Adam Papin/MDN Beavers defenseman Matthew Jakubowski sharpens his skates before the Minot State vs. University of Mary game on Jan. 24, 2024.
Some miles, some long miles.
And after a crushing loss on the road to rival University of Mary, the distance between Mandan and Minot became long and the chartered bus transporting the defending national champion home fell silent.
Earlier in the evening, Reid Arnold scored a shorthanded goal to give Minot State a 2-0 lead midway through the second period. But the Marauders responded with two goals, including one with four seconds left before intermission to tie the game and grab momentum. The University of Mary then scored three goals in the third period to win 5-3.
Fortunately, the Beavers were able to prevent the loss from continuing, and the team bounced back two days later with a 3-0 win over Jamestown University on the road.
Life on the road is a way of life for college athletes, and Minot State's athletes are no exception, finding different ways to cope with the monotony of hours spent on the bus.
“Be sure to download a movie, play a game on your phone, or close your eyes for a bit.” Sophomore defenseman Eric Kreiwi from Winnipeg, Manitoba said. “It's fun to travel all night. Many long-distance bus trips involve overnight travel, so you can sleep for most of the final ride.”
Kliwi has proven particularly adept at juggling life on the road with classroom responsibilities, earning a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in exercise science and rehabilitation.
He believes the mandatory learning blocks that athletes are required to participate in help create accountability in the classroom. All athletes must complete a minimum of six hours of study hall each week at the Academic Center in the MSU Dome or the campus library, and must scan a student ID card that identifies the student as an athlete and tracks time spent. there is. study.
“We have a lot of resources available to us. We're a small school, so the upperclassmen who are already in classes will be able to help.” Clywie said. “It’s all about the sense of community, keeping yourself honest and learning.”
Logan Cyca and his fellow freshmen have a little more responsibility, and packing the bus is the freshmen's job.
There is one thing that all new students must remember.
“One of the biggest things is always having soap in the shower.” Saika said. “Also, I'll make sure the speaker is on the bus.”
The music selection is as diverse as the team, playing everything from rap to Nickelback to country. Josh Pederson has been a little part of Sam Smith's kicks this season.
The Beavers arrived in Mandan just after 5 p.m., but one of the local women's teams was still practicing on the ice. Some players were sharpening their skates, while others were stretching. Goalie Jake Anthony grabbed a Sharpie and wrote a motivational goal on the tape on his stick.
the group started playing “Sewer” To pass the time and relax your feet.
The best way to describe a sewer is as a game of hacky sack, using only a soccer ball. There are three rounds. In the first round, players kick the ball at each other with all their might and are knocked out of the round. The second round is called Nationals and the same thing happens.
“If you play first, you won't be able to play in the last game.” senior Carter Burley said. “So you don't want to be the first to get out.”
The round continues until only one player has not let the ball touch the ground. The final round is called the World Championship, and Burley says it's a pretty important competition.
“If you win, you get the championship belt.” He said.
Hockey players can be superstitious, and at rinks where seats are numbered, Burley centers his pregame routine around No. 82. He finds his second row seat No. 8 and sits there collecting his pregame thoughts. And when the pregame clock reads 53 minutes, and by some combination a total of two seconds has passed, he gets up and goes to the locker room to get ready to warm up.
The players all agree that the time until the game is very fast. However, depending on the road trip and hotel checkout times, teams may arrive at the local rink several hours before the game. That's when players fight boredom by watching movies or doing homework on the bus.
Nevertheless, most of the Minot State hockey team spent most of their youth playing junior hockey in Canada, and they are seasoned veterans of long-distance bus travel, making it a natural part of their sporting lives. I grew up with junior hockey.
Hockey teams aren't the only ones affected by travel.
Two games in particular take on increased importance for the Minot State basketball program.
Unlike NCAA Division I teams, lower division teams are limited in the number of non-conference games a team can schedule, and that limit has a significant impact on a program's chances in the postseason with an at-large bid. There is a possibility.
The men's basketball team experienced this firsthand this year when they narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Beavers finished eighth in the Central Division, but Minot State missed out on a postseason berth due to automatic qualification.
The Mid-America Division, comprised of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), Great American Conference (GAC), and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA), is consistently ranked among the nation's top regions. and often cannibalize each other. It also has more members than any other region of the country.
“Typically, out of the top 25 teams, there are teams that don't make it to the postseason because the Central Division is so strong.” Minot State men's basketball coach Matt Marken said.
To address some of the imbalance, the NCAA is allowing member schools to play two additional games against teams outside their region during the first week of the season. This year, the Beavers defeated Rogers State University 82-58 and Newman University 73-59 in the conference challenge in Wichita, Kansas.
“For Minot State, we wanted to encourage travel.” said Marken. “For us, the closest team in the region is probably Central Missouri, which is about an hour away from Kansas City.”
The 14 hours on the bus poses a challenge playing against teams within the region, but if the Beavers win those games, it could increase the team's profile against common opponents in the overall selection process .
“It was really a big deal to be ranked in our region all year long. We were still ranked at the end because GAC had to source a large team from someone. , we just had some sort of collision.” said Marken.
Marken said getting a team to travel to Minot is such a big deal that for many years Minot State hosted a tournament in Dallas, Texas. At the time, direct flights from Bismarck proved cost-effective. Nevertheless, like Minot State's other athletic programs, it relies on boosters and donations to help fund the program.
Of the $1.28 billion generated from March Madness, Division II as a whole received just $44 million, or just under 3.5 percent allocated to each school nationwide.
When the Beavers go on a road trip, Marken always tries to make it an educational experience. For example, one year's program spent a day in Memphis on a trip to the Civil Rights Museum, and another year in Puerto Rico, where many players saw the ocean for the first time.
“We are committed to determining how best to allocate our funds to give our student-athletes the best experience possible, while also maximizing the representation of who the best teams are at national championships.” I am consulting with you.” said Marken.
Marken said he stressed the importance of also enhancing the educational part of the student-athlete experience.
“As a coach, it was very important to me to continue to work as hard as I can.” said Marken.
