Minnesota
Michigan State hockey gets a last second goal to take down Minnesota 3-2
EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Daniel Russell’s goal with four seconds remaining in regulation No. 8/7 Michigan State capped a dramatic third-period rally by scoring the game-winning goal with four seconds remaining in regulation to register a 3-2 win over No. 9/9 Minnesota.
The Spartans, now 17-5-3 and 11-2-2 in Big Ten play, snapped a 16-game winless streak against Minnesota, dating back to the start of the 2020-21 season. MSU is 1-1-1 against the Gophers this season, with the fourth and final game of the regular season on Saturday at 4 pm.
The Spartans entered the third period trailing by a 2-0 score – allowing a goal in the first two minutes of the game and in the final two minutes of the second period. Minnesota got its first-period goal from defenseman Mike Koster, and its second from freshman centerman Oliver Moore to stake their lead behind a 22-13 edge in shots on net.
The third period, however, belonged to MSU. Before the three-minute mark, freshman Griffin Jurecki was rewarded with his first collegiate goal, pouncing on a loose rebound to the left of the goal cage. MSU upped its degree of difficulty by taking back-to-back penalties at 10:46 and 13:03, but the Spartan defense denied the Gophers a shot on net in the first kill, and then scored a shorthanded goal with one second remaining in the kill at 15:02 to knot the game at 2-2. Tommi Männistö used his speed, split two defensemen in the slot, and put a shot on net that was saved by Justen Close, but Karsen Dorwart was there for the rebound to make it a 2-2 game. As the seconds ticked away, MSU kept applying the pressure – the Spartans outshot their guests 17-8 in the final frame – and were rewarded with Russell’s rebound goal for the 3-2 victory.
Trey Augustine made 28 saves for the Spartans, picking up his 15th victory of the year. Close made 27 for Minnesota, including 14 in the final period. Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on both Gopher goals, his eighth and ninth helpers of the season.
Saturday’s rematch airs live on Big Ten Network on Saturday afternoon.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
- MSU snapped its 16-game winless streak against Minnesota with tonight’s win. The Gophers were the only Big Ten team that MSU did not record a victory against in 2022-23, and earned a tie and lost in OT in the November meetings.
- The Spartans improved to 11-2-2 in Big Ten play, matching their season best for Big Ten wins in a season, previously set in 2014-15 and 2019-20.
- MSU’s 17 victories is as many or more than it has had in 10 of the last 11 seasons. MSU had 18 wins a year ago, and last won 19 in 2011-12.
- With three goals, MSU now has 106 on the season – one shy of its 38-game total of 107 last year.
- MSU killed off five penalties (with seven shots against) against a Gopher power play unit that was at a .276 success rate entering the game.
- MSU’s last nine goals – six against Michigan and all three tonight against Minnesota – came in the final 30 minutes of the game.
- Maxim Štrbák assisted on both the first and game-winning goals. He entered the weekend with four assists on the year.
- Griffin Jurecki scored his first collegiate goal in the third period.
- Karsen Dorwart’s game-tying goal was his 10th of the season, matching his freshman-season total.
- Daniel Russell’s game-winner was his eighth of the year, and also matched his freshman-year mark.
First Period: The Gophers jumped on the board less than two minutes into the game, as Luke Middlestadt spotted an all-alone Mike Koster in the left circle, and he one-timed it for his second goal of the season. Minnesota held a 12-10 shot advantage in the period, but the Gophers blocked an additional seven MSU shots.
Second Period: After 36 minutes of scoreless action, the Gophers went up 2-0. Jimmy Snuggerud crossed the blue line and fed his centerman Oliver Moore, and Moore had an open look at Augustine, and the freshman got his fourth of the year to send his team into the locker room with a 2-0 lead. Shots ended up being 10-3 in favor of the Gophers thanks to a late flurry of shots – the shots were 3-1 in favor of the visitors at the midway point. MSU had 12 shot attempts in the period, but just three got to the net.
Third Period: MSU came out with an assertive mindset and had seven shots before the period was six minutes old – one coming from the stick of freshman Griffin Jurecki, which ended up as his first collegiate marker. The play started in the slot as David Gucciardi slid the puck back to Maxim Štrbák at the right point – he put the shot on net, and the rebound off Close’s pads went out to the left side, where a speedy Jurecki pounced on the rebound and put home a goal that cut the Gopher lead in half. Back-to-back penalties against the Spartans gave the dangerous Gopher power play extended time on the man advantage, but MSU limited Minnesota to just two shots on net in those four minutes – and ended the second kill with an impressive rush up the ice by Männistö. The freshman began at his own blue line, streaked into the offensive zone, split the defenders, and put a backhand shot on net saved by Close. Dorwart was there to finish off the play, scoring MSU’s seventh shorthanded goal of the season and tying the game at 2-2. As the seconds ticked down in a tie game, the Spartans put together a final push – on the game-winner, Isaac Howard started the play from the top of the right circle, and Russell tipped it in front. Close made the save, but a persistent Russell put it back through the five-hole to send Munn Arena into a frenzy, scoring the game-winner with four seconds remaining in regulation. MSU outshot their guests 17-8 in the final period, as each team finished with 30 shots on goal.
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A rest area along Interstate 94 in Minnesota has been closed to trucks until about Independence Day to accommodate an almost $3 million improvement project.
The eastbound I-94 Enfield rest area between St. Cloud, Minnesota and the Twin Cities between Wright County Road 8 and Highway 25 is now closed to cars and commercial vehicles as crews resurface the entrance and exit ramps, and update nearby sidewalks.
According to KNSI, the full closure is just the first phase of the project. The rest area will reopen to passenger vehicles only the week of May 11th. During that time, the truck parking area will remain closed as crews repave the lot.
The truck parking lot will reopen the week of June 30th, right around Independence Day. During that time, the passenger vehicle area will be shut down to allow for the resurfacing of the lot. The Minnesota DOT expects the rest area to be fully open by late July. The entire project is expected to cost $2.9 million.
Drivers heading east on I-94 are encouraged to use the Big Spunk Lake rest area near Avon, or to drive a little farther out to the Elm Creek rest area.
Could a UCLA baseball team that’s perfect in Big Ten play get better?
Bruins coach John Savage thinks so, which is a frightening prospect for the rest of a seemingly overmatched conference.
While Savage’s top-ranked Bruins completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota on Sunday with a 5-2 victory at Jackie Robinson Stadium — stretching their Big Ten winning streak to 21 games — he said there’s more upside to be realized.
“Offensively, we just really couldn’t get a lot going,” Savage said after his team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six baserunners. “We just weren’t able to put a lot together, but when that pitching and defense shows up every day, it gives yourself a chance to win, and that’s kind of what we did all three games, really.”
Those elements were so good Sunday that they overshadowed Roman Martin’s solo homer in the third inning and Will Gasparino’s two-run shot in the sixth.
Bruins left fielder Dean West made three superb catches — two leaping and one diving — and four relievers combined to give up only one run in 4 ⅔ innings. Closer Easton Hawk needed only six pitches to record a 1-2-3 ninth inning while notching his third save in as many days.
Savage credited Minnesota’s pitching after the Golden Gophers (22-17 overall, 5-13 Big Ten) held the Bruins (36-3) to an average of five runs during the series and said many of his team’s offensive struggles were situational.
“We have very, very good offensive players — some of them are in … little ruts right now, but that’s OK,” Savage said. “These guys play a lot and get a lot of at-bats; there’s a lot of ups and downs.”
When it comes to UCLA’s conference record, it’s all been up.
What it means
UCLA’s sweep is further evidence that the Bruins aren’t getting complacent because of their record.
“This culture is really solid, and these guys truly believe in one another and they’re playing for the team,” Savage said. “We’re very fortunate to have this group, and so they love playing together, so there’s no complacency and there’s no reason to because we haven’t done anything; I mean, you’re 36-3, that’s great, but at the end of the day it’s about getting better and playing your best baseball the next 75 days.”
Turning point
Spotting a dominant team an early lead is never a good idea.
That’s what happened when the Bruins struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
West led off with a single to center field, took third on Roch Cholowsky’s double to left and scored on a balk. With one out, Martin hit an RBI infield single off the pitcher’s glove. UCLA was up 2-0, and the Golden Gophers could never catch up.
Did you see that?
Minnesota did not like it when Gasparino admired his home run by lingering in the batter’s box before commencing his trot around the bases.
There was consensus in both dugouts because Savage also didn’t care for it.
“I thought he probably stayed in the box a little too long for me,” Savage said. “That’s kind of not who we are, and they didn’t like that; I wouldn’t like that either, really.”
MVP
West saved multiple extra-base hits with his catches.
Which was his favorite?
“Probably the diving one,” West said. “I think that was the coolest one. I got to leave my feet and make a play on it.”
Up next
The Bruins will open a five-game stretch of nonconference games when they host Hawaii on Tuesday evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
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