Recent content from Joel Rippel
Gophers women's hockey team rolls to victory over No. 6 Bulldogs
Minnesota, ranked fourth, ended Minnesota Duluth's four-game winning streak.
Longtime boys basketball coach joins elite company
Tartan's Mark Klingsporn, whose team is unbeaten this season, became the seventh to reach 700 victories.
Former Gopher Dick Meredith, who played on two U.S. Olympic hockey teams, dies at 92
Meredith, who graduated from Minneapolis Southwest, lettered for the Gophers from 1952-55.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Benilde-St. Margaret's boys basketball star keeps percolating
"Remarkably consistent," his coach calls Jalen Wilson, and if that continues he'll become the top scorer in Red Knights history.
Gophers men's hockey team ties Michigan, then encounters the shootout bugaboo again
Minnesota lost a shootout for the 11th time in a row and has not scored on 28 consecutive shootout attempts.
Gophers women's hockey team barges past St. Cloud State, ends losing streak
Minnesota had lost four in a row, the longest skid in its history. The Gophers ended it with their 800th victory.
Huskies sink Gophers in women's hockey on goal with 29 seconds left
Minnesota, ranked third, had tied No. 11 St. Cloud State a minute earlier after pulling its goalie.
Gophers men's hockey team drops game to Michigan in overtime
No. 4 Minnesota tied it in the third period before giving up a power-play goal in OT.
Gophers baseball begins McDevitt era after 43 seasons under coach Anderson
The Gophers baseball team, with several top hitters returning, will also be navigating the expanded Big Ten schedule.
Gophers wrestlers dominate Purdue for sixth consecutive dual victory
The No. 7 Gophers will close the regular season against Iowa on Friday night at Maturi Pavilion.
Wisconsin women's hockey completes season sweep of Gophers with another dominant win
Casey O'Brien had a goal and four assists to lead the top-ranked Badgers to a 6-1 win over the third-ranked Gophers on Sunday in Madison.
St. Thomas rallies to victory over Denver in men's basketball
Nathan Minessale's work in the final 36 seconds secured a Summit League win for the Tommies.
Alexandria's Kohler moves into No. 2 spot in Minnesota girls basketball coaching victories
With her 720th win Friday against Fergus Falls, she passed retired Myron Glass of Rochester Lourdes for second place.
Gophers women's hockey team lets one get away — far away — against Wisconsin
The Badgers, ranked No. 1 and also the nation's top-scoring team, defeated the No. 3 Gophers 8-2.
Big winner at Lakeville South takes over Cretin-Derham Hall's football program
Ben Burk led the Cougars to the Class 6A state championship in 2021, an undefeated season that was part of a 23-game winning streak.
Gophers top Buckeyes by winning rematch of a Minnesota high school wrestling state final
Waconia's Max McEnelly defeated Stillwater's Ryder Rogotzke on Friday to settle the match, just as he beat him at state in 2023.
Lakeville North's John Oxton is sixth Minnesota boys basketball coach to get 700 wins
Panthers coach John Oxton became the sixth boys basketball coach in Minnesota history to reach 700 career victories in Lakeville North's 74-56 win at Farmington on Friday night.
Gophers thrash Scarlet Knights in matchup of high-ranked wrestling teams
The No. 7 Gophers streaked to victory over the No. 12 Scarlet Knights after losing the first match.
Greenway joins the swelling crowd in the 4,000-point girls basketball club
The Providence Academy standout is the fourth in history and the third this season to cross that milestone, after Minnehaha Academy's Addison Mack and Crosby-Ironton's Tori Oehrlein.
No. 3 Buckeyes roll past No. 2 Gophers 7-3 in high-level women's hockey
Sloane Matthews, from Wayzata, scored three goals in the second period, helping Ohio State end Minnesota's seven-game winning streak.
No. 3 Gophers drop No. 2 Buckeyes with a third-period burst in women's hockey
Minnesota scored all of its goals in the final period, getting two from Ella Huber.
Taiye Bello, standout Gophers women's basketball player from 2016-20, has died at 26
Bello remains the program's leader in offensive rebounds and is high on the U list in many statistical categories.
Benilde-St. Margaret's coach lands his 600th boys hockey victory
Ken Pauly is the sixth to reach the milestone in Minnesota boys hockey.
Longtime Star Tribune hockey writer Gilbert dies; he was 'our hockey department'
John Gilbert covered hockey for three decades, hitting pros, preps and colleges, sometimes all at once.
St. Thomas men's basketball team defeats Oral Roberts for 10th win in a row at home
The Tommies moved into a tie for first place in the Summit League.
Crosby-Ironton's Oehrlein becomes third Minnesota girls player to reach 4,000 points
Crosby-Ironton junior guard Tori Oehrlein, a Gophers basketball commit, scored 42 points for the Rangers in their win Tuesday to reach the milestone.
St. Thomas removes interim tag for women's hockey coach Bethany Brausen
The former Gophers player and assistant took over after Joel Johnson resigned in November.
Gophers wrestling team uses strong start to beat Northwestern
Heavyweight Gable Steveson earned his 59th victory in a row and the Gophers jumped out to a 21-0 lead vs. the Wildcats.
Gophers play Spartans into overtime in men's hockey, but the extra point gets away
Minnesota, ranked fourth, got two goals from Jimmy Snuggerud in regulation against the No. 2 Spartans but lost a shootout.
Gophers women's hockey team defeats Bemidji State outdoors at Valleyfair
The game, part of Hockey Day in Minnesota, was only the third in program history to be played outside.
Spartans rout Gophers in meeting of Big Ten's best men's hockey teams
Minnesota, ranked fourth, lost 9-3 to No. 2 Michigan State, giving up four goals in each of the last two periods.
Gophers wrestling team rolls to Big Ten victory over Wisconsin
Minnesota won nine of 10 matches and produced its biggest margin of victory ever in Madison.
Gophers women sell out Ridder Arena for victory. Next: Outdoor hockey at Valleyfair.
The Gophers women's hockey team defeated Bemidji State 4-1, with the teams set to battle Saturday outdoors on Hockey Day in Minnesota.
Mountain Iron-Buhl girls basketball coach secures his 600th victory
Jeff Buffetta, 600-160 in his career, is the 14th girls coach in Minnesota to reach the milestone.
No. 7 Gophers overwhelm No. 21 Wolverines in Big Ten wrestling match
Minnesota, which drew its biggest home crowd since 2023, won seven of the 10 bouts and outscored Michigan 25-10.
Gophers complete a season sweep of Minnesota State Mankato in women's hockey
Josefin Bouveng produced a hat trick for the No. 3 Gophers, who have won 15 of their past 17 games.
Hill-Murray girls basketball coach Erin Herman lands her 600th victory
Herman, in her 36th season coaching the Pioneers, has a career record of 600-372.
Gophers women's basketball team charges late, but comes up short against Maryland
A 16-0 run and Annika Stewart's three-pointer cut the lead to three with 20 seconds remaining, but the No. 8 Terrapins held off the No. 24 Gophers at the free-throw line from there for a 99-92 victory.
Gophers fall to Huskers in matchup of top-10 wrestling teams
Nebraska, ranked sixth, won the final four matches and ended No. 8 Minnesota's 10-match winning streak that extended to last season.
Gophers holds on for victory over St. Thomas in women's hockey
Minnesota, with Emma Kreisz handing out assists liberally, won for the fifth time in six games.
No. 11 Ohio State's power play overpowers No. 3 Gophers in men's hockey
The Buckeyes scored twice with a five-minute man advantage, contributing to a 5-1 rout in a Big Ten game.
Gophers use four-goal first period to complete sweep of Mercyhurst with 5-2 victory
Matthew Wood got the scoring going with a goal only 9 seconds into the game.
Penn State routs Gophers women's hockey 6-2
Stella Retrum, a sophomore from Maple Grove, scored twice to help the Nittany Lions to a quick 4-0 lead at Ridder Arena in the East/West Showcase.
Gophers men's hockey routs Mercyhurst
Pahlsson had a goal, two assists for Gophers in first game since Dec. 14.
Gophers women's hockey dominates Brown in East/West Showcase
Josefin Bouveng had two goals and two assists and Natalie Mlynkova also scored twice for the Gophers.
Mlynkova's hat trick leads Gophers women's hockey to victory over Bemidji State
Vermont transfer Natalie Mlynkova helped the Gophers win for the 10th time in the past 11 games.
Former Olympian and Gophers hockey player Lilyholm killed in car crash
Len Lilyholm, his wife, and the driver of the other vehicle all died in a head-on collision in northern Iowa.
Minnehaha Academy's Mack becomes state's second girls basketball player to top 4,000 points
The senior, who stands second in state history in scoring, passed the milestone with a 30-point game against Stewartville.
Minnehaha Academy's Mack moves into No. 2 spot on Minnesota's girls basketball scoring list
Addison Mack scored 36 points Friday, slipping past Carlie Wagner with her total of 3,996 points. Rebekah Dahlman is No. 1 with 5,060.
Minnesota State Mankato is stopped a goal short of national championship in women's soccer
A goal barely a minute into the second half gave Cal Poly Pomona a 2-1 victory over the Mavericks in the NCAA Division II title game.
Minnesota State Mankato ousted from NCAA Division II football playoffs
Minnesota State Mankato was unable to muster any last-minute magic this time in its loss at Valdosta State.
Bethel has winning touchdown wiped out by penalty in 24-21 loss at Susquehanna in Division III quarterfinals
A 30-yard touchdown catch by Joey Kidder as time expired was negated by a holding penalty on the Royals.
Minnesota State Mankato women's soccer team reaches NCAA Division II championship game
The Mavericks defeated Columbus State in the semifinals and will be the first NSIC team to play for the title.
Minnesota State Mankato women's soccer team heads to NCAA Division II semifinals
The Mavericks, the first NSIC team to advance this far in the tournament, will take on Columbus State on Friday.
St. John's baseball coach, headed to his 48th season, makes a retirement plan
Jerry Haugen, who stands fifth in victories among active NCAA Division III coaches, will step aside after the 2025 season.
Minnesota State Mankato and NCAA semifinal foe Valdosta State are on familiar ground
While Minnesota State Mankato prepares for Saturday's NCAA Division II football semifinals, Bethel is getting ready for the Division III quarterfinals.
Allen, Parker ride votes of Classic Era Committee into National Baseball Hall of Fame
The ballot included three players with ties to Minnesota and the Twins who did not get enough support: Luis Tiant, Tommy John and John Wesley Donaldson.
Gophers women's hockey completes sweep of Tommies with 6-2 victory
Peyton Hemp scored twice for the Gophers while Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow each had a goal and two assists.
Area college football roundup: Susquehanna kicks St. John's out of Division III playoffs, will play Bethel in quarterfinals
Dominic Bourgeois made a 37-yard field goal as time expired to hand the top-seeded Johnnies their first and only loss of the season.
Gophers women's hockey shuts out St. Thomas
Abbey Murphy and Natalie Bouveng scored twice as the Gophers improved to 17-0 all-time against the Tommies with Friday night's victory.
St. Thomas football signs 21 recruits, including eight from Minnesota
The Tommies, coming off a 6-6 season, also signed players from Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Bemidji State's climb, and two other things to know about Minnesota college football
Minnesota State Mankato has taken a hard path to the Division II quarterfinals. Its opponent Saturday, Bemidji State, had to navigate its own adventure.
Prep Athletes of the Week: Senior's girls basketball highlights began before the season did
Jordan Ode, a 6-foot guard for Maple Grove, signed with Michigan State first, then came up big in two victories.
Gophers thrash South Dakota State in clash of ranked wrestling teams
No. 7 Minnesota won all but one match against the No. 17 Jackrabbits. Gable Steveson extended his winning streak to 55 matches.
Gophers tie Nanooks in men's hockey, piling up shots but not goals
Minnesota outshot Alaska 37-20 but was thwarted by goalie Nicholas Grabko and his 36 saves.
Gophers turn back Buckeyes, win final volleyball match of regular season
Minnesota, ranked 15th, now awaits a berth in the NCAA tournament when that field is announced Sunday.
Gophers turn back Illinois, win Big Ten volleyball match
Minnesota heads next into the final conference competition of the season, at home Friday against Ohio State.
Bemidji State settles in as a regular in the NCAA football playoffs
Bemidji State, in the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, will play Western Colorado in Division II. Minnesota State Mankato, St. John's and Bethel also have Saturday appointments.
Gophers soccer's NCAA tournament run ends in third round with 3-0 loss at North Carolina
Minnesotans Maddie Dahlien and Clare Gagne helped the 21-time NCAA champion Tar Heels end the Gophers' season.
Gable Steveson returns to wrestle at Maturi Pavilion as Gophers shut out Campbell
Gable Steveson earned his second technical fall in as many meets this season as the Gophers earned their first back-to-back shutouts in nearly 27 years.
St. Cloud State ends Gophers women's hockey team's seven-game winning streak
Sanni Ahola made 38 saves as the Huskies earned a split of the home-and-home series by winning in St. Cloud.
Gophers volleyball clinches winning Big Ten record with sweep of Iowa
The Gophers haven't lost to the Hawkeyes since 1995.
Brody Ziemer breaks third-period tie as Gophers men's hockey sweeps Notre Dame
Jimmy Snuggerud had two goals against the Irish and assisted on Ziemer's winner with 6:45 to play.
NCAA Division II and III football playoffs: Minnesota State Mankato stuns Augustana in final minutes
The Mavericks scored 10 points in the final three minutes, recovering an onside kick before Matthew Jaeger's field goal on the final play.
Al DeRusha, pioneer in Minnesota sports and kids TV and a pro wrestling promoter, has died
Al DeRusha produced and directed Minnesota kids shows "Lunch with Casey" and "Romper Room," and then worked with Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association and later the WWF.
