Following a lopsided loss in Minnesota a few weeks ago, Michigan’s season was on the brink of an early exit. The solution was simple: they needed wins.

Flash forward 15 days and the Wolverines are close to a lock for an NCAA tournament invite after winning their fourth in a row, quieting a raucous Minnesota crowd with a 2-1 road victory.

Michigan, seeking its third consecutive playoff crown, will face regular season champ Michigan State next weekend in the Big Ten tournament title game, which will be played in the Spartans’ home rink on Saturday.

Kienan Draper scored early in the first period and Gavin Brindley scored late in the second, as Michigan took control from the get-go. The Wolverines (21-13-3) got 30 saves from Jake Barczewski to all but cement their spot in the 16-team NCAA tournament field.

Minnesota, which was playing its final home game of the season, will now have a week off and will take a 22-10-5 record into the NCAA tournament. The Gophers got 22 saves from Justen Close, but could not solve Barczewski until Jimmy Snuggerud’s extra-attacker goal with 89 seconds left in regulation.

After Michigan survived an early push by the Gophers and Draper gave the visitors a lead, popping in the rebound of a Chase Pletzke shot, it looked briefly like the Wolverines had doubled the lead. Luca Fantilli took a pass from behind the net and beat Close with a shot from the top of the crease. But Minnesota challenged the play, and replay showed the Wolverines offside entering the zone, so the goal was negated.

Michigan thoroughly dominated the middle frame, out-shooting the Gophers 17-5, getting the game’s first power play, and doubling the lead. With less than 90 seconds left in the period, Garrett Schifsky hit Brindley with a long lead pass and Brindley turned it into his team-leading 24th goal of the season.

It was the third consecutive season in which Michigan has come to Minneapolis and won a playoff game. In 2022 and 2023 the Wolverines won at Minnesota in the Big Ten tournament’s finale.

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The Minnesota Wild h kept themselves alive in the Western Conference playoff race with some spirited play late in the season, going 6-0-1 since March 3, and 12-4-2 since Feb. 7.

But two of those four losses came in road games against teams in direct competition for a wild card playoff spot, losses to the Predators and Blues, and coach John Hynes was looking for a better effort from his team on Saturday night in St. Louis.
“This isn’t 1 of 82,” he told reporters at Enterprise Center before the game. “This is a game where both teams know what’s at stake.”

It wasn’t perfect on Saturday, but it was better.

Marco Rossi and Kirill Kaprizov scored third-period goals as the Wild rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to earn a point in a 3-2 shootout loss that pulled them within three points of idle Vegas for the second wild card spot in the West.

Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn each scored goals in regulation and the shootout Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots in regulation and allowed only Matt Boldy’s goal in the shootout as the Blues pulled within a point of ninth-place Minnesota.

Marc-Andre Fleury, who starting for the fourth consecutive game, stopped 35 of 37 shots in regulation.

The Wild have won some big head-to-head matchups lately, too, shellacking the Kraken in Seattle and beating the Predators last week at Xcel Energy Center. But when they get close to that last wild card spot, they tend to struggle — especially on the road.
And they did again for two periods against the Blues, who were trying to pull even with the Wild in the conference standings.

The Wild failed to generate much offensive zone time and gave up a lot of odd-man rushes, one of which ended in Schenn’s goal just 27 seconds into the third period, which gave the Blues a 2-0 lead. Schenn skated unmolested from the red line into the left circle before he fired a snapshot that beat Fleury high glove side.

But Rossi pulled the Wild within 2-1 just 44 seconds later after what looked like an apparent turnover in the offensive zone was retrieved by Kirill Kaprizov. Rossi found himself with a 2 on 1 with Mats Zuccarello, but too close to do much but shoot. He found a small opening when he caromed a puck off Binnington’s right pad at 1:12.

Kaprizov scored off a face off play with 3:59 remaining when a centering pass from Mats Zuccarello hit his right skate and deflected it past Binnington. They nearly tied it earlier in the period when Brock Faber passed on target from behind his own blue line to a streaking Matt Boldy for a 1-on-1 chance. But Binnington was able to squeeze Boldy’s point-blank wrist shot between his arm and body.

Eric Ramsay’s debut as Minnesota United head coach got off to a perfect start at Allianz Field on Saturday.

Robin Lod scored in the first half, Bongi Hlongwane scored in the second and the Loons produced their first clean sheet of the season in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC.

Ramsay earned his first win in his first match on the sideline, and MNUFC (3-0-1, 10 points) remained undefeated through for games.

LAFC (1-2-1, 4 points) was the MLS Cup runner-up last season, but haven’t been able to rekindle last year’s pace.

The Loons took a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. A Sang Bin Jeong free kick from 33 yards was not properly cleared by LAFC and the ball fell to Lod at the edge of the 6-yard box for an easy finish past Hugo Lloris.

Hlongwane pounced on a bad backward pass from Eddie Segura and slotted a shot past Lloris in the 88th minute.

LAFC was targeting its attack down the Loons’ left flank with Devin Padelford making his first MLS start. The 21-year-old Maplewood native had some uncertain moments and Ramsay appeared to giver him a “settle down” gesture during the first half.

LAFC attacker Denis Bouanga won the MLS golden boot with 20 goals last season. The Loons kept him with a goal to his name.

Ramsay was asked about Bouanga and LAFC’s attackers on Friday, and he said his defensive principles are broader than individual players.

“We want to be a team that is very compact and very together irrespective of how the opposition play and who the opposition players are,” Ramsay said. “That is a principle the team needs to be able to execute week in and week out.

Ramsay added it will be a standard he will “take to my grave.”

Ramsay’s new era received a special welcome from Supporters in The Wonderwall. They made a black and blue tifo for the Welshman and in the center was a creature that was part red Welsh dragon with Loons wings.

Before Ramsay’s debut, his predecessor, Adrian Heath, appeared own the Apple TV preview show. Heath, who was fired last October after nearly seven full seasons, was complementary of the Loons.

Heath said interim head coach Cameron Knowles did an “incredible job” in difficult circumstances and that Ramsay has been ‘immersed in the game” with quality experience at Manchester United and the Welsh national team.

But the 63-year-old Heath knows this role will be different for the 32-year-old Ramsay.

“One thing he will know is now its a big, big difference when you become the head man every decision, everything you say has a consequence.”

Ramsay was treated to the biggest Loons ritual, the singing of “Wonderwall.”

Ramsey said Friday he is a fan of the band Oasis and has history with “Wonderwall.” When his Loughborough University team won a British championship in 2013, they played the English band’s hit in celebration.

“That was sung after (the win),” he said Friday. And, as the night went on 10 more times.”

That song might be on repeat Saturday night as well.

Briefly

In the second half, Emanuel Reynoso made his 2024 debut after a preseason knee injury. He came on in the 60th minute and immediately showed his skill on the ball. … Ramsay didn’t make any voluntary changes to his first starting  XI and had only one forced change: Maplewood native Devin Padelford made his first MLS start at left back for Joseph Rosales (red card). … Six Loons players will head out on international duty after Saturday’s game: Teemu Pukki and Robin Lod (Finland), Michael Boxall (New Zealand), Dayne St. Clair (Canada), Rosales (Honduras) and Alejandro Bran (Costa Rica). MNUFC does not have an MLS game during the FIFA break, returning to play at Philadelphia Union on March 30. … Incoming assistant coach Dennis Lawrence received a warm send off from Coventry City after the English club beat Wolverhampton in the FA Cup on Saturday. The club is hopeful Lawrence can travel to Minnesota this upcoming week. …

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A second-half stretch of success was key for Benilde-St. Margaret’s in defending its Class 3A state girls’ basketball crown.

Olivia Olson scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Pressley Watkins added 18 points and the Red Knights pulled away to beat rival DeLaSalle 81-58 Saturday night at Williams Arena.

“It’s so surreal to sit here again with another state championship,” said Olson, the lone Red Knights senior. “… I’m just proud to go out with them in such a cool way.”

Aneisha Scott battled foul trouble to lead DeLaSalle (27-4) with 15 points. Madalyn Blaylark added 14 for the Islanders who won 78-65 when the teams met in December, one of seven games Olson missed with a broken hand. It was the last time Benilde-St. Margaret’s (27-5) came up short.

“Everyone has been going after us all season and rightfully so,” said Red Knights coach Tim Ellefsen. “We welcomed the challenge. … Winning is hard and we were ready.”

Scott scored on a jumper and a drive to get DeLaSalle within two early in the second half. She also scored the next Islander points, but they came more than 6 1/2 minutes later. Between those points, it was a 15-0 run for Benilde-St. Margaret’s (27-5), which got much better at attacking the basket. Zahara Bishop scored eight points and Watkins five during the stretch.

“We keep stressing do what we do, do it really well, and when we execute other teams tend to wear down either physically or mentally. We just do what we do, get some balls, some deflections and turned them into layups, hit some timely shots,” Ellefson said.

Kate Kapsner echoed her coach.

“We kept getting fast-break layups and all the steals, it kept giving us more energy, and we could kind of feel them wearing down.”

DeLaSalle coach James Fassett said a problem playing Benilde is defenders can’t just focus on Olson, who’ll play at Michigan next year.

“She makes a lot of people around her better, so you really got to play all five. When you get a little bit behind the eight-ball against Benilde you can get in trouble.”

Benilde-St. Margaret’s shot 53.6% in the second half when it outscored DeLaSalle 37-19. The Islanders were 8 of 25 from the field in the final 18 minutes and committed nine of their 16 turnovers.

Olson had 21 points, including 9 of 11 on free-throw attempts, and Watkins scored nine of her 11 first-half points from deep in leading Benilde-St. Margaret’s to a 44-39 lead at the break.

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