ‘Dogs. Last season, it was the Bulldogs who edged out the Gophers by .001, for the last spot for the Sweet 16 in the Pairwise Rankings that determines the NCAA tourney field. Last year, little did anyone know at that time, how important the Ice Breaker game in Duluth was. On opening night, in overtime, I witnessed a Bulldog win. Without that win, they don’t make the playoffs, and the Motzko era may not happen. We are very grateful to our sponsors who have made this issue possible. Without their help this magazine would not be possible. All of the ads on the <strong>digital</strong> version link back to our sponsors’ website. Please support them and take a look at what they have to offer. Right now, whether you found us in print, or <strong>digital</strong>ly by twitter, Facebook or our e-Edition, we have a reach approaching 40,000 and want to continue to add readers. If you would like to get your company or services before our hockey crowd, please contact me below. Our advertising rates are very affordable. We are here to serve the hockey community and our team is blessed to be able to tell the stories that make this game special. If you like what you see, please share this with a friend, and tell others. If you don’t, or want to nominate someone for our North Star in the Stars of the North section, please contact me. Sincerely, Scott Tiffany President & Founder Minnesota Hockey Magazine MinnesotaHockeyMagazine.com scott@mnhockeymag.com phone: 715.222.6460 Publisher MINNESOTA M A G A Z I N E .COM Tiffany Media Company Founder & President Scott Tiffany scott@mnhockeymag.com (715) 222-6460 Sr. Vice President/GM Bill Rossini bill@mnhockeymag.com Staff President Scott Tiffany Executive Editor Brian Halverson Contributors John Gilbert Heather Rule Mick Hatten. Shane Frederick Declan Goff Dustin Nelson John Gilbert Drew Cove Nate Ewell, College Hockey Inc.. Vineeta Sawkar Branby Youth Hockey Hub Chief Photographer Jeff Wegge Photo Contributors Jonny Watkins Rick Olson Tim Kolehmainen Design/Production Tim Kolehmainen Social Media Manager Scott Ludwig Advertising advertise@mnhockeymag.com Website minnesotahockeymag.com E-Mail info@mnhockeymag.com Cover photo by Jonny Watkins MINNESOTA HOCKEY MAGAZINE OCTOBER <strong>2018</strong> 5