Gophers top-ranked heavyweight Gable Steveson doesn’t lose often.

Ever since falling to Anthony Cassar in the 2019 NCAA tournament, Steveson has gone an impressive 23-0, including a 6-0 record in his 2021 campaign. He notably defeated Mason Parris in the 2020 Big Ten title match going into the NCAA Tournament, which he was favored to win before COVID-19 caused its cancelation.

“I was confident going into the NCAAs that I could come out on top. That was my year to do it after beating an opponent like Mason Parris, who came in and pushed me the whole seven minutes,” Steveson said. “He is the next best guy behind me, and after that win it was a huge confidence boost.”

Steveson recently defeated the No. 3 heavyweight in the country, Tony Cassioppi of top-ranked Iowa, in a 15-6 major decision. Steveson thought the match in Maturi Pavilion provided a championship feel.

“He’s one of the top guys in the country too. He pushed Mason Parris to the limit, and I think Cassioppi is a great wrestler, but my dominating win over him shows that I can come out on top in March and show there is a major gap between me and the rest of the guys,” he said.

Overall, Steveson thinks his biggest competition in 2021 will once again be Parris. Parris, also a junior, is from the University of Michigan and is currently No. 2 in the country behind Steveson, according to InterMat Wrestling rankings.

But Steveon isn’t concerned about potential challenges from Parris or Cassioppi. For him, winning the 2021 national championship isn’t just a goal — it’s an expectation.

“Being completely honest, I don’t think winning a championship was ever a really deep challenge in my mind. With all of the wrestlers that are in the field, it provides a test for sure, but it’s always been a thing in my head that I have to achieve a national championship,” he said. “There’s not going to be another year of me saying, ‘I have to go get it,’ where it’s the No. 1 thing. Winning a title has been my goal since I came into the University of Minnesota, so the pressure that is being put on me to win is just me knowing and telling myself, ‘I can do it.’”

But Steveson hasn’t been waiting for a title to fall into his lap. He may have spent time this summer wakeboarding on Lake Minnetonka or on a boat at Long Lake, but if you’ve seen the top heavyweight in action this season, he looks even bigger than he did during his 2020 campaign.

It’s no coincidence. During the summer, Steveson gained 20 pounds in training and preparation for the season. But what’s more surprising is he did not plan for it.

“The weight came on quick, and people can tell now when I wrestle that I look different in some ways, and I’m just making sure that I’m doing all the right things to grow. Jumping up 20 pounds just happened one day when I stepped on the scale,” Steveson said. “But I knew my weight would clean up in the right ways since I wasn’t wrestling. Now, I’m five pounds lighter at the 260 mark to have the physical appearance and the look to be the best I can.”

The next step for Steveson is a national title, something he’s been eyeing since he first stepped foot on the University campus. And the national title would provide the footing for the following step, bringing him closer to his ultimate dream of competing in the WWE.

“It’ll create another legacy that I’m writing right now as the days go by, match by match. Having that national championship will bring me to a new height, platform, and have me solidify my spot out there as one of the best, and it’s only a matter of time when that happens,” he said.

Gophers break away in third period Friday and score game-high total

If you were looking for offense on Friday, there was plenty to be offered with 11 combined goals scored between the Gophers women’s hockey team and Ohio State.

For this series, Gophers’ coach Brad Frost switched up his lines and had Abbey Murphy, Taylor Wente, and Grace Zumwinkle to start out on the first line. This proved to be a great offensive strategy as they delivered right away.

Murphy was the first to score in the game to put the Gophers up 1-0 in the first period. Five minutes later, that lead was diminished as Liz Schepers of Ohio State gave the Buckeyes their first goal. During the second half of the first period, the two teams traded off goals again as Jennifer Gardiner capitalized off of a powerplay opportunity to give Ohio State its first lead at 2-1.

Shortly after, the Murphy, Wente and Zumwinkle line produced offensively once again as Zumwinkle scored her team-high ninth goal of the season. The game was deadlocked at 2-2 going into the first intermission.

In the second, the offensive surge continued as Emily Oden scored on a 5-on-3 skater advantage to put the Gophers back on top 3-2. This lead would stay for most of the period until the Buckeyes’ Emma Maltais brought the game back to a draw at 3-3. Yet, less than 30 seconds later, Abigail Boreen cashed in to make the game 4-3 in Minnesota’s advantage going into the intermission.

The Gophers finally extended their lead in the third, but it took a little time. Jenna Buglioni started off the period with a goal for the Buckeyes and the game was back to a tie at 4-4. Eight minutes later, Taylor Heise scored and the Gophers did not allow another lead change the rest of the game.

With a power play goal by Crystalyn Hengler and an empty-netter by Catie Skaja, the Gophers in the third period burned the Buckeyes to come out with a 7-4 win. Seven different skaters found the back of the net on offense for Minnesota in this shootout.

“Great win here tonight on the road, great opponent in Ohio State,” Frost told Gopher Sports. “I just loved the way our team battled and competed here tonight. The game got tied up many times, but to find a way to continue to stay with it and get the win on the road is a great three points. We’re really happy with it. We know it will be another battle tomorrow and we’re looking forward to that.”

Gophers split with Buckeyes for second time this season

On Saturday, both teams started their backup netminders; Makayla Pahl was in net for the Gophers and Amanda Thiele was in for the Buckeyes.

In the first period, both backup goalies proved to be up for the challenge, as neither team was able to score for most of the period. Yet, Tatum Skaggs of Ohio State, with seven seconds left in a powerplay managed to find the back of the net and give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.

In the second period, Ohio State had one powerplay chance and Minnesota had two, but both teams failed to convert. However, the period wasn’t without offense as the Buckeyes’ Sara Saekkinen extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 2-0 with 48 seconds left.

The game was looking to go into the final period with the home team holding a two-goal lead, but with one second remaining in the period Olivia Knowles sniped in the Gophers’ first goal of the game to go into the third period with momentum, only down one goal in a wild last minute.

In the third period, the Gophers could not come back from the one goal deficit and ended up losing 3-1 after a Maltais empty net goal. Minnesota left Columbus with its second split against Ohio State this season.

“A hard-fought battle here tonight and I’m proud of our team,” Frost told Gopher Sports. “We played well, but unfortunately we couldn’t find a way to get that equalizer there, giving up the empty netter. But, it was a good hockey game; I wish the result was different.”

Up next, the Gophers return to Ridder Arena for a rematch with their border rivals the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers Feb. 5-6. Friday’s game starts at 6:07 p.m. and Saturday’s begins at 4:07 p.m. Both games will be televised on BTN+.

Two of the top five scorers on the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s hockey team are experiencing their first time playing in the NCAA.

Abbey Murphy, who is from the Chicago area and calls herself a “bruiser” type of player who brings a “mean game,” has three goals and five assists — totaling eight points over 11 games played. Murphy is a member of the second line on the Gophers, with Emily Oden and Taylor Heise.

“Heise and Oden are two people I look up to a lot, and I’m very excited to continue to roll with them and get to know them,” Murphy said.

Murphy is also from the same AAA club hockey team, Chicago Mission, as fellow freshman teammate Josey Dunne.

“It’s been awesome playing with Jos, especially coming from Mission,” Murphy said. “We know each other well, and it’s very rewarding to play four more years with someone you’ve grown up with and has totally made the transition from high school to college easier.”

Anne Cherkowski is the third player on the Gophers’ roster from British Columbia, Canada. She has one goal and five assists, earning six points over 11 games. Cherkowski is a member of the Gophers’ top offensive line with Grace Zumwinkle and Amy Potomak.

“Before our first game together, I was a little nervous, and I didn’t want to mess up, but they’ve shown me the way and have been great leaders,” Cherkowski said. “Finding my niche in the college game has been much easier with their support.”

Murphy and Cherkowski are great friends off the ice and have helped each other navigate what could be an otherwise challenging freshman year. Cherkowski said that Murphy is a “great teammate and a really good player.”

“She’s super fast and skilled, so that’s really fun to have someone like that my age who is that talented,” Cherkowski said. “She’s also so much fun to hang around with off ice as well.”

Cherkowski coming from Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented quite the transition in playing American collegiate hockey. Cherkowski and Murphy both agree that college hockey has been more aggressive and faster than what they played as high school students. Cherkowski added that she is grateful for her veteran teammates who have helped aid the move to the next level.

“It’s been a huge help having Amy [Potomak] and [Olivia] Knowles just to guide me and be people to relate to and ask questions,” Cherkowski said.

Along with playing collegiate hockey, both athletes are enjoying the cuisine around campus. Murphy enjoys the occasional shake from MyBurger, and Cherkowski enjoys Noodles & Company, something she didn’t have across the northern border.

“There isn’t a place like Noodles in Canada; it’s so good,” Cherkowski said.

The No. 14 Minnesota Gophers wrestling squad came out of Lansing, Michigan with a 48-0 route over the Maryland Terrapins (0-3) and a 28-6 blowout over the host Michigan State Spartans (1-1) in the final.

A key cog of the sweep was redshirt sophomore Patrick McKee. The 17th ranked 125-pounder won a 19-6 major decision over King Sandoval of Maryland.

“I was happy about the result but I was hoping for more than just a major decision. I kinda ran out of time at the end to get a tech fall or a pin,” McKee said. “But, it felt good to showcase some of my takedowns and get back to the stuff that I’m used to.”

He also came back from a 3-0 deficit versus the then second-ranked 125-pound wrestler in the country, Rayvon Foley of Michigan State, to complete the 10-6 upset decision.

“The first period I gave up a takedown, but honestly I didn’t feel too bad. Soon in the second period I could feel him [Foley] fading a bit and getting tired,” McKee said. “My ability to go hard for the last six minutes after a not-so-great first minute made me the more resilient wrestler and why I came out with the win.”

During the second period of the match versus Foley, McKee registered four takedowns. He has since risen to No. 12 among 125-pound grapplers in the nation. McKee this season is also coming back from a torn LCL and PCL on his left knee.

“It’s a pretty rare wrestling-caused injury, since it takes so much force to tear those two ligaments,” he said. “Honestly, it was really the first time ever I’ve been injured from wrestling and it took a lot of mental exercise to come back strong and be positive.”

The now 15th-ranked Gophers will head back to Maturi Pavilion to take on the top-ranked Hawkeyes at home at 8 p.m. on Friday.

“If we wrestle Iowa with the same mentality and attack-mindset that we had versus Maryland and Michigan State then we shouldn’t have any problems,” McKee said.

Mckee has a rich family history in the Gopher program, as his brother Mitch had a successful career donning the maroon and gold, and the sky is the limit for Patrick McKee to continue to be a major impact in this 2021 wrestling season and beyond.
“Around the state I feel like a lot of people know about our family so I want to represent us well. Mitchell is a big role model for me but I want to go out and do bigger things than he has done as well,” McKee said. “Being an All-American like him is something to chase but is not the ceiling, I want to keep grinding and one day possibly become a national champion.”

Due to the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs women’s hockey team contracting COVID-19 and postponing a two-game series scheduled to be played on Jan. 4-5, the Gophers were able to salvage one of those games on their schedule by playing St. Cloud State on Thursday. This extra match extended the Gophers upcoming two-game series versus the Huskies to three.

Zumwinkle scores twice to bring the Gophers to a 1-0 series lead

The Huskies did a terrific job to start out the game by keeping the Gophers offense bottled up. Shots for the first half of the opening period were in St. Cloud State’s favor. It was obvious that both teams had not played much hockey in the last month, with neither team having the edge.

After a failed powerplay opportunity at the end of the period, it was clear there was little chemistry in any Golden Gopher line to start out. The Gophers’ defense for the rest of the period since the halfway point was outstanding however, only allowing one shot on net. At the end of one, the score was 0-0 with Minnesota leading shots on goal 11-6.

The second period started out with fireworks, as the Gophers came out and fired three shots on goal in the first minute. On the third shot on goal, Huskies goaltender Emma Polusny made a spectacular save by not allowing Abigail Boreen’s outside shot attempt to go in with her left leg collapsing on the puck just in time.

It wasn’t until the final minutes where the game finally broke it’s tie with an Olivia Cvar snipe off the Huskies first powerplay opportunity of the game. The Gophers perfect power play kill allowed their first score of the season.

The third period started out positive for Minnesota as Grace Zumwinkle returned the game to an even score at 1-1. After that goal, the Gophers continued their onslaught on Polusny but could not attain a solid lead until Zumwinkle, off of a gracious bounce from a faceoff deep in the St. Cloud State zone, cashed in once more to give the Gophers a 2-1 lead.

Lauren Bench for the remaining five minutes of the period was lights out in the net, stopping a few point-blank opportunities from St. Cloud State forward Jenniina Nylund. The Gophers won their first game on the 2021 calendar 2-1, and led in shots on goal 42-25.

This game was also the first time Amy Potomak received playing time since last March due to a foot injury. Head coach Brad Frost and teammate Grace Zumwinkle loved seeing No. 16 back on the ice.

“She certainly provides a great spark and some offensive creativity,” Frost said. “We as coaches love having back an added, and experienced, threat to give our roster some depth.”
Zumwinkle agreed on how important a piece Potomak is for the team.

“She brings so much to the locker room off the ice, but on the ice she brings so much added depth in our lineup so it was nice having her back,” she said.

Murphy and the Gophers start fast and furious

Unlike on Thursday, the Gophers got off to an electric groove on Satuday’s offense.

With under five minutes left in the contest, junior forward Catie Skaja made the game 1-0 on the Gophers seventh shot on goal of the game while holding the Huskies to zero. The Gophers did not allow defense a shot on goal for the first seven minutes and held St. Cloud to three shots on goal the entire period.

Soon, the Gophers capitalized once more as Taylor Heise scored for the Gophers to extend the Minnesota lead to 2-0. Nearing the end of the period, freshman Abbey Murphy scored two goals nearly back to back, with her second being a breakaway backhand goal to put the game out of reach in the first period.

The Gophers led 4-0 by the end of the first, as they outshot the Huskies 19-3. Frost was thoroughly impressed with his team’s performance in the period.

“Certainly the first period was the best period we’ve maybe had all year,” he said. “Really good job with our group putting the speed on and pressuring their defenseman. We had second and third chance opportunities with good shot selection.”

At the start of the second period, Makayla Pahl was in net for Minnesota as the Gophers sat Bench after the first. And the second featured a more valiant effort by the Huskies overall, with the Gophers being unable to score for the first 10 minutes. With seven minutes remaining in the period, Laura Kluge of St. Cloud scored her team’s first goal of the game off of a Zumwinkle slip-up on defense.

In the third period, the Gophers had two power play opportunities in the first five minutes of the game, but failed to capitalize. After a red-hot first period, the Gophers could not score anything against the backup St. Cloud State goalie Sanni Ahola, who replaced Polusny after the fourth Gophers goal.

The final score was 4-1 as the Gophers once again dominated the Huskies offensively, outshooting them 41-18 on Saturday.

Murphy, after her two-goal performance, said she’s been pleased with the experience to this point in her freshman year.

“I love it. It’s so much fun here, and even with all of the COVID stuff I’ve never been happier with my decision,” she said. “Playing on a team that is so tightly knitted together has been an honor and I’m very lucky to be here.”

Heise’s hat trick gives the Gophers the sweep

Another lightning quick beginning occurred in the Gophers third matchup against St. Cloud State, but this time it was an hour north of Minneapolis in St. Cloud.

Thirty-three seconds into the game, Heise, off a nice feed from Murphy, gave the Gophers an early lead. Sixteen minutes later in the first period, the Emily Oden, Murphy and Heise line found offensive success once more, as Heise scored again to give Minnesota a two-goal lead.

In the second period, both squads were unsuccessful on three power play opportunities for each team. Through the first 15 minutes, Ahola had seemed to rebound after a two-goal first period, yet Taylor Wente had other plans. Immediately after a waived-off goal, Wente’s first shot back at Ahola was good and it gave the Gophers a 3-0 advantage going into the final period.

In the third period, Heise secured the hat trick. With two minutes remaining in the game, she scored her third goal off assists from Murphy and Oden, who each notched their third assists of the game. In the net, Bench had 16 saves and her second shutout of the season.

“It was a great win on the road, solid effort. Heise, Oden, and Murphy, their line was tremendous again tonight. Heise with the hat trick, Lauren on her angles all night and controlling rebounds – all in all, it was a team win,” Frost said.

“We feel really good about these last three games. We’re excited about the day off tomorrow and then heading out to Wisconsin and having another great matchup with them.”

The No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup between border battle rivals will take place Friday and Saturday at 2:07 p.m., when the Gophers head to Madison, Wisconsin. Both games will be televised on BTN+.

Coming into this edition of the Border Battle, the Minnesota Golden Gophers were white-hot. After winning their last two games versus Big Ten giants in Iowa and Michigan State, the sky seemed to be the limit. Yet, in just their second road test of the season, the game was mostly lopsided.

Wisconsin started out this contest playing stout defense against the Gophers, not allowing a field goal to drop for the first four and a half minutes. Micah Potter had a superb start for the Badgers scoring the team’s first five points. Potter closed the opening half nearly securing a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds. He finished the game with 18 points and11 rebounds.

On the other hand, Minnesota started the game 0-of-6 from beyond the arch and 0-of-7 overall. A common theme throughout the first half was Minnesota trying to speed up the tempo of the game, but Wisconsin’s stiff defense didn’t let the Gophers score fast and furious. A couple turnovers by Marcus Carr and Both Gach entering foul trouble early on were early red flags for the Gophers, who were down 14-7 at the first media timeout.

With seven minutes to go in the half, the Gophers were fortunate enough to only be staring down a four point deficit after shooting a woeful 4-of-22 and 1-for-10 from three. The Badgers small lead can be credited to the Gophers dominating time of possession due to them controlling the boards in the first half, especially on offense. Forwards Liam Robbins, Isaiah Ihnen and Brandon Johnson created nice second and third chance opportunities – the only problem was the Gophers could not find the bottom of the net after those generous rebounds.

After more turnovers from the Gophers, seven total in the half, the Badgers managed to get their largest lead of the game at nine, which felt like a mountain to climb for the Gophers, who were scraping and clawing for any points they could muster. The score at halftime was 29-22, with Minnesota leading in offensive rebounds 8-to-4 but had seven costly turnovers which turned into easy buckets for the Badgers.

The only bright spot of the game for Minnesota was Gabe Kalschuer. The struggling junior guard led the way in by far his best shooting half of the season. He went into the break with 12 points, shooting 3-of-5 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three and hit 4-of-5 at the stripe. Besides Kalschuer, the rest of the Gophers were ice cold, shooting a combined 3-for-26.

The second half started off hot for the Badgers. Wisconsin stretched its lead to 12 after a three from Aleem Ford. For Minnesota, Carr was held in check again in the second half, finishing the game with 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting, seven assists and five boards. The game plan to pick and roll to give Carr open looks failed as the Badgers constantly doubled Carr to limit his vision for either an off-dribble shot or a pass to an open big man.

After a Brad Davison stepback three, the Badgers were out to a commanding 19-point lead midway through the half.

The Gophers at one point went on a 9-0 run during the back half of the second, spearheaded by Johnson and Robbins. Even after that effort, the Gophers still were down by 17. The final score was surprisingly 71-59 in a game where the Gophers biggest deficit was 26.

The key to the Badgers victory was outmuscling the Gophers with a huge advantage in points in the paint, 40-18. D’Mitrik Trice and Ford also having a consistent stroke from the three-point line also was a problem. They shot a combined 4-for-8 from deep and the sharpshooting duo had 14 points each.

The Gophers have a small sample size and ugly resume for their road games, a 27-point loss against Illinois and now a 12-point loss to the Badgers.

“There’s no fans so the home court advantage obviously isn’t a factor. It’s more about the opponent that we are playing. Both Illinois and Wisconsin are very physical teams,” head coach Richard Pitino said. “We didn’t respond well to both of those defenses, so it’s more about us playing well on the court when the game starts.”

Johnson and Kalschuer on the other hand mentioned that playing on a foreign court with different rims or a different home court ball can play a factor into shooting troubles. But neither player completely blamed their tough shooting on those small quirks.

“It’s weird getting used to it [away game rims or different balls], but I wouldn’t make that an excuse for today’s performance,” Kalschuer said.

The continued road-game disappearance of Both Gach also helped the Badgers immensely. The 6-foot-6 transfer from Utah has averaged three points per game in the Gophers two road games. Pitino wants Gach going forward “to play more confidently,” not just in scoring but on all ends of the court.

The Gophers will look to bounce back at home on Sunday, Jan. 3 against 25th-ranked Ohio State.

“We can’t rely on Marcus scoring 30 points a game. It’s gotta be five guys playing together and moving the ball, which we did successfully against Iowa and Michigan State, but not tonight,” Pitino said.

Game 1: Gophers fire four goals to win handsomely in final period

On Thursday in Mankato, the Gophers’ women’s hockey team never lost the lead. An Abigail Boreen goal put the game at 1-0 in the first period, and early in the third period, Olivia Knowles, shooting from the blue line, secured a 2-0 lead for the Gophers.

Not long after Knowles’ goal, the Mavericks struck back with a goal from Sydney Langseth to put the game at 2-1. But once the second half of the final period hit, the Gophers caught fire.

Boreen first fired in her second score of the game, and one minute later Grace Zumwinkle also scored to extend the lead to 4-1. Then 20 seconds later, Taylor Heise helped the puck find the back of the net. A Gophers’ one goal, 2-1 lead extended to a four goal lead and eventually a 5-1 victory in the span of 72 seconds.

Lauren Bench made a season high in saves, stopping 40 of 41 shots from the Mavericks.

“Slow start tonight on the road. Mankato played really well but fortunately we got some breathing room from our play in the third period,” Gophers’ head coach Brad Frost said after the game. “Overall, we got three points [in the WCHA standings] and a great win on the road, and I look forward to getting off to a faster start tomorrow at home.”

Game 2: Gophers earn the sweep

Early on in the first period, the Gophers faced a 5-on-3 disadvantage because of massive penalty trouble with Anne Cherkowski and Emily Oden both receiving penalties within the same minute of each other. Luckily, that did not seem to bother them as they came away unscathed and back to full strength, only letting up two shots.

Soon, Audrey Wethington got a nice set-up for a close tip in from her older sister Madeline Wethington firing at the goal from afar that made the game 1-0.

“It felt really surreal. Credit to all of my teammates who I battled with all game and watching the Gophers all my life to finally get that goal felt amazing,” Audrey Wethington said.

In the second period, the Gophers continued their onslaught of shots at Mavericks goalie Lauren Barbro, and one managed to find the back of the net from Zumwinkle. At the end of the second, the Gophers were up 2-1 after a goal from Mankato’s Brittyn Fleming with 28 seconds left in the period.

In the third period, a defensive battle ensued as the Gophers’ defensemen only allowed five shots on goal the entire period. Neither team managed to score.

In the second game of the series, the Gophers also started Makayla Pahl over Bench. This was scheduled prior to last weekend, and Frost wanted to give Pahl a chance in net after working hard in practice the past few weeks.

Pahl in her first collegiate start was nearly perfect, saving 18 of 19 shots fired en route to a sweep and the Gophers improved to 5-1 on the season.

The Gophers’ next games this season are up in the air. They are finished with their “first stretch” of the season, and more information will be available in January with Frost expecting to get back on the ice sometime next month.

“Really good game tonight. Our team played really well and did a much better job tonight playing without the puck not giving up too many quality chances,” Frost said. “Credit to Mankato’s goaltender, she played really well. Overall, a great way to end the first half of the season.

“It’s been a tough stretch but I’m really proud of our team in how we’ve been able to manage everything here in the last few months, and I’m really looking forward to our team getting away and spending some time with our families and coming back rejuvenated to start up again in January.”

The Gophers men’s basketball team had an abundance of opportunities at the free throw line on Thursday, as they knocked down 34-of-44 from the stripe en route to a 90-61 win over Kansas City.

In the first half, center Liam Robbins converted on 9-of-11 tries at the stripe. It appeared as though the Gophers were going to pull away from their Summit League foes early as they went up 18-4.

Robbins’ steady performance from the line was an improvement from his last game against Boston College, where he shot 4-of-8 from the charity stripe.

“Free throws are a big deal and I hurt us down the stretch missing key points,” Robbins said. “Pitino has us shoot 100 free throws everyday and always emphasizes to draw fouls, so it takes some of the good players on opposing teams out of the game to get more mismatches and advantages.”

But, the Roos fought back with a nicely shared dosage of points from Brandon McKissic, Demarius Pitts, and Franck Kamgain. They managed to keep up with the Gophers but after falling behind, never got closer than six points for the remainder of the contest.

Marcus Carr, the high-octane point guard, who averages 25.6 points per game was uncharacteristically quiet for most of the half, making his first field goal attempt with 3:47 left in the half. He went into the break with eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, including a very stylistic finale to the half knocking down a buzzer beater three-point shot before heading to the locker room.

Marcus Carr with MOVES for @GopherMBB to hit the buzzer beater before the half pic.twitter.com/ExrtmPyDWE

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 11, 2020

Carr finished the night with 15 points and seven assists, still productive overall, yet less productive than his last few contests.

The top performers in the first half were Robbins for Minnesota, who had 14 points, four rebounds and McKissic for Kansas City, who had 10 points, three assists and three rebounds. Minnesota led 43-31 at the break.

In the back half of this non-conference matchup at the Barn, the Roos could not find the bottom of the basket for a good three and a half minutes. Meanwhile, Robbins continued his onslaught of scoring, putting up six points right away for Minnesota in the second half.

After a Both Gach three point snipe that put the Gophers up 52-31, Kansas City head coach Billy Donlon took a timeout.

The Roos finally started to nail some buckets, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Gophers from building on their lead. Robbins scored 27 points and was prolific inside the paint finishing 7-of-11 from the field and knocking down one three in the process.

Most of Robbins’ success can be attributed to the Roos starting four guards the game and his considerable height advantage over Kansas City’s most talented hoopers on the hardwood.

Aside from Gach having an impressive shooting percentage with a clip of 80%, the rest of the Gophers could not find consistency in putting the ball through the net with Carr, guard Gabe Kalschuer, and forward Isaiah Ihnen shooting a combined 7-for-21. Gach finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Gophers kept extending their lead and pulled Robbins to end his night with 27 points, as Gophers’ head coach Richard Pitino swapped in some players from the bench.

“It’s always nice to put up a good statline but I never in my whole career have been a ‘stat guy’. For me, the first focus is always winning,” Robbins said. “I don’t care how I play as long as the team wins.”

One player profiting from extra time was freshman David Mutaf, native of Istanbul, Turkey. Mutaf finished with five points in his first ever game-time as a Gopher, notably nailing a corner-three for the very first points of his collegiate career.

Pitino shared his thoughts on the young guards performance and his adjustment coming from Eastern Europe.

“It was good to see because when we paused and took some time off, it was hard for him to get in shape for the season since he got here late. But, you see the size and the nice stroke from him making him very skilled at the game,” Pitino said.

“I just talk to him and keep repeating, ‘stay the course’ because he has so many things thrown at him from learning the English language, fitting in socially in America and on the court, so I was happy to see him get his first basket tonight and I can’t wait to see his growth the rest of the season and his career as a Gopher.”

Ihnen also had his first start of the season tonight in place of injured forward Brandon Johnson. The German native scored four points and was 2-of-7 from the field and 0-of-4 behind the arc. Yet, he did have nine rebounds in the first half and finished with 11 on the game which is something to smile about for the 6-foot-9 sophomore forward.

Pitino spoke highly of Ihnen’s work ethic.

“Isaiah took advantage of the opportunity and hopefully Brandon is back sooner or later. Nine rebounds in the first half was terrific. I just loved his mentality today,” Pitino said. “He was all about what we talk about ‘the 95%’ which is what you do when the ball is not in your hands. Isaiah exemplified that today and helped us in a big way and took advantage of his bigger role.”

The Gophers (6-0) will stay undefeated on the season. They travel to Champaign, Illinois, to face off with No. 6 Illinois next Tuesday to open Big Ten play.

2020 continues to bring opportunities for Gophers’ golfer Angus Flanagan.

After winning the 2020 Minnesota State Open and qualifying for the 3M Open, Flanagan has received the attention from the higher ups at St. Andrews across the pond.

Flanagan has been named one of 15 amateur golfers to the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. If Flanagan makes the team, he’d be one of 10 golfers on the squad. Flanagan will be monitored for his play up until April when he will hopefully be selected to represent his home of Great Britain at the Seminole Golf Club at Juno Beach, Florida, on May 8-9, 2021.

The two-day competition features morning foursomes matches and singles matches in the afternoons. On the first day, there will be eight singles matches and on the second day, all 10 players from each side compete.

According to the University of Minnesota Athletics, “One full point is awarded for each victory, while a half-point is earned for matches that are all square after 18 holes. As the two-time defending champion, the United States needs 13 points to retain the Cup while GB&I needs 13.5 points to capture it.”

There will be two training sessions — one in Spain and the other in Florida. If the pandemic does not conclude soon, the young Brits and Irish still playing for universities in the U.S. will only train with each other; the others back home will train in Spain due to international travel limitations.

“I’ve had some of my dad’s friends play in it. It was always my goal to graduate college in 2021 and be able to play in this Cup as a nice send off,” Flanagan said. “But now since I’m currently debating playing my fifth year for the Gophers, it still would be an amazing accomplishment to play in the Walker Cup.”

Flanagan has a lot of familiarity with Seminole Golf Club, a course he’s been playing for years. He’s looking forward to the potential opportunity of playing there in the Walker Cup.

“It’s one of my favorite golf courses in the world, playing there when I was 17,” he said. “Since my game suits a longer, more narrow and windy course, I feel like it would be a blast playing there since that’s how Seminole is set up.”

Flanagan just finished golfing down south in Dallas, Texas, in an amateur tournament, and — since he is still a student — he’s had fun working through his introduction to small group communications and public health classes this semester at the University.

The No. 3 Minnesota Gophers women’s hockey team has postponed its final two series in the first portion of the season versus No. 1 Wisconsin and away against No. 4 Ohio State.

These postponements are due to both Wisconsin and Ohio state seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, something that has hampered Midwestern schools and the normalcy of their athletic program schedules.

Fortunately for the Gophers, no one on Minnesota’s roster has tested positive. That allowed the team to add a series against Minnesota State Mankato on Dec. 10-11. That series will round out the first portion of Minnesota’s schedule.

“Certainly disappointed that we weren’t able to play this weekend,” Gophers’ head coach Brad Frost said. “Our program treats everyday as a blessing and as a gift and we are excited to get the opportunity to play Minnesota State next week since our series with the Buckeyes was also canceled.

“When our series with Ohio State was postponed, our senior associate AD Tom McGinnis did a great job in trying to find solutions for us. Minnesota State was off next weekend and Tom worked with their AD in Mankato to get this series on the books.”

Frost is letting his players go home after final exams at the end of this month but stressed the importance of social distancing and instructed his team to avoid “big family gatherings and large crowds.” With the second half of the WCHA season set to resume as early as Jan. 1, the Gophers will be back on the ice shortly after the holiday season.

“Usually we have a month off during winter break but this season it may be only two weeks depending on what opportunities we receive to get ice time versus other teams,” he said.