Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING TAKEOUT NEWS: 1-13-23.
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Videos of the Day
You may have heard of “The Michigan” lacrosse style goal but have you seen it done by a 14-year-old player internationally? Amazing! Hey Nela Lopusanova, that’s Gophers women’s hockey coach Brad Frost on line one. The Slovakian with the magic touch against host Sweden in the Under 18 World Championships.
Closer to home, Hastings’ Kody Niederkorn with one of the best saves you’ll ever see - behind the back with the glove- this week against St. Louis Park. The senior made 47 other saves too in a 4-3 OT loss.
Wild Bounces Back, Hits Half Mile Pole with 50 Points
Talk about a much needed win. Trailing by a goal midway through the third period and facing a red-hot Ilya Sorokin, the Wild scored three times in the final 9:05 for a 3-1 win to snap a three-game winless streak. The Isles had been 15-1-0 when leading after two.
One of Sorokin’s best “saves” was actually what got the Wild on the board. Sorokin deflected a Frederick Gaudreau shorthanded shot with his glove just inside the near post, but his glove was inside the goal line so it counted. Amazing athletic play by Gaudreau to stay onsides too as Joel Eriksson Ek brought the puck into the zone.
Sam Steel netted the game-winner on an assist from Mats Zuccarello (the Wild’s best player all night), and Kirill Kaprizov finished things off with an empty netter.
The Wild comes home for a random Saturday game against Arizona before heading back East for four more games against the former Southeast Division.
Vikings/Giants Battle in Wild Card Game at 3:30 Sunday
Vikings fans, how are you feeling?
Garrett Bradbury was a full participant in practice today, and in my opinion the Vikings’ only path to victory is with him under center. You can’t win a playoff game in the NFL with a third string center.
Much has been said about the lack of playoff experience on both teams, but how about the coaching matchup? Also two guys who have never been in an NFL playoff game as a head coach. We’ve all second guessed more than a few Kevin O’Connell decisions this year. When it’s a tie game and fourth and one on their own 40 with two minutes left, will he call a deep passing play (again?)
I think the Giants, three point underdogs, win this one 20-17 (Greg Joseph missed FG as time expires, I’m not new here) and it’s “wait till next year” for the Purple.
The Giants offensive line, by the way, shotgunned some beers at the Wild/Isles game last night.
Gopher MBB Stuns Ohio State
A really great win for the Gophers men’s hoops team last night on a national stage, winning 70-67 at Ohio State in a game on FS1. It was an All-Access game, meaning both coaches were mic’d up all night.
Dawson Garcia led the way with 28 points and nine rebounds as the Gophers won their first Big 10 game of the season - and on the road nonetheless. Minnesota had been 18-73 in its last 91 trips to Columbus.
Ben Johnson actually iced Ta’Lon Cooper in a tie game with 1.7 seconds left. Cooper missed the first free throw, and Johnson called an unconventional timeout and Cooper made the second.
Minnesota hosts Illinois Monday.
The women fell to 1-5 in the Big 10, letting go of a game that they had control of against Rutgers. The final was 65-59, with a 12-1 Scarlet Knights run late in the third quarter the key.
Wolves a No Show in Motown
Just when you start believing in this team, man.
The Wolves streaked into Motown winners of four straight, and left limping - figuratively and literally - after a 135-118 loss at the hands of a subpar Pistons team.
They’d done just about everything right for four games. But the memory of that all erased in 48 minutes. Worse yet, their best player Anthony Edwards is laboring. He left the Clippers game early, almost didn’t play in Houston, then left Wednesday’s game in Detroit with his hip injury. The Wolves announced he wouldn’t return - yet ANT had too much of watching his teammates sleepwalk through the game and came back in. Now I’m a big proponent of holding hurt guys out and saving them from themselves, especially in a game that’s out of reach, but you can at least say he cares. His teammates right now? You start to wonder.
The Wolves led by double digits early but just flat out quit playing. Minnesota has now lost twice to the Pistons (in a week and change), plus at home to Charlotte and San Antonio at home. Next time they win four in a row and you start to believe…just remember.
The Wolves return to Target Center for three games, including tonight against a reeling Suns team that’s lost 8 of 10.
Gopher Hockey
The Gopher men are in Notre Dame this weekend to face an Irish team that’s remarkably rotated wins and losses among their last 12 games. Minnesota is No. 2 in both national polls.
The fourth-ranked Gopher women begin the week tied for first in the WCHA with Ohio State, and they face seventh-place St. Thomas at home Friday and Saturday. The Tommies are improved this season, but not yet to the level of a team that’s going to give the Gophers much trouble. Saturday is Skate with the Gophers post-game, annually one of my favorite events.
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