Augustana men’s hockey head coach Garrett Raboin joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger discussing challenges and successes of starting a Division I college hockey program from scratch and into its second year.
Raboin discusses the unique journey of assembling a team, the benefits brought by the transfer portal, and the impact of a strong goaltender. He also reflects on his coaching influences and experiences, including his role in two gold medal-winning World Junior teams. The conversation touches on building a program culture, the strategic fit within the CCHA, and the advantages of a smaller yet vibrant home arena. Raboin emphasizes the importance of regional and international recruitment and looks ahead to the team’s ongoing development and upcoming pivotal games.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
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About the hosts
Jim Connelly is a senior writer at USCHO.com and has been with the site since 1999. He is based in Boston and regularly covers Hockey East. He began with USCHO.com as the correspondent covering the MAAC, which nowadays is known as Atlantic Hockey. Each week during the season, he co-writes “Tuesday Morning Quarterback.” Jim is the winner of the 2012 Joe Concannon award. He a former color analyst for UMass-Lowell hockey’s radio network and studio analyst for NESN.
Ed Trefzger has been part of USCHO since 1999 and now serves as a senior writer and director of technology. He is the radio play-by-play voice for Rochester Institute of Technology hockey on the RIT Sports Network, a 2022 inductee of the RIT Sports Hall of Fame, and has been involved with RIT broadcasts as a producer, studio host, and color commentator since their inception in 1982. He is co-owner and COO of broadcasting company Genesee Media, and was general manager of the former Rochester, N.Y., sports radio station 97.5 The Team.
