Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 12.2.24

Dec 2

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PWHL Minnesota is now the Minnesota Frost, and two hours after raising Xcel Energy Center’s first championship banner, the Frost coughed up a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-3 OT loss to the New York Sirens.

Gopher volleyball is in the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight year. They draw Western Kentucky in the Lexington regional; gametime is Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (ct). Either Kentucky or Cleveland State awaits.

P.J. Fleck’s Gophers went into Wisconsin and easily won Paul Bunyon’s axe. Bowl game TBD up next.

I had thought the Bills were ridiculous for planning a new stadium without a roof, but if it gets you 2-3 wins per year…

If you don’t want your opponent to stick their flag on your mid-field logo, don’t lose to your opponent.

Vikings Reach 10 Wins with Comeback Victory Over Cards

Two years ago, the Vikings seemed to win every game by one score yet they folded up quickly against the Giants in the post-season. This team seems different.

On a day former signal caller Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions for his new team, Sam Darnold shook off a subpar opening 45 minutes. The Vikings rallied from 13 points down - a season-high - to beat the Cardinals 23-22 in their return to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Darnold has never won more than seven games in a season as a starter, and now he’s 10-2 this season. His running back, Aaron Jones, lost one fumble, had another fumble, and dropped a sure touchdown pass. But Darnold, who hit Johnny Mundt early in the fourth quarter to get the Vikings within one score, threw a TD pass to Jones with 1:13 left to put the Vikings on top.

The defense was on the field for too long - almost 36 minutes while allowing more than 400 yards. But they made a key stop deep in their own territory to set up Darnold’s game-winner.

Justin Jefferson, stymied for a couple weeks straight, caught seven passes for 99 yards. The Vikings finally threw short to him, letting him use his athleticism to make plays happen after making the catch.

And because the NFL loves drama, it’s Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons who visit Minneapolis this weekend. That is, if Cousins is the starter after his four-pick day yesterday. The Falcons have lost three straight but still sit atop the lowly NFC South.

Wolves Finally Win

The Wolves snapped a four-game losing streak Friday, edging the Clippers 93-92. It wasn’t pretty, but it was time the Target Center crowd went home happy.

Minnesota had 21 turnovers - four by Anthony Edwards and three each from four of his teammates. The Wolves also saw an 11-point lead disappear in the fourth quarter.

The Wolves host LeBron and the Lakers tonight, and they begin play outside the top 10 in the West.

Spurgeon Celebrates 35th Birthday in Style with Pair of Wild Wins

I still have a hard time believing Jared Spurgeon is 35 years old, but he celebrated his birthday big time with three goals in 30 hours covering a pair of Wild wins .They beat Chicago 3-2 on Black Friday behind a pair of goals from the Wild’s captain, and then Spurgeon scored the overtime winner against Nashville in a 3-2 decision on Saturday.

The Wild is in first place overall in the NHL - the last time that happened in December was 2011. Minnesota somehow missed the playoffs that year - well not somehow, I live that season in my mind on a regular basis. It started with current Wild D-man Zach Bogosian basically ending Pierre-Marc Bouchard’s career in Winnipeg.

Minnesota gets a firm test Tuesday, finishing a three-game homestand off against Vancouver.

Gopher Hockey

December non-conference series are tricky. The Gophers tied Alaska 1-1 on Friday (the Nanooks earned the shootout win), and needed four third-period goals to beat the Nanoooks 5-2 on Saturday. Better than a week off, I suppose, with a huge Big 10 series against Michigan at Mariucci this weekend. The Gophers (6-0-0) and Wolverines (4-0-0) are two of the conference’s three unbeaten teams.

The Gopher women will have had two weeks to digest a 3-1 loss at St. Cloud State when they cross the Mississippi River to face St. Thomas for two this weekend.

Gopher Hoops

The Gopher women moved to a perfect 9-0 on the season, sweeping Houston and Louisiana in the Big Easy Classic by an average of 18.5 points. They host North Florida on Tuesday before opening Big 10 play Sunday against Nebraska.

The Gopher men dropped two games at the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, falling in overtime to Wichita State and to Wake Forest. They rebounded with a blowout home win over Bethune-Cookman yesterday. They open Big 10 play Wednesday at home against Michigan State.

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