Gophers Shutout Badgers, Huskies Gear Up for NSIC Quarterfinals

The St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota men's hockey teams along with the St. Cloud Norsemen each opened their weekend series with a win. The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the 76ers at home, and the Granite City Lumberjacks snapped their impressive win streak in a loss to Willmar Friday. Meanwhile, the CSB softball and SCSU baseball and softball teams will take the field Saturday. The Minnesota Wild will face the Calgary Flames, and the SCSU women's basketball team will face Northern State University in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament.

RECAPS:

- After being blown out by Omaha, the Huskies got back on track Friday, beating Colorado College 4-1 to kick off the weekend. Sam Hentges led all scorers with two goals for St. Cloud. David Hrenak made 21 saves and allowed one goal. The Huskies improve to 16-11-4 and the Tigers fall to 9-19-3

- The Gophers started their last weekend series of the regular season with a 5-0 shutout win over Wisconsin. Ben Meyers led all scorers with his first career hat trick for Minnesota. Goaltender Justen Close earned his first career shutout with a perfect 20 saves. The Gophers improve to 22-11 and the Badgers fall to 9-21-3. The teams will conclude the series Saturday night.

- The Norsemen extended their win streak to 13 games with a 5-2 win over the MN Wilderness at home Friday night. Nik Hong led all scorers with two goals for St. Cloud. The Norsemen improve to 28-13-0-1 and the Wilderness fall to 22-19-1-0. The teams will travel to Cloquet to close out the series on Saturday.

- The Timberwolves were outscored by Philadelphia in every quarter on their way to a 133-102 loss. Joel Embiid led all scorers with 34 points for the 76ers. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 25 points. The Wolves fall to 32-29 and will travel to Cleveland on Monday. Pre-game coverage tips off at 5:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Lumberjacks fell to Willmar 2-1 in regulation after a comeback run came up short. Collin Kerchoff led all scorers with two goals for the WarHawks. Tucker Skime netted the lone goal for Granite City. The Lumberjacks fall to 42-2 and will look to get back on track when they visit the Minnesota Loons (5-39) Saturday night.

PREVIEWS:

- The no. 13 SCSU women's basketball team (21-3) will face Northern State University (13-14) in round two of the NSIC Tournament. The Wolves beat Augustana University 76-66 in the opening round on Wednesday. SCSU beat NSU twice in the 2021-2022 regular season. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls.

- The SCSU baseball team (1-3) will face UC-Colorado Springs (3-6) Saturday. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.

- The SCSU softball team (3-1) will face Fort Hays State (4-8) to kick off the Washburn Invite in Topeka. First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m.

- The CSB softball team opens up the 2022 season with a double-header on Saturday as part of the BLC Invite in Mankato. Game one sees the Bennies face off against UW-River Falls. St. Ben's is 2-5 all-time against the Falcons. The opponent in game two is UW-Oshkosh. First pitches are scheduled for noon and 4:30 p.m.

- The Wild (31-15-3) will face the Calgary Flames 30-14-6) on Saturday night. The game marks the first matchup between the two teams this season. Minnesota currently sits third in the Central Division, while the Flames are on top in the Pacific Division. Pre-game coverage starts at 8:45 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.