The CCHA Reporter's Corner rolls on this week with its 45th episode, in which co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer welcome in Augustana senior defenseman Will Svenddal.

A native of Minneapolis, Svenddal served alongside teammate Ben Troumbly as an ambassador for the Vikings' program in 2022-23, a year before the team played its inaugural season. The 6-foot-1 blueliner is an alternate captain on this year's Vikings squad, which will play a home series this weekend versus Ferris State.

AU (14-6-3) is currently ranked No. 15 in both national polls and is sitting at No. 12 in the NCAA Percentage Index, which would qualify the Vikings for an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today.

In this episode, Svenddal discusses how he got his start in hockey, playing at the varsity level for The Blake School in Minneapolis. He talks about his experience in getting to play in the prestigious Minnesota boys hockey state tournament as well as his junior hockey days with the Minnesota Magicians.

Svenddal also dives into why he decided Augustana was the best fit for him, the early days of the Vikings' program and what it was like being a part of building a fledgling program, which is already in national contention in only its third year of existence.

What makes Josh Kotai so special? Is Christian Manz the next great Vikings goaltender? What do players like Hayden Hennen and Brett Meerman bring to the table? Svenddal breaks all of that down — and more — in this episode.

The CCHA Reporter's Corner is a weekly college hockey show that's brought to you by Rubado, Singer and producer Cordell Wright, featuring players and coaches from around the CCHA.

To watch this show and to see clips and highlights from this episode with Will Svenddal, head on over to Midwest Sports Plus, the home of The CCHA Reporter's Corner.

For the audio-only version, subscribe to The CCHA Reporter's Corner on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. Follow Singer and Rubado on X — @trentsinger and @JaredRubadoBP — and throughout the week, check out their work at siouxfallslive.com and bemidjipioneer.com.

This week marks episode No. 44 of the CCHA Reporter's Corner, as well as a refreshing rebrand for the listening audience.

Since the start of the 2024-25 season, co-hosts Jared Rubado and Trent Singer have been talking with players and coaches from around the CCHA, but the start of the new year has brought about some exciting new changes to the show.

Beginning in 2026, the CCHA Reporter's Corner is now available to watch on Midwest Sports Plus!

It's a new era for the show, and it wouldn't be made possible without the hard work and expertise of producer Cordell Wright.

Listeners can continue to take in the audio-only episodes of past and future shows by subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever podcasts are available. The show is also available to hear at bemidjipioneer.com and siouxfallslive.com.

Dropping the puck on this new era is the show's first-time recurring guest in Minnesota State goaltender Alex Tracy, who was one of 25 players on the first-ever U.S. Collegiate Selects team that made the trip to compete at the prestigious Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.

In this episode, the reigning CCHA Player of the Year talked about his experience in Switzerland, from the moment the team first met in Boston to when he made the arduous trek back to the United States to join his Mavericks team in Palm Springs, California.

Tracy made his first start between the pipes for the Selects squad on Dec. 30 in a semifinal tilt versus HC Sparta Praha, a game in which the USCS won 5-3 to advance to the championship.

The Selects lost the championship game against tournament host HC Davos in a 6-3 decision on New Year's Eve, but their tournament run certainly left a lasting impression. In fact, it didn't take long for the college hockey all-star team to become fan favorites while playing against professional club teams in Europe.

In making his first trip overseas, Tracy recapped how formative of an experience it was for him to be a part of the historic journey. He also discussed getting the opportunity to learn and grow from fellow goalies Josh Kotai of Augustana and Adam Gajan of Minnesota Duluth.

On this week's episode of "The Reporter's Corner," Jared and Trent interview Alex Tracy of the Minnesota State Mavericks.

Hosts

Trent Singer is a sports reporter for Sioux Falls Live. He focuses his coverage on Augustana men's hockey and Sioux Falls area sports. Singer's previous stops include Just Women's Sports, the Southeast Missourian and the Kentucky New Era.

Jared Rubado took over as sports editor at the Bemidji Pioneer in February 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Alexandria Echo Press and sports editor of the Detroit Lakes Tribune, Perham Focus and Wadena Pioneer Journal newspaper group.

About

On The Reporter's Corner podcast, sports journalists Trent Singer and Jared Rubado talk to players and coaches from around the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

Note: This episode was originally published on "The CCHA Show" podcast.