The Gophers football team hosted their first open practice to the general public on April 15, allowing fans to watch the team before the season started. 

Minnesota finished last season with an 8-5 record. They won Paul Bunyun’s Axe back from Wisconsin and went on to win against Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

With the start of a new season comes new players, expectations and opinions from fans.

At the end of the 2024 season, the Gophers lost their main quarterback, Max Brosmer, to the 2025 NFL draft. Minnesota fans were left questioning who would fill the gap at quarterback.

Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey is the quarterback the fans are talking about.

David Currell was raised to be a Gophers fan his whole life. The 68-year-old has been a season ticket holder for quite a few years. Currell said that when it comes to quarterbacks, he is all in on Lindsey.

“I think he is a special talent,” Currell said.

Currell is not the only fan with faith in Lindsey for this upcoming season. 

Adam Anderson, a 35-year-old lifelong Gophers fan and member of Dinkytown Athletes, said he also thinks Lindsey is the right guy to take advantage of the talent around him. 

“It’s clearly Drake Lindsey to me,” Anderson said. “He’s got a big arm, he makes good decisions.” 

Lindsey is not the only Gopher that fans are talking about. There are talks of defensive back Koi Perich possibly joining Lindsey on offense next season.

Perich wore a split jersey representing both offense and defense over the past week. Anderson is one of the fans excited to see what Perich will do. 

“I think he is by far the most talented player we have, so get him on the field as much as possible,” Anderson said. “I would compare him to Michael Jordan, but he’s also kind of like LeBron James.”

A new quarterback is not the only thing that Gophers fans are excited for in this 2025 season. Multiple fans talked about the development of the Gophers’ offense and defense. 

After last season, the Gophers lost their defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, to the University of Miami. The team then promoted Danny Collins, who joined the Gophers in 2017, to be the 2025 defensive coordinator. 

University of Minnesota junior Brady Taylor is excited to see what Collins will do in his new position. 

“I’m really excited for the D-line guys that we got,” Taylor said. “That was our strength last year and I think that we can rely on that again with our new defensive coordinator.” 

Gophers football gained multiple transfers and new players during the offseason. University senior Gavin Hougo is interested to see how certain positions are going to play out with the movement of players.

“Curious to see how the O-line ends up shifting out,” Hougo said. “We had, I believe, two or three players graduate or declare for the draft, so I’m just curious to see how the continuity comes together.” 

These open practices are not just meaningful for the fans, but they also matter to the team. 

Gophers head coach PJ Fleck said having fans at the practice adds a little bit of pressure to the players. He said that it adds excitement and environment to the indoor facility. 

Fleck added that it is really about performing under the pressure of the situation. 

“How are you going to respond when everyone is watching? When the pressure is applied on you,” Fleck said. “It’s all about the next play, so I think our fans create that type of energy.” 

While Fleck said that the fans add pressure to the players, Gophers running back Darius Taylor said there is no difference. 

“What we do is what we do. How we practice is how we practice,” Taylor said. “It looks like chaos out there, but it is controlled chaos. We all understand what’s going on.” 

The Gophers’ first game of the 2025 season at Huntington Bank Stadium against Buffalo on Aug. 28.

Minnesota’s volleyball team has one game remaining in their six-game spring season as they start to prepare for the fall.

The Gophers began practicing for their six-game spring season in January. The first game took place on March 29 against Iowa in Maturi Pavilion. 

Gophers head coach Keegan Cook said the spring season is where most of the team’s identity is formed. 

“Starting to decide what team we are going to be,” Cook said. “August, once it hits, comes really fast.” 

Cook added the six-game stretch is one of the most important phases of the year. 

The Gophers finished last season with a final record of 21-11. They beat ranked teams such as No. 1 Texas and border rival Wisconsin. 

Despite having multiple ranked wins, the Gophers lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Kentucky. 

Cook said the spring allows both the coaches and players to be on the same page on how they all see the game. While the team is doing many things well, Cook said that they also have improvements to make. 

“Last year we had a nice little identity as a defensive team and a good serving team,” Cook said. “We just have more room to grow in sideout than we do in defense.” 

The Gophers added five new players to the roster for this spring. Three of them are freshman-early enrolls and two are transfers from Rutgers and Purdue.

Cook said recruiting changed a lot and that coaches do not get to talk to the athletes often before bringing them into the gym. This spring season allows the coaches to get to know their incoming players better.

“Right now we are discovering that we recruited some good kids,” Cook said. “They kind of all exceeded my expectations in how early they can help us out this season.”

When it comes to integrating new players into the team, Cook said that he likes to start from ground zero with the entire team. 

“We kind of treat January as the start of a new year for everyone,” Cook said. “So that way it feels like everyone is starting in the same place.” 

This spring season not only allows the new players to develop their skills, but it is also helpful for the returning Gophers. Minnesota setter, Stella Swenson, is a redshirt freshman and didn’t play much for the team last year. 

Swenson is expected to start for the Gophers this upcoming season. She said the spring season means a lot to her. 

“The first game in the Pav I saw my grandma, I saw my family. I was holding back a little bit of tears,” Swenson said. “Every game counts for me, every point, every play.” 

Stella is not the first of her family to play for the Gophers. 

Her sister, Samantha Seliger-Swenson is one of two players in program history to be a four-time All-American. She also won Big Ten Player of the Year in her senior year with the Gophers.  

Despite what seems like big shoes to fill, Stella Swenson is ready to carve her own way at Minnesota. 

“It’s not something I think about super often because I am obviously carving my own way and path.” Stella Swenson said. “It is really cool to carry on that legacy.”

Despite the early loss in the NCAA Fargo Regionals, the Gophers men’s hockey earned many Big Ten awards this season and has seen nine of their players join the professional leagues. 

After finishing the season with a record of 25-11, the Gophers earned multiple awards and honorable mentions in the Big Ten Conference. Two of the main players who received these awards are Sam Rinzel and Jimmy Snuggerud.

Additionally, four Gophers received honorable mention awards. Connor Kurth, Liam Souliere, Matthew Wood and Ryan Chesley were all part of the All-Big Ten honorable mention team.

Sam Rinzel 

Rinzel was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year alongside a career-high of 10 goals and 31 points this season. He was ranked sixth nationally for goals and points earned by a defenseman. 

In addition to his awards, Rinzel signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 29. 

Rinzel talked to CHGO Sports about what it was like having to make the decision to sign with the Blackhawks.

“I felt like it would be good to kinda take that next step and live out my dream,” Rinzel said. “It’s every kid’s dream, so when the opportunity comes in front of you it’s hard to say no.” 

Jimmy Snuggerud

Snuggerud ended his college career with back-to-back All-Big Ten First Team accolades after setting career highs this season with 51 points. He found the back of the net 24 times this season and made 27 assists.

Snuggerud signed with the St. Louis Blues on a three-year entry-level deal after being drafted in the first round in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He will forgo his final year of collegiate hockey. 

After signing his contract, Snuggerud interviewed with the Blues and talked about what it is like going to the NHL after his college career.

“I was really fortunate to play with so many good players here at Minnesota,” Snuggerud said. “I like to shoot the puck, but I also like to make plays to my teammates, both those things come in handy when you’re playing with good players.” 

Oliver Moore

Moore signed on the same day as Rinzel for a three-year entry-level deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Moore put up 33 points in the two seasons he played for the Gophers. This season he scored a career-best 12 goals. 

Moore was a first-round pick for Chicago in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Gophers assistant coach Ben Gordon touched on how hard it is to see these players leave the team. 

“We are sad to see them leave,” Gordon said. “Some of them it’s time to move on and spread their wings a little bit.” 

Matthew Wood

Wood signed his NHL contract with the Nashville Predators on March 29. He signed a three-year entry-level contract and was a first-round pick for the Predators back in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

Wood played one season with the Gophers after transferring from UConn. Despite his one season, the forward still put up 39 points with 17 goals and 22 assists. 

He finished his NCAA career with a total of 101 points in 109 games played. 

Connor Kurth 

Just one day after Wood, Kurth signed his NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He signed a two-year entry-level contract and is the last of the Gophers so far to have signed with an NHL team. 

Kurth had a career-high in points this season for the Gophers with a total of 39. He will finish off the remainder of the season with the Syracuse Crunch, an affiliated AHL team to the Lightning.

Mike Koster 

After five seasons with the Gophers, Koster signed with the Iowa Heartlanders, an East Coast Hockey League team, on April 2. The Heartlanders are affiliated with the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild. 

Koster played 180 games with the Gophers, which is third-most in program history. He made a total of 89 points in his career with Minnesota. 

The defenseman blocked a total of 202 shots in the 180 games played for the Gophers. 

Ryan Chesley

On the same day as Koster, Gophers defenseman Chesley joined the AHL’s Hershey Bears on an amateur tryout. Chesley will finish the remainder of the Bears 2024-2025 season before eventually signing with the NHL Washington Capitals. 

In his three years with Minnesota, Chesley got a total of 38 points and blocked 202 shots in 115 games played. 

Mason Nevers 

Nevers ended his five-year career with the Gophers on April 4 when he signed with the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads.

He played 171 games with the Gophers and totaled 66 points, 27 goals and 39 assists. In his five years, Nevers helped Minnesota win three Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten championship. 

Aaron Huglen  

Huglen became the last Gophers player as of April 9 to sign with a pro team, inking a deal with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on April 7. 

The senior played a total of 150 games with the Gophers in his four seasons. He put up a total of 32 goals, 41 assists and 73 points.

Huglen received the last Big Ten award on the team as he was one of seven who got the Big Ten sportsmanship award.

Assistant coach Gordon hopes that for the next season, things will go the way they always have, despite the loss of players. 

“New guys will step into new roles on the team,” Gordon said. “Everybody is excited, they understand this is how it goes.”

The Gophers men’s hockey season ended after an overtime loss against the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA Fargo Regional semifinals on Thursday. 

The Gophers (25-11-4) were the No. 2 seed in the tournament while UMass (20-13-5) was the No. 3 seed. 

Minnesota did not play a game for 18 days before going to the regionals. This led to a lot of preparation from the team and coaches to make sure they were ready to play the Minutemen. 

Gophers Coach Bob Motzko said the break means the team is well-rested, but they will most likely be rusty at the start.

“We have a great group and they have been getting after it,” Motzko said. “They have been motivated to push each other, that’s all we can do is push each other in practice.” 

Motzko said that the big thing going into the game against UMass was making sure the team did not shoot itself in the foot early in the game. The Gophers found their momentum early on. 

Both Minnesota and UMass showed strong offensive and defensive skills at the beginning of the first period. With about seven minutes remaining in the first period, one of UMass’s players received a two-minute penalty for hooking, leading to a Minnesota power play. 

Using the momentum of a one-man advantage, Gophers forward Jimmy Snuggerud scored the first goal of the game, putting Minnesota ahead 1-0. 

The Minutemen quickly fought back, and not even a minute later, they scored a goal to tie the game. UMass then got a power play a minute later, but could not utilize it. 

With less than two minutes left in the first period the Gophers pulled forward with a goal by forward Brody Lamb. Minnesota ended the first period with a 2-1 lead. 

Gophers defenseman Sam Rinzel said before the game against UMass that the team was hungry. 

“We’re hungry to play, we’re excited,” Rinzel said. “Two weeks off feels like a month. We’re pumped up, we’re ready to go.” 

This hunger was seen throughout the rest of the game. With a strong performance from Gophers goalie Liam Souliere and their defensive plays, Minnesota was able to hold UMass to zero goals in the second period. 

However, around 14 minutes into the period, the Gophers scored another goal against the Minutemen. Gophers forward Connor Kurth furthered the lead, ending the second period 3-1. 

Despite the two-point lead, the Gophers still had a long game ahead of them. 

Going into the third period, the Minutemen were ready to fight. Around seven minutes in, UMass scored its first goal of the period, pulling them to a one-score game. 

After the goal, the Gophers put in Nathan Airey for Souliere. This change did not do much, as not even a minute later, UMass scored another goal, tying the game 3-3. 

Minnesota then put Souliere back on the ice for the rest of the game. After a few minutes of strong defensive plays from both teams, UMass scored a goal to take the lead over Minnesota for the first time in the game. 

With only five minutes left in the game, the Minutemen were leading the Gophers, 4-3. However, Minnesota would not go down without a fight. 

With over three minutes remaining, Snuggerud scored his second goal of the game and gave Minnesota a chance to win. This goal brought Snuggerud to 51 total points this season, his career-best at Minnesota. 

After multiple failed shots by Minnesota, UMass found an opening and scored its final goal of the game with 15 minutes remaining in overtime. 

Despite the 5-4 loss, this year marks the fifth straight year the Gophers made an NCAA tournament appearance.

Fifteen new transfer players join the Gophers football team for the 2025 season, all of whom are becoming familiar with the Minnesota way. 

A few months after finishing eighth in the Big Ten, the Gophers football team started their spring practice on March 20. Five days later, head coach PJ Fleck pulled out the pads for his players. 

Even though the spring season started roughly a week ago, Fleck said he is loving the work he is seeing from the team so far. 

“What I love is, in three days, the amount of install that these guys have been able to handle and process at a high level, whether it is the transfers or the young high school players or the veterans,” Fleck said.

Over the past three seasons, the Gophers have been more involved in the transfer portal every year. In 2023, the Gophers brought in four transfers, and 13 in 2024. 

Some of the players joining the Gophers this year have been with other schools for the majority of their careers. For example, wide receiver Logan Loya joined UCLA and linebacker Jeff Roberson joined Oklahoma State in 2020 before transferring to the Gophers this past offseason. 

Despite his many years under a different coaching staff, Fleck said that with the help of the players and the coaches, Loya has really grown. 

“What’s incredible about the portal is you can either hold them back from growing and go at a slow rate, or you can excel them,” Fleck said. 

Fleck added he feels young people want to be challenged at a high level, and he feels the program is doing so. 

Coaches are not the only ones who work with the new transfers, the players do as well. This season there is a good mix of both defensive and offensive transfers at the University of Minnesota. 

In wide receiver Le’Meke Brockington’s five seasons with the Gophers, he met many different players who came from the portal.

Brockington thinks this season’s transfers will fit right in. 

“It is almost like they have been here all year since like last season,” Brockington said. “You got Logan out there, he is one of the smartest guys I know.” 

Some of the players joining the “Row the Boat” mentality played against the Gophers last year. However, that does not seem to matter now. 

“It is awesome to see each other on the same team instead of opposing teams where we can help each other and grow with each other and make the team the best we can,” Brockington said. 

The leadership and community of a team can help players adjust to a new environment. Linebacker Derik LeCaptain is going into his final year with the Gophers. 

One of the things he said he has learned from these spring practices and meeting the new transfers is that they can bounce new ideas off of each other. 

“You get teammates who have been in so many different places,” LeCaptain said. “So, we are able to talk and bounce ideas off of what we have seen on the field.” 

Going into his final season, LeCaptain wants to make sure that he continues to spread the leadership of the team. 

“I owe so much to the guys who took care of me when I first got here,” LeCaptain said. “The time that those guys put in with me, it helped me gain so much confidence being my first time away from home, first time in a big city.”

LeCaptain said he wants to be the same type of leader he was led by when he first arrived on campus and being a Gophers football player is a first-class experience.   

Despite a 29-12 season, Minnesota’s women’s hockey team lost 6-2 against the Wisconsin Badgers during the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals. 

Every single time the border rivals met on the ice this season, the Gophers lost. At the end of the 2024-2025 season, Minnesota was 0-6 against Wisconsin. While the game was held at Minnesota’s Ridder Arena, Wisconsin was the higher seed. 

The game started off strong with both teams clearly putting up a fight to move on to the finals. Gophers goalie Hannah Clark made multiple saves in the early minutes of the period. 

Around five and half minutes into the game, Gophers forward Abbey Murphy was given a five-minute major penalty due to a high elbowing hit on a Wisconsin player. This put the Badgers into the first powerplay of the game. 

Despite the one-player advantage, the Gophers were able to hold off the Badgers powerplay. Using that momentum of being back at full strength, Minnesota forward Peyton Hemp was able to score the first goal of the game around 14 minutes in. 

Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said the combination of squashing a powerplay and then getting the first goal led to a burst of energy for the Gophers. 

“It gave our team a lot of juice, killing that thing off and then scoring right after it,” Frost said. “It gave us actually a lot of momentum.”

However, the Badgers quickly fought back. Despite the Gophers having a power play, Badgers forward Laila Edwards was still able to score the team’s first goal of the game. 

The first period ended 1-1 as both teams went back to the locker room with the drive to dominate. 

The second period started off fast as the Badgers scored a goal around three minutes in, pulling them ahead of the Gophers 2-1. The Gophers made a few attempts on goal but none were successful. 

Around 10 minutes in, the Badgers scored another goal against Clark, bringing them to a two-point lead. The Gophers quickly closed the gap. 

A few seconds after the Badgers’ second goal of the period Gophers forward Josefin Bouveng scored a goal making the game 3-2. 

Both teams did not utilize the power plays given to them throughout the second period, but with only two seconds left the Badgers were able to score another goal. 

Both Minnesota and Wisconsin had players in the penalty box leading to a four-on-four on the ice. A Minnesota player went down by the Wisconsin goal, her teammate stopped to check in on her.

This led to Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien only being contended by two players and scoring the Badgers’ final goal of the period. Wisconsin’s lead was up to 4-2, the start of the end for the Gophers. 

The third period had a slow start as both teams showed strong offensive and defensive plays. However, around four and a half minutes in, Edwards made her second goal of the game and furthered the gap between the Badgers and Gophers. 

Despite having a power play around 12 minutes in, the Gophers were still not able to score another goal. With three minutes left in the game, Minnesota decided to take Clark out to give them a one-woman advantage. 

Even with the advantage, the Badgers scored an empty net goal to finish off the game. Edwards scored her third goal of the game and led the Badgers to victory over the Gophers 6-2. 

Edwards’ hat trick also led her to overtake Murphy in total number of goals this season in the NCAA. Since Friday, Edwards has 34 goals while Murphy has 33. 

Despite the disappointing loss, Frost said he is still proud of his team and what they have accomplished this season. 

“I love this team and the individuals on it,” Frost said. “I’m really proud of how they came together this year, played for one another and left it out there tonight.”

Sports were a no-brainer growing up for Gophers outfielder Breezy Burnett, but she never expected it to be on the softball field.

Both of Burnett’s siblings played sports growing up. Her sister played basketball, volleyball and gymnastics while her brother played football and basketball. 

“Growing up I thought I was going to have to play basketball,” Burnett said. “Then they stuck me into softball, just randomly.” 

Burnett started playing in 8U softball when girls from her cheerleading team started a softball team. 

While Burnett was initially confused by the sport choice from her parents, her mother Johnette Burnett knew that it was the right decision.

Johnette Burnett grew up loving and playing softball and hoped her daughter would feel the same way. 

“She is fast, she is pretty athletic, she catches on pretty quick,” Johnette Burnett said. “So I just thought that she would fall in love with softball, like I did.” 

Breezy Burnett fell in love with the sport and is now bringing that love to the Gophers.

She started playing for Minnesota back in the 2023 season, scoring 14 runs and drove in 17 runs. 

In the 2024 season, Breezy Burnett started 53 games in the outfield and led the Gophers with 13 stolen bases. Her sophomore year was just the beginning of her accomplishments with the Gophers. 

In 31 games this season, Breezy Burnett hit two home runs, 11 RBI, three triples and three doubles. Her current fielding percentage is .970 with 19  games left in the regular season. 

Her hard work does not go unnoticed, as assistant coach Roya St. Clair works closely with Breezy Burnett. St. Clair is both a hitting and outfield coach, so she sees Breezy’s skills in every aspect of the game. 

“She’s been able to be somebody on the field that we can rely on to bring it every single day,” St. Clair said. “Regardless of outcome you are going to hear her out there trying to pump up her teammates and trying to make sure we are staying in the fight.”

Breezy Burnett’s statistics are not the only thing she brings to the team. Her constant energy is one of her greatest strengths as a Gopher. 

“When you talk about what makes her unique is just being able to bring it every single day,” St. Clair said. “If we need a kick in the butt as a group, you can look to Breezy and say, ‘Hey get us going.’”

This energy translates to every aspect of Breezy Burnett’s life. Johnette Burnett has seen Breezy grow on and off the field. 

Johnette Burnett said that Breezy is a compassionate person who pours herself into the people around her, including her family.

“She is our family’s energy ball,” Johnette Burnett said. “Whenever she’s around you know there is going to be some form of excitement.” 

Despite her impressive season so far, Breezy Burnett said she has goals and improvements she wants to achieve.

“One big goal is to just stay consistent,” Breezy Burnett said. “With a game full of ups and downs, not getting too high or too low. When things do get low, be able to get myself back on a steady line.” 

On a more technical level, St. Clair thinks that Breezy is at the point in her sports career where it is more about learning how to beat a defense. 

“I think for her it is just that maturing piece of understanding what the opposing pitcher is trying to do and how do I combat that,” St. Clair said. 

Not only is she learning creative ways to beat the defense, but Breezy Burnett has a creative way of committing to the Gophers.

“I went bowling and I told myself if I bowled a strike I was committed,” Breezy Burnett said. 

Once the 10th pin hit the hardwood, a future Gophers star found her home.

After a close weekend against Penn State, the Gophers men’s hockey prepares for a three-game series against Notre Dame this weekend. 

Minnesota is the No. 2 seed in the tournament while Michigan State is No. 1, despite their shared conference championship. Notre Dame is the No. 7 seed in the tournament, however, Gophers forward Oliver Moore said they do not care who is seeded where. 

“We are definitely not taking this Notre Dame team lightly,” Moore said. “They have a really well-coached team, and they have really good players on their team. I expect their best for sure.” 

This series is the start of the Gophers postseason stretch and is one of the three matchups for the Big Ten Conference tournament quarterfinals this upcoming weekend. 

The last time Minnesota and Notre Dame faced off, the Gophers won the first game in the series and lost in overtime during the second game. 

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said despite the difference in seeding, Notre Dame is not a team to take lightly.  

“The difference between a seventh-place team is minuscule,” Motzko said. “It’s a fresh start for them. You know that they are looking for a ray of hope and we need to be sharp, we need to be on top of our game.” 

Notre Dame is ranked 59th in the NCAA for scoring defense and 38th in scoring offense this season. They have a strong power play which has a combined 15 goals on the man advantage. 

Gophers forward Mason Nevers said their strengths are not something they are ignoring. 

“Working on our D zone and making sure that we are blocking shots,” Nevers said. “Their first power play is good so we got to be on it defensively.” 

Motzko has confidence that his team will be able to fight against these challenges.  

“The key to our team all year has been the versatility of our offense,” Motzko said. “That all the lines contribute.”

Motzko added that in previous games it never bothered the team or threw them off when players got hurt. 

Normally, a regular season series is two games, but during the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals they will play a maximum of three games if the series is tied after two. The win-or-go-home game would be March 9. 

The expectation for a third game means a different kind of preparation from the team. 

“We took a day off this week preparing so that we save some mileage on our legs,” Motzko said. “We have to be prepared to go three, but we have to go for Friday first.” 

Minnesota has a 47-29-6 overall record against Notre Dame. In the four games Minnesota and Notre Dame played this year, the Gophers won 19-12. 

“We are not fancy but we are deep and solid and when we are deep and solid is when we are at our best,” Motzko said.

Gophers softball won four of their five games during their first home tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium this past weekend. 

The team started strong as they swept both North Dakota State University (NDSU) and Wagner College on Feb. 28. After winning back-to-back games by seven or more runs, the final two games of the tournament came down to a walk-off and extra innings. 

Gophers catcher Taylor Krapf hit a home run in the second inning of the NDSU game, putting Minnesota on the board first. In the third inning, the Bison tied the game 1-1. 

In the fourth inning, Gophers second baseman Maggie Werner brought the score up to 3-1, which ended as the final score. 

Their game against Wagner started at 7 p.m., and once again the Gophers got out to an early lead, ending the second inning up 2-0. 

The Gophers showed no signs of slowing down. Pitchers Natalie Susa and Presley Hosick threw a combined no-hitter to win 7-0.

“Anytime we get a win it’s good,” said Gophers head coach Piper Ritter. “A win is a win. It is important to get them.”

The Gophers only played one game on the second day of the tournament, but Minnesota’s matchup with Miami University was the closest of the tournament. 

Miami led for the majority of the game after scoring a run in the first inning. However, the Gophers took over in the bottom of the fifth inning after hitting three home runs and cashing in five runs. 

The game went into the seventh inning tied 5-5. Gophers pitcher Jessa Snippes hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning for a 9-6 Minnesota victory. 

Ritter said the team is invested in every at-bat in games like this.

“They are the ones who are making the plays and the at-bats,” Ritter said. “So for them, it’s about being in every at-bat, not throwing them away, not getting out the same way twice.” 

After three wins, Minnesota went into the last day of the tournament with only two games left. 

Their first game was against NDSU for the second time this tournament. Krapf hit four RBIs and a home run, while Gophers center fielder Breezy Burnett added a home run and three RBIs as the Gophers defeated the Bison 10-1. 

Ritter said the team has tightened up their play over the last few games.

“I do think we are doing a better job in the outfield,” Ritter said. “Not throwing past our cut and giving up the trailing base runner and extra 60 feet.” 

Ridder said the pitchers are limiting walks to one or two a game, down from their slow start to begin the season. 

For the final game of the tournament, the Gophers played the University of St. Thomas. The game went into an extra eighth inning until St. Thomas scored twice to hand the Gophers their first loss of the tournament. 

Despite the overall winning weekend, Ritter said the Gophers still have room for improvement. 

“We still have to take care of the ball,” Ritter said. “Just not giving them up 60 feet.” 

The Gophers are back on the road this weekend and will play the University of South Alabama and LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Gophers became co-Big Ten champions after their win against Penn State on March 1. 

Minnesota lost the first game of the series in overtime but showed a strong start early by generating attack-zone pressure in the first few minutes. 

The pressure led to Gophers forward Mason Nevers finding the back of the net against Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev.

Ten minutes into the second period Penn State scored their first goal against Gophers goalie Liam Souliere. Less than a minute later the Nittany Lions scored another goal. 

With around two minutes remaining in the second period, Gophers forward Connor Kurth tied the game 2-2 heading into the third period. 

Penn State scored the first goal of the period, giving them a 3-2 lead, until Gophers forward Jimmy Snuggerud scored a goal to tie the game. 

Three minutes into overtime, the Nittany Lions scored the game-winning goal, leading to a 4-3 loss for the Gophers.

Despite the loss, Gophers head coach Bob Motzko was proud of his team’s efforts and pointed out places they can improve. 

“Ninety percent of what we did tonight was outstanding,” Motzko said. “They’re a good hockey team. We kept the crowd quiet, we got the lead, but we lost our focus.” 

Motzko said the three goals they allowed in regulation resulted from turnovers. 

The second game of the series was close, but it ended in a Gophers victory. 

In the first period, both teams held off goals with strong defensive plays, but offense came to play in the second period. 

Penn State got onto the board six minutes into the second period, putting the Gophers down 1-0. 

Gophers forward Matthew Wood scored his first goal of the game midway through the period. This sparked a fire in the Gophers, and about five minutes later Nevers scored the second Minnesota goal, making the score 2-1.

Penn State fought back and scored a goal with around two minutes left to tie the period 2-2. 

The third period started off fast as Wood got his second goal of the game almost four minutes in. Less than a minute later, Penn State scored a goal to make it a tie game. 

It was a strong battle between both teams, but with only three minutes left in the game, the Gophers pulled forward. Minnesota defender Mike Koster scored a goal to give the Gophers a 4-3 lead. 

The Gophers took the lead for the second time of the night, intent on not giving it back. 

With less than a minute left, Gophers forward Oliver Moore sealed the deal by scoring the last goal of the game, resulting in the Gophers beating Penn State 5-3.  

Motzko was proud of his team’s accomplishments in the game and the season overall. 

“To our guys’ credit tonight, they had no quit in them,” Motzko said. “We’ve only got four losses in regulation, but we needed to find a way to win that because we have earned and deserved the right to be Big Ten champs.” 

Snuggerud talked about the team’s dynamic and how it contributed to their efforts this season. 

“Our team stayed really strong,” Snuggerud said. “It’s been fun to get to know all of the new guys, we have bonded very well as a team.” 

While the Gophers’ regular season might be done, they are now off to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Minnesota will take on seven-seeded Notre Dame at Mariucci Arena this weekend.