The Gophers men’s hockey team on Sunday received verbal commitments from two forwards: John “LJ” Mooney, who is a cousin of former Gophers star Logan Cooley, and Hayden Reid, a Canadian who decommitted from Colgate.
Mooney, a center from West Mifflin, Pa., is in his first year with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., playing for the Under-17 National Team. The 5-6, 146-pound 16-year-old spent the past three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Program, the same program for which Cooley played before becoming the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Mooney had 33 goals and 47 assists in 54 games for the Under-16 AAA team in 2022-23. He is expected to join the Gophers for the 2026-27 season.
Reid, 17, is a center/left winger from Orono, Ontario, who plays for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the U.S. Hockey League. The 5-11, 181-pounder played for the Leamington Flyers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2022-23, collecting 16 goals and 24 assists in 47 games. Reid gave Colgate a verbal commitment in February but flipped to Minnesota. He is projected to join the Gophers for the 2025-26 season.
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* The Gophers soccer team (6-5-4, 2-4-2 Big Ten) outshot Nebraska 16-10, but lost 2-0 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Cornhuskers (11-2-3, 5-1-2) scored once in each half, getting goals from Sarah Weber and Florence Belzile.
* Two Gophers, Ben Warian and Bennett Swavely, had career bests in the morning round of the Quail Valley Invitational in Vero Beach, Fla. Warian shot a 64 and is tied for third after two rounds; Swavely had a 67 and is tied for 10th. The Gophers are tied for eighth in the team competition.
* The Gophers’ women’s tennis doubles team of Sofia Pinto and Mia Liepert lost 8-5 to top seeds Dana Guzman and Alina Shcherbinina of Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the ITA Central Region Championships in Lawrence, Kan.