University of Minnesota Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS – After the same team broadcast Minnesota men's hockey over the Gopher Radio Network airwaves for more than a decade, the 2024-2025 season will bring a change following the retirement of longtime analyst Frank Mazzocco.

This year, play-by-play broadcaster Wally Shaver, who has been calling Gopher men's hockey games on the radio since the 2001-02 season, will be joined in the booth like every regular season by a variety of former players and local talent. postseason game can be heard live on the Gopher Radio Network 1130 KTLK-AM/103.5 FM.

“You don't just replace a legend in Frank Mazzocco, so we decided to use this season's unique approach as a way to involve many different personalities around Gopher men's hockey,” said Greg Gerlach, Gopher vice president and general manager Sports properties. “I'm excited to hear from that group who all bring their own flavors, histories and experiences to the broadcast team with Wally Shaver. They are all excited about the opportunity and care deeply about our tradition and passion that Gopher fans have for Coach Motzko and this program.”

During home games at 3M Arena in Mariucci, a rotating committee of Jack Ramsey, Sam Rossini, Eric Schierhorn and Tanner Hoops will put on headphones and provide commentary for Minnesota.

Ramsey was a four-year letterwinner with the Maroon and Gold, making 143 career appearances from 2015 to 2019. He served as an assistant captain during his senior season and helped Minnesota capture two consecutive Big Ten Conference regular season championships in 2016 and 2017. A native of Chanhassen, Minnesota, Ramsey finished his tenure with 24 points behind eight goals and 16 assists. as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Rossini became the Gophers' first five-time letterwinner in program history after skating in 52 career games with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) from 2017 to 2022. The Burnsville, Minnesota product was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team four times and won both a B1G regular season championship (2021-2022) and a B1G Tournament title (2020-21), reaching the NCAA Tournament twice .

A two-time B1G Goalkeeper of the Year, Schierhorn has put together one of the best careers between the pipes in Minnesota history while ranking near the top 10 in shutouts (12), wins (59), save percentage (. 905) and goals against average (2.65). A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Schierhorn has led Minnesota to back-to-back B1G regular-season titles in 2016 and 2017 during his four-year career.

Hoops began working with the Gopher Radio Network in the fall of 2021 and is the play-by-play voice of Minnesota volleyball while serving as the studio host for football. No stranger to the rink, he spent two years as sports director at ESPN Radio Upper Peninsula in Marquette, Michigan, where he kept a close eye on hockey in Northern Michigan. Originally from Storm Lake, Iowa, Hoops has also been the voice of the Sioux Falls Canaries in the American Association of Professional Baseball for each of the past three summers.

When the Maroon and Gold hit the road this season, a familiar voice will join the call as former Gophers' All-American Pat Micheletti will serve as the broadcast's analyst. Micheletti, a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, was a First Team All-American at Minnesota in 1985 and is the program's second all-time leading scorer with 269 career points in 162 games. He spent ten years at the Gopher Radio Network and works as a TV analyst for the Big Ten Network and FOX9.

Twin Cities Newstalk KTLK-AM 1130 will serve as the flagship station for the Gopher Radio Network, while Learfield will manage all production for the broadcasts and on-air talent, in addition to sales for all broadcasts. Learfield partners with the Minnesota News Network (MNN) for network distribution to all of our greater Minnesota Affiliate Network.