>>Wild Whip Washington
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 25 saves as the Wild shutout the Capitals 5-0 last night in St. Paul. Vladimir Tarasenko put up three points including a pair of goals, while Kirill Kaprizov, DanillaYurov and Matt Boldy also scored for a Wild team that’s won five straight games. Gustavsson’s shutout was his third of the season and 14th of his career as Minnesota as a team leads the N-H-L with seven shutouts on the season. The Wild not only sweep the four game homestand but improve to 11-0-2 at Grand Casino Arena since November 1st. They’re in Columbus tomorrow night for a one game road trip. The puck drops tomorrow at 6 P-M.
>>World Junior Pre-Tourney Games Get Underway
(Mankato, MN) — The first of several World Junior pre-tournament exhibition games across the state was held last night in Mankato. The Minnesota State-Mankato men’s team took on Switzerland in a game that ended in a 1-1 tie with the Swiss winning a shootout. The second exhibition game to be played in Mankato comes next Tuesday when Denmark takes on Canada. Rochester will host two games beginning on Sunday, while Bemidji hosts three games starting on Friday. Duluth is also hosting three pre-tourney, including two to be played by Team U-S-A. The World Junior World Championship event gets underway in the Twin Cities on Friday, December 26th. Here is the World Junior pre-tournament exhibition schedule:
In Duluth (AMSOIL Arena):
Friday, December 19th: Finland vs. Germany, 7 P-M
Sunday, December 21st: United States vs. Germany, 4 P-M
Tuesday, December 23rd: United States vs. Finland, 6 P-M
In Bemidji (Sanford Center):
Friday, December 19th: Czechia vs. Latvia, 7 P-M
Sunday, December 21st: Latvia vs. Slovakia, 7 P-M
Monday, December 22nd: Slovakia vs. Czechia, 7 P-M
In Mankato (Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center):
Tuesday, December 16th: Switzerland 2, Minnesota State-Mankato 1 (final-shootout)
Tuesday, December 23rd: Canada vs. Denmark, 7 P-M
In Rochester (Rochester Recreation Center):
Sunday, December 21st: Denmark vs. Switzerland, 7 P-M
Tuesday, December 23rd: Switzerland vs. Sweden, 7 P-M
>>Report: Twins Close To Announcing New Minority Owners
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Twins will be officially adding some new minority owners soon. The Athletic is reporting that three limited partner groups have purchased a combined 20-percent stake in the franchise at a 1.75-billion dollar valuation. A later report added that Wild owner Craig Leipold is one of the three partners. The new owners will reportedly allow the Pohlad family to remain in control of the team while also paying down a 500-million dollar debt. The official announcement of the sale is expected to be made later this week. Meanwhile, spring training tickets are on sale now.
>>Timberwolves Hosting Grizz Tonight
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Minnesota Timberwolves go for their third win in a row when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Target Center tonight. The Wolves are coming off a 117-103 win over the Sacramento Kings at home on Sunday. Minnesota is in sixth place in the Western Conference at 17-9. The Grizzlies have won three of their last four games to improve to 12-14 this season. Tonight’s game tips off at 7 P-M.
>>N-B-A: Knicks Defeat Spurs In N-B-A Cup Championship
(Las Vegas, NV) — The New York Knicks are N-B-A Cup champions. New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 in the N-B-A Cup Championship in Las Vegas. The Knicks outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth quarter after entering the frame trailing by five. O-G Anunoby scored a team-high 28 points and tournament M-V-P Jalen Brunson finished with 25 to help New York claim the title. Dylan Harper came off the bench to pace San Antonio with 21 points in the losing effort. Each Knicks player with a standard contract made over 530-thousand-dollars for the team winning the N-B-A Cup.
>>Vikings Back To Work Today
(Eagan, MN) — The Minnesota Vikings were off yesterday and will return to the practice field at team headquarters in Eagan today. The 6-8 Vikings are gearing up for Sunday’s game at the New York Giants, which kicks off at noon. Minnesota has won two straight contests, including last Sunday night’s 34-26 victory at Dallas. The Vikings signed offensive tackle Caleb Etienne (EE-tee-en) to the practice squad. Etienne played college football at B-Y-U and at Oklahoma State. The Giants made a series of roster moves yesterday. New York claimed linebacker Caleb Murphy off waivers from the Patriots, waived kicker Younghoe Koo, and designated guard Evan Neal to return to practice. New York also signed defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse to the practice squad.
>>Snoop Dogg To Perform Halftime Show At N-F-L Christmas Day Game
(Minneapolis, MN) — Snoop Dogg will be this year’s halftime performer for Netflix’s Christmas Day N-F-L games. The iconic rapper will take the stage at halftime of the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions at U-S Bank Stadium. He’s promising some special guests to take part in Snoop’s Holiday Halftime Party.
>>N-F-C North: Packers To Battle Bears
(Chicago, IL) — The Green Bay Packers will be back on the road this weekend. Green Bay will face the N-F-C North rival Bears Saturday at Soldier Field. The Packers beat Chicago 28-21 at home on December 7th. The teams are once again fighting for the top spot in the division, as the Bears enter at 10-4, while Green Bay sits with a 9-3-and-1 record.
>>N-F-C North: Lions Prep For Steelers
(Allen Park, MI) — The Detroit Lions are back to work preparing for Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh will visit Ford Field on Sunday for the Lions’ final home game of the regular season. The Lions sit at 8-6 after their loss to the Rams this past weekend.
>>United Trade For Peter Stroud
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota United are bolstering their roster. The club traded for New York Red Bulls Midfielder Peter Stroud yesterday. The Loons sent 475-thousand dollars back to New York to complete the deal. Stroud appeared in 27 matches with the Red Bulls last season. He had three assists and zero goals.
>>Gopher Gymnasts Tabbed Fourth In Big Ten
(Chicago, IL) — The 15th-ranked Golden Gopher women’s gymnastics team has been tabbed fourth in the Big Ten in a preseason poll of league coaches. U-C-L-A was picked first, followed by Michigan State and Michigan. Gopher senior Gianna Gerdes of Delaware, Ohio and junior Jordyn Lyden of Stillwater were named to the Big Ten Preseason Watch List. The Gophers host an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday at Maturi Pavilion at 11 A-M before opening the regular season against fourth-ranked Utah in Salt Lake City on January 2nd.
>>College Athletes Honored
(Undated) — Concordia-Moorhead sophomore Brayden Carlson of East Grand Forks is the MIAC (MY-ack) Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while St. Scholastica senior Trent Beseth of Stanchfield is the MIAC Men’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week. St. Scholastica junior Regan Niemi of Bemidji is the MIAC Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week, while Concordia-Moorhead junior Abby Lovelace of Fargo is the MIAC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week. Sioux Falls junior Jonny Cheney of Pierz is the N-S-I-C Men’s Field Athlete of the Week.
>>Report: Sabrina Ionescu’s L-A Home Burglarized
(Los Angeles, CA) — Another professional athlete has been the victim of a break-in. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s home in L-A was burglarized on Monday. Police responded to the home after a security alarm was set off. Authorities said several handbags worth more than 60-thousand-dollars were stolen from the residence. No arrests were made, and an investigation is ongoing.
