Adam Bailey likes field goals. He'd like them even more if they were worth four or five points, but that isn't likely to happen anytime soon. Unlike the postal rate, field goals have stayed consistently...

On a day when the Gophers men's golf team needed to be at its best, it was just that. Minnesota rebounded from an 8-over first round at the NCAA Championships to shoot 13-under Thursday, vaulting into...

Gophers men's tennis player Tom Chicoine continued his hot streak Wednesday, defeating San Diego State's Alex Waske 6-3, 3-6, 7-6, in the first round of the NCAA singles Championships in Athens, Ga. Chicoine...

It's official. No one can call the Gophers men's tennis team's title this weekend at the NCAA Region IV Championships a surprise. Disregard Minnesota's low seed (sixth out of eight teams), throw out the...

Unfamiliar territory -- its home park -- brought familiar results for the Gophers softball team Thursday night. Playing in its first games of the year at the Bierman Softball Complex, Minnesota (28-8)...

In some seasons, Reggie Berg's 34 points in WCHA games wouldn't even have gotten him into the top five of the league leaders. But the effect of the less-from-more nature of the league trickled down to...

It was supposed to be the blueprint for an entire season, not just one series. Instead of winning its first road game in more than four months on the last weekend of the regular season, the Gophers men's...

One year after celebrating a league championship alongside their men's basketball counterparts, members of the Gophers men's hockey team looked to the roundballers for a harder lesson Thursday. Junior...

The Gophers women's softball team is ranked No. 18 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll released Wednesday. Minnesota, 12-3 overall and riding a nine-game winning streak, was not...

The Gophers baseball team, which started 1-6 last season against a tough stretch of southern schools, had considerably better results to start the 1998 season. After defeating Nebraska 6-3 in 11 innings...

The Gophers men's tennis team earned a key early-season upset late Saturday night, downing No. 24 Kansas 4-3 in a six-hour dual match in Lawrence, Kan. Minnesota (3-1) earned the doubles point and claimed...

A false appearance of happiness -- along with a sweaty brow and gritted teeth -- has accompanied many Gophers football coaches to numerous press conference podiums. Three decades of, at best, mediocre...

The No. 10 Gophers women's gymnastics team rebounded from its first loss of the season last weekend by defeating No. 11 Ohio State 193.500 to 191.575 Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Sophomore Judy Cavazos...

It was predicted, because of the state's strong history in the sport and the stockpile of talented players that tradition produces, that the Gophers women's hockey team would be competitive in this, its...

Ross Bernstein does not claim to be a great novelist. From conversations with him, it seems that his priorities fall in the following order: sports fan first, marketing specialist second and writer a...

Tim Klobuchar The task of going into the Michigan Wolverines' home arena in the midst of a five-game losing streak is daunting enough for the Gophers, what with Michigan's intimidating front line led...

The topic of conversation produced a one-word sentence from Gophers assistant men's athletics director Pat Forciea: "Milk." That was a concise summary of the three-year, $242,500 sponsorship deal agreed...

The comparisons between this year's Purdue team and last year's Minnesota team are perhaps premature, but they are also timely and relevant. Purdue (12-3, 1-1 in the Big Ten) beat Minnesota (7-5, 0-1)...

Gophers swimmer Gretchen Hegener and Wisconsin track and field athlete Kathy Butler on Tuesday were named Big Ten-Suzy Favor Women's Athletes of the Year in one of the closest votes in the history of...

Mankato State athletics director Don Amiot said he knew the school's hockey program was moving closer to its goal of gaining membership in the WCHA when he received a letter from league commissioner Bruce...

Matt Schlessman, a senior swimmer from Avon, Ohio, on Thursday received Minnesota's Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor. Each Big Ten school presents this award annually to a student-athlete who excels...

USA Basketball on Monday announced Gophers junior Sam Jacobson is among 16 finalists for the 1997 USA Men's 22 & Under World Championship Team. A total of 61 players tried out for the team. The 16...

Mike Crowley, a junior defenseman on the Gophers hockey team, decided late Sunday night to reject the latest contract offer from the NHL's Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Unless the Ducks make a counter-offer during...

For the fourth consecutive season, courtside seats for Gophers men's basketball games at Williams Arena will be available through an auction. The seats, located behind the scorer's table, are awarded...

Gophers hockey defenseman Mike Crowley said he will make a decision this weekend about whether he is returning for his senior season or leaving Minnesota to sign a pro contract with the NHL's Anaheim...

Steve DeBus picked up his telephone after just one ring Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't a scout from an NHL team calling -- it was just a reporter. DeBus, the starting goaltender...

Gophers freshman women's tennis player Nora Sauska lost on Monday in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships, falling to No. 1 seed Karin Miller of Duke, 6-3, 6-4. Sauska, a native of Budapest,...

Fact: The Women's Professional Fastpitch softball league begins spring training today and starts its inaugural 72-game regular season May 30. Fact: Whether there will be a season number-two is up for...

Gophers hockey defenseman Mike Crowley said on Monday that he's still mulling over his career options but will decide by June 1 whether he's going to return this fall for his senior season at Minnesota...

A frustrating season for the Gophers softball team officially ended Sunday night when the squad learned it didn't receive a bid to the 32-team NCAA tournament. Minnesota (37-19, 10-13 in the Big Ten)...

Something didn't feel right to Rene Sbrocco on Monday afternoon. It's wasn't the kind of feeling you get when you think you're in danger or have a nagging suspicion that you forgot to turn your iron off. It...

Gophers softball coach Lisa Bernstein-O'Brien figured her team would have a chance to play its way into an NCAA tournament bid. But since Minnesota finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten and missed the...

Much like an author struggling to find the right descriptive word, members of the Gophers softball team have spent the last two and a half weeks hoping they would break out of their offensive slump. After...

Shannon Beeler's home run to left center field in the bottom of the ninth inning, which gave the Gophers softball team a doubleheader sweep against Drake on Thursday, could not have been much more dramatic. Beeler's...

The result of the Gophers softball team's doubleheader at Wisconsin on Tuesday, particularly game one, has to make members of the squad feel jinxed. But the action at a different pair of games provided...

Despite losing six of seven games during the middle of the season, the Gophers softball team still controls its own destiny as far as making the Big Ten tournament is concerned. Only the top four regular...

Normally, when a member of the Gophers softball team scores a run, several players leap out of the dugout to offer congratulations at home plate. But the nature of the team's celebration in the second...

An informal poll of Gophers softball players concerning the team's hitting in the past seven games would likely draw these results: "Unproductive" -- 0 votes. "Unproductive is not a strong enough adjective"...

Amber Hegland looked like she was storing a fistful of gravel in her mouth as she walked off the field after the sixth inning of game two of the Gophers softball team's doubleheader against Iowa. Minnesota...

Gophers softball coaches and players pride themselves on being able to stay loose and focused at the same time, no matter if the club is playing well or not. The juxtaposition that defines the team was...

A season of streaks for the Gophers softball team continued this weekend when Michigan completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota. The Gophers dropped their first three Big Ten games before rattling off...

In a conversation Thursday afternoon, Michigan's Carol Hutchins didn't speak with the confidence one might expect of a coach who has led a team to four Big Ten titles in the last five years. The reason...

Last season, the Gophers softball team hosted Michigan in the final weekend of the season with a Big Ten championship on the line. But Minnesota, which needed a sweep to win the title, dropped two of...

The Gophers softball team found out Wednesday that strength isn't always in numbers -- sometimes it's in distance. Despite outhitting host Northwestern 6-2 in game one of a doubleheader, Minnesota lost...

In the last two games that Gophers softball pitcher Steph Klaviter has started, Jennifer Johnson has come on in relief to earn the save. Stress the earn on that. In two consecutive starts, Klaviter plowed...

When car keys get lost, nine times out of 10 the place they turn up is obvious -- a jacket pocket, a table or even a car door. But sometimes they end up somewhere obscure, like the refrigerator. The Gophers...

Watching a Gophers softball game is sometimes more like observing a 10-year high school reunion than a competitive college sporting event. Strange barnyard imitations flow freely in the dugout. Infield...

After winning the first game of its Wednesday doubleheader against Northern Iowa, 2-0, the Gophers softball team looked as if it would complete the sweep with ease. Minnesota scored three runs in the...

Continued bad weather has forced the Gophers softball team to adjust its schedule once again for this week's games. Minnesota, which had the last game of its series with Indiana cancelled Sunday, postponed...

Considering the recent offensive struggles of the Gophers softball team, its eight-run outburst in the first inning of Saturday's series opener against Indiana was a little surprising, even to its optimistic...

The type of finish the Gophers softball team experienced Wednesday night could foreshadow how the rest of their season is going to unfold. In compiling a 23-6 non-conference record, Minnesota played its...

For the first six innings of game two of the Gophers softball team's home-opening doubleheader Wednesday against Mankato State, Minnesota wasn't offered much of a welcome home present. The rain and cold...

If it seems weird to see a preview of a team that has played 30 games already this season, consider this: Only a handful of people -- outside of those in warm weather locations like Georgia and Texas...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Dan Woog left the locker room at Van Andel Arena, his vision clouded by tears. The Gophers hockey team had lost to Michigan 7-4 in the NCAA West Regional, and Woog, hair slicked...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Ryan Trebil, a seldom-used freshman defenseman on the Gophers hockey team, haphazardly wrapped black tape around a box holding the team's portable stereo March 23 after Minnesota's...

In the week preceding the WCHA Final Five, league coaches seemed to be on a crusade to get this point across: The winner of the tournament would need to get some fortunate bounces along the way because...

A smile crept across Wyatt Smith's face at the mere mention of a possible rematch between the Gophers hockey team and North Dakota. Minnesota's emotionally draining 4-3 loss Saturday to the Sioux in the...

The difference between heading into the third period of a hockey game trailing by one goal and two goals is dramatic. Such was Gophers coach Doug Woog's line of thinking -- at least for a few seconds...

The NCAA announced Sunday afternoon the 12-team field for college hockey's national tournament, and Gophers coach Doug Woog is not amused. Of course, the probability of Woog finding humor in his team's...

The implications of Friday night's game between Minnesota and St. Cloud State in the WCHA Final Five are clear. The Gophers are trying to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament by winning the league...

Craig Dahl and Jim Boeheim should get together sometime. Maybe they could hang out and talk about coaching over a cup of coffee. Dahl, the hockey coach at St. Cloud State, and Boeheim, the men's basketball...

Unlike last year's WCHA Final Five, there are no surprise teams headed to the St. Paul Civic Center for the league tourney this weekend. Last season, the lower seeds won three of the five first-round...

When WCHA coaches met last spring, they decided to change the format of the Final Five. They envisioned greater fan attendance and greater revenue for the league through ticket sales. What they didn't...

Only 100 feet separate the home locker room from the visitors quarters at Mariucci Arena. Yet the distance between the Gophers and Alaska-Anchorage after Saturday's game seemed as vast as the half-continent...

It's a given that no athlete is fond of injuries. At the same time, however, anyone who has ever participated in a sport knew going in that there were certain inherent risks. Pulled muscles, sprained...

The Gophers hockey team has two recent examples to draw upon as it prepares to avoid a letdown following an emotional weekend. Minnesota could go the route of the Big Ten champion basketball team, which...

WCHA coaches would be wise to heed one of their favorite cliches this weekend: Just take things one game at a time. Considering three of the five first-round series in the league playoffs last year resulted...

It's hard to tell at what point in the season the Gophers hockey team's odds of winning the WCHA regular season title were the worst. It could have been at the beginning, before the team's eight freshman...

His voice cracked and the tears began to flow despite his best efforts to hold them back. As Gophers hockey coach Doug Woog addressed the Mariucci Arena crowd late Saturday night, memories of an emotionally...

In a span of six hours, two Minnesota sports teams celebrated conference championships. For the first time in the school's history, the men's hockey and basketball teams won their respective league titles...

The water bottle exited senior Nick Checco's hand and skidded across the floor of the Gophers locker room during the second intermission Saturday night, leaving the rest of the players stunned. The Gophers...

If members of the Gophers hockey team were seated in a room, watching a tape of their season in progress, they might be tempted to reach for the fast forward button when they got to this weekend's series...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Morsel by unpleasant morsel, Michigan forward Maurice Taylor digested almost every word of his Jan. 11 post-game commentary on Wednesday. Following a frustrating 70-64 loss to the...

Gophers players said three weeks ago that they didn't know how good North Dakota goalie Aaron Schweitzer was after firing just 51 shots on the freshman in a two-game series. Six games later, Schweitzer...

Gophers hockey players and coaches talked at length on Saturday about how important their win and tie at Colorado College were in terms of establishing consistency and a good team atmosphere. But forget...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- When Mike Anderson's slap shot from the right circle found its way between Judd Lambert's pads in the first period of the Gophers hockey team's 3-0 win at Colorado College on...

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- When the clock showed all zeros Saturday afternoon, Steve DeBus leapt into the air and looked for a teammate to hug. Having not reached anyone yet, the Gophers goalie jumped...

Last week, Colorado College coach Don Lucia said Alaska-Anchorage is a team that could give an upper-division WCHA finisher fits in the first round of the league playoffs. Then the Seawolves got swept...

Examine these facts carefully: The Gophers hockey team is the most penalized squad in the WCHA. Minnesota-Duluth is No. 2 in that category. When the teams met for a series in October, they combined for...

Steve DeBus' outburst after the Gophers 6-4 loss at North Dakota two weekends ago is well documented by now. After facing 51 shots, the Gophers goalie questioned his team's attitude, desire and heart...

On Friday night, less than 24 hours before the Gophers hockey team honored some of the greatest players in the program's 75-year history, members of the current squad skated off the ice to a theme much...

Dave Spehar rattled off a list of reasons to explain how he went from being dazed and confused early in the season to one of the Gophers hockey team's most consistent performers over the past dozen games. He...

Colorado College's third-place position in the WCHA sticks out like a Chicago Bears fan at the Metrodome. After winning the last three league titles, including last year's by a comfortable 12-point margin...

After playing Friday and Saturday against Northern Michigan at Mariucci Arena, Gophers forward Casey Hankinson made a Sunday trip to a smaller, lesser-known arena. As important as Minnesota's contests...

The Gophers hockey team is now 30 games into its season and still waiting for the consistent offensive production that players insist is just around the corner. Every weekend seems to produce one or two...

On Saturday night, about 20 minutes after the Gophers hockey team wrapped up a sweep of Northern Michigan with a 2-1 win, Minnesota players began filtering out of the locker room wearing their usual dress...

Two things to know about Gophers hockey player Brett Abrahamson: (1) He, like most athletes, enjoys playing in games much more than practicing. (2) He, unlike most athletes, has a mother willing to portray...

Although the playing of the song "We are the Champions" at Ralph Engelstad Arena following North Dakota's 6-2 win on Saturday against Minnesota may have been a bit premature, the Sioux are definitely...

Gophers hockey players and coaches didn't have much to complain about following two embarrassing losses at North Dakota last weekend. For the most part, they took responsibility for their flat performance...

Aaron Schweitzer will not be named to any All-WCHA teams this season. Same goes for Toby Kvalevog. Ditto for Aaron Vickar. The trio of North Dakota goalies has shuttled in and out of starting roles with...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Appropriately, the first goal of the biggest series of the season to date in the WCHA was scored by a scrappy 5-foot-10 North Dakota sophomore following relentless forechecking by...

It is sometimes hard to tell what athletes like more -- using cliches or downplaying big games. You just scored 46 points, how does it feel? "I'm just happy I could help the team get a W'." It's the Super...

For the first two-thirds of the Gophers hockey season, whispers about defenseman Mike Crowley were commonplace. Psst. What's wrong with Crowley? He's not scoring. He doesn't look the same.' Then the junior...

Something was familiar to Gophers hockey players Mike Anderson, Mike Crowley and Nick Checco Saturday morning as they sat around the breakfast table. Following Minnesota's 5-2 win over Michigan Tech on...

Obviously, the Gophers hockey team benefitted the most from the past weekend of play in the WCHA. After all, Minnesota jumped from a tie for third place into sole possession of first, leaping past St....

It was interesting to listen to the terminology used by Gophers hockey players in the week leading up to this weekend's road series against last-place Michigan Tech. As players talked about how important...

Considering the Gophers hockey team is facing Michigan Tech -- a squad with only two WCHA wins -- this weekend hardly seems to qualify on a list of Minnesota's most important series of the season. The...

Following an excellent high school career at Duluth East in which he amassed a state record 311 points, Dave Spehar had a lot of eyes resting on him. Spehar was the buzzword during the first week of Gophers...

The 7,051 fans who packed the National Hockey Center for Friday's game between Minnesota and St. Cloud State symbolized more than just an overwhelming home-ice advantage for the host Huskies. More than...

Five minutes after losing 5-2 to St. Cloud State on Friday night, members of the Gophers hockey team were in no mood to talk. After dressing quickly, the players moved even more swiftly through the narrow...