Gophers football/hockey beat writer for the Star Tribune. Also cover the Minnesota Wild and other sports. Bilingual in speaking both South and North Dakotan.
Attendance for hockey games in NHL arenas on Friday night:
14,685: StL at NJ
15,325: Veg at Wpg
15,984: Tor at Ana
18,871: Col at Van
19,206: Ari at Cgy
19,515: Chi at Det
19,899: Minnesota H.S. Class 2A semifinals
When you look a bit like John Goodman you might as well take full ownership on Halloween weekend. Walter Sobchak with Donny's ashes. "Mark it zero, Smokey! It's a league game."
How 'bout this for a turnaround? On Nov. 3, 2018,
@GopherFootball
lost 55-31 at Illinois, giving up 646 yards. P.J. Fleck replaced D coordinator Robb Smith with Joe Rossi the next day. The Gophers are 13-3 since and just had four defensive players selected in the NFL draft.
#Gophers
coach P.J. Fleck asked injured RB Rodney Smith if he wanted to return for a sixth year, joking that he'd be "a 34-year-old senior.'' Smith responded that he wants to return because they have something special here.
Coach Bob Motzko announces defensemen Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe and forward Jaxon Nelson have been named
@GopherHockey
captains for the 2022-23 seaon.
Coach P.J. Fleck of
@GopherFootball
on KFAN Radio when asked at halftime about his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 29. "We didn’t come here to lay up. … I believe in our football team.''
The Big Ten Network announced that Saturday's
@GopherHockey
game at Ohio State drew 164,810 viewers, the most-watched men's hockey game in BTN history. It also ranks first among nationally rated college hockey broadcasts this season and is the largest in that category since 2014.
On his weekly
@KFAN1003
radio show,
@GopherFootball
coach P.J. Fleck announced that holder
@caseyob14
, a five-time cancer survivor, received his second consecutive three-month clean scan this week.
All five offensive line starters for
@GopherFootball
-- Blaise Andries, Daniel Faalele, John Michael Schmitz, Conner Olson and Sam Schlueter -- earn All-Big Ten honors. TE Ko Kieft and WR Chris Autman-Bell also were honored.
Brodie Ziemer, a five-star recruit who had 217 points over the past two seasons for Shattuck-St. Mary's Under-15 and Under-14 teams, announces he has committed to
@GopherHockey
. He's the fourth highly ranked player since Aug. 1 to commit to coach Bob Motzko's program.
Safety Tyler Nubin of
@GopherFootball
announces he's returning to Minnesota for his fifth season of eligibility. "I'm not done yet,'' Nubin said in a video posted on Twitter.
The unspeakable grief remains for coach Bob Motzko, but this
@GopherHockey
season is helping to heal. Motzko discussed last summer's death of his son, Mack, ahead of the Frozen Four in Boston.
Hawaii beats Colorado State on a 51-yard field goal as time expires, denying the Rams bowl eligibility.
@GopherFootball
will go to a bowl game at 5-7 because of their Academic Progress Rate score. ... College football, everyone.
Offensive lineman Blaise Andries of
@GopherFootball
announces he'll declare for the NFL draft after the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against West Virginia on Dec. 28. The Marshall, Minn., native was a first-team All-Big Ten selection this year.
Wide receiver Anthony Brown, a four-star recruit from Springfield, Ohio, gives verbal commitment to
@GopherFootball
. He's the brother of Gophers WR Mike Brown-Stephens and is the first to pledge to Minnesota's Class of 2023.
#Gophers
receive verbal commitments from two offensive linemen from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Four-star guard Curtis Dunlap and three-star tackle Daniel Faalele announced on Twitter that they are committing to Minnesota. Both are in town on their official visit.
Joe Rossi, coordinator of a
@GopherFootball
defense that is in the top four nationally in fewest yards allowed, receives a raise and contract extension, pending Board of Regents approval.
Former
@GopherFootball
QB Tanner Morgan completed five of eight passes for 94 yards and rushed twice for 10 yards for Team Kai in a 16-13 win over Team Aina in the Hula Bowl in Orlando. Morgan led two drives that ended in field goals, including the winner with 1:55 to play.
UPDATE: Edge rusher Karter Menz, the top-ranked football prospect in North Dakota for the 2023 class, commits to
@GopherFootball
. He joins Naples, Fla., safety Kerry Brown in pledging to Minnesota on Monday.
BLOG:
#Gophers
receive verbal commitment from wide receiver Nnamdi Adim-Madumere. Minnesota beat out Alabama, Texas A&M and Baylor, among others, for the 6-3, 226-pounder from Fort Worth, Texas. It's a big get for
@Coach_Fleck
.
#Gophers
receive verbal commitments from two huge offensive linemen: guard Curtis Dunlap (6-4, 368) and tackle Daniel Faalele (6-9, 400). Both are from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
At NCAA West Regional, and
@MavHockey
just took the ice for pregame warmups. Public address announcer justsaid, "Welcome the Minnesota State Vikings.''
#Gophers
coach P.J. Fleck announces that defensive coordinator Robb Smith has been relieved of his duties. Defensive line coach Joe Rossi has been named interim defensive coordinator and will lead the defense for the rest of the season.
Huge cheer from the Mariucci crowd a few minutes ago on the announcement that ESPN's "College GameDay'' is coming to Minnesota for next Saturday's
@GopherFootball
vs.
@BadgerFootball
game for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Osseo offensive lineman Jerome Williams commits to
@GopherFootball
for the 2023 recruiting class. He is the second-ranked player in Minnesota in his class.
"This has been a dream, really. I can’t even put it into words.'' Taylor Heise of
@GopherWHockey
reacts to being named winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the top player in women's college hockey. Updated story.
Running back Mohamed Ibrahim and center John Michael Schmitz of
@GopherFootball
named first-team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press. Safety Tyler Nubin received second-team honors.
Prior Lake defensive lineman commits to
@GopherFootball
. He's the fourth-ranked player in Minnesota in the 2024 Class in the 247Sports composite rankings and No. 67 defensive lineman nationally.
#Gophers
kicker Emmit Carpenter's legacy: selflessness and record-setting accuracy. Story from
@RJstrib
ahead of Saturday's home finale at TCF Bank Stadium
All-America center and Hobey Baker Award finalist Logan Cooley is returning to
@GopherHockey
for his sophomore season rather than signing with the Arizona Coyotes.
Former Notre Dame and Edina offensive tackle is returning to Minnesota to play for
@GopherFootball
. The state's top-ranked recruit in the 2019 class entered the transfer portal on Monday.
Minnesota Duluth beats North Dakota 3-2 in FIVE overtimes to win the Midwest Regional. That guarantees at least two Minnesota teams in the Frozen Four -- UMD and the Minnesota-Minnesota State winner. And St. Cloud State can make it three if it beats Boston College on Sunday.
Defensive tackle Jacob Schuster from Tumwater High School in Olympia, Wash., commits to
@GopherFootball
for the recruiting class of 2021. He's a 6-2, 300-pounder who is a four-star recruit.
Hutchinson linebacker Alex Elliott announces he has committed to
@GopherFootball
. The three-star recruit is the ninth player to pledge to the Gophers for the recruiting Class of 2023.
Center John Michael Schmitz of
@GopherFootball
named first-team All-American by the Associated Press, while running back Mohamed Ibrahim lands on the AP second team.
#Gophers
Carter Coughlin sacks Hornibrook, and Thomas Barber recovers fumble. On first play after turnover, Bryce Willams runs 23 yards for a TD. Gophers lead 30-7 with 4:56 to play. Gophers getting closer to grabbing that Axe.
#Gophers
coach P.J. Fleck says team will file a waiver for sixth year of eligibility with NCAA for injured running back Rodney Smith. Fleck said Smith meets all the requirements for a waiver and fully expects it to be granted.
The
@GopherHockey
line of Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies and Jimmy Snuggerud is scoring and entertaining at a high level, so much so that some longtime observers consider it among the program's best lines ever. Here's a in-depth look at the trio.
Penn State announces its Oct. 22 football game against
@GopherFootball
at Beaver Stadium will be its annual "White Out'' game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central, and the game also is the Nittany Lions' homecoming contest.
Jason Williamson finished with 477 rushing yards, giving his 918 in the last two weeks. This is likely a state record. His yardage tonight was second in state history for a single game.
Tyler Nubin, standout safety for
@GopherFootball
, will return to team in 2023 to complete fifth year of eligibility rather than enter the NFL draft this spring.
Jimmy Snuggerud, who had 21 goals and 29 assists as a freshman for
@GopherHockey
in 2022-23, is returning for his sophomore season at Minnesota rather than signing with the St. Louis Blues.
The spring game for
@GopherFootball
will be held 1 p.m. April 30 at Huntington Bank Stadium and will be televised by BTN, the university's athletic department announced.
Running back Mohamed Ibrahim of
@GopherFootball
was named one of three Comeback Players of the Year by the College Sports Communicators. Coming back from a torn Achilles' tendon, Ibrahim has rushed for 1,594 yards and 19 TDs this season.
Things that make you go hmmm: This hockey writer was just followed by the president of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. Last night, I tweeted about the Mariucci crowd's roar at the news that "College GameDay" is coming to Minnesota for Gophers-Badger football.
Robbinsdale Cooper's Jaxon Howard (
@11JaxonHoward
) announces his four finalists:
@GopherFootball
, LSU, Miami (Fla.) and Michigan. Howard is the top-ranked player in Minnesota in the 2023 recruiting class.
An 8-0 start has
@GopherHockey
ranked No. 1 in the poll. How the Gophers got there, plus a look at the poll that includes three Minnesota teams, plus neighboring North Dakota, in the top five.
The first Minnesotan to put pen to paper for the
#Gophers
is Jason Williamson of Owatonna. Williamson earned Mr. Football honors as a running back and is a two-time Gatorade Minnesota Player of the Year.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Brock Annexstad has been awarded a scholarship,
#Gophers
@Coach_Fleck
tweets. Brock is the older brother of Gophers true freshman quarterback Zack Annexstad.
Terrible news. Mack Moztko, the 20-year-old son of Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko, was killed in a car accident in Orono on Saturday night.
"We are devastated for Bob, Shelley, their family and all involved,'' athletic director Mark Coyle said in a statement.
Kasson-Mantorville offensive lineman Reese Tripp (
@TrippReese
) becomes first in-state player to commit to
@GopherFootball
for the recruiting class of 2023.