The Gopher men's hockey team earned the weekend series split against Penn State, the Gopher men's basketball team notched their second straight win of the season, the CSB hockey team kicked off MIAC play with a win over the Cobbers, the Granite City Lumberjacks kept their streak alive at home against the Toros, and the Minnesota Wild pulled off a shutout win in Seattle Friday. Meanwhile, the St. Cloud State University men's basketball teams and men's and women's hockey teams, as well as the Minnesota Timberwolves come into the weekend hot off of a loss. On Saturday, the Gopher and Bison football teams will look to keep their streaks alive, and the SJU football team will fight Bethel for the MIAC title. The SJU hockey and basketball teams will return to action, and SCSU women's basketball team and CSB basketball team will tip off their seasons.

RECAPS:

- The Gopher men's hockey team rallied to earn a 3-1 win and complete the series split against Penn State. Bryce Brodzinski led Minnesota with two goals on the night, while Mason Nevers added one. Justen Close made 33 saves and allowed just one goal. The Gophers improve to 8-4 and will head to Michigan next Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

- The Gopher men's basketball team earned a 72-54 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Friday night. Jaden Henley led all scorers with 16 points for Minnesota. Pharrel Payne and Joshua Ola-Joseph each added 12. The Gophers improve to 2-0 and will host DePaul on Monday at 6:00 p.m.

- The CSB hockey team kicked off MIAC contention with a 3-2 win over Concordia College in Moorhead on Friday. Corrine Brown, Ava Stinnett, and Emma Rooks each netted one for St. Ben's. CSB outshot Concordia 37-21 in the win. The Bennies improve to 2-3 and 1-0 MIAC, while the Cobbers fall to 3-1. The teams will head to St. Cloud on Saturday for game two. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.

- The Lumberjacks opened the weekend series with a 4-3 win against the Mason City Toros. Granite City rolled out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period, fell behind 2-1 in the second, and then netted three goals in the final frame to secure the victory. The Lumberjacks improve to 16-0-0-1 and the Toros fall to 8-7. The teams will take the ice in St. Cloud again on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for game two.

- The Wild shut out Seattle on the road 1-0 Friday night. Mats Zuccarello scored the lone goal for Minnesota. Marc-André Fleury made 28 saves in the win and now holds the NHL record with shutouts against 28 different teams. The Wild improve to 7-6-1 and will return home on Sunday to host the Sharks. Pre-game coverage begins at 4:45 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

- The Norsemen dropped a close one 2-3 to Bismarck in overtime to start the weekend series. Ryan Cutler and Jeremiah Konkel each lit the lamp once for St. Cloud in the loss. The Norsemen fall to 7-8-1-1 and now fall into last place in the Central Division behind the Bobcats who are also 7-8-1-1 overall. The teams will play game two at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday.

- The SCSU women's hockey team was shut out 0-2 by no. 7/8 UMD Friday. Jojo Chobak made 23 saves and allowed two goals in the loss. The Huskies fall to 7-7 and the Bulldogs improve to 8-5. The teams will return to Herb Brooks Hockey Center on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. for game two of the weekend series.

- The SCSU men's hockey team fell 2-4 to Western Michigan Friday night. Grant Cruikshank and Micah Miller each scored one goal for St. Cloud. The Huskies fall to 8-3 and will look to earn the split when they host the Broncos (8-4) again on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

- The SCSU men's basketball team dropped their season opener 52-87 to Southern Nazarene on Friday. the Crimson Storm outscored the Huskies in both halves of the game. Tony Dahl led St. Cloud with 14 points. The Huskies fall to 0-1 and will look to earn their first win on Saturday when they face Arkansas Monticello.

- The Timberwolves dropped their third straight game in a 103-114 loss to Memphis on Friday. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 28 points, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 28 of his own. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels each added 15. The Wolves fall to 5-8 and will look to turn things around when they face the Cavaliers on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m.

PREVIEWS:

- The Gopher football team (6-3) will try to keep their win streak alive when they host Northwestern (1-8) on Saturday afternoon. Minnesota leads the overall series 55-36-5. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Bison football team (7-2) will hit the road to face Southern Illinois (5-4) on Saturday. NDSU is 10-4 overall against the Salukis and won last year's matchup 38-7. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:00 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

- The SJU football team (8-1) is out to earn another MIAC title when they host Bethel (8-1) on Saturday. St. Johns' only loss of the season came in week three at the hands of the Royals. The Johnnies are 34-10 overall against Bethel. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. at Clemens Stadium.

- The SJU hockey team will look to earn the series sweep when they visit Concordia College on Saturday. The Johnnies topped the Cobbers 7-3 at home in game one on Thursday and holds a slim 49-41-7 lead in the overall series. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. in Moorhead.

- The SJU basketball team (0-1) will try to earn its first win of the young season when they host UW-Eau Claire (1-0) on Saturday. The Johnnies are 2-0 all-time against the Blugolds. The teams have not gone head-to-head since 2020. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.

- The CSB basketball team will tip off their season with a road matchup against UM-Morris on Saturday. The Bennies are 11-3 all-time versus the Cougars. St. Ben's earned a 64-57 win over Morris last November. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m.

- The SCSU women's basketball team will also start their season on Saturday with a home matchup against Valley City State. The Huskies are 6-0 all-time against the Vikings. The teams last met in 2019. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall.

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