Minnesota
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.
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.
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.”
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
Minnesota
Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved”
One of five cannabis testing sites in Minnesota is shutting down, citing exorbitant costs as the reason.
William Drexler is moving product he has around as he waits patiently for more. He says customers who come into Grey Area, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, are looking for adult-use items, which he says are being held up by a backlog in testing.
“We haven’t had problems with drinks or edibles yet, but for the adult-use products that where we’ve seen the delays, like your pre-rolls, your flowers, we haven’t even gotten pens in yet,” Drexler said.
He says getting cannabis products in his store has been an issue since he got his license to sell them a few months ago.
“I’ve heard pretty much from every vendor that it’s testing that we are waiting on. That’s been the normal thing to hear, and week by week they may say, ‘it’s next week,’ and that can delay into the following week. So at this point I don’t think many of them are giving a date,” he said.
He anticipates getting those products will take even longer now that one of the testing sites is no longer testing.
In a statement, Legends Technical Services said, “under the current regulatory framework, we do not foresee an ability to continue to meet our client expectations in an economically viable manner. “
“We’ve already seen testing delays from the get go, so vendors aren’t really giving us time frames because they are probably hearing different time frames themselves,” Drexler said. “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved.”
For now, Drexler contacts growers to see how long before his shelves are in full bloom.
“These companies here, it’s the same story kind of from them when we contact them. ‘Hey, we need more product. We’re hoping for new [product] soon, but it’s coming out of testing soon,’” he said.
WCCO has reached out to Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management for comment on the backlog.
Minnesota
Jack Leiter’s struggles at home give Minnesota Twins a pitching edge in American League clash
Every year, I feel like I end up locking on certain pitchers and teams and bet them more than others. It almost never is intentional; usually, I find a team or player I like, we win with them consistently, and I ride the horse until it is time to get off. That’s a bit of how I feel with both the Twins and Rangers who battle in this one.
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I have said that the Chicago White Sox are the biggest surprise in all of baseball, but the Minnesota Twins might be willing to make a strong argument about it. This was a year that the Twins were supposed to be garbage and be more likely to trade people away (like they did last year) than they would be looking to make a move for the club. I can’t say it is entirely due to Byron Buxton, one of the names floated in trade rumors last year and in the offseason, but he is having a great campaign and has the Twins just five games below .500.
Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2022. (David Berding/Getty Images)
One of the other guys that you can attribute the success of this year to is today’s starter, Joe Ryan. If the Twins do decide to take Ryan to the market, he will have many suitors and should bring back a big haul. Ryan has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has been slightly worse on the road than at home, but it hasn’t been a significant issue. He was great in May, posting a 1.73 ERA, but June has seen him make three starts and allow eight earned runs, including four homers. Rangers hitters have struggled significantly against him, hitting just .143 against him.
The Texas Rangers are still in the mix for the American League West division. Before you say, “Well, yeah, it’s only the middle of June.” I bring this up because they are just two games back of the Mariners, and the Rangers really haven’t played all that well this season. I think there is a lot of potential for this team to add a bat, and he could make a major difference. If they added Buxton, for example, the Rangers might be the favorite to win the division given how everyone else is playing.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter delivers a pitch to the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 31, 2026. (Jim Cowsert/Imagn Images)
I’m not trying to discuss hypothetical trades, though. The pitching staff might be enough to carry them to a Wild Card or division title anyway. Today’s starter, Jack Leiter, isn’t the best on the roster, but he’s been good. Leiter is 3-6 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. At home, he has been okay, going 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA. He has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his 14 outings. Twins hitters are batting .417 against Leiter in just 12 at-bats, with Buxton going 2-for-2 with a double, a homer and three RBIs.
I think it probably makes sense to play Buxton to get 2+ bases here today. I get that he probably did all of this damage to Leiter in one game, but it is still worth seeing if he can get it done. He is having a good season, and Leiter isn’t a guy who is going to make you nervous very often about throwing zeroes.
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Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins jogs off the field after the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 2025. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
I also think we probably should play the game overall. I think the Twins are the correct side in this game. There are a lot of times that I’d back the Rangers, as I think they have the better overall team, but in this one, the pitching mismatch is too strong. Give me the Ryan-led Twins, through five, on the moneyline.
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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Minnesota
End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum packs big history into small-town Minnesota
City parks are all across Minnesota. But a town in Murray County has one that’s gone off its rails.
Currie, Minnesota, is truly small-town America. The population hovers at just over 200. But on the northern outskirts, you’ll happen upon a place with plenty of bells and whistles: End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
“It’s like a little village from way back when. You have your church. You’ve got a school,” said visitor Larry Diedrich.
You’ve also got railroad relics, up and down the tracks.
“1901 was when the first line was put in here,” said Jake Halverson, site manager for End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
Halverson said Currie was once a thriving railroad town. In fact, it was the end of the line for steam engines heading west. If you wanted to go east, Currie was your gateway to the rest of the world. The first stop was Bigham Lake.
“From Bigham Lake they could go to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Chicago, from Chicago to New York,” said Halverson.
But by mid-century the last train had left the station. No sooner did that happen than teenagers from the local 4H club began to clean up the abandoned turntable.
The platform was used to turn 400,000-pound steam engines around when they hit the end of the line. Thanks to the 4Hers, it still works today.
The club also bought the train depot for $1 from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company and moved it closer to the turntable.
“That is really the beginning of maybe bringing more attention to the history of the railroad here,” said Halverson.
It’s history that comes in all shapes and sizes, including a model railroad that’s a replica of a time that was.
“It was built to look like what Currie was 100 years ago,” said Halverson.
Much of what you see at the park and museum is original, including a 125-year-old water tower that was moved to the site from Walnut Grove.
The caboose nearby originally came from South Dakota. The locomotive once ran in Georgia.
The rail business may have left Currie, but the love for trains never did. It’s a chance to celebrate big history in a small town.
“Wherever there have been trains, there have been people who are fascinated by them,” said Halverson. “I think this is an opportunity for individuals to learn about not only this part of Minnesota but to know where this part of Minnesota fits in with the rest of the world.”
The End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
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