Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 1.29.24
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Two for two on conference championship game picks, not that Detroit fans can take any consolation. Chiefs got the Rizz, they’ll upset the Niners in Vegas.
Wild Blows Another Third Period Lead, Limps into All-Star Break
Not even the Hockey Day Minnesota magic could keep the Wild from gifting another win to an opponent. Two nights after failing to hold a one-goal third-period lead in a 3-2 loss to Nashville, the Wild did the same Saturday, falling 3-2 to a 17-30-2 Ducks team at the X.
It’s time to be realistic as the Wild hits a 10-day All-Star Break. Yes they’re only seven points back with three eighths of the season to play. But there are also two other teams between them and fourth place. They have a hard time scoring, awful special teams and three giant contracts on aging forwards without a no trade clause.
So I’d assume Bill Guerin is spending a lot of time on the phone while his players are on the golf course or the beach this week. With Jared Spurgeon on LTR, he’s got more cap room to deal with; he’s at least got to get a defenseman to move Jon Merrill further down the bench.
On the bright side, the first game back (Feb. 7) is a nationally televised game against the last-place Blackhawks.
Wolves Also Falter in Fourth, Again
Do you hear that? It’s the Wolves’ house of cards beginning to crumble. They’re probably not as good as we thought they were, but they’re obviously not as bad as they were last year, either, with mostly the same roster.
Yet another fourth–quarter collapse for the 32-14 Wolves, who led the now 10-win Spurs by 10on the road after 36 minutes before falling 113-112. It’s mind boggling how this pretty good team just cannot close out an opponent. Now, they were without Mike Conley, who is beginning to play by appointment only and that’s going to be an issue moving forward.
The Wolves missed seven of their 15 free throws, and that made the difference.
The bloom is off the rose a bit for tonight’s battle for first in the Western Conference; Oklahoma City lost by 16 to the hapless Pistons over the weekend. The winner is atop of the West all alone. The loser could slide as far down as fourth.
Gopher Hockey
The Gopher men split with Big 10 leader Michigan State on the road, but can’t be satisfied because on Friday they carried a 2-0 lead into the third and lost 3-2 in regulation. They did rebound with a 5-1 win in East Lansing on Saturday. The Gophers sit in third, six points back of second-place Wisconsin with a weekend series against the Badgers on tap. Wisconsin does have two games in hand on the Gophers.
The Gopher women were quite lucky to sweep a four-WCHA-win Minnesota State Mankato team. They surrendered a three-goal third period lead Friday at Ridder, before winning 4-3 in regulation on an Abbey Murphy goal. Saturday, they eeked out a 2-1 OT win in Mankato. The Gophers host St. Thomas this weekend.
Gopher Hoops
The Gopher men were finally rewarded, defeating Penn State 83-74 on the road Saturday. They’d played Iowa, Michigan State and Wisconsin to close losses in their last three. The Gophers are off until hosting Northwestern Saturday. The Gopher women fell 73-68 at Illinois yesterday and carry a two-game losing streak into Wednesday’s home matchup with Penn State.
PWHL Minnesota Splits OT Decisions; Tied for First in League
Abby Boreen wasted no time making a difference for PWHL Minnesota, scoring Sunday’s OT winner in a 2-1 decision in New York. Boreen was signed last week, and had seven shots in her first game with Minnesota. The power forward skated on Taylor Heise’s line with the Gophers last season. Minnesota and Montreal are tied for first with 15 standings points through eight games. Minnesota plays just once in a two and a half week stretch now, Saturday at Toronto.
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