A quick recap of news and notes from the last 48 hours
We are bringing back the Golden Nugz! There is just took much goin on to go into depth so here are a few links you can read more on with a few short updates. We have postseason updates on women’s basketball and gymnastics, hockey transfer portal news, a broadcasting goat retiring and more. Here are today’s Minnesota Golden Gophers Golden Nugz:
Women’s Basketball:
The Gopher women’s basketball team has advanced to the WNIT Championship game after a semifinal win at Troy Wednesday night 74-69. The Gophers were led by Amaya Battle who had 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Mallory Heyer tacked on 15 points and nine rebounds and Sophie Hart chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds. Grace Grocholski added 11 points, including a late-game three that put Minnesota up by four points with 38 seconds remaining.
Minnesota advances to play St. Louis in the WNIT Championship game on Saturday at 2 PM. The location of that game will be announced on Thursday afternoon but Gopher coach Dawn Plitzuweit said in her postgame comments after Wednesday’s game that it would likely be “at a drivable neutral site equidistant between the two schools” The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Gymnastics:
The Gophers head to the NCAA Arkansas Regional on Thursday. #15 Minnesota will complete in the evening session at 7 PM Thursday against #2 LSU, #18 Oregon State and BYU. The meet will be streamed on ESPN+. The top two scoring teams will advance to the Regional Final on Saturday at 5 PM against the top two teams from the afternoon session that features #7 Arkansas, #10 Kentucky, #24 Arizona and Nebraska. The top two teams from the Regional Final and the top all-around competitor and top event specialist who is not on a team advancing to nationals will advance to the national championships. Event specialist qualifiers will only compete in the events they qualified. will advance to the NCAA Championships April 18-20 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Gophers will begin their meet on Thursday on their best event of floor. They will then rotate to vault, bars and then finish on beam. Besides the Gophers trying to advance as a team, Minnesota will look to see if Mya Hooten can advance to try and compete for a national title on floor where she is a three-time All-American.
Men’s Hockey:
One of the goats of Minnesota broadcasting announced he is hanging up the headset on Thursday morning. Long time Gopher hockey broadcaster Frank Mozzocco announced on X that he is retiring after 35+ years of calling Gopher hockey on both TV and radio.
Forty-seven years ago, with strong encouragement from my wife Deb, then seven months pregnant, I called my first hockey game. It was a plunge into a world of which I had a mere fan’s knowledge.
Today, five teams later, I’m still learning; but the drive and curiosity … 1/6 pic.twitter.com/oymxW39BoV
— Frank Mazzocco (@MazzPuck) April 4, 2024
Frank Mazzacco has announced that he’s hanging up his headset.
A voice synonymous with Gopher Hockey. An incredible run filled with countless big calls, vintage moments and everlasting memories.
Thank you for everything and congratulations on a fantastic career, @MazzPuck! pic.twitter.com/GsKjtcljON
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) April 4, 2024
Mazzocco has called Gophers games on radio along with Wally Shaver since the 2011-12 season. He may be even more known and loved for calling games on hockey dating all the way back to local channel KTCN in the 1980’s with Shaver and for over 20 years on FOX Sports North and Midwest Sports Channel most famously with former Gopher coach Doug Woog.
No news yet on who will try and replace Frank in the booth, emphasis on try.
The Gophers also had their first player enter the transfer portal on Wednesday as sophomore forward Garret Pinoniemi jumped in. In 34 games this season Pino scored one goal and added a pair of assists in mostly 4th line assignments. Good luck to him in the future.
Softball:
Gopher sophomore shortstop Jess Oakland was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after helping the Gophers sweep a three-game series at Illinois. Oakland broke three team single-game records over the weekend when she hit three home runs, scored four runs, and recorded 14 total bases in the game two win over the Illini. On the weekend Oakland hit .800 with four home runs and six RBI.
Minnesota opens up the home Big Ten schedule this weekend when they host Ohio State at 5 PM Friday, 1 PM Saturday, and 2 PM Sunday. Sunday’s game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network, with the first two games streaming on B1G+.