Matt Baker's Takeaways From Florida State-n.c. State

Colorado expected a long, grueling series against Winnipeg, but instead had its way with the Jets. The Avs know they’re in one now against Dallas, and they’re going to have to dig in and outlast the Stars. “They’re both really good hockey teams,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “(Stars goalie Jake Oettinger) is playing really well.

Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain. Dallas’ Doomsday Defense. Chicago’s Monsters of the Midway. L. A.’s Fearsome Foursome. Make way for Colorado’s Purple Rally Killers. On a Sunday afternoon when elite defense was paramount, the Rockies delivered a 3-1 victory to complete a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champion Rangers at Coors Field.

The University of Denver women’s lacrosse team ran into a familiar roadblock Sunday afternoon. The Northwestern Wildcats eliminated the Pioneers from the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, rolling to a 17-4 victory on their home turf in Evanston, Ill. The No. 1 overall seed netted 13 goals in the first half to take a commanding 10-goal lead into the break, then cruised from there to halt the Pios’ tournament run two wins shy of a return trip to the Final Four. The Wildcats (16-2) scored the game’s first five goals before Julia Gilbert got DU on the board with a goal with 6:54 left in the first period.

What is it about the Stanley Cup Playoffs that turns Peter DeBoer into Robert Oppenheimer and Jared Bednar into Opie Taylor? “The margin between winning and losing is so slight,” Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews reflected late Saturday night after Colorado fell in frustrating fashion, 4-1, in Game 3 of its second-round series with the Dallas Stars.

From Babe Didrikson Zaharias to Jennifer Kupcho, cold-weather Colorado’s produced some elite women’s golfers. Now, the next household names might already be in the pipeline via four local high schoolers with professional potential. Erie junior Hadley Ashton may be at the top, but her skill is paralleled by a trio of reigning state champions.

The ghost of Kris Bryant haunts the Rockies. There have been only fleeting visions of the star player the franchise thought it signed back in 2022. Reoccurring injuries bedevil the four-time All-Star. Sub-par performance has become the norm. There are those within the organization who call him an enigma. Rockies fans, generally a benevolent bunch, even booed Bryant during the home opener at Coors Field. Now, with the Rockies floundering at the bottom of the NL West, he’s attempting to return from an early season injury that landed him on the injured list for the sixth time in his two-plus seasons in Colorado.