Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and livestreaming partnerships.

The Monday after the Frozen Four, reigning MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup champion Minnesota State introduced their new head coach Luke Strand, the former Ohio State assistant and the head coach of 2022 Clark Cup champions Sioux City of the USHL. Strand’s hiring ended a frantic 11-day search to replace Mike Hastings.

Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and livestreaming partnerships.

The University of Wisconsin said it was looking for an established head coach to lead its men's hockey program and they found one. Mike Hastings, who spent the last 11 seasons at the helm of Minnesota State's men's hockey team, has been named the new head coach for the Badgers. He replaces Tony Granato, who was let go upon the conclusion of his seventh season at the helm.

The NCAA men's hockey tournament gets started Thursday with the first set of regionals including out west with the Fargo Regional. That grouping is highlighted by No. 1 overall seed Minnesota, which won't be terribly far from home to start what they hope is a return trip to the Men's Frozen Four.

In a CCHA championship game that bore an uncanny resemblance to the 2019 title game, Minnesota State scored a pair of goals in the final minutes to force overtime against Northern Michigan.

The college free agent season is in full swing. As more NCAA teams see their seasons end, the more NHL teams will be snapping up undrafted players that they hope can mature into an option for their NHL roster. That will be especially true of teams that have made significant changes to their prospect pools and future draft picks.

The 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament is set and each of the 16 teams participating know the road they’ll have to travel to get to Tampa for the Men’s Frozen Four April 6-8. All four of last year’s Frozen Four participants are back in the tournament, with three of them among the No. 1 seeds in the tournament.

The CCHA All-Rookie team was announced this week, as was CCHA Rookie of the Year.

In this week’s RinkRap, a Yooper curse is lifted, and the champs roar in Mankato.

The Mason Cup semifinals are upon us. Expect a barnburner in the early game and a stern statement in the later game.

The semifinals of the Mason Cup CCHA Playoffs begin on March 11 as teams look to advance to the championship game and inch closer to the NCAA hockey tournament.

Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and live-streaming partnerships.

Every year, NHL teams do a lot of homework on undrafted players. The best-case scenario is mining a gem that becomes an impact player for your team. In most cases, however, the undrafted free agent is going to provide some organizational depth with a player that at least has a chance to crack the NHL roster.

This week's CCHA RinkRap focuses on the last four squads racin’ for Mason. A gunslinger prowls the Great Lakes, a masterful resurrection in Big Rapids, small games on the large ice of Marquette, and the Big Three of Minnesota State rekindle memories of an NHL dynasty.