For the first time in program history, the Golden Gusties of Gustavus Adolphus College are women’s hockey national champions.

Gustavus’ run to the title did not come easily, as the Gusties endured the longest weekend in NCAA Division III Women’s Frozen Four history. The Gusties outlasted Plattsburgh State in two overtimes in the national semifinals on Friday before topping Frozen Four host Amherst College, 2-1, in a championship game-record three overtimes on Sunday. No other championship game in the modern era of women’s hockey had ever gone beyond one overtime.

Gustavus got on the board in the second period when first-year Lily Mortenson scored to snap the Mammoths’ streak of five consecutive shutouts. Gustavus held the one-goal lead until 1:12 left in regulation when Amherst pulled its goaltender and snuck a tipped shot into the back of the net to force overtime. The two teams then battled it out without a score for another two-plus periods before sophomore Kaitlyn Holland registered the biggest goal of her young career just 93 seconds into the third overtime period to secure the historic Gustavus victory. Gustie senior goaltender Katie McCoy made 33 saves – only ten of which came in the first two periods – and was named NCAA Tournament MVP.

The national championship is the first for Gustavus head coach Mike Carroll, who ranks as the second-winningest coach in NCAA Division III women’s hockey history with 492 career wins.

In addition to being the first national championship in program history, the Gusties’ title is also the first ever by a MIAC women’s hockey team, the first by any women’s hockey team in the NCAA’s West Region, and the first team national championship in any sport by a MIAC program since 2016.

(info courtesy of MIAC)

(photos courtesy of Gustavus Adolphus)

The Orlando Magic came back from a 16-point deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter but fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 111-105 Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena to close out their West Coast trip.

The Magic (29-43) had a strong start, jumping out to a 20-11 lead behind strong play from the starters.

But their bench didn’t match the early production of the Lakers’ second unit led by Austin Reaves, who scored a career-high 35 points to go with 6 assists and 6 rebounds in 30 minutes.

The Lakers’ bench outscored the Magic’s 61-26.

Los Angeles’ bench helped to build a 47-31 lead in the second quarter, a 59-49 edge at halftime and an 84-81 advantage heading into the fourth.

The Magic kept chipping away at their deficit, and Cole Anthony’s 3-pointer with 2:39 remaining tied the game at 101.

One minute later, Paolo Banchero (21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) fouled Reaves on a 3-pointer. Reaves hit 2 of 3 free throws to give the Lakers a 103-101 lead with 1:33 remaining.

Franz Wagner (21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) made a layup 20 seconds later to tie the game again at 103 but Reaves made a pull-up 2 on the ensuing possession to give the Lakers a 2-point lead.

Wagner missed a pull-up 3 with 43.2 seconds left on the next possession, with Markelle Fultz (12 points, 10 assists) fouling Reaves while trying to go for a steal and sent him to the free throw line. Reaves made both free throws, giving the Lakers a 107-103 lead with 33.8 seconds left.

Banchero missed a layup on the Magic’s ensuing possession, effectively sealing the outcome.

He was issued a technical foul for arguing a no-call on his drive to the basket on the missed layup.

Reaves made the technical free throw plus 2 more after Fultz committed a take foul.

Banchero’s technical came in what was a frustrating game for Orlando. The Lakers shot 26-of-32 on free throws, including 16-of-18 by Reaves, compared to the Magic’s 13-of-17.

The Magic wrapped up the West Coast trip 1-3 after starting the swing with losses to the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday and Phoenix Suns Thursday before beating the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

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Observations and other notes of interest from Sunday night’s 112-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons:

– One thing about a playoff race is it shows you who a coach trusts.

– We’ve already seen Duncan Robinson disappear from the rotation.

– Now, with Kyle Lowry back on Sunday night, Victor Oladipo was shuffled out of the mix.

– Just as he was on Wednesday night, when he did not play.

– And yet another night when Omer Yurtseven’s initial cameo was his only opportunity of substance.

– With Haywood Highsmith getting the second-half call, instead.

– Albeit briefly.

– And one has to wonder what Erik Spoelstra truly thinks about Tyler Herro’s shot selection.

– So Spoelstra rides with hope in Kevin Love (until he starts to bleed out).

– While hoping for a quick return from Cody Zeller.

– All as the play-in clock ticks.

– It’s as if an entire regular season has come down to when Jimmy Butler returns in the fourth quarter.

– Even with Lowry back, Gabe Vincent again started for Heat, along with Bam Adebayo, Love, Butler and Herro.

– The Heat’s lone inactives were Zeller and Orlando Robinson.

– The Pistons opened with Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Rodney McGruder, Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman.

– Among Detroit’s inactives were Cade Cuningham, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Hamidou Diallo, R.J. Hampton, Isaiah Stewart and Isaiah Livers.

– Yurtseven played as the Heat’s first reserve.

– Caleb Martin as the second.

– Lowry then entered with 2:04 left in the first period, his first action since Wednesday.

– But when Adebayo went out for his second rest, it was Love inserted as center, rather than Yurtseven returning.

– Later, it was Highsmith in for Adebayo.

– Remember that talk of Heat depth?

– And this is with the Heat mostly healthy.

– Butler scored in double figures for the 211th time with the Heat, tying him with Mario Chalmers for 15th on that franchise all-time list. Kevin Edwards is up next, at 14th on the list, at 226 such games.

– Butler’s third free-throw attempt moved him past Ray Allen for 89th on the NBA all-time list.

– Butler’s ninth free-throw attempt moved him past Elton Brand and Ed Macauley for 87th on the NBA all-time list.

– Adebayo’s fifth free throw was the 1,400th of his career.

– Strus’ second 3-point attempt was the 1,100th of his career.

– Vincent’s second 3-pointer tied him with Shane Battier for 21st on the Heat all-time list.

– Spoelstra pushed past a pregame question about his video review of Saturday night’s loss in Chicago.

– “We’re much better than that,” he said. “We’ll be better tonight.”

– Or not.

– He also downplayed the Pistons often going with bigger front lines.

– “We’re fine,” he said. “Whatever it takes.”

– Pistons coach Dwane Casey was effusive pregame about what former Heat guard McGruder has offered with Detroit sitting many veterans amid the unspoken prioritizing of the lottery.

– McGruder then went out and outhustled everyone.

– Just like in his Heat days.

– The legend of The Scavenger lives on.

– Casey also spoke of how Adebayo is a role model for Pistons first-round pick Jalen Duren.

– “Bam’s at the same stage where Duren was, maybe a little ahead of him but not much,” Casey said of how the two entered the NBA. “He was not the offensive player he is right now. He’s worked at it. He’s developed an offensive game. He wasn’t bringing the ball down the floor in transition when he first came into the league. But he kept working and working.”

– Casey added, “The one thing Bam does, Bam runs. He probably learned it at Kentucky. But he runs. He runs both ends. Defensively he gets back and runs that way, and he runs the other way.”

–The scoreboard in the first quarter credited the points to the wrong team, with a chant breaking out of, “Fix . . . the . . . scoreboard!”

– It was, by the start of the second period.

– Former Heat guard Voshon Lenard was among those in attendance.

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MINNEAPOLIS – While the Minnesota Twins’ roster is still working through spring training in Florida, with 11 days until opening day, the club at home is making a point to take care of the community around them.

The team wants to help make an effort to grow the game. It’s one thing to say that, but it’s another to take direct action and work with partners to ensure this can happen.

One of the most tangible ways to do this is to alleviate the economic barrier to the game. In this case, by helping the city schools out, by making sure they have the bats, balls, gloves and other equipment they need.

RELATED: Preparations underway for home opener at Target Field

“I think as a Major League Baseball team we do have a responsibility to community,” said Twins President Dave St. Peter. “This community has supported us through thick and thin since 1961.”

The Twins partnered with Pitch In For Baseball and Softball to donate gear and uniforms to 43 Twin Cities teams.

“Softball is our sport. It’s absolutely imperative that they have the same opportunities that baseball players have,” said Twins Youth Engagement Manager Chelsey Falzone.

A level playing field is important.  

“And not just getting the equipment for them, but the fact that they get like new stuff, it’s awesome watching them,” said Matt Grill, Harding High School’s assistant varsity baseball coach. “We’ll bring all our equipment home and they open up the thing and they have these brand-new gloves. Like the smiles that they have, how much they’re so excited to get to practice using the new stuff.”

“The bats that they gave us are really nice, they feel really nice,” said Harding High School baseball player Aiden Thao.

All this equipment is about affording schools more equitable access to baseball, and making sure that equipment is not part of the barrier to entry.

“The financial challenges that these schools are facing, that their athletic programs are [facing] are also very real,” St. Peter said.

“This closes it up that much more that when we go play these teams from, suburb teams that we see, ‘Oh, they have the same stuff we do,'” Grill said.

This benefits more than 600 baseball and softball players, supporting their love of the game for years to come.

“It’s really great for them to really step in for us and help smaller schools and really help them play baseball and stuff,” Thao said.

Norman Seawright III

Norman Seawright III has long nursed a fascination with, and love for, the Twin Cities, and is thrilled to return to Minnesota.

Despite falling short of a national title, Minnesota accomplished a lot this season.

Sixty minutes was not enough for Friday night’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Frozen Four semifinal game, the Gophers’ last of the season. .

The two Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) powerhouses, Minnesota and Wisconsin, had yet another thrilling matchup to determine which team would advance to the national title game and which team would go home.

Prior to overtime, the Gophers had been trailing for more than half of the third period and needed to find a way to rally back and tie the game.

Discussing what Minnesota could do to net the equalizer, ice-level reporter Hilary Knight said on the ESPN+ broadcast, “get a good bounce — you just need pucks on net.”

Enter Madeline Wethington. Immediately after Knight’s comment, the senior defender blasted a shot from the point that deflected off of a Wisconsin defender and past goaltender Cami Kronish to tie the game.

Time expired about a minute later, and the two teams headed into overtime.

Despite the incredible comeback effort from the Gophers with Wethington’s late game-tying goal, Wisconsin still emerged victorious.

In the final minutes of the first overtime, Jesse Compher found Caroline Harvey in a prime shooting position at the top of the right circle. The All-American Wisconsin freshman made no mistake; Harvey delivered the season-ending blow with a top-shelf shot to beat Minnesota goaltender Skylar Vetter.

A season to be proud of

Regardless of their shortcomings in the Frozen Four, Minnesota’s 2022-23 season was one with many individual and team accomplishments.

The Gophers achieved 30 wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season and the seventh time with Brad Frost as head coach.

“We’re very proud of the season we had,” Frost said in a press email.

However, 30 wins was not the greatest team accolade; the Gophers dominated the WCHA tournament and claimed their first conference title since the 2017-18 season.

The team also returned to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2018-19. Although the team didn’t bring home the trophy, this season was a step in the right direction for the future.

Familiar fifth-year faces depart

With every season end comes the departure of graduating players.

The Gophers will have to say goodbye to nine fifth-year players, seven of which have played at Minnesota since their freshman year.

Catie Skaja, Gracie Ostertag, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Crystalyn Hengler, Emily Oden and Abigail Boreen will all move on after five seasons with the team.

Both Heise and Zumwinkle finished their collegiate careers in the Top 10 of point scoring in Gopher history. Additionally, both were Top 10 finalists for the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award. Heise won the award last season, becoming the first Gopher to do so since Amanda Kessel in 2013.

Heise, Zumwinkle and Oden reside in first, second and third place, respectively, in games played as Gophers. Boreen and Hengler also hold Top 7 spots in that same list.

Initially, it may be difficult adjusting to the losses. However, there are many returning players that Gopher fans can look forward to.

The future is bright in Minneapolis

Looking ahead, sophomore Abbey Murphy was second in NCAA goal scoring with 29 goals and was named the WCHA Final Faceoff’s most outstanding player.

Fellow sophomore Ella Huber had an incredible season as well, tallying 29 points in 37 games. Sophomore netminder Vetter had an outstanding year, earning a spot on the All-WCHA Third Team in addition to recording seven shutouts.

There’s a lot of upside with first-years Josefin Bouveng, Madison Kaiser and Nelli Laitinen, who all improved significantly throughout the season. Laitinen was also named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team.

Minnesota’s 2023-24 season will not be short of opportunities for redemption — this season’s accomplishments show promise for the program’s future.

Andrew Benintendi homered to right in his first at-bat against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday at Camelback Ranch.

The trip around the bases was nice. But for Benintendi, the third at-bat of the day stood out when the Chicago White left fielder reached on a fielder’s choice on a ball fielded by shortstop Miguel Rojas.

“My last at-bat was the bat I was most excited about, hitting a ball to the six-hole,” Benintendi said Saturday. “(Rojas) made a nice play.

“That’s what I was trying to do. Focus on what I’m trying to do instead of results. Because if you chase results in spring training, it is just going to (tick) you off.”

Benintendi said his swing “feels pretty good” as he ramps up for the season.

“This spring more than others, I’m not really focused on results as much as feel,” he said. “I feel like I’m recognizing pitches, not getting fooled too many times.

“(It’s) just stick with an approach, kind of stay inside the ball. For me, at least, my feedback is how I hit the ball. If it’s like topspin, that’s the last thing I want to see. I’m just trying to backspin balls and hit line drives.”

Benintendi saw that in the leadoff home run, his first of the spring.

“That was perfect,” he said. “I’ve been working on trying to pull the ball to the right side in the air. That was perfect backspin, so that was good to see.”

Benintendi is hitting .208 this spring but has four hits, four walks and two RBIs in his last six games. He had an RBI single on a liner to left against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday in Goodyear, Ariz.

Benintendi, 28, is in his first season with the Sox after signing a five-year deal announced in early January. He finished sixth in the American League with a .304 average last season for the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees.

Sox manager Pedro Grifol said there’s a trust factor and strong communication with a veteran like Benintendi, who is entering his eighth season.

“I don’t look for anything with (Benintendi’s spring offensive approach),” Grifol said Sunday. “I’m comfortable with what he tells me.”

The two were together during Benintendi’s time with the Royals in 2021-22.

“He knows his swing, he knows the way he feels,” Grifol said. “If he tells me he’s in a good spot, he’s in a good spot. The only thing I do is sometimes I’ll challenge him a little bit. I think he played four days in a row with one rain date (on Wednesday). And he’ll never say, ‘No, I don’t want to play.’

“He’s always ready to play and he’ll play as much as you want him to play. He’s a good communicator and he knows his body. He’s a professional. He’s been around the block a few times. Whatever he’s telling me, I’m completely comfortable with it and trust him.”

While Benintendi led off Saturday, he has hit third in most games this spring. Wherever he’s slotted in the order, Benintendi said, “nothing changes.”

“My approach stays the same,” he said. “If I hit third, I wish it automatically got me 35 home runs, but that’s not going to happen. Nothing changes — (the approach is) line drives.”

With the end of camp in sight, Benintendi is focused on continuing to see progress.

“At this point everybody’s legs are starting to get under them,” Benintendi said. “That initial soreness and things like that is moving out, and this next week and a half, yeah, full throttle. Get ready to go.”

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