Can not wait for the Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey Team to come back!

The University of Minnesota Hockey Team has had an extended break. The last Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey Game was on Dec 12 when they played back to back nights in Michigan beating Michigan Tech on the 12th and the 11th. The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey season got off to a rough start, but towards the end of November and the beginning of December Gopher Hockey was turning around... perfect right? They get good right, get Gophers Hockey Fans hooked right before they go on an almost month long break.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will return to Mariucci Arena on January 2nd to play the Bowling Green. Go Gopher Hockey!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball hands it to the South Dakota State Jack Rabbits

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball team has been hard at work over the University of Minnesota Holiday Break. On December 23rd the Minnesota Golden Gophers roster trampled the South Dakota State Jack Rabbits in a 92-62. The Gophers depth and shooting made them next to untouchable as the Jack Rabbits struggled just to keep pace.

"Coming in, I was concerned about South Dakota State," Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith said. "I think our key tonight was putting pressure on SDSU and pushing the tempo. I think that played to our advantage, and I really was impressed with our play from top to bottom."

Minnesota Basketball Coach Tubby Smith shouldn't be concerned anymore! With another home match-up this week, Coach Tubby Smith should be encouraging his Minnesota Gophers Roster to be playing as well as they have!

My Gopher Gear Holiday Wish List...

Every year my letter to Santa is about the same...

1) Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Tickets
2) Season Gophers Basketball Tickets
3) Gopher Hockey Tickets
4) and LOTS and LOTS of Minnesota Gophers Gear

This year on my Holiday Wish List for Minnesota Golden Gophers Apparel is a University of Minnesota Hooded Sweatshirt, a Golden Gophers Football Jersey, and Minnesota Golden Gophers T-shirts.... Hope you are reading this family!!

Happy Holidays Gophers Fans!!

Minnesota Gopher Volleyball ROCKS!

I know I typically stick to reporting on Minnesota Golden Gophers Football, Hockey and Basketball but I HAVE to give a shout out to the Minnesota Golden Gophers Volleyball team... these girls seriously rock!

The Gophers Volleyball roster consists of only 3 seniors, but despite the teams youth they had an amazing season. The Gophers Volleyball team played several shutout games including big wins against Michigan State and Illinois. The Minnesota Golden Gophers Volleyball team made it to NCAA National Volleyball Semi-finals, the girls were defeated but they played really well and fought until the very end.

Go Lady Gophers!

Williams Arena has been full of Golden Gopher Basketball Wins!

December has been a great month for the Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball roster, not only have they played almost entirely in Williams Arena, they have also won all but one game! Coach Tubby Smith should be very proud of the Gophers Basketball Players. I haven't made it to a game yet but have caught lots of highlights and read Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Game Reviews, all of which have reported the same: the 2009-2010 Golden Gophers Basketball Season is going to be a great one!

The Gophers have won all of the games they have played at Williams Arena in December by over 20 points. Over the Holidays the Minnesota Golden Gophers will be 2 games, both at home. The first December 23rd against South Dakota State and the second on December 29th vs. Penn State. Golden Gophers Basketball Tickets make great stocking stuffers.... just saying!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Schedule sets Gophers up for success

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Schedule could not be better in the month of December. The Gophers play all 6 of their December Gopher Basketball Games at Williams Arena, where they have the advantage of a hometown crowd.

If the first Gopher Basketball Game of December ended the way the rest of the games will, then it is safe to say the Gopher Roster will be ringing in the New Year quite happily. Last Saturday that U of M Men's Basketball Team took on Brown College winning 91-55. This week they take on Morgan State and Saint Joesph's.

Minnesota Gopher's Head Coach Tubby Smith, who is known for his no nonsense approach to basketball must be very pleased with how his Gopher Roster is doing... Buy Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Tickets today and see Tubby Smith and the rest of the Minnesota Gophers Basketball Team in action at Williams Arena!

Minnesota Gophers Hockey takes on Minnesota State in back to back games

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey team has left us wanting more quite often this season. Last Friday it seemed that they were going to do it again... and they did (kinda). The Minnesota Gophers Hockey team took on the Minnesota State Mavericks Friday and Saturday, first in Minneapolis at Mariucci Arena and then on Saturday in Mankato.

Friday night's Gopher Hockey Game, could have gone better. Despite the home ice advantage, the Gopher Hockey Roster lost the game 3-1. Kent Patterson had a career high 39 saves, topping his previous career high from just one game earlier, but even that wasn't enough to help the Gophers hold on.

Saturday night, was a totally different story. The Minnesota Golden Gophers took the Mankato Ice looking good and ready to win. The Golden Gopher Roster gave some youngsters a chance, and 3 Gopher Hockey players scored their first ever goals as Minnesota Gophers. The University of Minnesota walked away from the night with a 6-2 win!!

If you are looking for Gopher Hockey Tickets you better be willing to travel or wait, the Golden Gophers don't play in Mariucci Arena again until January!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Football heads to the Insight Bowl for the 3rd year in row

The Bowl Annoucements are in and the Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Roster will be heading south to Tempe, Arizona to take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Insight Bowl. This will be the Golden Gophers 3rd consecutive trip to the Insight Bowl. The Gophers have yet to win in Tempe, but hopes are high for this season.

The Iowa State Cyclones have not seen a bowl game since 2005, but with a new coach and a turn-around season the Gophers will make a huge mistake if the underestimate this team. The Cyclones have one of the top rushing games in the nation and also have a very strong pass defense.

The U of M Golden Gophers will take on the ISU Cyclones at the Insight Bowl on December 31st. Good Luck Gopher Football!

U of M Men's Gopher Basketball off to a good start, Coach Tubby Smith is proud

The Minnesota Mens Gopher Basketball team is off to a good start... Head Coach Tubby Smith should be proud of the Gopher Basketball roster. The Golden Gophers won all 5 of the season premiere games at Williams Arena, including a knock out game against Minnesota Duluth where the Golden Gophers won 114-47.

Despite only walking away from the 76 Classic in California over Thanksgiving, the Gophers played well and came close to walking away with 2 more wins. For the rest of December the Minnesota Golden Gophers will be at home in Williams Arena. Giving Gophers Fanatics like myself lots of opportunities to buy Gophers Basketball Tickets and spend the pre-holiday season in the barn.

Minnesota Gopher Hockey Straight Up Stinks this season...

I'm having trouble even writing this post, typically an avid Golden Gophers Hockey fan, I just can not get into U of M hockey this season. Before the 2009-2010 Gopher Hockey Schedule started I was really excited, there should have been lots of opportunity to win, but game after game is proving that the Golden Gophers Hockey roster just have not grasped those opportunities.

With a Gopher Hockey Record of 7-8-1, my boys better step it up. The Gophers play Friday at home, and then take on Minnesota State on the road on Saturday. The following weekend the Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey take on Michigan Tech in Michigan, before taking a long break for the Holidays.... lets hope that the Gophers spend the break practicing.

Is there a Bowl Game in the future for the Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team?

The regular football season is over for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and with bowl game announcements just a week away, I am eagerly awaiting to hear where we are headed. My guess (with the help of the ESPN Bowl Predictor) is that the U of M Gopher Football Program is headed to the Insight Bowl again. The Insight Bowl is played in Tempe, Arizona (score for landing a warm weather destination boys!). The Minnesota Golden Gophers are no stranger to the Insight Bowl playing there 2 of the last 3 years.

Look for official Bowl Game Series announcements this weekend! Lets go Gophers!

Happy Thanksgiving Golden Gophers Fans!

Happy Early Thanksgiving Gophers Fans! This year I am thankful for LOTS of things, all of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers related! First on my list of things to be thankful for are...

1) TCF Bank Stadium

2) The new Williams Arena floor

3) Eric Decker, need I say more?!

Gopher Hockey wins one, loses one against Bemidiji State last weekend

The Minnesota Men's Hockey team took on rivals Bemidiji State last weekend and walked away with a win and a loss. Friday the Golden Gophers dominated the ice at Mariucci Arena walking away with a 4-1 win. They couldn't hold onto the momentum, however, and Saturday night the Minnesota Gophers lost to Bemidiji State 2-6.

Golden Gopher Hockey this season has been very back and forth, they are up and skating well one night and then turn around the next night and fall flat on their faces. If the Gopher Hockey Roster wants to skate away with some big wins this season they are going to have to build up their stamina and mental game, no more sloppy skating please!

The University of Minnesota Men's Hockey team will take on Minnesota Duluth tonight and tomorrow at Mariucci Areana. Gopher Hockey Tickets are still available for the game!

Minnesota Golden Gophers say goodbye to first season at TCF Bank Stadium with a big win against SDSU

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have had a great inaugural season at TCF Bank Stadium. Last Saturday the Gophers Football Roster said goodbye to TCF Bank Stadium for the year with a big win against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.

The Gophers beat the Jackrabbits 16-13 after taking advantage of a late in the game ball drop by SDSU. With a 25-yard field goal the Minnesota Golden Gophers became BCS Bowl Eligible for the second season in a row.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team has one game left on the Gopher Football Schedule, a conference match-up against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes this weekend in Iowa City. Gophers-Hawkeyes kickoff is at 11:00 a.m.

Go Gopher Football!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Team pulls off two great wins

Tubby Smith must be happy going into this weekend's Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Season Opener. Last weekend the Gophers Basketball team played two exhibition games beating Minnesota-Duluth 114-47 and MSU-Moorhead 98-49.

Tonight the Golden Gophers Men's Basketball Team is taking on Tennessee Tech in the first official game of the season. There are still great Minnesota Gophers Tickets left for this game, so don't miss your chance to see the Gophers kick their season off!

Although there are 5 new and inexperienced players on the Gophers Roster, Coach Tubbby Smith is confident that if his players can play the game they have practiced they are likely to walk away with another win.

Go Gopher Basketball!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey win one and lose one against the Wisconsin Badgers

There seems to be a pattern developing with Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey team. Play the first game of the series and lose, then turn around and beat them the second night.

Last weekend was no exception. Friday night the Minnesota Gophers went to Wisconsin the play the Badgers Hockey Team. The Badgers kicked Gopher ass 2-4. A few crucial turnovers probably cost the Gophers the game and it was clear that the MN Gophers Hockey Roster were not going to let it happen again.

Saturday night's game against the Badgers went much better, with the Gophers beating the Badgers 5-2. The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey team pulled out a great game thanks in large part to Alex Kangas who made a career high 45-saves.

This week the Gophers take on Bemidiji State at Mariucci Arena.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Football lose to Illinois

The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team made every effort to play without senior and team leader Eric Decker, and despite strong play making and good judgement by other team leaders, the Golden Gophers couldn't pull off a win against Illinois. With a final score of 35-32, the Minnesota Golden Gophers clearly tried and almost succeeded.

Adam Weber pushed his touchdown pass record up to 51 and now only trails the University of Minnesota record for most career touchdown passes by 4. Cedric McKinley a Gopher Defenseman made his career high tackles.

Minnesota Gophers fans are eager for Eric Decker to return to the field. The team will play at TCF Bank Stadium this Saturday against South Dakota State

Coach Tubby Smith and the Gopher Basketball Team Are Eager for the 2009-2010 Gopher Basketball Season to Start

Williams Arena got a facelift, the Minnesota Golden Gophers Basketball Roster got 5 new players, Tubby Smith has new ideas that he hopes will add more Wins to the Gopher Basketball Scorebook, now all that is missing is the start of the season.

The Minnesota Gophers Men's 2009-2010 Basketball starts tonight with an exhibition game against Minnesota-Duluth at Williams Arena at 7:00. The two teams will play again on Monday at Williams Arena with tip-off at 7:00 as well.

The Regular 2009-2010 Gopher Men's Basketball Season will start Friday November 13th against Tennessee Tech. The game tips-off at 7:00 at Williams Arena. Gopher Basketball Tickets are still available!

Minnesota Gophers Hockey turns it around to sweep Alaska

The Minnesota Gophers Men's Hockey team had been off to a rough start this season. After winning their first exhibition game, the Gopher Hockey Roster seemed as if they forgot how to skate. They lost their season opener, tied their next game and then got swept by Denver.

This weekend the bad luck changed for the Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Hockey team. This past weekend they swept Alaska, Anchorage with a 5-1 win on Friday and a 4-1 win on Sunday. The Gopher Hockey team needed the win to get themselves back on track after the rough start. They play next in Friday November 6th in Madison, WI.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Football beat the Michigan State Spartans

While most of the country was dressed up in costumes tricking and treating, the Minnesota Golden Gophers football roster was dressed up in their Gopher football jerseys winning. The Gophers played the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

The victory was the sweetest for University of Minnesota Senior, Adam Weber who had a career and school record day for passing with 505 yards of total offense. Weber who has had a great season so far anyway, showed his coaches, teammates and fans alike that he deserved the leadership spot he was given this summer.

After just 20 seconds in the game, the Gophers had already scored and the momentum never slowed down. With a final score of 42-34 the Minnesota Golden Gophers Football roster walked away on Saturday very happy.

Minnesota Gophers Men's Hockey continues to be disappointing

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Hockey team took on Denver at Mariucci Arena last weekend and had 2 very disappointing games. Both Friday and Saturday left Gopher Hockey fans walking away from Mariucci after 0-3 losses.

On Friday despite control of the puck for the first 10 minutes of the game and a spirited comeback in the last 10 minutes, the Gophers could not prevent the shut-out. Saturday's game was much the same with several strong plays and a 30-26 attempted shot advantage, the problem... the Gophers couldn't get the puck to the net.

Its hard to see the bright side in losing, but if you are a die hard Golden Gophers Hockey fan you can take heart in knowing that with multiple losses in a row Minnesota Gophers Hockey Tickets will be cheaper right now on the re-sell, so why not head out to Mariucci Arena for a game and cheer the Gophers on to a win, its got to be about time for one of those!

Looks like I will be playing a nurse this Halloween as Eric Decker is out with a leg injury

My heart skipped a beat last weekend, then it skipped a few more as Eric Decker, the love of my Gopher Centered Life, came off of the football field at Ohio State injured. What appeared to be an ankle injury at the time reportedly as Eric on Crutches and me running for my nurses uniform. Reports are unclear how long Eric Decker will be listed as injured on the Gophers Roster or what will be needed to repair the damage done to his lower left leg, all I know is that if he is in need of a little TLC, I'm his girl!

Get Well Soon Eric!

Golden Gophers Football play at Ohio State and lose second game in a row

The Minnesota Gophers football program is in need of a pick me up... Last Saturday the Golden Gophers played at Ohio State losing to the Buckeyes 38-7 in large part because of costly turnovers. The loss dropped the Gophers to 4-4, making their Halloween Game against Michigan State crucially important if they want to stay Bowl Game viable.

Saturday's loss could have been prevented which makes it even harder to swallow. There were 3 turnovers in the second half that let the Ohio State Buckeyes score 21 points. Without Eric Decker (more on that later as details emerge) the Gophers never really had a solid run at comeback. This weekend it will be very important that the healthy players on the Minnesota Gophers Football Roster make good plays and hold onto the ball. Without my love E-Deck, the Gophers are really going to have to step up to beat Michigan State.

Gopher Basketball Tubby Tip-Off Event

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball Team kicked off their 3rd season with Coach Tubby Smith with the annual Tubby Tip-Off Event. Friday nights festivities happened at Williams Arena, where the new floor was debuted along with introductions to all of the Minnesota Golden Gophers roster, including the five new players.

The Gophers Basketball Players then participated in a three-point shooting contest, a slam-dunk contest, and a scrimmage. The entire event was a huge success and Coach Smith showed off his new Gophers to alumni and donors.

The Golden Gophers start regular season games November 13 vs. Tennessee Tech. Minnesota Golden Gophers Tickets are available online now. Minnesota Gophers Basketball Tickets has great deals on U of M Basketball tickets, check them out now!

Golden Gopher Hockey left lots to be desired in North Dakota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Hockey Team opened their season Friday against North Dakota and in one word the game, SUCKED.

The Men's Gopher Hockey Team lost to North Dakota 0-4. North Dakota scored twice on a power play and the Gophers seemed to be lost as to what to do when they were in the same position. This was the first season opener in 3 seasons that the Gophers lost.

Saturday night's game against the Fighting Sioux was slightly better with the final score being 3-3. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are now 0-1-1 overall, while North Dakota is 3-0-1 and extended its home unbeaten streak to 16 games. If the Gophers want to have a prayer of turning their season around they will need to win against Denver this weekend. Minnesota takes on Denver at Mariucci Arena Friday at 7:00.

Golden Gophers Football Team Suffer a Hard Loss Against Penn State

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Team suffered a rough loss last weekend against Penn State, losing on the road 0-20. The Penn State Nittany Lions shut the Minnesota Gophers out completely and in the 2nd and 3rd quarters they kept the Gophers to only 7 minutes with the ball... something the Minnesota Golden Gophers have not had happen to them in several games.

Coach Brewster told the press, "We didn't play well enough offensively to sustain anything really from the beginning. Give credit where credit is due. Penn State was better than we were and I thought they played extremely well. Penn State's defense is outstanding. We still, obviously, have a lot of things that we need to improve upon offensively to be a better football team."

Next week the Gophers take on Ohio State on the road, lets hope this game goes a little better...

Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey kicks off against the North Dakota Fighting Souix

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey season gets started this season on Friday with a game against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Friday's game starts at 7:30 at Mariucci Arena and Saturday's game starts at 7. The game will be televised on Fox Sports North, but lets be honest... wouldn't you rather check the 2009-2010 Gophers Men's Hockey Team out live? I know I would, I already have my tickets, but for those of you who don't Minnesota Gophers Hockey Tickets are still available and great deals can be found online.

Minnesota Golden Gophers football tramples the Purdue Boilermakers in a Homecoming Victory!

I LOVE Minnesota Golden Gophers Football! And I REALLY LOVE when the Golden Gophers football roster goes out there and just kicks the (you know what) out of teams. In one sentence that would be how I would wrap-up the Gophers-Boilermakers game last weekend. The final score for the Gophers-Boilermakers game was 35-20, but fans there would tell you that the score should have been a bigger split because it was apparent to everyone in TCF Bank Stadium that the Gophers were not going to leave the field with anything other than a Win.

This win was the Gophers 3rd win in 11 meetings with the Boilermakers, but I'm confident that the wins are just going to keep on coming in this Big 10 rivalry series. Eric Decker had a great game extending his consecutive games with receptions to 31. Adam Weber also had a great game moving into the 2nd place spot for career passing with a beauty to Eric Decker early on.

Good Job Gopher Football!!

Upcoming Minnesota Golden Gophers Events

Are you a Minnesota Golden Gophers Fan? Are you Bored? Have some extra-cash? If you answered yes than you should check out the upcoming Minnesota Golden Gophers events and make your way to at least a few of them! My thoughts are, who needs extra cash anyway? Why not buy Gophers Tickets to all of the upcoming events!

Friday October 9th:
Volleyball vs. Ohio State
Women's Hockey @ Ohio State
Women's Tennis @ Northwestern
Men's Tennis @ Harvard Invitational

Saturday October 10th:
Football vs. Purdue (Homecoming)
Women's Hockey @ Ohio State

Sunday October 11th:
Soccer @ Purdue
Volleyball vs. Penn State

Monday October 12th:
Men's Golf @ Allistair Mackenzie
Women's Swim & Dive vs. Intrasquad
Men's Swim & Dive vs. Intrasquad Meet
Men's Hockey @ North Dakota
Women's Hockey vs. Minnesota Duluth

Don't miss a minute of Gopher Action!!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Hockey Win their first game on the ice this season

The Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Hockey team won their first Exhibition Game against the British Colombia Thunderbirds this past Sunday 6-1. Sunday's game was the first time the 2009-2010 Gopher Hockey Roster had skated on the Mariucci Arena Ice in front of crowd... they did the Gopher Fans proud!

Six different Gophers players put the puck in the net, proving to U of M alumni and fans that the Gophers roster this season will not be dependent on just a few players.. making them a tough team to go up against. Overall the Gophers outshout the Thunderbirds 44-11. Despite the fact that British Colombia skated on 3 power-plays the Golden Gophers Hockey team out skated and simply out performed the Thunderbirds through all 3 periods.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Hockey Tickets are now available for all regular season games, get them early if you want to be in Mariucci when the real action starts!

Minnesota Gophers - Wisconsin Badgers Recap

While the last week has been a blow out for Minnesota Professional Sports, I can not say quite the same for My Beloved Golden Gophers Football Team...

In a heartbreaking game last week, the Golden Gophers lost to the Wisconsin Badgers 31-28. But before you go and think that I'm mad or upset with my boys (Eric, I could never be mad at you) I would just like to say they played a hell of a game in a packed TCF Bank Stadium.

While the team did not win the game, several members of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers roster had a great game...

1) Eric Decker- set a U of M record after catching his 8th ball of the game, putting his career receiving yards now at 3,000 (the former record was 2,989)

2)Marcus Shreles made a U of M record fumble recovery for 88 yards

3)Duane Benetter made a 1 yard rushing touchdown that was the 10th of his career and brought the Gophers to the 28-31 mark

4) Adam Weber collected his 6th Touch Down Pass, having at least one in every game of the season now

5) Lee Campbell hit his career high of 13 tackles in one game

Lets Go Gophers!

Minnesota Golden Gophers take on rivals the Wisconsin Badgers

Whats bigger than homecoming, bigger than the season opener, and almost as big as my love of Eric Decker? The Gophers-Badgers rivalry game that's what! This Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium the Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Wisconsin Badgers in a border war like no other... because just a mere two days later the Minnesota Vikings take on the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome... Could the Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry be any better this year??

On Saturday you can look forward to Adam Weber starting and playing most of the game throwing to Eric Decker as much as possible. Also look for Duane Bennett to post huge rushing yards.

The University of Minnesota has put out a statement that they want all fans to wear Gold and block out the Red for the first Badgers-Gophers rivalry game at TCF Bank Stadium. Gophers fans are to skip the maroon this week and go Gold for lets hope a BIG victory over the Badgers.

If you are like me and won't actually be at the game, throw your gold gear on anyway and head to a sports bar or a friends couch and catch the game on TV or radio!

Get Em Gophers!

Eric Decker is SO HOTT!

Yes, I know that Hot is spelled with one T but when it comes to my favorite receiver on the Minnesota Golden Gophers Roster, he just simply deserves a second T... Heck, I would give him an extra H and O if he wanted it...

Check out these pictures I found of E-deck and then try and tell me that he isn't the best looking Gopher that has ever pulled on a maroon uniform!

Talking to the press like he is already a pro...

Look at that skill, this boy can MOVE

Eric as a high school football star... he was even hot when the rest of us were awkward!

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Northwestern Wildcats recap

Last weekend the Minnesota Golden Gophers had a big conference game against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Gophers ended their two game losing streak and beat the Northwestern Wildcats 35-24. The win was not only important to this season, it was also the first time that the Golden Gophers football program had won its first Big 10 Conference game of the season since 2005. It also cemented a record for the first time the Minnesota Gophers had won their first two road games since 2003... Gopher fans should be hopeful that this boost in confidence will carry over to this weekend against the Badgers.

Adam Weber had a strong game completing 15 of 26 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Fellow senior and captain Eric Decker also had a great game receiving for 84 yards and posting two touchdowns. If the Weber-Decker chemistry continues as it has, these two will be hard to stop come late season when there are Bowl Games on the line. Other notable players include Nate Tripplett and Simoni Lawrence who each finished with 10 tackles and Kim Royston scooped up his second career interception.

The Gophers should be proud of themselves for a solid win against the Wildcats, lets just hope that confidence comes with them this weekend!

Lets GO Gophers!

The Minnesota Golden Gophers open the doors of the new TCF Bank Stadium to curious fans

If you call yourself a Gophers Football fan and you have not been living an Amish lifestyle this summer than you know that two weeks ago the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team kicked off the 2009 Gophers Football Season in their new TCF Bank Stadium.

If you were like me and haven't made it inside the TCF Bank Stadium yet because you couldn't afford Gophers Football Tickets this season, do not worry! The University of Minnesota is opening the doors of TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday October 4th from 1:00 to 4:00 for public tours and an open house. During the tours, fans will be able to walk on the field, check out the Gopher locker room and sit in the stadium seats.

As you know NCAA locker rooms and fields are rarely accessible to the public so do not miss your chance to see this behind the scenes part of TCF Bank Stadium! The TCF Bank Stadium Tours are a kick-off to homecoming week activities that will culminate in a Minnesota Gophers Football match-up against the Purdue Boilermakers on October 10th.

Gopher Football looks to the future

With this season's Golden Gopher football schedule barely started it is hard to think that the Gopher football program is already thinking about the next 5 years schedules. After settling games with non-conference opponent North Carolina, the Gophers have schedules set for 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. After nailing down one more game for each the 2012 and 2015 season the Gophers will have their schedules set for the next 6 years.

"Our upcoming non-conference schedules are very exciting for three reasons," said head football coach Tim Brewster. First and foremost, these games are important from the standpoint of recruiting. Then, it is also exciting for our fan base and for our football team. It is inspiring for all three of those groups to play challenging non-conference schedules like we're going to play."

I love to think that I can already start planning for next seasons Gopher football! Go Gophers!

Gopher Men's Basketball announces 2009-10 Schedule

The Gophers Men's Basketball Team announced their 2009-2010 Basketball Schedule earlier this month. The schedule is a mix of conference and non-conference games and includes plenty of opportunities to see the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home in Williams Arena, with the recent renovations, Williams Arena Tickets are going to be a hot buy this season, so get yours early if you plan on catching any of the 2009 Schedule.

Gophers Head Coach Tubby Smith told reporters, "We feel like we have put together a very formidable schedule that will test us as we start the 2009-10 season. We will have a chance to play quality opponents in the non-conference, including a Butler team that I believe could make a run at the Final Four this season, and the Big Ten Conference will probably be as good as it's been in a very long time. We know that we have a very challenging schedule."

Looking at the schedule I can't wait for Gopher Basketball to start, this season is going to be a good one!

Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Kicks Off On Saturday

The Gophers kick off their season on Saturday against the Syracuse Orange in Syracuse, New York. The game will be televised on ESPN and kickoff is scheduled for 12:02 Eastern Time at the Carrier Dome. This is the first time since 2006 that the Gopher Football Schedule is starting on the road. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have won 12 of the last 14 season openers.

Scouts and Football Critics are saying that with 18 returning starters on the Gophers roster, including seniors Eric Decker and Adam Weber the Gopher football program is likely to be a strong Bowl Contender this season. The Syracuse Orange have a new head coach giving the team a young feel which should be no competition for the older more experienced Gophers.

Gopher Football gets a little closer

For all of you true Minnesota Gophers fans, you know that the Golden Gophers Football Luncheon is one of the last summer events before the start of fall football at the U. This years Gopher Football Luncheon was especially exciting because it was held at the TCF Bank Stadium, giving fans a sneak peek at what would be to come this season.

The University of Minnesota Dance Team and Marching Band performed and then members of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football roster including all 6 captains spoke briefly answering questions from the audience. Gophers Head Coach Tim Brewster spoke encouraging Minnesota Gophers fans to really give TCF Bank Stadium a home field advantage by scooping up Minnesota Golden Gophers football tickets and packing the stadium on Game Days.

I didn't get to attend (sadly, I hate missing a chance to rub elbows with the Gophers) but I found video of clips from the luncheon, the sound isn't great but it is a glimpse at what went down yesterday.

Gopher Football Stadium isn’t Only New Stadium in College Football this season

I don’t profess to be a big college football junkie or anything, but I thought it was interesting reading in the pio press this morning that Akron Ohio will open a new football stadium the same day (Sept 12.) as the Gopher football team opens TCF Bank Stadium.

The Akron Zips stadium will only hold 30,000 fans, while the UofM Gopher stadium will hold 50,000. Ticket prices are drastically different as well. Opening day Akron Zips Football Tickets will cost you $40 each. Right now, opening day Gopher Air Force Tickets are a minimum of $135 each from local ticket brokers. Ouch! I guess you gotta pay the big bucks in the Big Ten!

Go Gophers! Can't wait to see you play (for real!) under the sun at TCF Bank Stadium.

Adam Weber on Manning Award Watchlist

And the preseason praise for the Minnesota Golden Gophers just keeps on coming in. This week it was announced that Golden Gopher Quarterback, Adam Weber, was among the 38 quarterbacks in the nation to be placed on the 2009 preseason Manning Award Watch-list.

"We have another great class of quarterbacks this season," said Archie Manning. "We have 38 quarterbacks on our Watch List, but there are any number of other guys who could step into the picture as the season gets going. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch another tremendous college football season."

The Manning Award was created to honor the achievements of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. Created by the AllState Sugar Bowl it is the only quarterback that takes into consideration a quarterbacks performance in the Bowl Series. The award winner will be announced in January and there will be a banquet to honor him in February.

Watch Gopher Football this fall to see how Adam Weber and the rest of the Gophers perform at the New TCF Bank Stadium!

Good Job Adam!

Eric Decker placed on Biletnikoff Watch-List

The Gophers football season and opening game at the TCF Bank Stadium is only a month away and the buzz around the Golden Gophers roster and play-book continue to grow. This week the buzz surrounds none other than the Golden-Boy himself Eric Decker. The small-town Minnesota native who has awed Gopher fans since he stepped on to the field for the first time 3 years ago has been placed on the watch-list for the Biletnikoff Award.

The Biletnikoff is given yearly to the Best Receiver in the nation, although it can be given to any receiver that catches the ball through forward play, it has only been given to wide receivers since its start in 1994. The past two years the award has gone to Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech.

Critics are saying that this season, Eric Decker has a very good shot at winning... I certainly hope so, he has worked so hard and seems to do it so modestly. Good Luck Eric!

For Sale: Williams Arena Floor

The Historic Williams Arena, where the Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's and Women's basketball teams have hit the hardwood since 1928 is being auctioned off. As renovations to Williams Arena takes place and the the new floor is scheduled to be put in August 28th, pieces of the old floor are being sold to fans as keepsakes of the famous hardwood. This Gopher Gal would LOVE a piece of the floor but can't afford it because I'm saving up for Golden Gopher Football Tickets in the New TCF Bank Stadium!

If you are lucky enough to have tickets and buy memories, the floor is being sold on placks for $200 with either a men's or women's basketball photo. The auction for the floor is going on at the Gopher Sports homepage.

Golden Gophers Hockey Team gets New Assistant Coach

Its no secret that I love to see former Gophers players go on to do great things in their respective sports, but what I love more than anything is when former Gophers players return to coach current Gophers players... as is the case with new Golden Gophers Assistant Hockey Coach Grant Potulny.

As a player Grant Potulny helped take the Gophers to back-to-back national championships. This spring Grant was hired to be the volunteer assistant coach, but earlier this week Gophers head coach Don Lucia decided to make Grant a full member of his coaching staff, a great move in my book. While I think Coach Lucia has a great deal of experience, I think as he ages he is having a harder time relating to his players. Grant Potulny is young and has been where the Gophers players are much more recently... he is the perfect bridge between the older coaching staff and the new Gophers players.

This season is sure to be a great one for Gopher Hockey, and I for one can not wait to buy my Golden Gopher Hockey Tickets. Welcome Home Coach Potulny!

Preseason predictions are out

Today is a good day in this Gopher Gal's world... the preseason predictions for NCAA football came out this week. While I know that most of the predictions are not researched and conducted in a scientific fashion, I still think it is fun to see how our boys are going to stack up.

And the survey says: Things are looking good. Multiple reviewers said that with 17 returning starters, including almost the entire offensive side the Golden Gophers should be positioned to do even better than they did last season. For sure in their favor is the fact that the Adam Weber-Eric Decker duo is back and with another season of experience under their belts, they can only get better.

My boys do have a tough schedule this season, facing Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa on the road and critics say that even though we do have returning starters and a roster full of experience, the Golden Gophers still may need a season or two to build before they are true Big 10 title contenders... In my opinion we are already there.

Golden Gopher Hockey player skates with the Canucks

Jordan Schroeder, a center for the Golden Gophers, was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month and started skating in the prospects camp on Wednesday. Although Schroeder's father is paying to have him there (in order to protect his NCAA eligibility, it is most likely Schroeder will skate another season with the Gophers) there are no doubters that he deserves to be there.

Former Gopher teammate and now member of the Canucks roster, Patrick White explained that Schroeder despite being small for his position is a great player and would fit in well on the Canucks team.

It is unlikely that Schroeder will skate in the rookie and main training camp in September, choosing instead to return to Minnesota and complete another year at the U, but some critics are predicting that this Gopher won't wear gold and maroon for much longer.

Gophers Baseball ends strong

With summer in full swing and Gophers fans getting ready for football at the new TCF Bank Stadium it may seem like the college baseball season is long over...


However, this week the Rivals.com and the Baseball America Top 25 polls were released and the Minnesota Golden Gophers made the cut for both lists. The Gophers ranked 21st on both lists and were included in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, ranking 26th. This is the first season since 1999 that our Gophers have made these lists, though most fans hope with the leadership from returning players next season will be a repeat of this years success. With the Gophers season ending at the hands of the eventual champions, Gopher baseball fans can be excited for next seasons games.

While baseball fans are waiting it should be noted that Gopher football is just over two months away and tickets are going fast!

TCF Bank Stadium will be Dry

After discussions and debating on the University Board of Regents a decision has been reached that this fall when the Gophers celebrate the new TCF Bank Stadium, the celebration will not include alcohol. In a 10-2 vote on Wednesday, the Board of Regents decided to ban alcohol in the stadium.

State lawmakers had given the University the choice to either sell alcohol in all of the stadium or none or it, a decision that put the U in a tough place. They had hoped to sell alcohol in premium select-seats, like the luxury boxes on the upper level. Although these seats only make up 5% of the fans, the revenue would have accounted for half of the money earned on a game day. The Associated Press estimated that the Gophers will loose $1 million a season in revenue because of the ban on booze.

Fans have had mixed reactions to this announcement, with students being on one extreme and alumni who do not appreciate rowdy 21 year-olds on the other. This Gopher Girl wishes a happy medium could have been found but even without the drinks TCF Stadium is going to rock...

Minnesota Wild hire Former Gopher Hockey star Todd Richards

Another cheer for Gopher Hockey. One of our own made it big in the NHL – as the new HEAD COACH of the Minnesota Wild – talk about a hometown dream. Todd Richards was named the new head coach for the NHL Minnesota Wild. Richards grew up in Crystal, Minnesota and played college hockey for my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I am looking forward to see what Todd Richards can do for the Minnesota Wild team. It already feels good to know that we will have a Gopher behind the bench in the “State of Hockey.”

Gopher Baseball Player Joins Minnesota Twins

Gophers second baseman Derek McCallum signed with our very own Minnesota Twins. The Twins selected Derek McCallum in the fourth round of last week's Major League Baseball draft.
The Twins did not make a big flashy announcement and McCallum didn't reveal his signing bonus when the press asked him, but it is believed to be more than $200,000 thus ending his Minnesota college career.

Derek McCallum said:

"It was a tough decision, but the situation, with the round, and the Twins, was kind of what I hoped for. I had an awesome three years at the U. What an experience, a great coaching staff, I couldn't have asked for more."

Welcome to the Majors Derek McCallum, Welcome to living out the dream with the Minnesota Twins – hope to see you at Target Field in the future.

Eric Decker Eric Decker Eric Decker

It seems Eric Decker is all over the place these days! He got drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the MLB Entry draft this week (which is a mute point since he has NFL dreams) and he did a big Q&A interview with the Star Tribune. Here are some snippets. (my comments in parenthesis)

Q. Do you know at this point where your professional future lies (or where your personal hot bod will lie/lay)?

A. I don't. But my consistent message has been that I want to come back and play football in the fall (duh, new on-campus stadium is going to be magical), and have a summer to work out and prepare for the football season. After that, we'll see where my options lie (I wish they would stop saying lie) and which path I want to take.

Q. Will you play another season with the Gophers baseball team next spring (if he plays, I am pretty sure the Gophers will win the Big Ten next year)?

A. It's a possibility, but I don't know how likely it is. It's always there. After the football season we'll see what my options are (he must have other hopes).

Q. That sounds like if you have the type of football season you want, you'll be at the NFL combine, preparing for the draft (oh, Decker in purple sounds delicious)?

A. That's a possibility. But like I said, I'm keeping my options open (pick Gopher Gal, pick Gopher Gal!).

Williams Arena Floor FOR SALE

I just read this on the Gophers web site:

Williams Arena Floor - "Own a Piece of History"
For the first time since 1928, the original floor at Williams Arena is being replaced and Golden Gopher basketball fans will have the opportunity to purchase a piece of that history.
FULL details will follow within the next two weeks. Three different sized pieces will be available ranging in price from $45.00, $99.00 and $250.00.
Photos and descriptions of the three pieces will also be available soon. Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball versions of the Williams Arena floor will be available.
A PERFECT Father's Day gift!

***I KNEW IT*** I am so happy. I HAVE TO get a piece of that floor!

Gopher Gal misses Gopher Football

Oh geez – I missed last week on my Gophers blog, but I didn’t have any breaking news that I felt the need to express. Sorry loyal Gopher blog readers!


I miss Gopher Football! The only recent Gopher Football news that I deem remotely important is that the Big Ten Conference has announced kickoff times for a few of the 2009 Gopher Football games including:


Minnesota’s home opener against Air Force Falcons on September 12 will kick off at 6 p.m. – I don’t love late start times for college football – it just feels wrong, but on opening day I am guessing they are going to squeeze in all kinds of pre-game activities to keep fans at the new stadium from dawn to dusk.

Golden Gophers’ Homecoming contest against Purdue will begin at 11 a.m. on October 10th.

The Gophers Halloween game on October 31st against Michigan State is set to begin at 7 p.m. – what?!?!? Why would they plan a late game on Halloween? They better have some great trick or treating at TCF Bank Stadium! How will I convince my kids to go to or even watch a football game on TV as opposed to collecting candy on one of their favorite nights of the year??!?

Williams Arena Floor is getting a Facelift

Am I the only person that thinks removing an 81 year old Williams Arena floor and replacing it with a new one could be a bad omen? Why now? Tubby? Is this your doing?

If the Gopher basketball season turns sour next year – I am going to blame it on the floor…then again if it turns out well, the floor gets the credit as well.

I love that historic Williams Arena floor…I wonder if they are going to auction off any of the boards ? I would LOVE one!

Gopher Baseball is Good Stuff especially with John Anderson

OK, so I don’t usually follow or comment on Gopher Baseball, but I have to, just a little, today.

I was up late Sunday night and Mark Rosen had Gophers baseball head coach John Anderson on the show. Turns out John Anderson just celebrated his 1,000 win for the Minnesota Gophers as a head coach – 1,000 (yes, three zeros) and he is humble to boot! I actually learned some interesting facts about this guy and the Gopher baseball team – like the fact that Gophers baseball is the oldest intercollegiate sport on campus and that John Anderson got the head coaching job when he was 26!

The Gophers Baseball team has a great shot at winning the Big Ten Tournament and these boys are raring to play – I am starting to wonder why I rarely give the Gopher Baseball team a second thought…maybe because I am so addicted to hockey, football and basketball – one more sport would just make my Gopher head explode.

Gopher Football Season

Is it Gopher Football Season , yet?

I keep seeing all these news stories about TCF Bank Stadium being almost complete - it makes me want the start of Gopher Football to be sooner rather than later.

I wonder if I could start a petition for college football to add two games, take a mid season break and start at the beginning of August? that's crazy talk, I know.

Gophers Bulldogs Hockey Comes Out On Top

Minnesota Top Intrastate Rivalry? Gophers Bulldogs Hockey.

Sporting News named the mens hockey battles between my beloved Minnesota Gophers and those dirty UMD Bulldogs as the top Minnesota intrastate rivalry. Gopher Gal agrees! For whatever reason I get more fired up to pound the crap out of Duluth than I do about Mankato or even St Cloud and the intrastate hockey rivals are much more heated than any other sport. Afterall, this is the state of hockey!

Now, I wonder how I will feel about my Minnesota Gophers playing Bemidji? I don’t think it will top the intense University of Minnesota vs. University of Minnesota feelings.

Grant Potulny Joins Minnesota Gophers Hockey Team...Again

Good new from the land of Gopher hockey:

“Having captained two Minnesota teams to national championships, Grant Potulny will return to the Gopher men’s hockey team this fall as a volunteer assistant coach.”


I loved Grant as a player and I know he will bring a level of coaching to the Gophers that they are missing – the ability to motivate the youngsters in a way they understand! Grant was with the Gophers from 2000-04, not that long ago, so he remembers what it is like to be a college kid playing hockey and he can use that relevant experience to mentor to these guys.

I think his youthful presence will be a welcome sight behind the mens Gophers hockey bench. Besides he knows what it feels like to win a national title (2003) and he can tease (thus motivate) these boys about tasting that sweet victorious nectar.


“This is an unbelievable opportunity and I’m so grateful to be back with the Gopher hockey program,” Grant Potulny said. “It’s an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up and it’s a great chance to learn from three of the best coaches in college hockey.”

Gopher Hockey WCHA to get Bigger

There has been plenty of talk for YEARS about Bemidji State (mens) joining the WCHA and the issue has once again been brought to the front burner.

I say “Do It” and let Bemidji State mens hockey join up – I love the intrastate rivalries and frankly after they made the NCAA hockey tournament last year and zero WCHA teams made it, I think they have proven they have a strong hockey program. Plus they are building a new hockey facility up there. Hooah! I have a friend that goes to college at Bemidji State (hi Matt!) and he thinks it would rock if the hockey team could face-off against the Gophers, Mavericks, Huskies, Bulldogs, Badgers and Sioux (especially the Sioux, he said).

I think if Bemidji State was part of the WCHA, recruiting would be a little bit tougher for the Minnesota Gophers, but competition is a good thing – the strong will come out on top.

I predict you will see Bemidji State mens hockey in the WCHA (womens hockey already plays in WCHA) by 2011 . . . they will need to add another team to make the conference 12 or subtract a team to keep it at ten . . . I have read posts about people wanting to dump Alaska Anchorage and replace with Bemidji State. I am for that, but I would prefer to add another team and make it twelve. We’ll see.

Gopher Football Team Captains

The Gopher Football team selected the following team captains:

From the Gopher Offense:
Eric Decker
Adam Weber

From the Gopher Defense:
Garrett Brown
Lee Campbell
Simoni Lawrence
Eric Small


Not too many surprises, really. Except that the team traditionally goes with four captains (2 offense, 2 defense) – but according to Tim Brewster, “the vote was so close on the defensive side of the ball that the team elected to go with four.”

We will see how that goes. I don’t really think it will matter. I am more worried about the offense than the defense next year any way. I am not sure we could even pick another offensive guy to be captain – who would it be? We definitely will need Decker and Weber to be strong leaders on that Offense next year – I am already chewing my fingernails and the season hasn’t even started!

Gopher Football Spring Game Rocked even if i wasn’t there

I read that 7700 people showed up at the Gopher football spring game - - - O'Shaughnessy Stadium “sells-out” at 5,000 so it was definitely a standing room only event which I think totally rocks. The other awesome part is that the weather terrorists (that’s what I am calling the twin cities weathermen these days) were totally wrong about the forecast and Saturday turned out to be a fine day to watch Gopher football outside.

I am most upset that I missed seeing MarQueis Gray in action. He is going to be a fine Gopher football player.

I really really really really want to go to opening day at TCF Bank Stadium – Gophers vs. Air Force is going to be amazing - - Any one have any ticket hints?


Oh yeah – I think they are announcing the Gopher football captain for next year today – I am betting it will be Adam Weber again – he’s a good leader.

Gopher Football Spring Game

This Saturday is the BIG day! The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football team will be playing its first “official” game outside - this year’s Spring Game. The 2009 Spring Game will be at O’Shaughnessy Stadium on the campus of the University of St. Thomas this Saturday April 25th with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

The weather for Saturday doesn’t look too promising – 70% chance of rain. I wonder what the rain-out plan will be. This is a free event and Gopher fans normally flock to the event.

During the maroon and gold scrimmage, the pep band, cheerleaders and Goldy Gopher will be present to rile up the crowd. Free mini footballs will be given away and there will be a 30-minute player autograph session following the game.

Can someone get me some autographs, please????? I would like Eric Decker, Adam Weber or just about anybody would be fine!

I can’t go –boo hoo! So if any readers out there want to be super helpful, an autograph would be nice as would a couple of pictures from the event (Cortney, are you reading this?!?!)


OMG - I read this stat about the Gopher Football team today:

The Gophers haven't finished higher than fourth place in the conference since 1986, when they tied for third. In the past 12 seasons — 10 under Mason — the Gophers are 72-74 in conference games.

That’s terrible.

Gopher Sports News

There is plenty going on in the world of Gopher Sports – i.e. Gopher Baseball, Gopher Gymnastics and ??? But I really only care about Football, Hockey and Basketball so my gopher sports sphere is pretty quiet today. If you care about those other Gopher sports, you will have to find a different website to fill you in.

Gopher Gal is getting geared up for the Gopher Spring Game on Saturday Arpil 25th at St Thomas. GOOO GOPHERS!

Have a website you want to recommend ? COMMENT ME!

Gopher Basketball Roster Already Changing

Everyone knows the Gopher basketball roster will look a little different next year, but announcements on who’s going are already coming to light.

Kevin Payton and Travis Busch will not be with the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers next season. Both are juniors for the basketball team, but are academically seniors and will graduate in the spring.

Busch told the media that he was leaving because he wouldn't be offered a University of Minnesota scholarship next school year. I am sure it’s just a numbers game, but I have to say I will miss Travis Busch. I hope Tubby is doing the right thing – I gotta have faith that he is, but time will tell!

Gopher Football Spring Practices

Why isn’t there coverage on the Gopher Football Spring practices in the newspaper? I am geeked out about the team returning to campus next season and playing at TCF Bank Stadium so I want to follow their every move to see if they are going to be competitive or not.

So far, I think the defense is coming on strong, but the offense will need some extra work (no surprise there) . . . but I am just getting that from the Gopher web site - oh wait, maybe they don’t allow the press at the spring practices (I think I read that somewhere once) – that would explain the lack of coverage.

SAVE THE DATE: Gopher Spring Game APRIL 25th outside at St Thomas University…be there! It’s free and it’s a great time to celebrate the maroon and gold. I hope they have Gopher gear for sale!

Gopher Gal Welcomes Mr Basketball with Open Arms

I am looking forward to Royce White in a Gophers basketball jersey - I know Royce has had some controversy surrounding him after the whole De La Salle dismissal, but he has been gold at Hopkins and I think working under a great leader like Tubby Smith is exactly what it will take for this kid to make it big. If he is good enough for Tubby, he is good enough for me.
Stop all the hating Gopher fans and embrace Royce White – you will be glad you did.


Press Release:

Royce White of Hopkins was named Minnesota's 2009 Mr. Basketball. Royce White, the 6-foot-8 Hopkins forward will play at the University of Minnesota next year.

Gopher Hockey Player Ryan Stoa joins Colorado Avalanche

Remember my Ryan Stoa is huge blog comment? I should have known then that he would go pro. If you didn’t know already, gopher hockey captain Ryan Stoa signed with the Colorado Avalanche and will not be returning to the Gopher roster next season. How depressing. Not for him, but for Gopher hockey fans. He was a lot of fun to watch and he is about the only player I knew wouldn’t get pushed around on the ice.

He signed for the maximum amount and I don’t blame him for leaving. I wish him the best of luck, but that doesn’t mean I will be cheering for the Colorado Avalanche any time soon - oh no, the Minnesota Wild are still #1 in my NHL heart.

Thanks h-dizz for the “Stay Strong” comment. I will do my best. I am on vacay the rest of the week. I need it.

Its not good to be a Gopher

I am still depressed. It doesn’t feel so good to be bleeding maroon and gold right now. The Gopher Basketball team kept it real, but just couldn’t stop the threes of the Longhorns.

The Gopher hockey team on the other hand was a total letdown. They deserve to be left out of the NCAA tournament – even though I cried about it. The team played terribly in the Final Five tournament, but really had been playing poorly for months (if you need proof just read my blog posts about Gopher hockey making me cry). The Gopher hockey team was a rollercoaster plagued with a lot of mental mistakes that cost them game after game.

I am starting to wonder if Don Lucia is still “our” guy.

It feels Good to be a Gopher

Today, it feels good to be a Gopher. We got to wear our Gopher gear to work today and I feel like my heart is overflowing with maroon and gold pride. The anticipation of tonights basketball game has me giddy PLUS the Gopher hockey team is playing Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs over at the Xcel Energy Center and that has me pumped up, too.

The tough question is, “Will I feel this good tomorrow?”

I hope so. Go Gophers! Go!


I will be glued to the TV tonight! And flipping back and forth like crazy. It’s going to be intense.

Gopher Mens Basketball CBS 6:10pm (channel 4 at my house)

Gopher Mens Hockey FSN 7:07pm (channel 27 at my house)

Gopher Basketball Reigns

Gopher Nation is ready to DANCE.

Gopher Mens Basketball Ready for Texas in NCAA Tournament! Go Gophers! Random Stats from the Gophers site.


Gopher Womens Basketball Ready for Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament. Go Lady Gophers! Random Gopher Girl Bball Stats from the Gophers site.

Gopher Hockey Playoff Details

After losing last Friday night to Michigan Tech, Gopher Gal was certain that the Gopher hockey team was doomed for home ice in the first round of the playoffs, but the college hockey gods were merciful and BOTH St Cloud State and UMD lost Friday night as well, giving the Gophers one FINAL chance to advance. Thankfully, the Gophers beat Michigan Tech 2-0 on Saturday night (the Gophs always do better on Saturday night – always! I wish games would only be played on Saturday nights – LOL!). The win gave the Gophers home ice this weekend against St Cloud State.

It will be a best of three series at Mariucci Arena starting tonight – let’s hope the Gophers take care of business early. A berth in the WCHA Final Five is at stake.

Since I have NO money – I will be watching on TV this weekend, FSN on Friday and Sunday and FSN Plus on Saturday – I hope I can find that channel on the remote. I read that Comcast will be carrying it, but I don’t know the channel number!


**GIRLS HOCKEY THIS WEEKEND AS WELL**
The Gopher girls hockey team does not get enough media coverage. They are amazing and I hardly ever hear about them! The girls play this weekend at Ridder Arena in NCAA quarterfinals. I hope they win!

Gopher Basketball Big 10 Update

OK, so we lost to Michigan Wolverines (AT HOME!) last Saturday afternoon and basically blew any chance at making the big dance - right? Well, maybe we still have a chance. I have seen so many conflicting predictions, it’s ridiculous. Some say we are in, some say we are out. I think if the Gophers perform well in the Big Ten Tournament (like win it?!?! – improbable, I know) the Basketball "Powers That Be" will be forced to put us on “the list.”

Gophers are playing Northwestern right now (quick, flip to the Big Ten Network) – so far, so good! It’s hard to decide what to watch – Gopher Basketball or Minnesota State High School Hockey! I love TOURNEY TIME!

Gopher Basketball Makes Me Smile (Again!)

There is nothing better than beating the Wisconsin Badgers in basketball…except when you beat them twice! I can’t believe I didn’t write about this yesterday, but Wednesday night the Golden Gopher mens basketball team beat the Wisconsin Badgers at The Barn 51-46. The Gophers dominated the first half, but looked a little shaky at the start of the second. Once again Lawrence Westbrook stepped up to the plate and led the Gopher team over the Badgers. It was really sweet to beat the Badgers in Wisconsin a few weeks back, but this win in front of the roaring Barnyard was totally amazing. I couldn’t afford Gopher Basketball Tickets so I watched the game from my sofa – well, mostly I was jumping up and down because the game was so emotional!

This is the first time the Gophers have swept the Badgers since the 1991-1992 season and man it feels good!

Another Gopher Basketball home game on Saturday vs. Michigan Wolverines – Gophers gotta win! It’s an 11am tip-off – sadly, Gopher Gal has an all day Saturday conference, but you can bet I will be sneaking to the car during breaks to listen in on the score!

Gopher Hockey Hangs On

The Gopher Hockey teams post season hopes are still alive – although I am not sure they even deserve to be in the playoffs based off their performances lately.

Thankfully, the Gophers beat Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. It was the last regular season home game and after the first two periods of play, I was starting to dread another loss. The Gophers managed to pull it together and come back from behind and win. (insert sigh of relief here) The win puts the Gophers in fifth in the WCHA Standings and IF the Gophers can win BOTH games at Michigan Tech this weekend, they will be able to secure home ice advantage for the first round of the WCHA Playoffs.


If the Gophers don’t win both games at Michigan Tech, they for sure don’t deserve any playoff breaks. Michigan Tech is at the bottom of the WCHA Standings and the Gophers (on paper any way) are a much better team. Gophers vs. Michigan Tech Huskies this Friday and Saturday on FSN 6:07pm both nights – tune in!

Gopher Hockey gets Swept - I Wept

Gopher Hockey Sucks, Fa La La La La...Gopher Hockey Sucks Fa La La La La

What is going on with the Gopher hockey team? I just don't understand how they played so well at the start of the season and then totally fell apart at the end. The mistakes they are making are mistakes that you make at the start of the season! ya know, when you are a new team - not a team that has been playing together for 6 months every weekend! They make a lot of mental mistakes on defense and on offense. The passing has been terrible and the penalties obscene. How could they get swept by Colorado College? What a shame. What a shame.

Big series this weekend at Mariucci Arena against Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. I wish I could go, but I can't - I haven't given up on the team...yet, but this weekend will be the final straw - you bet that is a threat, Gopher team! You better step it up a notch or the fan base is outtie!

On a happier note, the Gopher girls hockey team is ranked #1 in the nation and I went to their final regular season home game last Saturday night and they rocked the place! They beat St Cloud State and never looked back. The place was packed and I even had to wait in line for tickets (I have never had to wait in line for Gopher Girls hockey before) - the Gopher girls fan base is growing as it should thanks to their phenom players. Keep up the good work - maybe you could share some of your scoring tips with the boys!

Madison ranks high for sports

One of my Wisconsin Badger friends (yes, you can have a Badger friend or two, but don’t let the friendship get in the way of your Gopher sports loyalty) emailed me this article. Madison ranks high for sports - "Forbes names city 3rd best town for collegiate athletics." WHAT?!!?!?!? Out of all the really cool college sports towns out there (i.e. Minneapolis!) Forbes picked Badgerland 3rd (I am thinking it should be more like thirtieth). I may never read Forbes again.

How about that Gopher Basketball team last night?

Gopher Hockey Team Still has me on EDGE

The Gopher hockey team is still in a funk. Yes, they won on Valentines Day in front of a lovey dovey crowd at Mariucci, but they tied Alaska Anchorage on Friday night – TIED! That might as well be a loss when we are talking about playing Alaska Anchorage (sorry Seawolves fans).

The Minnesota Men are on their way to Colorado College to take on the Tigers this weekend – let’s hope a change of scenery will do the team good. Maybe some time cramped together on the plane will give the team a chance to air out all the dirty laundry and start fresh. They are making tons of mental mistakes and it’s costing them. I hate to even put this in print for fear of it coming true, but the Gopher Hockey Team may not even make the playoffs.

Gopher Basketball HANGS in there

After yesterday’s screaming post about the defunct Gopher hockey team, I thought I should give props to the Gopher basketball team which continues to be a real contender (well, as long as they are not playing Michigan State). I watched the game Tuesday night on the Big Ten Network and loved the second half, it seemed the Gophers could do no wrong – I even got to see Paul Carter do a slam dunk and hang on the rim for a sec. I don’t think Tubby likes too much show boating, but the camera flashed over at the Gopher coach and he had a grin.

It’s nice to see the Gopher mens basketball team having fun and winning a few games in front of the home crowd fans. There are only a couple of Williams Arena home game left, if you haven’t been to The Barn this year to see this team, you have missed out. The excitement is unbelievable (well, again unless they are playing Michigan State Spartans).

Gooooooo Gophers!

In honor of upcoming Valentines Day

I HEART TUBBY SMITH

I ♥ TUBBY SMITH

I HEART TUBBY SMITH

Gopher Hockey Makes Me Want To Scream

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! What the “H” “E” Double Hockey Sticks has happened to the Gopher mens hockey team? I can’t believe they have lost the last four games – FOUR! Gopher Gal is totally freaking out. I told my hubby that he better get me some Gopher hockey tickets because apparently the team can only win if I am in the stands (I have never seen them lose and I have been to my fair share of games).

The ticket broker sites have tickets for this weekends Gopher Alaska series at Mariucci (yes, the Gophs are home again), but I am bordering on the poor side of life these days so I am thinking about just going down to Mariucci Arena Friday night and seeing if I can get some tickets just before game time from one of the street scalpers. There are always guys standing on the one corner closest to Williams Arena. I confess I have NEVER bought tickets from a street scalper before, NEVER. I am scared, but I want to go really bad and I don’t have a lot of money so the plan is my hubby will drop me off and I will try and secure tickets at $30 per ticket or lower and he will circle the block. If I can get tickets, I will call him on the cell and he will pay for parking and we will go in. If I can’t, he will pick me up (off the corner, kinda kinky!) we will use the money and go to dinner and watch the Gopher game on TiVo.

I know Saturday nights game will be way hotter since it’s Valentines Day, but I am thinking Friday night there may be some cheap seats from the scalpers. I don’t know why I am so chicken about buying tickets from a scalper, but it just doesn’t seem very “Minnesota Nice” and Gopher Gal is totally nice (most of the time). I will let you all know how it goes (-:

Come on Gopher Hockey, PULL IT TOGETHER!

Gophers Hockey vs Badgers Hockey

This is a big weekend for the Gopher mens hockey team. The Wisconsin Badgers roll into town with a three point lead over the Gophers in the WCHA standings. Two Mariucci Arena home games will be good for the Gophers who are still licking their wounds over a pounding last weekend by Mankato.

Gopher fans are encourage to wear GOLD this weekend to Mariucci Arena in an effort to “gold-out” and Badger fans who might be in attendance. The Gophers tied and beat the Badgers earlier in the season in Madison so look for the Badger team to be out for revenge.

There are still Gophers Hockey tickets available from local ticket brokers – going rate? $80 per ticket. There is no doubt that the Gopher Badger series is one of the hottest tickets on the Gopher schedule. Border rivalry at it’s best.

Gopher Hockey Weekend Review

It’s been almost a week since I have posted in my beloved Gopher blog . . . I think it is because I am so depressed over the PAIR of Minnesota State Mankato losses – it was the first time ever that the gopher hockey team has been swept by those lame-o’s…that is not the kind of history making I wanted to watch on TV. What happened?

Friday night was all about penalties – I even noticed this in the games I went to this year, the Gophers are hot heads. They just don’t know when to walk away and Mankato capitalized on this weakness. Sure, intense emotion can make you a great hockey player, but if you can’t keep it in check when needed you end up in the penalty box or in the locker room and what good does that do your team? None. Look at the score board. 2-6 Friday night, 1-3 Saturday night - penalties killed our momentum.

Also, Gopher goalie Alex Kangas was not his usual self – he looked tired…I was wondering if he was sick or something. There were TWO goals where he went down and Mankato shot over him, that’s not like him to do that. He usually stays up and cuts the angle. I hope he reviews the film this week and notice how out of position he was.

Saturday night was all about the power play. The Gophers could not score or even keep the puck out of their own zone when they were on the power play. What a frustrating series. I am ready to put it behind me, but nervous we won’t see more of the same this weekend against the Badgers.

***************************************

Note on a different team – Gopher basketball game last night in Michigan made me want to poke my eyes out. Gopher Nation is in a funk and I don’t like it.

Gopher Hockey Weekend

Big Gopher Hockey weekend match-up! Gophers vs. Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks in a home and away series or do you call it an away and home series since they play the away game first? Whatever.

Tonight the Gophers are in Mankato and Saturday night they are at Mariucci Arena. I can’t make the game, but I will be watching on FSN (thank God for cable).

I went to the Gophers game two weeks ago when they played St Cloud State and all I have to say is that Ryan Stoa is enormous.

How about that Gopher Basketball game last night?

Gopher Football Predictions

I am glad that all of my talk about Gopher football has spawned others to start thinking about next season – I know it’s a long way off, but I just can’t help it – I love Gopher football and hockey and basketball – in that order. Even though the Gopher Basketball team is on fire right now and one of the best teams we have had since the Clem Haskins era (remember we aren’t allowed to talk or count those games) – I still prefer football.

I predicted a 7 win Gopher Football Season in 2009. Blogger H*Dizzle said:

h*dizzle said...
ps i thnk we'll be better than seven wins. we will have decker back.and weber if he doesnt get beat out by marquies gray..omg we have depth at QB!


I agree we have depth at QB, but with only ONE RECEIVER (plus, I heard a vicious rumor that Eric Decker may not even play next year because he doesn’t want to ruin his baseball career with another injury – he is amazing at baseball, too.) and a poor running game, I don’t see the Gopher offense putting that many points on the board and the Gopher defense is still going to be mediocre – we need bigger guys. I hope Brewster can convince one or two big players to sign for defense or even transfer from a junior college.

Gopher Football Schedule

Oh yeah, the 2009 Gopher Football Schedule is out – you can check it out on this Gopher Football tickets web site…no tickets for sale yet. I don’t even think they have the TCF Bank Stadium sections named yet (100, 101, 200, 201, 300, 301 etc. etc.). My hubby keeps asking me when the Gopher vs. Air Force tickets go on sale. We want to go to that game soooo bad! I think he may take a day off work and go wait in line at the Gopher ticket office when the single game tickets go on sale. I wish I could afford to be a season ticket holder… I should have married for money.

Gopher Football Outlook

National Champs.net does an early college football preview – check out their take on the Gophers…don’t want to read the article? Here are the top points:

“Brewster would be well advised to stick around in Minneapolis for this third season, especially with 19 starters back in the fold.”

“Closing the season the way Minnesota did should not put a major damper on things to come. They are still taking small steps, and the next ones may be good enough for a possible nine-win season.”

I agree that a nine win season could be possible next year, but we have to see major, MAJOR improvements in the running game (our key running backs will be one year older, but is that major major?) and better defense. I am actually going to predict another 7 win season – we play a lot of tough Big 10 road games next year (Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa – we can’t even beat these teams at home)!

Gopher Hockey Rocks my World

Last Friday night I went to the Gopher hockey game at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers pounded the St Cloud State Huskies 5-1 -the game rocked! I actually took some pictures. I will post them soon. I just want to say that Ryan Stoa is enormous!

Gopher Hockey has this weekend off (insert sad face here) – My new quest: I have got to get tickets to the Saturday January 31st game against Minnesota State Mankato. I love WCHA rivalry and Minnesota college hockey at its best.

BTW, since the Gophers scored five goals last Friday, I redeemed my ticket stub at Culvers and a got a *FREE* scoop of ice cream (it was tiny, but free and I relived every great goal as I licked it down). What a great promotion – I love ice cream, I love Gopher hockey.

Gopher Basketball Poll

I love to participate in on-line polls (I think it may be an addiction) – here is one I thought was interesting regarding the Gopher Basketball team and their upcoming game against Big Ten higher-ranked rival Purdue:

Which ranked men's basketball team wins on Thursday night? (tonight!)

No. 21 Minnesota wins by 10+: 17%

No. 18 Purdue wins by 10+: 05%

No. 18 Purdue wins by less than 10: 12%

No. 21 Minnesota wins by less than 10: 66%


Guess which choice Gopher Gal picked? I went with the masses and picked Minnesota by less than 10! GOOOOO GOPHERS!

Upcoming Gopher Games

There are a lot of good upcoming Gopher games. I regularly check-out the Gopher Schedule on this Gophers Hockey Tickets site. The have tickets to all of the hot Gopher games (not just hockey), but most of all I like this Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule page that shows all the events in one spot – list style, my favorite way to view anything.

I am planning to attend the Minnesota Gophers Mankato Mavericks hockey game on Saturday January 31st at Mariucci Arena. I would also like to see the Gopher mens basketball team soon – I would like to attend the Gophers Purdue Boilermakers game on Thursday January 22nd at Williams Arena, but I have conferences so I am going to try and make it to the Thursday January 29th game at The Barn vs. the Fighting Illini – really the opponent is not that important to me, I just like to see the Gophers in action - there is NO SUBSTITIUTE for live games! Agree?

Best Gopher Advice

The best advice I have personally received in awhile came via comment on my Gopher blog – here it is:

“ That sucks about the mittens. You should just go get yourself a pair of mittens to make up for it. And a scarf to match. :) ”


I am going to do that this weekend! Expect to see Gopher gal sporting her new Gopher mittens and scarf around town next week. Gooo Gophers!

Gopher Recap because I am back

Gopher Gal was Missing In Action . . . and a lot of action I missed! But I AM BAAAACK (in my best Terminator voice)

The Gopher Football team let me down on New Years Eve with the depressing loss to Kansas. I was so pumped in the first quarter when the teams looked evenly matched, but things turned ugly fast and the Gophers just weren’t able to contend. Two new Gopher football coordinators next year might help. We need to work a bit more on a spread run offense to keep EDeck (Eric Decker for the not so casual fan) from being double covered every play. When you have no running game, the defense just backs up and gets ready to intercept and cover receivers deep. Poor EDeck can only do so much with two bodies and four arms all over him.

Gopher Hockey continues to delight me. I read my blogging friend Cortney over at Style and Sports went to a Gopher Hockey game last weekend. I am jealous. I think she should hook her cousin Clay and I up – he loves hockey and so do I (oh yeah, I am married, but who knows for how much longer, a girl has to have options)

Gopher Basketball is exciting as ever. I watched the Saturday game vs. Ohio State Buckeyes and the Gophers totally rocked. I even bought my dad a Tubby Time t-shirt, he will be so excited. He loves the Gophers as much as I do, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

BTW – I didn’t get any of the Gopher gifts I wanted – I hate to sound like such a snob, but I threw a fit over the mittens – I really wanted those! Husbands Suck!