Halfway through a conference playoff game at Amsoil Arena, the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) men’s hockey team trails St. Cloud State by two goals. In the production room overlooking the rink, Ashlee Johnson sits in front of computer monitors displaying video feeds from multiple cameras. A two-way headset connects her to camera operators and game-day personnel, while her hands work a control panel used to clip highlights and send them to the large video board above center ice.

“I’m constantly trying to figure out where the puck is, where it's going to go,” she said. Johnson, a graphic design student at UMD, is a video replay operator for Bulldog Productions at both men’s and women’s hockey games. It’s a role that demands a high level of concentration and anticipation of when a big play might occur.

The pressure of post-season success is evident in the speed and intensity of tonight’s game, and felt in every "ooh" and "ah" from the crowd. Johnson feels it too, as she intently tracks the puck with her eyes, her attention split between multiple camera angles spread between two screens.

Poised and prepared, she hovers her hand above the Set In and Set Out buttons used to mark big plays. As the Bulldogs apply offensive pressure, Johnson shifts forward, and her concentration narrows. A few moments pass, then senior forward Kyle Gaffney redirects a centering pass into the net. The arena erupts in cheer. Johnson captures the highlight and routes it to the video board to replay in front of the audience at Amsoil Arena and for viewers watching a live television broadcast.

She has an intuition for anticipating and timing highlight moments. “I have a bit of a sixth sense,” she says.

A pivotal period

When Johnson was 11 years old, she visited Duluth to compete in a youth hockey tournament at Amsoil Arena. Stepping out onto the ice was surreal — the echo of a bench gate latching shut, the bright lights shining high in the rafters, and the Bulldog emblem painted boldly at center ice — a moment young athletes dream of.

During the tournament, the ice maintenance crew gave Johnson and her teammates a ride on the Zamboni and a tour of the team locker rooms. “That was the moment I was like, ‘I’m going to play hockey here,’” she said.

Growing up in Minnesota, hockey was Johnson’s whole world. From weekend tournaments to off-season competition, the sport shaped her childhood. And she excelled, playing high school hockey for Mound Westonka and eventually competing on a college showcase team. But as the level of play increased, Johnson began to question if pursuing Division 1 athletics was the right path for her.

“It kind of made me think, ’What do I want to do?’” she said. “I took a step back and reevaluated.”

Same game, new position

Outside of the rink, Johnson was involved in her high school’s morning show, learning media production and nurturing a passion for art. That experience, coupled with her love of hockey, influenced her decision to study graphic design at UMD. While her time playing competitive hockey had come to an end, she wanted to stay close to the game and set her sights on working for Bulldog Productions as part of the game-day operations team.

“I really wanted to do something with the hockey team. I even applied to be Champ at one point,” she said, referring to UMD’s beloved mascot. “I wanted so badly to be involved.”  By fate, or perhaps by virtue of her continuous determination, she was offered a position working as a video replay operator, a job that seemed perfectly suited for her, given her background in hockey and high school production experience.

Johnson was back in the game.

Final frames

The Bulldogs trail 3-2 with less than a minute remaining in the third period. Tension is high and moments seem to play out in slow motion, as if each sound in the arena can be heard in isolation — the deep cuts of skate blades in transition, the clap of the puck against the boards, the echo of a bench gate latching shut.

In the production room, Johnson tracks the play on her monitors as Bulldog forward Jayson Shaugabay peels the puck away from the boards behind St. Cloud’s net and passes to defender Ty Hanson at the top of the faceoff circle. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Hanson releases a shot that’s tipped in by forward Zam Plante. The goal horn sounds and a spotlight focuses on the Bulldog’s celebratory huddle. Each isolated sound merges into one solid roar.

“We’re going to overtime!” Johnson says.

A replay of the game-tying goal appears on the big screen. Johnson pulls back on a small lever, and the clip slows in real time, allowing fans to experience the goal in more detail. After the puck crosses the goal line, she carefully pushes the lever forward until the clip progresses at normal speed.

Donning the Bulldog emblem on her shirt, Johnson hinges the microphone of her headset away from her mouth and leans back in her chair. She exchanges sighs of relief and laughter with her coworkers, enjoying a short break before overtime.

“I love all my coworkers, and we get along great. The environment is so welcoming and super fun,” she said. “It’s a great team.”

Overtime begins, and Johnson shifts her attention back to the computer monitors. A high-sticking call sends the Bulldogs to a power play. Zam Plante lines up to take a faceoff in the offensive zone. The puck drops and wobbles in limbo as Plante tangles sticks with an opposing player. Then he spins loose and snaps a quick shot on net. The puck clips the goaltender’s shoulder before fluttering into the goal.

Johnson sets the In and Out points of the clip perfectly and sends the highlight to the big screen for replay. Bulldogs win. 

It’s moments like these that push her toward her next goal. After graduation, Johnson hopes to work for a professional sports team, joining a growing list of alumni who worked for Bulldog Productions before advancing to full-time careers within collegiate and professional sports.

Thinking back on the moment she first experienced Amsoil Arena years ago, and her dream of playing for the UMD women’s hockey team, she can see how that dream has evolved but remains grounded in her love for the game.

“So yeah,” Johnson said. “11‑year‑old me knew what she was doing.”