Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING TAKEOUT NEWS: 3-13-23.
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Pulltab Sports presents the 2023 All Hockey Hair Team, sponsored by Duke Cannon and benefiting the Hendrickson Foundation.
Now that the best amateur sports tournament in the United States has come to a close, we turn our eyes towards the next best, the field of 68. Seriously though, how about “The Tourney” 2023? The crowds are the same every year - full. But most years, there are one or two standouts in each class and plenty of blowouts. Not this year. My upset pick - No. 3 Mahtomedi - won the Class A title, not before rallying from two goals down against No. 1 Warroad twice in the Final before winning in OT. Overtime game after overtime game in AA too, although Minnetonka snuck by Edina in the Final, 2-1, in regulation.
Nine Goals in Two Games for Wild Without Kaprizov
No Kirill Kaprizov? Who needs him when you have heavyweight Ryan Reaves notching a Gordie Howe Hat Trick (goal, assist, fight last night in Arizona).
The Wild headed West and claimed a 5-2 win over bottom feeder San Jose on Saturday, but couldn’t hold a third period lead and fell 5-4 in OT at Arizona last night. A fight and goal from Reaves got them going, but Filip Gustavsson had a rare off night in net. With Marc-Andre Fleury playing better there’s suddenly a bit of pressure on the gus bus.
Instead of pressing without their best player, they actually look more loose. Matt Boldy looks like an entirely different player alongside Marcus Johansson.
The Wild did lose Marcus Foligno to a potentially serious leg injury in the game.
Minnesota is at St. Louis Wednesday. The Wild is a point back of division leading Dallas but five up on third place Winnipeg.
GWH in Frozen Four, GMH in Big 10 Final
The best conference in women’s college hockey placed three teams in the Frozen Four, including No. 2 Minnesota. The Gophers blanked UMD 3-0 to advance to Thursday’s national semifinal against who else but Wisconsin. Minnesota beat the Badgers in the WCHA semifinal. Game time is 6 p.m. Friday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. The first semifinal pits No. 1 overall seed Ohio State and Northeastern. I predicted last weekend that the Gophers’ WCHA championship game victory over Ohio State wouldn’t be their last meeting…
Abbey Murphy, who we told you last week was a joke as a third team All WCHA selection, scored a goal in her ninth straight game. Highlight reel tally, too.
On the men’s side, the Gophers began slow but then steamrolled Michigan State in the Big 10 semifinal. Two more goals from Logan Cooley. Minnesota has won five in a row and is set to host No. 4 in the nation Michigan in the Big 10 championship game on Saturday. Consensus No. 1 overall seed with a win, still a No. 1 seed with a loss.
Wolves Need a Win
Lose three. Win three. Lose two. Not much consistency out of the Wolves, and we’re used to that. But they dropped two home games last week, which isn’t going to cut it. Brooklyn eeked out a 124-123 win at Target Center Friday. Fifty eight combined points for ANT and Rudy Gobert, not much elsewhere.
KAT does NOT look like his return is anywhere close based on this video he posted.
The Wolves are at the Hawks tonight. They’re tied for seventh - 1.5 games out of fifth and 1.5 games out of missing the playoffs.
Loons Tie 1-1 in Snowy Home Opener
There are more northern teams than teams in southern climates, I get it. But the Loons played a home game in the snow in mid March while teams in Los Angeles and Miami played road games.
Minnesota and the New York Red Bulls played to a 1-1 tie, but the game was almost a sideshow to the snow. The Red Bulls coach even slammed the home team for beginning to remove the snow too close to kickoff.
How much to put a roof on Allianz Field?
Bud Grant Dies; Vikings Cut Thielen, Dantzler
RIP Bud Grant, the Vikings legendary coach.
The Vikings said goodbye to Adam Thielen and Cameron Dantzler, whle reports have the Vikings considering releasing Harrison Smith too.
The defense is going to look much different than last year and that’s not a bad thing.
Free agency negotiating window opens this morning. Cash strapped Vikings can begin signing players Wednesday.
Home Run of the Weekend
I raced over from the Gopher women’s win over UMD Saturday to U.S. Bank Stadium, where the Gopher softball team was playing. Just an absolute walkoff bomb by Kayla Chavez in the bottom of the seventh. The Gophers weren’t the team wearing mostly maroon and gold and yes it was confusing.
The Gophers went 5-0 in the two-day tournament.
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