>>Frost Trounce Toronto
(Toronto) — The two-time defending P-W-H-L champion Minnesota Frost skated past the Toronto Sceptres last night in Canada 5-1. Kendall Coyne Schofield netted a pair of goals and an assist for Minnesota, while Taylor Heise (HY-zee) had three assists. Nicole Hensley was the winning goaltender with 31 saves. Toronto scored first before Minnesota tallied the next five goals. The win pushes the Frost past Toronto for second-place in the league standings with 15 points. Boston sits atop the stack with 19 points. Minnesota visits Ottawa on Saturday for a noon game.
>>Wild Continue West Coast Road Trip Today
(San Jose, CA) — The Minnesota Wild continue their seven game road trip with a New Years Eve matinee against the Sharks in San Jose. So far, the Wild are 2-0 to begin the trip with an overtime win in Winnipeg followed by a 5-2 blowout win in Las Vegas on Monday. That’s four straight road wins for the Wild as they’ve now won nine of their last 11 on the road. Against the Sharks however, the Wild haven’t had a ton of luck this season as they’ve dropped the first two in the season series, both in overtime. Macklin Celebrini scored the winner on October 26th in a 6-5 O-T win for the Sharks in St. Paul and then they took the rematch, 2-1 in O-T on November 11th. Collin Graf scored that one, also at Grand Casino Arena. The series finale will be at S-A-P Center in San Jose with a 3 P-M puck drop.
>>Team U-S-A Plays Today
(St. Paul, MN) — Team U-S-A will play its final preliminary round game of the World Juniors tonight in St. Paul when they skate against Sweden. Both teams are 3-0 so far in Group A competition, meaning tonight’s winner will earn the top seed from the pod heading into this weekend’s quarterfinal round. The U-S is coming off of Monday’s 6-5 win over Slovakia, while Sweden beat Germany 8-1. Gopher head coach Bob Motzko is leading Team U-S-A and says tonight should be a great atmosphere. Golden Gopher forward Brodie Ziemer (ZEEM-er) of Chaska is the team captain, while Minnesota forward L-J Mooney is also on the club. Minnesota-Duluth is represented by forward Max Plante of Hermantown and defenseman Adam Kleber of Chaska. The U-S roster also includes Wisconsin defenseman Logan Hensler of Woodbury, Denver forward Brendan McMorrow of Lakeville, North Dakota forward Will Zellers of Maple Grove, and future North Dakota goaltender Caleb Heil of Victoria.The puck is set to drop tonight at 5 P-M at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Here is the Team U-S-A schedule, with results to date:
Friday, December 26th: United States 6, Germany 3 (final)
Saturday, December 27th: United States 2, Switzerland 1 (final)
Monday, December 29th: United State 6, Slovakia 5 (final)
Wednesday, December 31st: vs. Sweden, 5 P-M (in St. Paul)
Friday, January 2nd: Quarterfinals, opponent TBD, 5 P-M (in St. Paul)
>>World Juniors Schedule/Results
(Undated) — Here are results from last night’s World Juniors preliminary round, with Wednesday’s slate of preliminary round games scheduled in the Twin Cities:
Tuesday results:
Switzerland 4, Germany 0 (final)
Latvia 6, Denmark 3 (final)
Wednesday slate:
Switzerland vs. Slovakia, noon (Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul)
Czechia vs. Latvia, 2:30 P-M (3-M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis)
United States vs. Sweden, 5 P-M (Grand Casino Arena, St. Paul)
Canada vs. Finland, 7:30 P-M (3-M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis)
>>Wolves Have New Year’s Eve Matinee
(Atlanta, GA) — The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to get on a winning streak when they visit the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena this afternoon. The Wolves are coming off a 136-101 rout over the Chicago Bulls on the road on Monday. Minnesota is in sixth place in the N-B-A Western Conference with a 21-12 record. Atlanta is riding a seven-game losing streak, sitting at 15-19. Wolves star Anthony Edwards is from Atlanta. Today’s game tips off at 2 P-M.
>>N-B-A: Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic To Miss At Least Four Weeks With Knee Injury
(Undated) — The Denver Nuggets will be without their superstar center for at least the next month. Denver big man Nikola Jokic (YO-kitch) has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. He also reportedly is dealing with a bone bruise in the knee. The three-time M-V-P was injured late in the first half of the team’s loss to the Miami Heat on Monday. Jokic’s knee buckled a bit after teammate Spencer Jones stepped on his left foot during a defensive play. The 30-year-old is averaging 29.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 11 assists through 31 games played this season.
>>Vikings Gearing Up For Packers
(Eagan, MN) — The Minnesota Vikings will be back to the practice field at team headquarters in Eagan today, gearing up for the season finale this weekend against the rival Green Bay Packers. The 8-8 Vikings have won four straight games, including last week’s 23-10 home win over Detroit. The 9-6-and-1 Packers have dropped three straight contests. Green Bay won the earlier meeting this season in Wisconsin 23-6. There is uncertainty for both teams at the quarterback position. Minnesota could start reserve Max Brosmer (BROZE-mer) for a second straight game, as J-J McCarthy continues to recover from a broken hand. The Packers were without starter Jordan Love last week and number-two signal-caller Malik Willis was banged up in the game. Sunday’s game kicks off at noon at U-S Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
>>Kevin Williams Named As Hall Finalist
(Eagan, MN) — A former Minnesota Vikings superstar is getting closer to entering Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kevin Williams was named as one of 15 finalists for the class of 2026 yesterday. Williams has been eligible for Canton for six years, but this is the first time that’s he’s slipped into the top 15. Williams was with Minnesota from 2003 until 2013 and tallied 60 sacks, five interceptions, and four defensive touchdowns during his tenure. He and Pat Williams formed the “Williams Wall,” which anchored Minnesota’s defensive line to provide the top run defense each year between 2006 and 2008. Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald, an all-time great wide receiver from the Arizona Cardinals is also among the finalists. The 2026 Hall of Fame class will be revealed in February.
>>Motion Hearing Held For Patriots Stefon Diggs Amid Assault Accusations
(Dedham, MA) — A judge is weighing whether court records in New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ assault case will be sealed. This follows a motion hearing held Tuesday for Diggs, who is facing charges of strangulation and assault. The alleged victim initially declined to press charges but later filed a complaint, detailing physical assault and attempted choking. Diggs’ attorneys deny all allegations, claiming they stem from a financial dispute with the victim. The arraignment is scheduled for January 23rd. The Patriots and the N-F-L are monitoring the situation. Diggs played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2015-19.
>>N-F-L: Cowboys Release CB Trevon Diggs
(Frisco, TX) — The Dallas Cowboys are moving on from a two-time Pro Bowler with one game remaining in the season. Dallas has released cornerback Trevon Diggs just one game shy of completing his sixth season with the team. The 27-year-old will go through waivers and will become a free agent if he is not claimed. The move is reportedly due to a culmination of events that includes his performance. Diggs signed a five-year, 97-million-dollar contract extension with the franchise in 2023, but has played in just 21 games over the past two seasons because of knee injuries. He has totaled 240 tackles and 20 interceptions in 66 career games played.
>>N-F-C North: Lions To Face Bears
(Chicago, IL) — The Detroit Lions will wrap up their season this weekend with an N-F-C North battle at the Chicago Bears. The Lions beat Chicago 52-21 in their home-opener back in September. Jared Goff threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns in the game. Detroit is 8-8 and has been eliminated from postseason contention. Chicago is in first place in the N-F-C North with an 11-5 record, having already cinched the 2025 division crown.
>>College Football Playoff Quarterfinals Kick Off On NYE
(Undated) — The next stage in the College Football Playoff is here. Number-2 Ohio State squares off against 10th-seeded Miami in the Quarterfinal Round at the Cotton Bowl from Arlington tonight. Three other matchups take place on New Year’s Day. Fourth-ranked Texas Tech battles Number-5 Oregon in the Orange Bowl from Miami, top-seeded Indiana duels ninth-ranked Alabama in the Rose Bowl from Pasadena and Number-3 Georgia clashes with sixth-seeded Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl from New Orleans. The winners will advance to the semifinals in the Fiesta and Peach Bowls. In other college bowl games, Iowa plays Vanderbilt in today’s Reliaquest Bowl in Tampa, Arizona State takes on Duke in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Michigan battles Texas in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, and Nebraska meets Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. Last night, Illinois beat Tennessee 30-28 in the Music City in Nashville, while T-C-U rallied to beat U-S-C in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio 30-27 in overtime. The Big Ten is now 7-1 in bowl games after the U-S-C setback.
