Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 11.7.25
The Vikings defense will get a test facing Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson at home on Sunday. Brian Flores’ group doesn’t get to face many like Jackson in the NFC. He’s also great against the blitz because of his mobility.
Gopher football has a bye, along with Gopher women’s hockey as women’s college hockey breaks for the Rivalry Series between U.S. and Canada. Current Gopher Abbey Murphy had a hat trick, while former Gopher and current Frost forward Taylor Heise had a goal and set up all three of Murphy’s tallies in the Americans’ 4-1 win last night in Cleveland. The Olympics start in three months from yesterday. The U.S. and Canada play again in Buffalo on Saturday.
Gopher men’s hockey, unranked for the first time in a minute, tries to get back on track at home against Notre Dame.
Twins get LaTroy Hawkins as their bullpen coach. They also cut Jose Miranda, who I once proclaimed as the future of the Twins and hit just .190 in Saint Paul last year.
Wild’s 4-3 Loss to ‘Canes Turns After Pitlick Match Penalty
There’s never a good time to have a player booted from a game, but the Wild had a great start and an early goal in Carolina last night. Tyler Pitlick was then given a match penalty for a dangerous hit to the head, and the Hurricanes scored three goals in the next five-plus minutes en route to a 4-3 win in Raleigh.
None of those three goals were technically a power play goal, partially because Jordan Staal came to his teammate’s defense and institgated a fight with Pitlick. But by the time Sean Walker scored the Hurricanes’ third goal within a span of less than four minutes, Carolina had a 3-2 lead.
Matt Boldy’s second of the game got the Wild even early in the second, but the Wild, as they’re wont to do, gave up the winning goal nine seconds later. No one scored again.
It was a weird game with less than sparkling goaltending. At one point, Filip Gustavsson had given up four goals on eight shots.
It’s a quick turnaround with travel for tonight’s game at the Islanders.
Pitlick was going to come out of the lineup anyways with Mats Zuccarello’s imminent return tonight, but he faces a possible suspension.
Wolves Blown out by KAT, Knicks
The Wolves’ modest two-game winning streak came to a grinding halt Wednesday in New York, when KAT and the Knicks blew past them in the second half of a 134-117 win at MSG. Minnesota actually led by four at the half but yielded 83 points over the last 24 minutes.
The Knicks, who are 5-0 at home, outscored the Wolves 53-26 from the bench. Anthony Edwards made his return but missed eight of 13 shots and was a team-worst minus-25.
KAT only needed 15 points in this one.
The Wolves host Utah tonight in their first of four NBA Cup games.
Loons Face Deciding Game 3 Saturday
In a far cry from their Game 1 scoreless draw that went to penalties, the Loons fell 4-2 at Seattle in a late night house of horrors Monday. Minnesota hosts the Sounders at 3 p.m. on Saturday in winner-take-all game that’s going to be played in frigid temps anad possibly snow.
Seattle took a lead eight minutes in and was soon thereafter up 2-0. The Loons don’t have enough firepower (remember those transfer deadline deals) to overcome that type of deficit in the post-season, especially on the road.
Gopher Hoops
“Tyson scores 30 against Gardner-Webb”. Pretty sure I first wrote that headline in 1997 about Wingate University’s Jonathan Tyson. I wrote it again last night as his son, Cade Tyson, scored 30 in his first official game with the Gophers, an 87-60 win over the Bulldogs.
Back then, GWU was a Division II powerhouse in the South Atlantic Conference. Wingate, my alma mater, was an arch rival. Cade is a transfer who’s going to have a lot of success on a pretty thin Minnesota roster.
The Gophers play host to Alcorn State on Saturday at 11 a.m.
The women opened up their 2025-26 season Tuesday night at home against UND, winning 91-47 behind 23 points from Makena Christian. Manhattan visits The Barn tonight.
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