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MSU hockey falls to Minnesota 5-1: Analysis and reaction

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MSU hockey falls to Minnesota 5-1: Analysis and reaction


Lansing State Journals sports reporter Nathaniel Bott breaks down No. 8 Michigan State’s 5-1 defeat in Saturday’s series final with No. 9 Minnesota.

What happened

MSU (17-5-3, 11-2-2 BIG) came into Saturday’s tilt with Minnesota (14-7-4, 7-5-3 BIG) fresh off a thrilling third period on Friday night, where the Spartans scored three in the final frame – the game-winner coming with four seconds remaining – in a come-from-behind win over the Gophers, snapping a 16-game regulation losing streak.

It was a similar game Saturday, with the Gophers leading by two heading into the third period. This time, however, MSU wasn’t able to solve Minnesota’s defense and goaltender Justen Close, as the Gophers added two more in the third to earn a series split with a 5-1 win.

Minnesota, who scored early in Friday’s contest, followed suit tonight with a power play goal from forward Bryce Brodzinski less than five minutes into the first period. Later in the period, Minnesota forward Connor Kurth tipped a shot that hit off the post and laid on the goal line before forward Aaron Huglen was able to poke it across to make it 2-0 Gophers.

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Freshman forward Oliver Moore forced a turnover in the second period at the MSU blue line, walked in, and beat MSU goaltender Trey Augustine to give the Gophers a 3-0 lead.

MSU’s lone goal came on a second-period power play when sophomore forward Karsen Dorwart fed sophomore defenseman Matt Basgall, and Basgall’s shot got through traffic and beat Close, giving him his first goal of the season.

After MSU began the third period pressing, Moore scored the pivotal goal to quell MSU’s comeback in the third period, making it 4-1 with nine minutes remaining. Senior forward Mason Nevers added an empty-netter to make it a 5-1 final.

Augustine had 31 saves for MSU, while Close stopped 24 of MSU’s 25 shots.

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What it means

MSU got Minnesota’s best effort on Saturday night. MSU took its punches in Friday’s game too, but was able to showcase the conditioning and skill and earn back the momentum of the crowd in the third period to help ride to a late victory.

That is going to be the case for the Spartans for the rest of the season. This team isn’t sneaking up on anyone anymore. With a split against Minnesota and eight games to play, the Spartans are still in first place in the conference and have been ranked in the top 10 in the country for most of the season.

In those eight remaining games, MSU is going to have to deal with being the hunted – something that most of this roster hasn’t experienced. Checks are going to be harder. Lanes will close faster. Opposing crowds will be more engaged. That is MSU’s new reality – one that it wanted to be in, but now let’s see how it gets handled.

Minnesota’s young defensive core – paired with a veteran like captain Mike Koster – is very similar to MSU’s, but the Gophers look to be slightly ahead of schedule. MSU’s blue line was much improved this weekend compared to last weekend’s series against Michigan, but the Gophers youth was locked in, especially in the third period when MSU tried to push to get within one.

What they said

MSU coach Adam Nightingale, on the game overall: “Tough end of the weekend for us, and again, wasn’t a ton of easy ice and we got ourselves down. I liked what we did, I thought it was a pretty even game against a team we have a ton of respect for and who was in the National Championship last year. We had some looks but they made it hard on us and were committed to defending.”

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Nightingale, on Minnesota’s defensive improvement: “It takes time, and you can tell they are on the same page and they all skate well and that can make it hard to forecheck and extend plays in the offensive zone. They play within themselves, and I think you saw it in the third period when they made it hard for us to gain the zone. There’s a lot of talent back there and they’re improving.”

Dorwart, on playing with a target on their back: “Where we are, we aren’t really surprising anyone. We are going to get their best every night, and that’s what you want. We prepare the same every week and it depends on what we decide to do and how we play.”

Basgall, on getting his first goal of the season: “It was a great play on the power play, we hounded their guys on the forecheck when they had a chance to clear, and then Karsen made a nice pass. I looked up at the net and there was a ton of net, (O’Connell) did a great job screening in front and I just had to put it on the right spot.”

What’s next

MSU will hit the road next weekend, traveling to South Bend for a two-game series with Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday.

Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott

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Utah Mammoth take down Minnesota 5-2 to end the Wild’s winning streak at 6

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Utah Mammoth take down Minnesota 5-2 to end the Wild’s winning streak at 6



The Wild were taken down by the Utah Mammoth 5-2 on Friday night to end Minnesota’s winning streak at six games. 

Lawson Crouse scored twice and U.S. Olympian Clayton Keller had a goal and two assists for Utah.

Logan Cooley and Barrett Hayton also scored and Karel Vejmelka made 21 saves to help the Mammoth rebound from a 4-2 home loss to NHL-leading Colorado on Wednesday night in their return from the Olympic break. Utah began the night in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

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U.S. Olympian Matt Boldy scored and assisted on Kirill Kaprizov’s goal for Minnesota. Second behind Central Division-rival Colorado in the West, the Wild are 9-2-1 in their last 12. They beat the Avalanche 5-2 on Thursday night in Denver.

Cooley opened the scoring with a short-handed goal with 6:37 left in the first period. The former University of Minnesota star got the puck on the right side off a deflection and put a shot between Wallstedt’s legs for his 15th goal.

Keller scored his 18th at 4:26 of the second. Nick Schmaltz forced a turnover on a forecheck and fed Keller on the right side.

Crouse made it 3-0 at 7:49 of the second. He came down the middle, took a pass from Keller and beat Wallstedt with a backhander.

Kaprizov countered for Minnesota on a power play with 5:57 left in the second. He has 33 goals this season.

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Hayton made it 4-1 on a power play at 1:19 of the third, and Crouse added his 16th of the season on a tip with 7:12 to go.

Boldy got his 35th of the season with 5:57 remaining.

Up next

Wild: Host St. Louis on Sunday.

Mammoth: Host Chicago on Sunday.

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Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota

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Shorthanded Clippers can’t keep pace with Anthony Edwards and Minnesota


Anthony Edwards scored 31 points, Donte DiVincenzo added 18 and the surging Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Clippers 94-88 on Thursday night.

Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu each scored 12 points and Rudy Gobert had 13 rebounds to help the Timberwolves improve to 5-1 since Feb. 9 and 3-1 since the All-Star break.

Edwards, returning to the site of the All-Star Game, where he was the MVP, was 12 for 24 from the floor and sealed the victory with a step-back three-pointer over two defenders for a 92-88 lead with 42.9 seconds left.

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Minnesota improved to 2-0 on a three-game trip.

Derrick Jones Jr. scored 18 points and Bennedict Mathurin added 14 for the Clippers, who struggled from the outset with a season-low 38 points in the first half. Kris Dunn had 11 points for the Clippers (27-31), who have lost three consecutive games for the first time since December.

The Clippers struggled on offense without star Kawhi Leonard, out because of ankle soreness. The Clippers shot 40.5% from the floor, including 18.2% (four for 22) in the second quarter. Minnesota shot 43.4% in the game.

The Timberwolves (37-23) scored just 15 points in the second quarter and still topped the Clippers, who had 11. Minnesota led 44-38 at halftime behind 12 points from DiVincenzo and 11 from Edwards.

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The Clippers led by six in the third quarter and were up 68-63 heading into the fourth. Edwards’ drive and reverse layup put the Timberwolves up for good at 76-74 with 7:40 remaining.

The Clippers pulled within one three times in the last 2½ minutes, but Edwards answered each time. He scored the Timberwolves’ last nine points.

Up next for Clippers: vs. New Orleans on Sunday night.

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Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters

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Church congregant filed lawsuit against alleged Minnesota church protesters


A St. Paul church member has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a group of individuals, including journalist Don Lemon and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, unlawfully disrupted service last month as part of a coordinated political demonstration.

The complaint, filed by Ann Doucette in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota, alleges that a Jan. 18 demonstration at Cities Church interfered with her ability to worship and caused her to suffer damages, including emotional distress and trauma.

In addition to the former CNN anchor and Armstrong, the complaint names journalist Georgia Fort and activists Will Kelly, Jerome Richardson, Trahern Crews and Jamael Lundy. It also names St. Paul school board member Chauntyll Allen.

Doucette and seven of the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Doucette filed the complaint without the representation of an attorney. In an emailed statement to NBC News, Crews denied the lawsuit’s allegations “with empathy and compassion.”

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The lawsuit accuses the group of civil conspiracy, aiding and abetting, intentional infliction of emotional distress, interference with religious exercise and trespassing.

“As a result of Defendants’ actions, the worship service was disrupted, congregants experienced fear and distress, and Plaintiff’s ability to freely exercise her religion in a private place of worship was unlawfully interfered with,” the lawsuit states.

All eight defendants are also facing federal charges for conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and for interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying outside the court, “I wanted to say this isn’t just about me, this is about all journalists, especially in the United States.”

Fort, Crews and Lundy were released on bond and entered not guilty pleas, according to The Associated Press.

Don Lemon reporting from an anti-ICE demonstration at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn.@TheDonLemonShow via YouTube

This is the latest legal action tied to protests in the Twin Cities, where tensions remain over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

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According to the lawsuit, the demonstrators engaged in “coordinated conduct” by organizing meetings ahead of the “Operation Pullup” protest and promoting it on social media.

The lawsuit alleges that on the morning of Jan. 18, a coordinated group of individuals entered Cities Church, halting the worship service, and chanting “‘ICE Out!’ and ‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!’” while obstructing aisles. Protesters could allegedly be seen “confronting the pastor and congregants in a menacing manner,” the lawsuit says, noting that their chanting and “aggressive gestures” caused “severe emotional distress, fear, anxiety, and trauma” and caused children “terror.”

Demonstrators gathered at the church because they said its pastor, David Easterwood, was the acting director of an ICE field office in the city, the lawsuit says.

Lemon was arrested in January in California and accused of violating federal civil rights law after covering the protest on Jan. 18. He was released on a personal recognizance bond before a federal grand jury in Minnesota returned the indictment against Lemon and eight co-defendants, all of whom are also named in Doucette’s lawsuit.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, Cities Church protest arraignment, St. Paul, Minn., February 2026
Nekima Levy Armstrong in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 13.Carlos Gonzalez / Star Tribune via Getty Images

In the lawsuit, Doucette alleges that Lemon specifically livestreamed the protest, “noting congregants’ fear and distress, and appeared to take satisfaction in the disruption.”

Levy Armstrong, a Minneapolis-based civil rights attorney and activist, was also arrested for her participation in the St. Paul protest. Her arrest drew national attention after the White House shared on social media doctored photos where she appeared to be crying.

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