Staff
Sam Ekstrom
Sam Ekstrom is an executive producer and host at Locked On Sports Minnesota. He's previously covered the Vikings for 105 The Ticket, Zone Coverage, Purple Insider, and the Associated Press. He grew up in Vermillion, S.D. rooting for the USD Coyotes (not SDSU) and graduated from Dordt (not "dork") University in Sioux Center, Iowa.
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Tourney Superlatives: The Best of the Boys State Hockey Tournament
By Sam Ekstrom - Mar 9, 2020
The Boys State Hockey Tournament came to a conclusion Saturday, ending one of the most delightfully unpredictable boys tournaments in some time. Both winners came out of […]
Are We Watching Daniel Oturu’s Final Games with the Gophers?
By Sam Ekstrom - Mar 8, 2020
The Gophers regular season came to a close Sunday with a 107-75 win against last-place Nebraska as they set the school’s 3-point record with 18 makes in […]
Major Takeaways From the Class AA Quarterfinals
By Sam Ekstrom - Mar 6, 2020
It didn’t seem incredibly daring when I selected top-seeded Andover as the tournament’s team to beat. Considering that the Huskies’ offense had only been held to two […]
Picking the Boys State Hockey Tournament Champion + Five Intriguing Storylines
By Sam Ekstrom - Mar 5, 2020
Thursday morning the state’s larger schools will kick off the Class AA Boys State Hockey Tournament with the quarterfinals at Xcel Energy Center. Zone Coverage staff writer […]
Gophers’ Plunge Continues With Another Late Lead Lost at Wisconsin
By Sam Ekstrom - Mar 1, 2020
MADISON, Wis. — The script was different, but the result was the same. The Golden Gophers lost another second-half lead and another one-possession game. There was less […]
Vikings
What Did We Learn From the Minnesota Vikings at the Combine?
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 28, 2020
The media access at the NFL Scouting Combine provides teams with an opportunity to send messages. Whether they choose to play it straight or drop red herrings […]
Gophers Squander 17-Point Lead in Gut-Wrenching Loss to No. 9 Maryland
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 26, 2020
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are running out of time and running out of answers. Wednesday night’s game against the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins had the makings of […]
Gophers Season Crumbling After Third Straight Loss
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 20, 2020
Richard Pitino has said repeatedly this season that he doesn’t want to use his team’s turned-over roster as an excuse when the group fails. But it’s hard […]
Worst Loss of the Year? Gophers Blow Late Lead vs. Iowa to Dim Tournament Hopes
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 16, 2020
Payton Willis’ 3-pointer in transition ignited a sellout crowd and catapulted the Minnesota Golden Gophers to an eight-point lead with just over five minutes to go against […]
NOTEBOOK: Oturu vs. Garza; the Iowa Eye-Opener; Seven Games Left
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 14, 2020
A pair of Big Ten Player of the Year candidates will be battling in the post Sunday at Williams Arena when Iowa junior Luka Garza and Gophers […]
Vikings
Vikings New-Look Defensive Structure Introduces Fresh Faces Yet Maintains Continuity
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 13, 2020
The week following the Minnesota Vikings’ elimination from the NFL playoffs was a time of contemplation. Mike Zimmer delayed the organization’s customary end-of-year evaluations to give his […]
Vikings
Minnesota Vikings Pressing Offseason Questions, Part 6: Defensive Backs
By Sam Ekstrom - Feb 10, 2020
Over the past couple weeks, Sam Ekstrom has dug into some of the biggest Vikings offseason talkers at each position. PART 1, QUARTERBACKS PART 2, RUNNING BACKS […]