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PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune --- Radio broadcasts of University of Minnesota men's hockey games, moving this season to a new spot on the AM dial, will feature two familiar voices and the departure of another one.
Frank Mazzocco and Wally Shaver will call every game this season on the flagship KSTP 1500, commonly known as ESPN1500, the school announced Friday.
Mazzocco replaces Glen Sonmor, a longtime figure in Minnesota hockey best known by listeners for his folksy storytelling and steady critiquing of officiating calls that went against his beloved Gophers. Sonmor retired midway through last season.
Former Gopher hockey All-America Pat Micheletti will join the broadcast team for selected games as an ice-level commentator.
"Frank and Pat will both bring recognizable and knowledgeable voices to Gopher hockey fans on the radio," U athletics director Joel Maturi said in announcing the selections.
When it came to Frank Mazzocco fans around the WCHA seemed to either really love Frank Mazzocco or they didn’t. For me personally I thought Mazzocco was more of a cheerleader for the Golden Gopher hockey team and less of a broadcaster. Historically speaking Frank was known for taking unneeded and unnecessary shots at the opposition teams and whining about every call that went against the Gophers.
On one occasion while watching a rebroadcast of a game between the Sioux and the Gophers with Sioux7, the beloved Frank Mazzacco referred to a Sioux play that ended up in a glorious scoring opportunity as being lucky. After not believing our ears Sioux7 and I played the clip back three or four times to wonder if Frank’s eye sight was failing him? None-the-less good luck to Frank Mazzocco on his new endeavor.
