Anything and everything UNLV Hockey is the subject for the new Rebel Report podcast, and has quickly become the number one podcast for the organization.
With the bonus of exclusive player and coach interviews, the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) fourth ranked Skatin’ Rebels paired up with UNLV journalism students Kayla Faasse and Chris Johnson to bring insight into the world of hockey in the desert.
It all started with an idea for a hockey podcast; that idea sparked for Faasse one night after a Golden Knights game.
“I had just gotten home and I was on the phone with Chris,” Faasse said. “He’s the podcast manager with Rebel Report and he was trying to get me into doing a podcast. I told him the only way I was going to do a podcast was if we could bring UNLV Hockey into it with us.”
“The Skatin’ Rebels are having a great season and I thought it would be a great idea to bring light to that, along with adding the team’s personality to it. I get to see the personality during interviews, but it’s harder for the fanbase to really get to see the behind the scenes of the team.”
After approval from UNLV Hockey to bring in players and coaches each week for a 30 minute podcast, the recordings began. For the first episode which debuted last week, Nick Flanders and Hunter Muzzillo were the first two players to join the podcast.
When the recording finished, it went straight to editing and was published to Spotify where it quickly became one of the most listened to podcasts for Rebel Report.
“It was really cool. Kayla and [Chris] were nothing but great,” Flanders said. “They added a lot of different insights and it was cool to see stuff from a different perspective. They did a really great job at making us feel comfortable and spreading the word about UNLV Hockey.”
Lots of positive feedback and hundreds of listens later, head coach Anthony Vignieri-Greener and assistant coach Nick Robone couldn’t be more thrilled to join the podcast for episode two.
“We absolutely love it. We absolutely love every aspect of working with the journalism department at UNLV,” Robone said. “I think it’s great for the department and it’s especially motivating for our boys as well.”
“We want to be able to spread our brand and get more students involved, and continue to let people know that Rebel Hockey exists. This podcast is a great avenue and way to do it.”
As the program continues working its way up to playing NCAA Division I hockey, this podcast only helps to boost the talent and success the team has shown all year as they pose a 21-4 record so far this season.
“I’d love to continue this podcast for future seasons to help in any way possible for them to reach that goal,” Kayla said. “The coaching staff and players are all doing amazing things behind the scenes and I’m happy to shine light on them for any possible coverage.”
With two episodes out and more on the way, many players are lined up to be guests in the coming weeks before the team takes on Nationals in March.
Make sure to listen to the first two episodes of Rebel Talk on Rebel Report’s Spotify and keep up-to-date with new episodes each week that will feature two new guest players. Follow rebelreport_unlv on Instagram and Twitter for weekly updates and sneak peeks.
A new episode is released every Thursday at 9 a.m.
