By Avery Williamson
Have you ever wondered who’s behind the microphone? Here are the voices giving you the play-by-play for Seawolf Hockey.
CaseyBieber
Casey Bieber has been with the Seawolves for the past 10 years. He helps with on-ice promotions and PA announcements. He also does radio broadcasting in Anchorage, including the morning show on 101.3 KGOT and the afternoon show on KASH Country 107.5. While he never played hockey growing up, Casey has always loved the game. “It’s so fast-paced,” he said. “The coordination and the athleticism of these athletes is very intriguing to me. It’s something I just cannot do.”
Throughout his time commentating for the Seawolves, a moment that stands out to him is the first game back after losing the program
in 2020. “Getting that first goal with the crowd and getting that first win was just the step in the right direction for what we envisioned Seawolf Hockey to become,” he said. Of course, you can’t talk about Seawolf Hockey without talking about the Governor’s Cup. As fans know, the in-state rivalry is no joke. This season, Casey thinks “there’s going to be a different story than what’s been written the past few years.”
“I think it’s going to be a turning of the tides,” he said. “We’re ready for that.”
Even the broadcast team has favorite players. For Casey, it’s Dylan Contreras. “He just catches my eye,” he said. “He’s the smallest kid on the team but probably the scrappiest. He always finds his way in and around plays.”
Nolin Ainsworth
Joining the broadcast team from Juneau, AK, hockey has always been important to Nolin Ainsworth. He played hockey throughout his childhood before heading to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Public Communication.
“I was an avid Nanooks fan and went to college games there until I eventually tr
ansferred to UAA and switched allegiances,” he said. “I started cheering for the Seawolves and was working at The Northern Light.” Nolin worked as a sports reporter at The Northern Light, UAA’s student-run newspaper, for a little over a year. He graduated that spring and headed back to Juneau to work as a Sports and Outdoors Reporter for the Juneau Empire newspaper.
He spent three years with the Juneau Empire, earning the second-place award for Gatehouse Media’s Sports Writer of the Year and the third-place award for Best Short Feature by the Alaska Press Club. Nolin then worked as a communications intern for the Franciscan Action Network in Washington D.C. for roughly a year before moving back to Alaska. Over last summer, Nolin reached out to the Seawolves and let them know he would like to help with whatever he could. “I wanted to put my name out there because I loved being a part of covering the UAA Seawolves when I was here at UAA,” he said. He soon was offered a role as a commentator for Seawolf Hockey. However, this is a new responsibility for Nolin. I’m not used to using my voice so much,” he said. “Writing is comfortable for me. I’m used to talking to players and doing interviews, but this is definitely a new thing.”
Instead of choosing a favorite player, Nolin praised Head Coach Matt Shasby. “I really look up to him,” he said. “He seems like a pretty cool guy.”
David Tuttle
Originally from Arizona, David Tuttle started playing hockey when he was four years old. He’s drawn to hockey because it’s “the best game in the world. It’s really the best you see.” David graduated from UAA with a bachelor’s in Journalism and Public Communication. Last year, he graduated from the University of Florida with a master’s in Sports Management.
David’s commentating career for Seawolf Hockey began in 2004. He worked as a color commentator alongside Kurt Haider until 2015 and then took on the play-by-play dutiesuntil the program faced budget cuts. When Seawolf Hockey returned, he asked if anyone was doing radio. “They said no one was, so I said ‘I’ll do it.’ That’s how I got the job,” said David. Throughout his time with the program, a moment that stands out for David is when the Seawolves beat Arizona State in 2004. “It was my first game ever and it was Arizona State’s first game as a D1 program–and UAA won in overtime,” he said. “That was pretty cool.”
This season, David is excited for more of those stand-out moments. “Every year is a great season,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
So far, David doesn’t have a favorite player because of how new the team is. However, he mentioned Joey Lamoureux as his favorite player last year. “He was down to earth,” David said. “He was great. He would always stop and ask how I was doing. We actually still keep in touch.”
Dustin Madden
Rounding out the broadcast team, Dustin Madden has been with the Seawolves for more than 20 years. “I started out just being a fan and coming to some games,” he said. “Then I started helping out with intermissions and finding people for puck shoots and various contests. My role has been evolving every year.” Dustin continues to help with games for intermission and offers a play-by-play for games.
While he didn’t play hockey growing up, he’s always enjoyed the sport. “I love the pace and how it’s a real team effort,” he said.
Dustin’s favorite Seawolf Hockey moment was an away game in 2007. “We were on the road at the University of Minnesota,” he said. “They were ranked number 1 in the nation and were trying to advance to the WCHA Final Five. It was the best-of-three series and we swept them in two games to advance to the Final Five, which they were hosting on their rink the very next week. It was great.”
Similar to Casey, Dustin thinks the Governor’s Cup is going to be a different story this year. “I think we got some more speed this year,” he said. “I also think our passing has improved, so I’m hopeful this is going to be our season and we’ll bring the cup home.”
As for a favorite player, Dustin said “Gunnar VanDamme stands out.”