Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 1.20.25

Jan 20

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Every NFL playoff game should be played in the snow…As if the last two games didn’t confirm it for you, the Vikings have a long ways to go to compete in these games…NFC North had 43% of NFC playoff teams, 0% made the final two.

Gable Steveson, Olympic champion wrestler turned WWE turned NFL practice squad player, recorded his first pin since returning to the collegiate mat earlier this winter.

Hopkins’ Paige Bueckers is the fastest UConn player ever to 2,000 points…They’ve had some good ones there.

It’s high time to make collegiate dance a scholarship sport (before 2029 please…)

Wild Loses Fight Night in Nashville

It was a big night for CTE at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday. The Wild let revenge get in its way of a hockey game, setting the tone early with three fights but forgetting how to play hockey for much of their 6-2 loss to Nashville.

Zachary L’Heureux knocked Jared Spurgeon out of the lineup a month ago with a nasty slew foot. “The code” says he has to “answer the bell” and all three fights in the opening seven minutes did was delay the inevitable, which was the Preds taking advantage of a depleted Wild lineup.

In addition to Spurgeon, Brodin, Faber, Kaprizov being out, Filip Gustavsson didn’t dress as he caught a flu bug that’s been going through the locker room. At least it wasn’t the mumps…if you know, you know.

The Wild has lost three straight and if they lose tonight in Colorado (a team they haven’t beaten in two seasons), they’ll fall to fourth in the Central Division.

Wolves’ Injuries Mounting

Just a rough stretch of game for the Wolves, who followed up a blowout win at Madison Square Garden on Friday by flying home to face East-leading Cleveland the very next night. The Cavs as could be expected were the stronger second half team, outlasting the Wolves 124-117.

Already without Donte DiVincenzo, the Wolves list Rudy Gobert as questionable with a sprained ankle ahead of tonight’s nationally-televised game in Memphis. The week doesn’t get any easier, with a road game in Dallas on Wednesday and at home against Denver on Saturday.

Gopher Hockey

If the Gopher men miss out on the B10 regular season crown for the second straight season, they can point to this past weekend against Notre Dame, when they fell in overtime on Saturday to a three-win Fighting Irish squad. Minnesota is one point behind first-place Michigan State heading into their crucial weekend series in East Lansing. The Gophers got just one out of six points in the home series earlier this season.

The Gopher women have won four straight - albeit against St. Thomas and Minnesota State - ahead of this weekend’s series with Bemidji State. Saturday’s game is outdoors at Valleyfair as part of Hockey Day Minnesota. It’s a final tuneup before facing Ohio State and Wisconsin on back-to-back weekends. Minnesota is tied for second with Ohio State in the WCHA but has two games in hand.

Gopher Hoops

The Gopher women stormed back from 16 down with eight minutes left to trim a winless-in-the-B10 Northwestern team 87-82 on the road yesterday. Minnesota ended the game on a 29-8 run behind 27 points from Grace Grocholski. The Gophers host Michigan on Wednesday in a game of teams separated by just a game in the conference standings. It’ll be interesting to see if Minnesota drops out of the top 25 with a 1-1 week.

The Gopher men haven’t played since Thursday and visit Iowa on Tuesday.

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