10 Mar 2024

Men’s hockey: Gophers surrender lead to Penn State but get late goal to advance to Big Ten semifinal

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It sounds like something out of a horror movie. A fun adventure among friends turns very, very serious when a bunch of hungry lions show up.

But that is roughly what happened at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Saturday, when the Gophers’ seemingly comfortable lead in their playoff game disappeared at the hands of a Penn State team determined to extend its season.

Still, the playoffs are about survival, and via Aaron Huglen’s goal with just 68 seconds left in regulation, Minnesota did just that, beating Penn State 3-2 to sweep their best-of-three playoff series.

While the Nittany Lions’ season comes to an end, the Gophers will advance to the Big Ten semifinals, where they will either have a single home game versus Michigan or a single game at Wisconsin, pending the results of the first-round series elsewhere.

“We were able to hang on long enough to make a play tonight,” Gophers coach Bob Motzko said.

Penn State (15-18-3) probably deserved a better fate, as the Lions were the aggressors for the final two periods, outshooting Minnesota 35-7 over the 40-minute span. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky appeared devastated after the game.

“I thought the boys played well,” was his only comment after a lengthy closed-door session with his team. Liam Souliere finished with 21 saves for the Lions, who got goals from Jimmy Dowd Jr. and Matt DiMarsico.

After Jaxon Nelson produced a lead just 98 seconds into the game, Minnesota survived a messy opening period which saw star forward Jimmy Snuggerud ejected for a hit from behind and three consecutive penalties called on the Gophers which had Penn State on an extended 5-on-3 advantage. The Gophers killed it off, then doubled the lead when the Nittany Lions ran into penalty trouble of their own.

“We came to play in the first period,” Motzko said, who credited Penn State for its resolve. “And then … we battled through the shorthanded and the 5-on-3 and we took a 2-0 lead, but we had a lot of guys sitting in the first period. There was a lot of emotion at the end of the first and we couldn’t get them settled back down.”

But the visitors were not going away quietly, and the Lions pounced on Minnesota in the middle frame, outshooting their hosts 15-3 and clawing back to a 2-2 deadlock.

With 6:20 left in the third period, there was a video review after a wide shot off the end boards hit Close and slid along — just not over — the goal line. Just 25 seconds later, the Lions appeared to take the lead for real, but Minnesota challenged and replay revealed that Penn State entered the zone offside.

“Give them a lot of credit. They played their asses off tonight,” Close said of the Nittany Lions. “It’s hard to end a team’s season, and I give that hockey team a lot of credit for the way they competed tonight. They definitely didn’t make it easy.”

Then Huglen and Brody Lamb got loose on one of the very rare offensive rushes for the Gophers in the final two periods, and Huglen poked the puck past Souliere.

Briefly

For Nelson, it was the third time in the past four games that he has had multiple goals.

Motzko admitted he was openly cheering for St. Cloud Cathedral earlier in the day on Saturday as the Crusaders defeated Hermantown to win Minnesota’s Class A state boys hockey championship. Motzko’s late son Mack played hockey there and graduated from Cathedral.

“I can officially tell you I was cheering for St. Cloud Cathedral today, and very happy for them,” Motzko said. “They played great too.”

If Ohio State wins its best-of-three series with Wisconsin, the Gophers would host either Michigan or Notre Dame next weekend in a one-game semifinal. If the Badgers win their series, Minnesota would travel to Wisconsin for a one-gamer, which would be played Sunday at noon.

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10 Mar 2024

Chicago Cubs agree to 1-year, $9 million deal with veteran reliever Héctor Neris

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The Chicago Cubs needed to find reinforcements for the bullpen.

Acquiring a reliever with a consistent track record was particularly important — and something they finally addressed Saturday.

The Cubs and veteran reliever Héctor Neris have agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal that includes a $9 million team option for 2025, a source told the Tribune. Neris’ club option converts to a player option if the right-hander appears in 60 games, a mark he has hit each of the last three years and six of eight seasons excluding the shortened 2020 season. His contract ultimately can max out at $23.25 million with incentives.

Bringing in Neris addresses key needs in the bullpen. He brings durability, pitching in at least 70 games five times, and gives the Cubs a proven, back-end-of-the-pen reliever who has experience pitching in big games. The Cubs bullpen struggled down the stretch en route to missing the 2023 postseason as an inexperienced group wore down and battled injuries in September.

Neris, 34, owns a career 3.24 ERA over 546 big-league appearances coming off two seasons in Houston, including a World Series title in 2022. He also spent eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies. Primarily used in the seventh and eighth innings with the Astros, Neris also has experience closing, earning five saves in Houston and 84 with the Phillies.

Neris gives the Cubs another splitter in the bullpen to accompany right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., whose pitch has been a shutdown weapon versus lefties. Neris utilizes his splitter against righties and lefties, a pitch that generated a 42.2 Whiff% and .237 slugging percentage in 2023.

While he typically relies on a four-seam fastball and splitter combination opposing left-handed hitters, Neris also mixes a sinker and slider when facing right-handed batters. His average fastball velocity dropped by 1.3 mph from 2022 to 2023, but this deal indicates the Cubs are not significantly concerned with that.

The Cubs’ work on building a more proven bullpen should not be complete with the Neris acquisition. They still need more depth and ideally another postseason-tested reliever.

And with Cody Bellinger among the notable position players still available in free agency, the Cubs are capable of making significant roster improvements in the coming weeks.

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10 Mar 2024

Dane Mizutani: The power of Iowa star Caitlin Clark is a sight to be seen

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It’s hard to fully comprehend the power of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark until seeing it in person.

The way her existence made Hawkeyes fans line more than half a mile of the Minneapolis skyways as they waited to get into the Target Center. The way her cupping her hand to her ear sent nearly 18,000 people into oblivion. The way her missed shots captivate the masses just as much as her made shots.

Stunningly, Clark started the Big Ten Tournament by going 0 for 11 from long range. She was clearly trying to bring the house down with every shot she took. Not that anybody seemed to mind.

“That’s my poison sometimes,” Clark said. “I’m going to launch it.”

Eventually, her shot was going to go in, and when it finally did, Clark leaned into the theatrics. She comically raised her arms skyward in relief, then stuck her tongue out to the crowd. That exchange was worth the price of admission.

“I was trolling,” Clark said. “You’ve got to have some fun.”

It’s safe to say the Twin Cities is having some fun this weekend getting to be a part of her orbit. She’s a talent who comes around once in a generation, a tactician in everything she does, a performer who can singlehandedly boost the economy in the same vein as Taylor Swift.

Maybe the most impressive thing about Clark is that everybody is trying to stop her and nobody can figure out how to do it. If she’s left alone with a defender, Clark is going to cook her like barbecue chicken. If she’s swarmed by multiple defenders, Clark is going to make the right play to find an open teammate.

She finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists on Friday night to lead the Hawkeyes to a 95-62 win over No. 7 seed Penn State in the quarterfinals. It was a bad game by Clark’s standards and she was still far and away the best player on the court.

She followed it up by pouring in 28 points and 15 assists on Saturday afternoon to lead the Hawkeyes to a 95-68 win over No. 6 seed Michigan in the semifinals. It was a much more dominant display by Clark, highlighted by a stretch where she nailed a shot from way beyond the arc, then dished out a nasty behind-the-back pass to get Sydney Affolter a layup on the very next possession.

What will she do for an encore on Sunday morning when the Hawkeyes play No. 5 seed Nebraska in the finals? It’ll probably be something special considering throughout her career she’s proven the bigger the spotlight, the better she’s going to perform.

That will be the last 40 minutes many people in the Twin Cities get to see her play in person as a collegian. She’s off to the NCAA Tournament after this weekend, and not long after that, the Indiana Fever will take her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

That’s not lost on Clark. She’s gone out of her way this weekend to make time for as many people as she can. She knows how much some eye contact and a simple wave can leave a lasting effect on a young girl watching from afar.

“It would take me forever to get through everybody,” Clark said. “Even if I can impact 10 people, that goes a long way, and that has an impact on me, too.”

Just having the privilege of seeing her in person is more than enough. There’s never been anybody quite like Caitlin Clark and there might never be anybody quite like Caitlin Clark ever again. It’s a sight to be seen, and the Twin Cities is lucky to be a small part of it.

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10 Mar 2024

South Dakota clarifies end of longstanding college tuition agreement with Minnesota

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SIOUX FALLS — South Dakota students planning to attend Minnesota public schools are facing financial uncertainty after the South Dakota Board of Regents quietly ended tuition reciprocity with their eastern-border neighbors late last year.

The Board of Regents (BOR) Academic and Student Affairs Office in Pierre this week alerted high schools that a longstanding shared tuition discount agreement with Minnesota for cross-border students attending their schools is over. The agreement dates back to 1978.

The change eliminates a tuition discount for South Dakota students attending college in Minnesota.

“The reciprocity agreement between South Dakota and Minnesota was not renewed for the academic year 2024 – 2025,” BOR’s System Academic Program Manager Molly Weisgram wrote in an email sent to school guidance counselors Wednesday. “Our state has excellent higher education institutions and opportunities, and our goal as the public university system is to grow South Dakota’s workforce.”

Response to North Star Promise

BOR made the move to end reciprocity in December, amid the backdrop of Minnesota’s aggressive tuition subsidization, the North Star Promise, that will make college free for tens of thousands of North Star State scholars beginning this fall. At the same time, the South Dakota Regents extended in-state tuition to Minnesota residents.

The shift is intended to attract Minnesotans to South Dakota universities, lowering tuition for Minnesota residents attending a South Dakota’s regental institutions by about $1,400 a year, according to BOR.

“By treating new Minnesota students just like students from the other surrounding states, it reduced the annual cost to new Minnesota students, keeping South Dakota competitive when considering overall cost of attendance, even for students who qualify for Minnesota’s new program,” BOR Vice President Jeff Partridge told The Dakota Scout Thursday.

It also means South Dakotans enrolled now or in the future at Minnesota public universities could have to pay full in-state tuition in the fall. And for those who’ve already committed to being Gophers, Beavers, Dragons, or to dozens of other Minnesota higher-ed programs, the late warning is not appreciated — particularly for parents and seniors who’ve already cut checks.

Notification timing

“We have already paid admission fees and deposits, selected housing, and even signed a housing contract for next year,” said Erin Pritchett, a Sioux Falls mom whose son is admitted to the University of Minnesota, suggesting the Regents could have considered a delayed-implementation plan or alerted high schools earlier. “If the South Dakota Board of Regents made this decision back in December, I am confused as to why people were not notified back then regarding this change?”

BOR contends the public was notified of reciprocity with Minnesota being terminated, citing a Dec. 14 press release announcing Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri being added to the list of states offered “South Dakota Advantage” rates.

The release, though, did not articulate that reciprocity with Minnesota was terminated, saying only that “the rates will go into effect for new students enrolled in the 2024 summer term and beyond.”

That, coupled with an update to the Regent’s website this week explicitly stating Minnesota reciprocity has ended, and BOR’s first correspondence to high schools casts doubts on BOR’s efforts to publicize the change in December.

“We can only answer the questions from our end, and many of your questions will need to be directed to the specific Minnesota institutions,” read the Wednesday email to school guidance counselors. “We appreciate your support of students as they navigate this change.”

Emails from The Scout to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education were responded to with a link to the agency’s website and a referral to the BOR office in Pierre.

On their website, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education clarifies that students currently enrolled will continue to receive the reciprocity rate until they finish the degree program they’re enrolled in.

‘Increasing South Dakota’s competitive advantage’

The Regents maintain the decision is what’s best for South Dakota in a highly-competitive enrollment environment among U.S. universities, a motivator for BOR and the Legislature to approve of a fourth consecutive year of tuition freezes at its academic institutions Thursday.

“By ending the reciprocity agreement, we were able to lower the rate for new Minnesota students, increasing South Dakota’s competitive advantage,” BOR’s Communication Director Shuree Mortenson said. “How Minnesota chooses to respond, and the rates it sets for South Dakota students, is not something the South Dakota Board of Regents controls.”

North Star Promise

Beginning in the fall of 2024, according to Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education, the North Star Promise scholarship program will create a tuition and fee-free pathway to higher education for eligible Minnesota residents at eligible institutions as a “last-dollar” program by covering the balance of tuition and fees remaining after other scholarships, grants, stipends and tuition waivers have been applied.

Eligibility requirements include a family adjusted gross income as reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Minnesota Dream Act Application below $80,000.

For more information, visit the Office of Higher Education’s website at ohe.state.mn.us. For information about how Minnesota’s programs compares to other states, go to the Campaign for Free College Tuition at freecollegenow.org.

The Minnesota State system has reported higher enrollment for the 2024-25 school year, the first time in a decade, and Chancellor Scott Olson has credited the new North Star Promise program and the American Indian Scholars Program, both established after a 2023 boost in funding, for the spike.

North Dakota responded to the North Star Promise program by creating a new scholarship program, after North Dakota State University President David Cook spoke of “catastrophic implications” to the state’s school due to North Star Promise.

Pioneer Press reports were used in this story.

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