September 24, 2025 • 17 mins
The boys interview Bob Joyce of the UConn Sports Network.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
All right. I've been waiting to talk to this man.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's been too long since we've sat down in the
afternoon drive to have a conversation with Bob Joyce, Yukon
Sports Network. And I think this week is a good
week to do it because all the vibes are good,
some about a team that wins on Saturday and how
the rest of the week just feels a little bit different.
Two and two now for Yukon football, Bob Joyce, Yukon
(00:34):
Sports Network. I got so many things to talk to
you about beyond Yukon Sports, but let's start with what's
apparent in this football team.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Two and two.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
What are your just general thoughts about this program so far,
where we're at in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Well, obviously they could be four and oh right now.
But if and nuts were candies and nuts every day
would be like Christmas.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
That's the one you use. I use if Grandma had something,
she'd be great.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Rampa, that's a heck way to start the segment. I
get what you're saying. Go ahead.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Look, I like a lot of the things that they've
done offensively. However, short yard of offense has not been
their strength. They're a little better against Ball State as
the game went on. The aerial attack Fernano, Joe Fignano
has been pretty good. The deep ball is still a
big problem for them.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What do you say?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Why do you because people say that all the time,
like Joe Fignan has been good, but there's like always
this because if you just looked at box score and
you looked at the numbers, you'd be like, wow, what
an improvement from twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I would agree there too, But there's still one element missing,
and that is the real deep ball. I mean, I
love the play call in the first play from scrimmage
they went deep the Skylar Bell, but the ball was underthrown.
They have not and I think they missed all three
of their deep balls. One was a pass interference. Mike
went nutsign it. Jim even agreed it was a pass
interference on the Coaches Show last night.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Maybe now they're they're not, they're not.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
But that's the one thing in his arsenal that still
has to be fixed to really be an elite quarterback.
He's made some really good throws this year, God knows
his receivers and made some great catches not just Skyler Bell.
John Nider has been a breath of fresh air, the
kid out of Jonathan laud Milford, who will be on
the pregame this week with Wayne.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I like this kid. I like this kid too.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Running game has been rock solid. Everything you could ask
if Cam Edwards he's done. Mel Brown's a big loss.
Now they've got to fill his shoes. Is Victor Rosa
the man to do that? That's still work in progress.
Offensive lines getting better with each week, but the big
question is going to be the defense in big spots.
They have not lived up to their end of the
(02:45):
bargain and this week doesn't get any easier because they
go to Buffalo. Now, yes, there are a lot of
new faces on the Bulls. There are a lot of
new faces on the Huskies. But for those guys in
blue Buffalo Blue, who played a year ago and remember
forty seven to three and what happened before the game,
don't think they haven't circled this game on the calendar.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
That's right. I totally forgot.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So for our listeners who may have forgotten, just like me,
there's a little pregame scuffle.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
This was at the rent. We were in the doghouse, like.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Probably eating some food from the suns and nutmeg, and
then we hear over like our headset. I think it
was Adam who had a wireless mike was checking back
to Winston Salem in their fields, like some's going on
at the pregame. We need to focus on push and
shoven barking. And then last laugh was that scoreboard And
you're right, I totally forgot about it. I doubt people
(03:36):
that were on the Bulls last year I had forgotten.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, I doubt it too. We'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
But hey, look, and if they weren't already mad enough
and had this game circled, the Bulls lost Taekwon Roberson
in the third quarter Saturday, former Yucun quarterback who is
a dual threat. Not a great passer, but a really
good runner, can really keep you on your toes. He
heard his ankle last week. He's highly doubtful he'll play
this week. But they blew a seven nothing leading the
(04:00):
fourth quarter Troy last week. So if they already weren't
thinking about forty seven to three, they're certainly remembering what
happened last week, and then they don't want that to
happen again.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
These backup quarterbacks kind of scare me because you don't
have film on them, you don't have tendencies on them.
You don't know what they're good at, what they're bad at,
what you can try to exploit. Maybe at halftime you
can make those adjustments. But the one thing I'm seeing
all over the country, like you said, everybody's got transfers,
everybody's got new people in new places, and some of
these offenses to me, are getting generic, with run pass
(04:33):
option being like, all right, you ran.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
That high school, we run that here.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
It's an easy concept and like some of the terminologies
the same. However, you know, I'm sure Ty Robinson was
doing exactly what he was doing here at Yukon, running
a solid offense, being a command general out there. But
when you put just a wild card in there and
things break down sometimes like the x'es and o's don't
(04:57):
matter and people get athletic. I thought that was Minikuchi
with Delaware, like that kid solid, he knew what he
was doing, but he had this gamesmanship where he's like,
all right, throw it away. I'm just gonna make things
happen with my feet, and that can be really dangerous,
especially against this D.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
This D has had.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Trouble slowing down some big plays from quarterbacks and this
two minute defense like end of half desperation, Ball State desperation, Syracuse.
They're one of the worst teams as far as a
defensive mode in the two minute offense.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Yes, now, Jim mentioned the stat last night on the
Coaches Show towards the end.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
It was either the third or fourth segment.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Of the two hundred and something not plays that they
have defended against this year. The majority of their chunk
yards given up have come on thirty one plays.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
That is staggering. I wonder what time of game those
plays are exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And that's what Jim has talked about the last couple
of weeks, being consistent, consistent from the start of the
game to the finish, you know, the finish. I mean,
this defense has not really been the same since the
fifty three yard touchdown pass at Syracuse. They made it
seventeen twelve. I mean, they were fantastic and then one
mishappen communication between the safety and the cornerback, and suddenly
(06:17):
it's seventeen twelve. Syracuse has all the momentum and then
they give it forty four points to Delaware. They really
couldn't stop them. They did a pretty good job last
week against Ball State. I'll give them credit there, but
in certain spots. And yes, the Kelly kid created some
of that mayhem and some of those chunk plays, especially
in that two minute drive when the Huskies had him
corrald in the backfield and they couldn't take them down. So,
(06:40):
you know, it's just a work in progress. I don't
know if they're totally in sync yet. I mean, you
just need reps. It's like it's like Alex Screen, our
new engineer. You just need game reps. And as far
as working at chemistry and just to know of where
everybody's going to be and where you trust these guys
are going to be, and we haven't seen that just
quite yet.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Buffalo is going to be in upset bunch now that
you reminded me of that pregame from last year. Can't
wait for this one to get going. Our boys are
going to be their Yukon Football and our Yukon Sports
Network team. I hear Adam Jardino's are he got a
Buffalo wing trail mapped out with him and his crew,
So good luck on that two o'clock with the pre
game three thirty with the kickoff Saturday. Saturday Saturday, Yukon Football,
(07:22):
Bob Joyce, Yukon Sports.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Network, sitting in with me. Now, you were telling.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Me yesterday you were at the Hockey Media Day.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Men's and women's.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yes, both both are supposed to be you know, as
far as these preseason polls go, both are high expectations
going into these seasons.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
There are as cav put it though, preseason rankings mean
absolutely nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Never put a goal in the net, Bob, That's right,
they never did.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I mean Merrimack went to the Hockey East Final and
got their first NCAA tournament birth. They were picked third,
they finished tenth. Yukon last year was picked to finish
what eighth in the league, and they finished top four.
Like they have been a good chunk of the last
five years. The vibe is still good. The expectations are
high on both teams.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
You know, it's hard to replace the leadership of Hudson
Schandor and John Spetz, especially Spets. I mean the three
new captains are Tabor Heaslip who was a captain and
so was Ryan Taddle last year, along with the sniper
Joey Muldowney. I think it was Joey said, you know,
we're gonna miss Spetsy's lunatic actions in the locker room.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I guess he was a.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
John, you know, when I interviewed John before the NCAA tournament,
soft spoken young man, but apparently you know, when he
puts that uniform on, he's like Nikamile, He's just an
absolutely he ages out. So they don't have quite that yet,
but they've got a lot of talent. They did not
hit the transfer portal this year, but there's a new rule,
of course, and we talked about this last year, Ben,
(08:48):
I think before the BU game with Rob when I
was at Toscano. This year, the major junior hockey leagues
now can be recruited by colleges, so maybe there's a
slight trade off there. But Mike even said yesterday, you know,
the talent pool with the major junior hockey kids and
the kids that play in the USHL and the BHL
(09:09):
and leagues like that, there's not a whole lot of difference.
So I think then they're bringing seven new guys, but
they certainly have a lot of veterans. I mean with
the senior leadership that this team has. The sky is
the limit and let's see if Joey Mouldowney can replicate
what he did last year. It's going to be hard,
but he's got his playmaking teammate with him, Jake Richard,
(09:31):
and we'll see. And then they have a time music
back in that and they've got a good group of
quarterback on defense, including big Viking gust Of Sennyberg, one
of my favorite names in the game. But they they
should be good. Their next goal, obviously, is now that
they made the NCAA tournament. Their goal now is to
climb higher in Hockey East and you know four, well
the Hockey East, Hockey East, but you know, you want
(09:53):
to win the whole thing. But you know, they've been
top four in Hockey East, but they've never been higher
than fourth.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Now, let's see, that's crazy they because I'm thinking national
tournament when you were saying that, and you know, frozen
four would be the next step there. But that's this conference.
Like the expectations of winning this conference tournament are higher
than winning the ncaaight, which is just crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Our day might be harder.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I explained some of the schedule coming up because they
start right around the corner before we get to Hockey East.
Are there are some marquees. I know that Ohio State
was that I see that on the schedule.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, the hust the men will start next weekend out
at Colorado College. They'll play two games Friday and Saturday
next weekend. Then they'll have Columbus Day weekend off and
then the Ohio State University comes to store slash Hartford
on the seventeenth, which we're hoping is our first broadcast
unless the Yankees make a run of the postseason, and
(10:47):
then Game two will be in Hartford. That'll be the
first game for the Huskies in Hartford of four, so
people will get a chance to see what the new
building looks like in Whale CENTERBA and right after that,
right in a Hockey East with bu piece of cake
onun Man. So first three weeks are good and then
(11:07):
the women's hockey team, coach by Chris mackenzie. They bring
a veteran Leiden team back, including all conference netminder Tia Chen,
who will be heavily relied on this year.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Because like preseason, All America close. She's close. Goods.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Yeah, she was fantastic and in fact they had a
great one to two connection last year.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Didn't matter who was in that. But Tia will be
be carrying the focal the load.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Chris mackenzie thinks, at least right now they start off
and Hockey East did something different this year with the women.
The women's coaches decided to take the men's model have
a unbalanced Hockey East schedule because they played everybody three times.
So now if you have an unbalanced schedule, that allows
you at least three maybe four more non conference games,
(11:51):
which raises the level of the RPI. Now you still
have to win games because there's less teams than the
women's side that make the NCAA Tournament twelve versus the
men's sixteen and Hockey East recently has only been one
bid league. So if you allow open up more non
conference games to bolster that schedule, that might help. Now
you have to go out and win them. Like for instance, Friday,
(12:12):
you kind of opens with Saint Cloud State, a very
good team out of the Western Hockey League. That'll be
a good test in stores. Then they go to Clarkson,
who made the NCAA Tournament last year. Then they play Princeton,
which I think is a perennial NCAAA tournament team, so
it's not like they're just waltzing in playing easy teams
(12:33):
to start the season.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Eight games in.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Chris McKenzie thinks he'll have a pretty good idea what
his team will look like, so it's not going to
be easy. And on the men's side, I think, what
is it. I think four teams are in the top
ten or top twelve preseason rankings to start the season,
so it'll be another gauntlet. We'll see how everything plays out,
you know, but Mike is wants to see what they
(12:56):
do the first weekend, what the the early indications are,
and we'll star getting some answers. Monday First Coach A
show of the Year's Monday Night.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Right around the corner. That's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Bob Joyce Yukon Sports Network also does women's basketball. Of course,
Paige Beckers has had a heck of a summer, Like
even before, let's go back to March when she just
runs through the NCAA tournament Big Time Games, has an
NCAA championship under her belt, graduates, gets drafted in the
w Rookie of the Year a couple of weeks ago,
(13:27):
and now She's the first person that has came out
to say she's going to play in Unrivaled, the three
on three league of Nefisa Collier and Brianna Stewart. This man,
this gal is just on fire. Is this too much
basketball though? I mean, this is the one thing I worry.
I know, they play all the time, regardless if it's
in front of crowds, but this seems like a lot
(13:49):
of basketball for a young lady that's gone through some
things on her legs.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Well, I'm not shocked she went Unrivaled because she's an investor.
I mean, she invested in that great last year because
of all the niolmen that she has, So I'm not
really shocked there. Number Two, they take good care of
the players there. Number Three, it means you don't have
to go play in Europe, and you know that's so
unpredictable depending where you go and play. So no, I
(14:14):
think it'll be good for Pages to stick around, stay
at home. It'll give her some more time to maybe
come and visit her former teammates and watch her Palasy play.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Team's going to be good too. All over the country.
It's going to be another traveling circus.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Yeah, they had a They had an open practice at
Sacred Heart and I was talking to Dan Connelly about
it yesterday at Hockey Media Day.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
People look good. I mean, think about this.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Yes, they went out and got Sarah Williams and Kaylee
Heckel and Heckle. I guess is going to be pretty
good for the backcourt. She's a good shooter, so that's
another weapon on the perimeter. But they haven't a healthy
Ayanna Patterson, who we have yet to really see on
a consistent basis. She's she gets after it on the glass.
What is Caroline de charm going to bring? Big question
Mark Steve. He said that she did a lot of
(15:05):
good things on Sunday. Now, once you get out of
that controlled environment and start playing opposing teams, what's it
going to look like? What's your confidence going to be?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Like?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Anything they get out of Caroline is a bonus. Sarah's
better than she was last year. Asy looks like she's
more defined. It looks like she's been in the gym.
You know, you know, as Paige said, last year, you
know you got to see all the fun things I
got to do, but you didn't see the work I
put in. And we saw that during the course of
the year. Asy looks like she's been in the gym.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And just the maturity factor, Like I know that she's
played in big basketball games, but just as a human
being from the age of twenty to twenty one to
twenty two, there are big physical changes. If you do
put the work into it enhances that even more so.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Yeah, and the guys even started their first official practice yesterday,
Dan with the media along with Terris Reed and Alex Caravan.
I guess Alex put on ten more pounds in the
weight room this offseason. Dan really wants them to go
back to their defensive beliefs. They were not a very
good defensive team last year, especially on the perimeter. He's
(16:11):
starting to see some signs of that, but hard.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
To believe too, just with his style of program. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, and obviously we won't get a really good look
at that until you know.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
They start for real.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
But the two exhibition games, I mean, BC is October thirteenth.
I'm still just I can't believe we're calling a basketball
game that early, both of US men and women. And
then they have Michigan State just before the regular season starts,
and then we go to Germany for the women on
November fourth. But both of these teams should be right
up there in the Big East. I mean the women
(16:42):
will be the favorite, obviously, they're the best team in
the league. Villain Ova, though, they hit the portal hard,
so I will be intrigued to see what they look like.
Creighton graduated everybody, so I don't know how good they'll be.
Marquette should be pretty good. They were always up in
the top four.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Bull Conference should be good. Man in side.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, it'll be fun and obviously everybody's excited about the
Yukon Saint John's games in February. I think we'll do
another game day before that Saint John's game in Hartford
in February. But it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be
another fun winter for Ukon Athletic
All right. I've been waiting to talk to this man.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
It's been too long since we've sat down in the
afternoon drive to have a conversation with Bob Joyce, Yukon
Sports Network. And I think this week is a good
week to do it because all the vibes are good,
some about a team that wins on Saturday and how
the rest of the week just feels a little bit different.
Two and two now for Yukon football, Bob Joyce, Yukon
(00:34):
Sports Network. I got so many things to talk to
you about beyond Yukon Sports, but let's start with what's
apparent in this football team.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Two and two.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
What are your just general thoughts about this program so far,
where we're at in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Well, obviously they could be four and oh right now.
But if and nuts were candies and nuts every day
would be like Christmas.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
That's the one you use. I use if Grandma had something,
she'd be great.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Rampa, that's a heck way to start the segment. I
get what you're saying. Go ahead.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Look, I like a lot of the things that they've
done offensively. However, short yard of offense has not been
their strength. They're a little better against Ball State as
the game went on. The aerial attack Fernano, Joe Fignano
has been pretty good. The deep ball is still a
big problem for them.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
What do you say?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Why do you because people say that all the time,
like Joe Fignan has been good, but there's like always
this because if you just looked at box score and
you looked at the numbers, you'd be like, wow, what
an improvement from twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
I would agree there too, But there's still one element missing,
and that is the real deep ball. I mean, I
love the play call in the first play from scrimmage
they went deep the Skylar Bell, but the ball was underthrown.
They have not and I think they missed all three
of their deep balls. One was a pass interference. Mike
went nutsign it. Jim even agreed it was a pass
interference on the Coaches Show last night.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Maybe now they're they're not, they're not.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
But that's the one thing in his arsenal that still
has to be fixed to really be an elite quarterback.
He's made some really good throws this year, God knows
his receivers and made some great catches not just Skyler Bell.
John Nider has been a breath of fresh air, the
kid out of Jonathan laud Milford, who will be on
the pregame this week with Wayne.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I like this kid. I like this kid too.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Running game has been rock solid. Everything you could ask
if Cam Edwards he's done. Mel Brown's a big loss.
Now they've got to fill his shoes. Is Victor Rosa
the man to do that? That's still work in progress.
Offensive lines getting better with each week, but the big
question is going to be the defense in big spots.
They have not lived up to their end of the
(02:45):
bargain and this week doesn't get any easier because they
go to Buffalo. Now, yes, there are a lot of
new faces on the Bulls. There are a lot of
new faces on the Huskies. But for those guys in
blue Buffalo Blue, who played a year ago and remember
forty seven to three and what happened before the game,
don't think they haven't circled this game on the calendar.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
That's right. I totally forgot.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So for our listeners who may have forgotten, just like me,
there's a little pregame scuffle.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
This was at the rent. We were in the doghouse, like.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Probably eating some food from the suns and nutmeg, and
then we hear over like our headset. I think it
was Adam who had a wireless mike was checking back
to Winston Salem in their fields, like some's going on
at the pregame. We need to focus on push and
shoven barking. And then last laugh was that scoreboard And
you're right, I totally forgot about it. I doubt people
(03:36):
that were on the Bulls last year I had forgotten.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Yeah, I doubt it too. We'll see how it plays out.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
But hey, look, and if they weren't already mad enough
and had this game circled, the Bulls lost Taekwon Roberson
in the third quarter Saturday, former Yucun quarterback who is
a dual threat. Not a great passer, but a really
good runner, can really keep you on your toes. He
heard his ankle last week. He's highly doubtful he'll play
this week. But they blew a seven nothing leading the
(04:00):
fourth quarter Troy last week. So if they already weren't
thinking about forty seven to three, they're certainly remembering what
happened last week, and then they don't want that to
happen again.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
These backup quarterbacks kind of scare me because you don't
have film on them, you don't have tendencies on them.
You don't know what they're good at, what they're bad at,
what you can try to exploit. Maybe at halftime you
can make those adjustments. But the one thing I'm seeing
all over the country, like you said, everybody's got transfers,
everybody's got new people in new places, and some of
these offenses to me, are getting generic, with run pass
(04:33):
option being like, all right, you ran.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
That high school, we run that here.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
It's an easy concept and like some of the terminologies
the same. However, you know, I'm sure Ty Robinson was
doing exactly what he was doing here at Yukon, running
a solid offense, being a command general out there. But
when you put just a wild card in there and
things break down sometimes like the x'es and o's don't
(04:57):
matter and people get athletic. I thought that was Minikuchi
with Delaware, like that kid solid, he knew what he
was doing, but he had this gamesmanship where he's like,
all right, throw it away. I'm just gonna make things
happen with my feet, and that can be really dangerous,
especially against this D.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
This D has had.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Trouble slowing down some big plays from quarterbacks and this
two minute defense like end of half desperation, Ball State desperation, Syracuse.
They're one of the worst teams as far as a
defensive mode in the two minute offense.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Yes, now, Jim mentioned the stat last night on the
Coaches Show towards the end.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
It was either the third or fourth segment.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Of the two hundred and something not plays that they
have defended against this year. The majority of their chunk
yards given up have come on thirty one plays.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
That is staggering. I wonder what time of game those
plays are exactly.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And that's what Jim has talked about the last couple
of weeks, being consistent, consistent from the start of the
game to the finish, you know, the finish. I mean,
this defense has not really been the same since the
fifty three yard touchdown pass at Syracuse. They made it
seventeen twelve. I mean, they were fantastic and then one
mishappen communication between the safety and the cornerback, and suddenly
(06:17):
it's seventeen twelve. Syracuse has all the momentum and then
they give it forty four points to Delaware. They really
couldn't stop them. They did a pretty good job last
week against Ball State. I'll give them credit there, but
in certain spots. And yes, the Kelly kid created some
of that mayhem and some of those chunk plays, especially
in that two minute drive when the Huskies had him
corrald in the backfield and they couldn't take them down. So,
(06:40):
you know, it's just a work in progress. I don't
know if they're totally in sync yet. I mean, you
just need reps. It's like it's like Alex Screen, our
new engineer. You just need game reps. And as far
as working at chemistry and just to know of where
everybody's going to be and where you trust these guys
are going to be, and we haven't seen that just
quite yet.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Buffalo is going to be in upset bunch now that
you reminded me of that pregame from last year. Can't
wait for this one to get going. Our boys are
going to be their Yukon Football and our Yukon Sports
Network team. I hear Adam Jardino's are he got a
Buffalo wing trail mapped out with him and his crew,
So good luck on that two o'clock with the pre
game three thirty with the kickoff Saturday. Saturday Saturday, Yukon Football,
(07:22):
Bob Joyce, Yukon Sports.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Network, sitting in with me. Now, you were telling.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Me yesterday you were at the Hockey Media Day.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Men's and women's.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yes, both both are supposed to be you know, as
far as these preseason polls go, both are high expectations
going into these seasons.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
There are as cav put it though, preseason rankings mean
absolutely nothing.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Never put a goal in the net, Bob, That's right,
they never did.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
I mean Merrimack went to the Hockey East Final and
got their first NCAA tournament birth. They were picked third,
they finished tenth. Yukon last year was picked to finish
what eighth in the league, and they finished top four.
Like they have been a good chunk of the last
five years. The vibe is still good. The expectations are
high on both teams.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
You know, it's hard to replace the leadership of Hudson
Schandor and John Spetz, especially Spets. I mean the three
new captains are Tabor Heaslip who was a captain and
so was Ryan Taddle last year, along with the sniper
Joey Muldowney. I think it was Joey said, you know,
we're gonna miss Spetsy's lunatic actions in the locker room.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
I guess he was a.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
John, you know, when I interviewed John before the NCAA tournament,
soft spoken young man, but apparently you know, when he
puts that uniform on, he's like Nikamile, He's just an
absolutely he ages out. So they don't have quite that yet,
but they've got a lot of talent. They did not
hit the transfer portal this year, but there's a new rule,
of course, and we talked about this last year, Ben,
(08:48):
I think before the BU game with Rob when I
was at Toscano. This year, the major junior hockey leagues
now can be recruited by colleges, so maybe there's a
slight trade off there. But Mike even said yesterday, you know,
the talent pool with the major junior hockey kids and
the kids that play in the USHL and the BHL
(09:09):
and leagues like that, there's not a whole lot of difference.
So I think then they're bringing seven new guys, but
they certainly have a lot of veterans. I mean with
the senior leadership that this team has. The sky is
the limit and let's see if Joey Mouldowney can replicate
what he did last year. It's going to be hard,
but he's got his playmaking teammate with him, Jake Richard,
(09:31):
and we'll see. And then they have a time music
back in that and they've got a good group of
quarterback on defense, including big Viking gust Of Sennyberg, one
of my favorite names in the game. But they they
should be good. Their next goal, obviously, is now that
they made the NCAA tournament. Their goal now is to
climb higher in Hockey East and you know four, well
the Hockey East, Hockey East, but you know, you want
(09:53):
to win the whole thing. But you know, they've been
top four in Hockey East, but they've never been higher
than fourth.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Now, let's see, that's crazy they because I'm thinking national
tournament when you were saying that, and you know, frozen
four would be the next step there. But that's this conference.
Like the expectations of winning this conference tournament are higher
than winning the ncaaight, which is just crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Our day might be harder.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I explained some of the schedule coming up because they
start right around the corner before we get to Hockey East.
Are there are some marquees. I know that Ohio State
was that I see that on the schedule.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yeah, the hust the men will start next weekend out
at Colorado College. They'll play two games Friday and Saturday
next weekend. Then they'll have Columbus Day weekend off and
then the Ohio State University comes to store slash Hartford
on the seventeenth, which we're hoping is our first broadcast
unless the Yankees make a run of the postseason, and
(10:47):
then Game two will be in Hartford. That'll be the
first game for the Huskies in Hartford of four, so
people will get a chance to see what the new
building looks like in Whale CENTERBA and right after that,
right in a Hockey East with bu piece of cake
onun Man. So first three weeks are good and then
(11:07):
the women's hockey team, coach by Chris mackenzie. They bring
a veteran Leiden team back, including all conference netminder Tia Chen,
who will be heavily relied on this year.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Because like preseason, All America close. She's close. Goods.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Yeah, she was fantastic and in fact they had a
great one to two connection last year.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Didn't matter who was in that. But Tia will be
be carrying the focal the load.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Chris mackenzie thinks, at least right now they start off
and Hockey East did something different this year with the women.
The women's coaches decided to take the men's model have
a unbalanced Hockey East schedule because they played everybody three times.
So now if you have an unbalanced schedule, that allows
you at least three maybe four more non conference games,
(11:51):
which raises the level of the RPI. Now you still
have to win games because there's less teams than the
women's side that make the NCAA Tournament twelve versus the
men's sixteen and Hockey East recently has only been one
bid league. So if you allow open up more non
conference games to bolster that schedule, that might help. Now
you have to go out and win them. Like for instance, Friday,
(12:12):
you kind of opens with Saint Cloud State, a very
good team out of the Western Hockey League. That'll be
a good test in stores. Then they go to Clarkson,
who made the NCAA Tournament last year. Then they play Princeton,
which I think is a perennial NCAAA tournament team, so
it's not like they're just waltzing in playing easy teams
(12:33):
to start the season.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Eight games in.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Chris McKenzie thinks he'll have a pretty good idea what
his team will look like, so it's not going to
be easy. And on the men's side, I think, what
is it. I think four teams are in the top
ten or top twelve preseason rankings to start the season,
so it'll be another gauntlet. We'll see how everything plays out,
you know, but Mike is wants to see what they
(12:56):
do the first weekend, what the the early indications are,
and we'll star getting some answers. Monday First Coach A
show of the Year's Monday Night.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
Right around the corner. That's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Bob Joyce Yukon Sports Network also does women's basketball. Of course,
Paige Beckers has had a heck of a summer, Like
even before, let's go back to March when she just
runs through the NCAA tournament Big Time Games, has an
NCAA championship under her belt, graduates, gets drafted in the
w Rookie of the Year a couple of weeks ago,
(13:27):
and now She's the first person that has came out
to say she's going to play in Unrivaled, the three
on three league of Nefisa Collier and Brianna Stewart. This man,
this gal is just on fire. Is this too much
basketball though? I mean, this is the one thing I worry.
I know, they play all the time, regardless if it's
in front of crowds, but this seems like a lot
(13:49):
of basketball for a young lady that's gone through some
things on her legs.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Well, I'm not shocked she went Unrivaled because she's an investor.
I mean, she invested in that great last year because
of all the niolmen that she has, So I'm not
really shocked there. Number Two, they take good care of
the players there. Number Three, it means you don't have
to go play in Europe, and you know that's so
unpredictable depending where you go and play. So no, I
(14:14):
think it'll be good for Pages to stick around, stay
at home. It'll give her some more time to maybe
come and visit her former teammates and watch her Palasy play.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Team's going to be good too. All over the country.
It's going to be another traveling circus.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Yeah, they had a They had an open practice at
Sacred Heart and I was talking to Dan Connelly about
it yesterday at Hockey Media Day.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
People look good. I mean, think about this.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Yes, they went out and got Sarah Williams and Kaylee
Heckel and Heckle. I guess is going to be pretty
good for the backcourt. She's a good shooter, so that's
another weapon on the perimeter. But they haven't a healthy
Ayanna Patterson, who we have yet to really see on
a consistent basis. She's she gets after it on the glass.
What is Caroline de charm going to bring? Big question
Mark Steve. He said that she did a lot of
(15:05):
good things on Sunday. Now, once you get out of
that controlled environment and start playing opposing teams, what's it
going to look like? What's your confidence going to be?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Like?
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Anything they get out of Caroline is a bonus. Sarah's
better than she was last year. Asy looks like she's
more defined. It looks like she's been in the gym.
You know, you know, as Paige said, last year, you
know you got to see all the fun things I
got to do, but you didn't see the work I
put in. And we saw that during the course of
the year. Asy looks like she's been in the gym.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And just the maturity factor, Like I know that she's
played in big basketball games, but just as a human
being from the age of twenty to twenty one to
twenty two, there are big physical changes. If you do
put the work into it enhances that even more so.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Yeah, and the guys even started their first official practice yesterday,
Dan with the media along with Terris Reed and Alex Caravan.
I guess Alex put on ten more pounds in the
weight room this offseason. Dan really wants them to go
back to their defensive beliefs. They were not a very
good defensive team last year, especially on the perimeter. He's
(16:11):
starting to see some signs of that, but hard.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
To believe too, just with his style of program. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yeah, and obviously we won't get a really good look
at that until you know.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
They start for real.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
But the two exhibition games, I mean, BC is October thirteenth.
I'm still just I can't believe we're calling a basketball
game that early, both of US men and women. And
then they have Michigan State just before the regular season starts,
and then we go to Germany for the women on
November fourth. But both of these teams should be right
up there in the Big East. I mean the women
(16:42):
will be the favorite, obviously, they're the best team in
the league. Villain Ova, though, they hit the portal hard,
so I will be intrigued to see what they look like.
Creighton graduated everybody, so I don't know how good they'll be.
Marquette should be pretty good. They were always up in
the top four.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Bull Conference should be good. Man in side.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, it'll be fun and obviously everybody's excited about the
Yukon Saint John's games in February. I think we'll do
another game day before that Saint John's game in Hartford
in February. But it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be
another fun winter for Ukon Athletic
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