Why I started The Breakaway – The Dickinson Press

DICKINSON — It’s no secret that hockey is a huge part of my life. I’d even say it is my life.

When I was interviewing for this job at The Dickinson Press in 2024, the editorial staff said that they’ve never had someone with a lengthy track record of covering hockey. From that conversation, I knew I would have a big role once the puck dropped.

When I returned to Dickinson from Thanksgiving that year, I was told that I was going to be getting a hockey show. I was stoked.

It took me some time to come up with a name. I even bounced around some name ideas with my mom. Let’s just say some of her suggestions weren’t ideal.

Once I settled on The Breakaway, I slated for it to start at the beginning of 2025. The first episode I did featured Kyndall Peterson and Sarah Menge taking on each other in a faceoff competition. I’ll never forget seeing one of the first comments on the video — “this is amazing!”

But this show is more than about me sharing my immense passion for hockey with the Dickinson community. It’s about showing off what these athletes are capable of on the ice. This year I plan on expanding the show beyond the on-ice skills.

I want to get to know them on a personal level and find out more about their hockey background. One of the biggest things I especially want to do this year is get more involved in the hockey community. Those ideas are currently in the works and you’ll have to stay tuned to find out more.

I hope everyone has enjoyed The Breakaway since this started and I can’t wait to see what this season holds.

See you on screen – and on the ice!

Jacob Cheris covers a variety of high school and college sports. A graduate of Penn State University’s class of 2023, with a degree in broadcast journalism, he covered Penn State Men’s Hockey for three years. Jacob also covers Big Ten Hockey for College Hockey News.