Sports

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday November 18th, 2025.

11/18/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics has the boys hockey team getting ready for their season as they scrimmage against Tartan Senior at Tartan Arena. The girls are off until Thursday when they face Winona at the City Arena.

Naz Reid scored a season-high 22 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the short-handed Dallas Mavericks 120-96 Monday night. Reid scored 10 points in the first quarter and led all scorers with 19 points in the first half. He hit a 3-pointer just before the end of third quarter, capping his 22-point game and sending Minnesota into the fourth quarter with a 32-point lead. Six Timberwolves scored in double figures, including all five starters. Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert scored 15 points apiece and star Anthony Edwards had a relatively quiet night with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting. The Timberwolves are off today before hosting the Washington Wizards tomorrow.

The Minnesota Wild are off today. They will host the Carolina Hurricanes tomorrow night at Grand Casino Arena. Faceoff is set for 8:30.

The Dallas Cowboys don"t have a winning record this season, even after a Monday night blowout of the Las Vegas Raiders, 33-16, but don"t blame Dak Prescott. Like Joe Burrow last season, Prescott is having an MVP-level season but his team"s record will give him almost no shot of winning the award. The Cowboys got four touchdown passes from Prescott and outclassed the Raiders in the road win.

Power 96 Sports for Monday November 17th, 2025.

11/17/2025

Albert Lea Tiger girls hockey are now 3-0 on the season after defeating River Lakes on Saturday. The Tigers came home with a 5-1 win. Haley Austinson celebrated her 100th career point during the game. The girls are off until Thursday when they face Winona at the City Arena. Power 96 will bring you that action on all of our platforms. All Tiger Varsity teams are off today, but the 7th grade girls Basketball Team will host Mankato East, at Southwest Middle School at 4:30 today.

In area football action from the weekend, Waseca stayed undefeated on the year, and punched their ticket to the State Championship defeating Dilworth- Glyndon- Felton 14 to 13 on Saturday. They will face Annandale on Saturday at 1pm at US Bank Stadium.

The Austin Bruins dropped 2 in a row to the Watertown Shamrocks at Riverside Arena over the weekend. Friday night the black and gold fell 4-3. Saturday night the Bruins tried their best to bounce back from a first period 3 goal deficit scoring 2 in the second and notching one more in the 3rd but Watertown refused to give up the lead and took the series with a 4-3 win. This weekend the Bruins are on the road to Minot for a 2 game series against the Minotauros.

Devin Duvernay"s 56 yard kickoff return in the final minute set up Cairo Santos for his 4th field goal of the game, a 48-yarder as time expired that gave the Bears a 19-17 victory on Sunday after the Minnesota Vikings scored the go-ahead touchdown with 50 seconds left. J.J. McCarthy ended another erratic performance with five straight completions that culminated with a 15-yard scoring strike to Jordan Addison. McCarthy threw 2 interceptions in the game. He finished 16 for 32 for 150 yards and a 47.7 passer rating in his fifth career start. The defense kept the Vikings (4-6) in it the whole way, limiting the Bears to seven of 18 third-down conversions, but the final possession started too deep in their territory to prevent a score. Sunday the Vikings will be in Lambo for a border battle against the Packers. POWER 96 will bring you all the action Sunday at 11 am.

With the loss the Vikings are now at the bottom of the NFC North, while the Bears with the win and the Lions loss to the Eagles, now sit on top. The Packers are in second, because of their tie earlier in the year.

Kirill Kaprizov scored on a one-timer from the right side on a power play at 4:50 of overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night. Joel Eriksson Ek and Yakov Trenin also scored and Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves to help Minnesota win for the fourth time in five games. On Saturday night, backup goalie Jesper Wallstedt had his second straight 2-0 victory in a home win over Anaheim. The Wild will next host Carolina Wednesday night.

Power 96 Sports for Friday November 14th, 2025.

11/14/2025

Albert Lea Tiger girls hockey are now 2-0 on the season after soundly defeating Rochester Mayo last night at the City Arena. The Lady Tigers peppered Mayo with 51 shots in route to a 6 to nothing shutout win. They Ladies will be back in action on Saturday when they take on Rocori up at the Paynsville Arena. Boys hockey will hold a scrimmage on Saturday against Rochester Mayo as they prepare for the start of their season.

The Austin Bruins in action tonight and tomorrow night as they host the Watertown Shamrocks at Riverside Arena. Faceoff both nights is set for 7:05.

Byron Buxton, the Minnesota Twin"s star outfielder has bonuses in his contract for his finish in MVP voting. On Thursday, the American League announced Aaron Judge as MVP, Cal Raleigh as runner-up and then shared how everyone below them in the voting finished.

Buxton was 11th place. The contract bonuses for Buxton only go through 10th place. If he had finished one spot higher, Buxton would've earned $3 million.

Thursday night football saw the New England Patriots fend off the New York Jets 27-14. With the win, the Patriots improve to 9-2 on the season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action tonight as they host the Sacramento Kings at the Target Center. Tipoff is set for 7 pm.

The Minnesota Wild have been enjoying a few days off to try to right the ship before their schedule picks up. The Wild will get back to work Saturday night when they take on the Anaheim Ducks at 5 pm at the Grand Casino Arena. The 7-7 Wild are hoping the return of Mats Zuccarello. Zuccarello missed the first 15 games after having surgery to repair a lower body injury.

The Vikings will face division rival Chicago Bears Sunday. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday at 11 am. Paul Allen will call all the action at Noon.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday November 13th, 2025.

11/13/2025

Albert Lea Tiger girls hockey will be back in action tonight hosting Rochester Mayo at the City Arena. POWER 96 will bring you that game live starting at 6:45 as the Tigers Albert lea look to go 2-0 on the season. Tiger football standout Sam McGill was selected to play in the Minnesota Vikings High School All Star Game for Team South. That game will take place at US Bank Stadium December 13th at 1 pm. Tickets are available through Ticket Master and the Minnesota Vikings website.

The Minnesota Vikings designated center Ryan Kelly for return from injured reserve by opening his practice window on Wednesday, a significant step forward in their careful approach to the 10th-year veteran"s concussion history. The Vikings have three weeks to evaluate Kelly before they must decide whether to activate him or shut him down for the remainder of the season. Coach Kevin O"Connell, who made the cautious decision to place Kelly on injured reserve five games ago, said he handled his recent workouts well enough to justify the next step in the recovery process. Kelly will wear a Guardian cap, the soft-shelled helmet pad that some players choose for extra protection. Outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard, who left the last game with a shoulder injury, did not practice on Wednesday. O"Connell said he believes Greenard, who has not missed a game in two seasons with Minnesota, has a chance to play on Sunday. The Vikings will face division rival Chicago Bears Sunday. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday at 11 am. Paul Allen will call all the action at Noon.

Mark Mitchell scored 18 points to lead five in double-figure scoring, and Missouri pulled away midway through the second half and beat Minnesota 83-60 on Wednesday night. Cade Tyson scored 17 points and Isaac Asuma added 13 points for the Golden Gophers. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson grabbed 12 rebounds.

Both the Wild and the Timberwolves are off today.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday November 12th, 2025.

11/12/2025

Albert Lea Tiger girls hockey had a bit of nail biting everything last night before the Tigers scored short handed with seconds left to play avoiding overtime and winning 6-5 over Luverne. The lady Tigers will be back in action Thursday hosting Rochester Mayo at the City Arena. POWER 96 will bring you that game live starting at 6:45.

Collin Graf scored 2:41 into overtime and the surging San Jose Sharks came back to beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night. Matt Boldy had a second-period, power-play goal for Minnesota, which had won two in a row and four of five since losing five straight to end October. Filip Gustavsson stopped 16 shots. Boldy"s ninth goal of the season was a one-timer off a cross ice pass from Mats Zuccarello, who has two assists in three games after missing the season"s first 15 contests with a lower-body injury. For Boldy, it was his fourth goal in four games. He"s scored five times on the power play as Minnesota continues to excel with the man advantage. The Wild are off until Saturday when they host the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

The University of Minnesota women"s basketball (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defeated the Marquette Golden Eagles 90-47 at Williams Arena last night. The Gophers had four players score in double figures, led by Grace Grocholski, who had 19 points and eight rebounds. Tori McKinney tacked on 16 points and two steals and Sophie Hart chipped in as well with 14 points and two steals. Mara Braun"s seven assists were the most for the Gophers. Amaya Battle also contributed with seven assists of her own. Battle is now two assists away from a career 500 assists. Minnesota did an excellent job taking care of the basketball, dishing out 24 assists while turning the ball over eight times.

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of a tough loss in Week 10, but they"re being favored by the oddsmakers to bounce back this week and complete a season sweep of a division rival. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, the Vikings are a 2.5-point favorite over the Chicago Bears when the two teams meet this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. The over/under for this one currently sits at 45.5 points.

Following their 27-19 loss to the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday, the Vikings currently have a record of 4-5, putting them in last place in the NFC North and making them the only team in the division with a losing record.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday November 11th, 2025.

11/11/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics kicks off its winter season tonight when POWER 96 brings you Tiger girls hockey as they take on Luverne at 7 pm at the City Arena Sports Director Dave Nelson and his winter elves will bring you all that action at 6:45.

The Minnesota Wild will host the San Jose Sharks tonight. The San Jose Sharks will attempt to keep a three-game win streak alive. Marcus Johansson has six goals and nine assists for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov has five goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.

Anthony Edwards had 35 points and six assists as the Timberwolves beat the Jazz 120-113 on Monday night for Minnesota"s second win over Utah in four days. Minnesota, which beat Utah 137-97 on Friday and topped Sacramento 144-117 on Sunday, has won three straight games and five of its last six. Edwards posted his ninth straight game of 30 or more points, marking the longest stretch of 30-point games against the Jazz for any NBA player. Julius Randle added 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Minnesota. Rudy Gobert chipped in 14 points and 12 boards. The Timberwolves have earned themselves a nice break and will next host Sacramento on Friday.

On a Monday night when the Eagles' offense did very little, the defense made sure it didn"t matter. Philadelphia had its best defensive effort of the season at Green Bay and left Lambo with a 10-7 win. The Packers didn"t score for the first 54 minutes of the game and now find themselves in 3rd in the NFC North behind Detroit and Chicago. The Vikings hold the last spot and will face the Bears on Sunday.

Power 96 Sports for Friday November 7th, 2025.

11/07/2025

Nikolaj Ehlers scored 46 seconds into the second period and goalie Frederik Andersen overcame a poor start to stop the final 18 shots he faced as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Thursday night. Matt Boldy, playing in his 300th NHL game, scored two goals and Brock Faber had one for the Wild, who had won two in a row. Filip Gustavsson, who recorded a shutout last season in Raleigh, made 23 saves. The teams combined for seven goals on 12 shots through the first minute of the second period. There were three goals in a 52-second stretch in the first period and then each team scored in the first 46 seconds of the second. The Wild move on to New York to take on the Islanders tonight.

The Minnesota Timberwolves play the Utah Jazz in an NBA Cup in-season tournament group play matchup. Minnesota went 49-33 overall and 11-5 in Northwest Division play a season ago. The Timberwolves allowed opponents to score 109.3 points per game and shoot 46.0% from the field last season. Utah went 17-65 overall and 3-13 in Northwest Division play during the 2024-25 season. The Jazz gave up 121.2 points per game while committing 18.9 fouls last season.

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off their biggest win of the week after defeating the Detroit Lions. It was also the week in which they were the healthiest compared to past weeks. The Thursday practice report for the Vikings is a welcome sight, as it seems for the second week in a row, the team may be in good shape healthwise. Did Not Practice

S Theo Jackson (concussion)

RB Aaron Jones (shoulder, toe

CB Jeff Okudah (concussion)

TE Josh Oliver (foot)

S Harrison Smith (rest)

POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday at 11 am, Paul Allen will call the action between the Vikes and the Ravens at Noon.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday November 6th, 2025.

11/06/2025

OG Anunoby scored 25 points, Jalen Brunson had 23 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and the New York Knicks spoiled Anthony Edwards" return to the Minnesota Timberwolves" lineup with a 137-114 victory on Wednesday night. Edwards scored 15 points in 29 minutes after missing four games with a strained right hamstring, and the Wolves were outscored by 25 points when he was in the game. There wasn"t much the All-Star guard could have done to keep the game competitive. The Knicks outworked the Timberwolves, turning 21 offensive rebounds into 31 second-chance points, and outscored them 83-56 after trailing by four at halftime. Julius Randle scored 32 points and Donte DiVincenzo had 21 in the arena that was their home before they were sent to Minnesota before last season in the deal that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Towns finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. After an off day today, the T-Wolves will host Utah on Friday.

The Minnesota Wild are in action tonight in Carolina to take on the Hurricanes at 6 pm.

The Twins" 2026 spring schedule, their first under new manager Derek Shelton, features 33 total games, including three home exhibitions and 30 Grapefruit League contests, 15 at home. Minnesota's home opener will be on Friday, Feb. 20 against the Univeristy of Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Twins will host the Red Sox for their Grapefruit League opener on Saturday, Feb. 21, the first of four meetings with Boston for the Fort Myers "Chairman's Cup."

The Twins will host Puerto Rico"s 2026 World Baseball Classic squad on Wednesday, March 4. Top prospects from the Twins" farm system, currently ranked No. 2 in baseball according to MLB.com, will face the Philadelphia Phillies" best on Thursday, March 19 for MLB"s Spring Breakout.

Thursday night football tonight has the Denver Broncos hosting the Las Vegas Raiders.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday November 5th, 2025.

11/05/2025

Marcus Johansson scored at 3:38 of overtime with the goal off its moorings and the Minnesota Wild overcame a last-second tying goal to beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Tuesday night. The Predators goalie knocked the goal out of place as he backed up on a rush. Johansson"s first shot hit the moving net and he got the puck back and slid it across the line. After a review, the goal was ruled good, infuriating the Nashville players and coaches. Minnesota closed a six-game homestand with consecutive victories after dropping the first four. Kirill Kaprizov and Zeev Buium scored power-play goals for the Wild, and Gustavsson made 32 saves. The Wild are off tonight before hitting the road toface Carolina Thursday.

The 15th manager in Minnesota Twins franchise history met the media on Tuesday at Target Field. Derek Shelton, 55, returns to the Twins, where he was the club"s bench coach in 2018 and 2019, after leading the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020-25. He"s the first manager the Twins have hired to have prior MLB managing experience since Gene Mauch in 1976. Shelton takes over for Rocco Baldelli, who was fired at the end of this past season, despite posting a 527-505 record with three AL Central titles in his seven years leading the team.

The Timberwolves are in action tonight in New York taking on the Knicks at 6:30

The 2025 NFL trade deadline has officially come and gone. And while the 4-4 Minnesota Vikings came in with areas of clear need, like cornerback, safety and quarterback, the final buzzer sounded Tuesday afternoon without a peep out of the TCO Performance Center offices in Eagan, deciding to roll forward the rest of the season, largely with pieces they already have on roster. Tonight we get to hear from KOC as POWER 96 bring you X"s and O"s the Vikings Coaches Show tonight at 6:30.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday November 4th, 2025.

11/04/2025

Julius Randle had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in his 15th career triple-double, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the winless Brooklyn Nets 125-109 on Monday night.

Donte DiVincenzo scored 25 points, Jaden McDaniels finished with 22 and Rudy Gobert added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who won their two straight.

Randle had his first triple-double with the Wolves. The T-Wolves will stay in New York today before taking on the Knicks Wednesday night.

Newcomers Cade Tyson scored 30 points and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had a double-double, giving U of M"s new coach Niko Medved a victory in his Minnesota debut, 87-60 over Gardner-Webb.

The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football 27-17.

The Nashville Predators will try to stop a four-game road slide when they face the Minnesota Wild.

Minnesota has gone 4-6-3 overall with a 1-2-1 record in Central Division games. The Wild have a -13 scoring differential, with 36 total goals scored and 49 conceded. The matchup tonight at 7 is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.

Kirill Kaprizov has scored seven goals with nine assists for the Wild. Marco Rossi has two goals and six assists over the past 10 games.

Filip Forsberg has six goals and five assists for the Predators. Ryan O'Reilly has scored three goals and added four assists over the last 10 games.

The NFL Trade deadline is TODAY. The lead-up to the 3 p.m. cutoff has featured a handful of more minor deals, with several notable starters and depth pieces being sent to new destinations. But there's yet to be a true blockbuster. Should that happen today, Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you the latest.

Power 96 Sports for Monday November 3rd, 2025.

11/03/2025

The Austin Bruins split their weekend road series against the Watertown Shamrocks dropping Friday nights contest in overtime 2-1. Saturday night, the Bruins extracted their revenge, downing Watertown 5-2. This weekend the Bruins will host the Aberdeen Wings Friday and Saturday night.

J.J. McCarthy threw two touchdown passes, ran for a score and sealed the victory by throwing a 16-yard pass to Jalen Nailor on third-and-5 from the Minnesota 28, a play that allowed the Vikings to run out the clock and defeat the Detroit Lions 27-24. The Vikings (4-4) suddenly have some more hope for this season after losing two straight and three of four, bouncing back behind their second-year quarterback after a high-ankle sprain that stunted his season. RB Aaron Jones sufferd a shoulder injury after gaining 78 yards on nine carries and 20 yards on two catches. FB C.J. Ham (hand) and CB Jeff Okudah (concussion) were inactive and OLB Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) returned from injury. The Vikings will host the Ravens on Sunday.

Marco Rossi scored the go-ahead goal in the second period and Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists, helping the Minnesota Wild stop a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Vinnie Hinostroza and Jonas Brodin padded the lead with goals in the third period, and Ryan Hartman added an empty-netter for the Wild, who notched their first regulation win in seven games on home ice this season. Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists and Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for the Wild. The Predators will visit Minnesota on Tuesday as the Wild finish their six-game homestand.

Julius Randle scored 30 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Charlotte Hornets 122-105 on Saturday night, their first victory since All-Star Anthony Edwards was sidelined with an injury.

Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid added 18 points each, Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 14 points for Minnesota. The T-Wolves will be in action tonight when they take on Brooklyn.

After spending three years with the Twins, MLB catcher Christian Vázquez is now a free agent. Vázquez"s departure was expected, as his contract was scheduled to expire at the conclusion of the 2025 season. Signing a three-year contract with the Twins for $30 million at the end of the 2022 MLB season, Vázquez played behind the Twins" home plate for three seasons. Vázquez will now join the other 136 MLB players who also became free agents Sunday, searching for a new contract.

Power 96 Sports for Friday October 31st, 2025.

10/31/2025

The Austin Bruins are on the road this weekend taking on the Watertown Shamrocks tonight and tomorrow.

Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist, Tristan Jarry made 26 saves and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Minnesota 4-1 on Thursday night to hand the Wild their fifth straight loss. Kirill Kaprizov had the lone goal for Minnesota, which has lost eight of nine, including four straight to start a six-game homestand. Filip Gustavsson made 30 saves. The Wild, after an off day today, will host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

The Minnesota men"s hockey team dropped its Big Ten Conference opener Thursday night, falling 5-2 to No. 14 Wisconsin at Kohl Center.

The Golden Gophers (2-6-1 overall, 0-1-0 Big Ten) couldn"t overcome a pair of power-play goals by the Badgers (5-0-2, 1-0-0) before an empty-net tally sealed the loss. The defeat snapped a six-game unbeaten streak against their border rival.

The World Series has shifted to Toronto as the Blue Jays host the LA Dodgers in a must win game 6 for LA. The Blue Jays lead the series 3 games to 2 and could wrap up the series with a win tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm.

As Lamar Jackson knocked the rust off he was still the biggest difference-maker in Thursday night"s game. Jackson threw four touchdown passes and the Ravens continued their long climb out of a 1-5 hole with an easy 28-6 win over the Miami Dolphins.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are off today, they will take on the Hornets in Charlotte on Saturday night. Tipoff is set for 6 pm.

The Vikings: They face the Motor City Kittys on Sunday. POWER 96 will bring you all things Vikings starting at 11 am With Vikings Football Sunday. Paul Allen will call the action from Ford Field starting at Noon.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday October 29th, 2025.

10/29/2025

In Section 1A Volleyball action, Alden-Conger moves on after defeating Grand Meadow 3 sets to none, winning 25-14, 25-21, 25-19.

Kyle Connor"s wrist shot 46 seconds into overtime gave the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night, their ninth straight win against their Central Division rival. Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber scored in the second period and Marcus Johansson got the go-ahead goal on a power play early in the third for the Wild, who outshot the Jets 38-22. Johansson was credited with his fourth goal in the last three games when Faber"s shot bounced around the goal mouth and glanced off Jets defenseman Luke Schenn"s knee. Kaprizov, who posted his first even-strength goal out of a team-high six this season, passed Zach Parise for fourth place on the franchise"s list for career points (401). Minnesota next hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in action tonight hosting the LA Lakers at the Target Center. Tipoff is set for 8:30.

As they prepare for their Week 9 meeting on Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions are heading in opposite directions, and that is reflected in the early betting odds for this one.

The Vikings are an 8.5-point underdog heading into this weekend"s matchup at Ford Field, with the over/under currently sitting at 48.5 points. POWER 96 will bring you that game live Sunday morning starting at 11 am with Vikings Football Sunday. Paul Allen will bring you the call at Noon.

Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Shane Bieber pitched 4-hit ball into the sixth, and Toronto got back on track with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers last night in game 4 of the World Series. That series is now tied up at 2 games a piece. Game 5 takes place tonight at 7.

The WNBA and the Women"s National Basketball Players Association may have more time to work out a deal after all. The league offered players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The news of the extension offer came just hours after the WNBPA"s senior advisor and legal counsel, Erin Drake, told The Athletic that it is extremely unlikely a new collective bargaining agreement will be reached by Friday"s deadline.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday October 28th, 2025.

10/28/2025

Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 43 points in the third quarter as the Denver Nuggets beat the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves 127-114 last night. The Timberwolves played without star guard Anthony Edwards, who will miss at least a week with a strained right hamstring after he was injured in Sunday"s game against Indiana. Reserve guard Jaylen Clark also missed the game with left calf tightness. Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota with 25 points, while Julius Randle scored 24 and Naz Reid had 18. The Timberwolves are off today and will be back in action on Wednesday when they take on the Lakers at the Target Center.

Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo season-ending surgery on his left shoulder. The Vikings officially placed him on injured reserve Monday afternoon and claimed TE Ben Sims off waivers from the Packers. He spent the 2023 preseason with the Vikings. With TE Josh Oliver (foot) expected to miss some time, Sims can help fill some of that void. In a span of five days, Wentz lost against his original team and fell at what was his home stadium during the 2023 season. The Vikings lost 28-22 to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday, then never were competitive Thursday in the venue Wentz called home when he was a backup for the Los Angeles Rams. It was clear from the TV broadcast how much pain Wentz was in, taking hit after hit in the loss vs. the Chargers. Wentz first suffered the injury in the first half of Minnesota"s Week 5 game against Cleveland in London. JJ McCarthy is expected to start once again when the Vikings return to action Sunday at Detroit.

It took 18 innings, 19 pitchers, 613 total pitches in a game that went 6 hours and 39 minutes before the Dodgers Freddie Freeman"s walk-off home run on the 613 pitch that propelled the Dodgers to a 6-5 game 3 win over the Toronto Blue Jay"s. The Dodgers now lead that series 2 games to 1 with game 4 for taking place tonight in LA.

Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Washington Commanders 28-7 last night. Following two first-half interceptions, Mahomes found his rhythm after halftime to inspire the Chiefs to win their third consecutive game. Tight end Travis Kelce ended the night with six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Power 96 Sports for Monday October 27th, 2025.

10/27/2025

Albert Lea Tiger sports saw the Tiger football season come to an end after a fantastic season. The Tigers were eliminated by Luverne 13-0 Saturday afternoon. Tiger teams are idle today.

In other area action, AC/GE football fell to Hills-Beaver Creek - 56-8

The Austin Bruins were on a bye weekend. The Bruins will be back in action Friday and Saturday night when they hit the road to take on the Watertown Shamrocks.

Julius Randle had 20 of his 31 points in the first half and Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 19 rebounds, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves hold on after an early exit by star Anthony Edwards to beat the depleted Indiana Pacers 114-110 on Sunday night.

Edwards was pulled with hamstring tightness, but Donte DiVincenzo (17 points) held together the backcourt and Naz Reid (16 points, 10 rebounds) pitched in, too. The T Wolves will host Denver tonight

Macklin Celebrini scored an unassisted goal at 3:47 of overtime to give the San Jose Sharks a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Joel Eriksson Ek scored with 2:18 left in regulation to cap a three-goal third period for Minnesota. Kirill Kaprizov had his third assist of the game on the goal, giving him 400 career points. Marcus Johansson, Marco Rossi and Ryan Hartman also scored for Minnesota, 1-4-2 in its past seven games. Jesper Wallstedt had 19 saves.

The 12th-ranked Minnesota men"s hockey team fell behind by two goals early in the second period and could not overcome the deficit in a 4-1 loss to No. 18/19 Minnesota Duluth inside 3M Arena at Mariucci Saturday night.

Mark Gronowski ran for a touchdown and threw for another as Iowa defeated Minnesota 41-3 on Saturday. It was the third consecutive win for the Hawkeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten), who became bowl eligible with the win.

Power 96 Sports for Friday October 24th, 2025.

10/24/2025

Albert Lea Tiger sports today has girls swim and dive in Northfield to participate in their Big 9 Conference meet. Tiger football playoff action continues Saturday at 2 pm when the Tigers host Luverne at the Gus. POWER 96 will bring you all that action live starting at 1:45. Dave Nelson B Ball and Cauldy will bring you the call at 2.

In other area action, Section 1A Volleyball saw Alden-Conger knock our LeRoy Ostrander 3 sets to none, winning 25-17, 25-23, 25-15

The Austin Bruins are on a bye weekend this week. The Bruins will be back in action next weekend when they hit the road to take on the Watertown Shamrocks.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 37-10 last night, ending a skid of three losses in four games that knocked the Chargers from atop the AFC West. The Vikings (3-4) lost consecutive games for the first time this season, with both coming in a five-day span. They managed just 12 first downs, were 3 of 11 on third down and had the ball for just 21 minutes. Carson Wentz started on short rest in place of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who missed his fifth straight game with an ankle injury. Wentz was 15 of 27 for 144 yards with one touchdown and an interception while getting sacked five times. He played through a left shoulder injury that he aggravated multiple times. Vikings running back Aaron Jones returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out the last four games. He rushed for 15 yards on five carries and had two catches for 15 yards. The Vikings did suffer some losses besides what the scoreboard indicated, CB Jeff Okudah left in the third quarter with a concussion. … LT Christian Darrisaw (knee) ended his night and TE Josh Oliver (foot) all got hurt in the contest. There"s been no word on Carson Wentz. Next up, the Vikings visit Detroit Sunday Nov 2nd.

The Timberwolves take on the Lakers in LA tonight. Tipoff is at 9 pm.

The Minnesota Wild Take on the Mammoths Saturday at 5

And tonight the World Series gets underway at 7 pm when the Blue Jays host the Dodgers for game 1.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday October 23rd, 2025.

10/23/2025

Albert Lea Tiger Volleyball fell to Northfield in their section matchup 3 sets to none. Today is the section meet for both tiger boys and girls cross country. That action gets underway at Bancroft Bay park at 2 pm.

In other area action, Austin volleyball fell to Byron 3 sets to none.

Anthony Edwards had 41 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied late in the fourth quarter for a 118-114 season-opening win over the Portland Trail Blazers last night. Edwards, who set a career high last season with an average of 27.6 points, was questionable for the game because of back spasms, but started. Julius Randle finished with 19 points for the Timberwolves, who went to the Western Conference finals last season. The Wolves are off today before taking on the LA Lakers Friday night.

Nico Daws made 29 saves and the New Jersey Devils beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight victory. Minnesota"s Matt Boldy ruined Daws" shutout bid with his fifth goal midway through the third. The Wild finished a five-game road trip with one win, 3-1 over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday, but now get to enjoy some home cooking as the next 6 games will be at home. Next up for the Wild, a Saturday night showdown with the Utah Mammoth.

A new record may be set tonight in the Vikings Thursday Night Football game. Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson will play the 84th game of his NFL career tonight against the Chargers, and in it he is likely to surpass 8,000 career receiving yards. That would make him the fastest player in NFL history to do so. Former Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones reached 8,000 receiving yards in his 85th career game, which is currently the record for the fastest to reach that milestone. Jefferson has 7,960 receiving yards through 83 career games, so he only needs 40 yards tonight to get to 8,000 faster than Jones did. Jefferson, whose career average is an NFL-record 95.9 yards per game, is rarely held below 40 yards. He's failed to reach that number only 13 times in his career. You can hear it tonight right here on POWER 96. Vikings pre-game starts at 6 and PA will have the call about 7:15.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday October 22nd, 2025.

10/22/2025

Albert Lea Tiger football moves on in section play after defeating Worthington last night 51-0. The Tigers will face Luverne who bested Belle Plaine 21-14. The Tigers will play Saturday at 2 pm at the Gus. Tiger girls soccer was eliminated last night by Providence Academy 14-Nil after allowing 10 goals in the second half. Tiger Volleyball will face Northfield in their section matchup tonight at 7 pm.

In other area football action, AC-GE – 58 GHEC/T – 38, Stewartville rolled over Austin 65-6.

The first game of the season can always create some interesting injury situations that no one saw coming. That includes Anthony Edwards. The Minnesota Timberwolves star popped up on the injury report on Tuesday, ahead of the Wednesday season opener.

Minnesota is in Portland to open the season against the Portland Trailblazers in a game that tips off at 9 p.m. Edwards is officially questionable for Wednesday night's game. He's listed as having back spasms. That's an injury that could certainly go away or that could pop up worse by game time, so there'll be at least some doubt throughout the day until head coach Chris Finch speaks with reporters.

Carson Wentz will make his fifth straight start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, with J.J. McCarthy lacking time in a shortened week to keep building up his sprained right ankle.

Coach Kevin O"Connell announced his decision on Tuesday, ahead of the team"s road trip to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night that"s coming on the heels of a 28-22 loss at home on Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles. After McCarthy went through a workout on the field, the Vikings determined his ankle wasn"t quite strong enough yet to give him or them the best chance to succeed against the Chargers. POWER 96 will keep you up to date with the recent developments tonight at 6:30 when we bring you X"s and O"s, The Minnesota Vikings Coaches Show.

The Minnesota Wild in action tonight facing the New Jersey Devils as their road trip continues. Faceoff is set for 6 pm.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday October 21st, 2025.

10/21/2025

Albert Lea Tiger football takes center stage tonight as they take on Worthington in the section 3 AAA playoffs. POWER 96 will bring you all the thrilling action tonight at 6:45 live from the Gus. Sports Director Dave Nelson and his crew will bring you the call at 7 pm. This will be an audio only broadcast due to MSHL requirements. You can catch the game here on the air, or streaming audio at KQPRFM.Com. Tiger Girls Soccer also makes their first state appearance since 2008, as they travel to Farmington to take on Providene Academy at 7pm. There will be a special community send off today at the high school as the girls load the bus at 4pm.

In area sports action. Last night in volleyball Blooming Prairie defeated St Charles 3 to 2, Waseca fell to LCWM 3 sets to none, USC fell to Cedar Mountain 3 to 1, Glenville Emmons fell to Bethlehem 3 to 0. Tonight in area football playoffs, Austin will travel to Stewartville, Alden Conger/ Glenville Emmons will host Granada Huntley East Chain, NRHEG travels to USC, Blooming Prairie will travel to JWP. All of those playoff games kick off at 7pm,

The World Series matchup is set, after the Toronto Blue Jays knocked off the Seattle Mariners in game 7 of the ALCS with a 4 to 3 win after The Blue Jays' outfielder George Springer, a former World Series MVP with the Houston Astros, delivered a towering three-run home run off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The World Series will open up on Friday between the LA Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Danila Yurov scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the New York Rangers 2-1 on Monday night. Jonas Brodin and Kirill Kaprizov also scored for Minnesota, which had a 32-23 advantage on shots. Filip Gustavsson had 22 saves as the Wild snapped a three-game losing streak. The Wild visit the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

Speaking on Wednesday night, That is opening night for the NBA and the Minnesota Timberwolves will open their season on the road taking on the Portland Trailblazers. The Timberwolves furthered their commitment to the core around superstar Anthony Edwards by re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid to remain the next two scorers in the pecking order. Edwards has vowed to raise his defensive intensity and ball-handling reliability after focusing over the summer on the complementary parts of his game in pursuit of an MVP award and the franchise"s first title. Of their top eight players last year, only wing Nikeil-Alexander Walker departed. He signed with Atlanta.

Finally, a short week for the Minnesota Vikings as they look to get back to winning ways. The Vikings will be on the road to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. POWER 96 will bring you all that action live here on 96.1FM.

Power 96 Sports for Monday October 20th, 2025.

10/20/2025

Albert Lea Tiger Athletics are off tonight due to MEA, but tomorrow will be a busy day for the Tigers. The #2 Tigers Football Team will host the #7 seed Worthington at the Gus at 7pm, the Girls Soccer Team opens up their State Tournament, as they travel to Farmington to take on the #1 seed Providence Academy at 7:30. Power 96 will be at the Gus tomorrow night to bring you the play by play action here on 96.1fm, or the audio is also available from our website at www.kqprfm.com.

The Austin Bruins hosted the Minot Minotoros over the weekend, where Friday night the Black and Gold came back from a 3 to 1 defecit to win in overtime. Saturday during the first ever Trunk or Treat event, the Bruins held nothing back and cruised to a 5 to 1 win. The Bruins will have a little time off before they travel to face the Watertown Shamrocks.

The Minnesota Vikings made six trips into the red zone and settled for five field goals. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles outplayed former teammate Carson Wentz, throwing three touchdown passes in a 28-22 victory over Minnesota on Sunday.   The Vikings will play the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night football this week.

The Minnesota Gopher Football Team delivered their most complete performance against a power conference opponent on Friday night, and they knocked off No. 25 Nebraska for their sixth straight win in the series 24 to 6.

Minnesota Gopher Mens Hockey traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, for the first time since 2023, to renew its rivalry against the Fighting Hawks. The refs did not let either team play as they called 12 total penalties, and the Gophers fell 5-2.

Power 96 Sports for Friday October 17th, 2025.

10/17/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics, the football section brackets were released yesterday and they have the 6-2 Tigers hosting Worthington on Tuesday. Last night, Tiger girls soccer will advance in section 2AA play after defeating Cannon Falls 3-NIL. No events are scheduled for today and through the weekend due to MEA.

The Minnesota Wild take on the Washington Capitals tonight in Washington. Faceoff is set for 6 pm.

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the Chicago Bulls at the United Center in pre-season action 126-120. No time to dwell on that loss as the T-Wolves are back at it tonight to take on the 76ers at 6 pm.

Joe Flacco and the Bengals bested Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in what turned out to be a very dramatic Thursday Night Football upset.

The veteran QBs traded touchdowns to the very end, but Cincinnati walked away with a 33-31 "Icy Hot Bowl" dub after the game-winning field goal from Evan McPherson.

Major League Baseball saw the LA Dodgers force the Milwaukee Brewers to the verge of elimination from the NLCS beating the Brewers 3-1 to take a 3 games to none lead in their series. The Dodgers could knock Milwaukee out with a win later today. The ALCS is a much different story as the Toronto Blue Jays are storming back with attitude winning the last 2 games against the Seattle Mariners. Last night the Jays proved game 3 was not a fluke winning 8-2 and tying the series up at 2 games a piece. Those teams will also go to battle tonight at 5 in Seattle.

Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles will limp into town to face the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium. POWER 96 will bring you all that action with Vikings Football Sunday starting at 11 am. Paul Allen will bring you the BOOM at Noon.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday October 16th, 2025.

10/16/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics, as heard here on POWER 96 last night, Tiger Football traveled to Belle Plaine and in dominant fashon, walked out with a win to end regular season 54-7. With the win Albert Lea secured the #2 seed in section 3 3A, and will host a section game on Tuesday against Worthington. Power 96 will be there to bring you the action here on 96.1FM or you can stream the audio from our website at kqprfm.com. Tonight, Tiger girls soccer opens up section 2AA play when they face Cannon Falls in Austin, at 7:30 .

In area football action last night, Austin fell to Zumbrota Mazeppa 42 to 0, AC/GE fell to Spring Grove – 28-6, Waseca defeated New Ulm 21 to 14, Owatonna defeated Apple Valley 28 to 13, USC defeated NRHEG 20 to 0, Southland fell to Lewiston Altura 21 to 14, Blooming Prairie shut out Medford 28 to 0, and LeRoy Ostrander / Lyle pacelli defeated Houston 21 to 14.

J.J. McCarthy hasn"t fully healed from the high ankle sprain that has kept him out of the past three games, still navigating the final stage of stress-testing the injury and ramping back up to speed with the Minnesota Vikings and their offense. The question of whether McCarthy returns as the starting quarterback Sunday against Philadelphia or if Carson Wentz remains at the helm went formally unanswered Wednesday by coach Kevin O"Connell, but the message this week about how much McCarthy has to work on mechanically has spoken rather loudly about the team"s preference to carefully ease him in.

The Minnesota Twins made their first move of the offseason as they look to rebuild their team for next year. The club announced on Wednesday that they claimed utility player Ryan Kreidler off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kreidler was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the 2019 draft and spent four seasons with the team, totaling 26 hits, 24 runs, eight RBI and a .138 batting average over 89 career games.

Major League Baseball saw the Seattle Mariners eat a little humble pie falling Toronto Blue Jays 13-4 and get back into the fight with the Mariners who lead the best of 7 series 2 games to 1. Both the ALCS and NLCS continue today. Milwaukee and LA get underway just after 5 and Seattle and Toronto will play at 7.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in action tonight. The T-Wolves will take on the Chicago Bulls as the United Center at 7 pm.

The Minnesota Wild are off today, but they will play the second of five consecutive road games Friday in Washington when they take on the Capitals.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday October 15th, 2025.

10/15/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Tiger Volleyball was shut out by Red Wing 3 sets to none. Tonight! POWER 96 will bring you Tiger Football as sports director Dave Nelson and his crew will be in Bell Plaine to bring you the call at 7 pm. All other Tiger teams are off today.

Wyatt Johnston scored on a power play to extend his season-opening goal streak to three games, Jake Oettinger stopped 39 shots and the Dallas Stars won their home opener 5-2 over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. Matt Boldy and Kiril Kaprizov scored power-play goals for Minnesota in the third period, both assisted by Zeev Buium. Filip Gustavsson, who finished with 20 saves. The Wild play the second of five consecutive road games Friday in Washington when they take on the Capitals.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are back in action tomorrow as the pre-season chugs along. The T-Wolves will take on the Chicago Bulls as the United Center Thursday night at 7 pm. So far, Minnesota is 2-2 in pre-season action.

Major League Baseball saw the LA Dodgers take a 2 games to none lead in the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers downed the Brewers 5-1 in Milwaukee. The series will now switch to LA for games 3 and 4 starting on Thursday. Tonight in the ALCS, the Seattle Mariners will look to take a 3 games to none lead over the Toronto Blue Jays when the teams face off tonight in Seattle. That game is set to get underway just after 7 pm.

Whats the latest on J.J. McCarthy and Andrew Van Ginkle? Find out tonight when POWER 96 bring you X"s and O"s, the Minnesota Vikings Coaches Show. All the latest coming off the bye week with coaches and players before going into Sundays game against the Eagles. That show starts at 6:30 with Albert Lea Tiger Football to follow at 7.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday October 14th, 2025.

10/14/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics, today has a full slate of activities. At 3:25, Tiger Girls Cross Country will participate in the Big 9 Conference meet. At 3:55 the boys take to the course. Girls Swim and Dive will host Mankato East at 6 pm. Tiger Volleyball will host Red Wing at 7:15.

Marco Rossi scored in the fourth round of the shootout and the Minnesota Wild beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 Monday night after giving up a three-goal lead in the third period. Power-play goals by Jared Spurgeon, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead late in the first period. The score remained until the third period when Kevin Fiala, Quinton Byfield scored early and Adrain Kempe late to send the game to overtime. Making his season debut and first start since Dec. 21, 2024, Jasper Wallstedt made 31 saves for Minnesota. Vladimir Tarasenko had two assists. The Wild begin a five-game road trip tonight in Dallas.

The Vikings have linebacker Blake Cashman back on the practice field. He"s been out since injuring his hamstring in the first game vs. Chicago. If practice goes well this week, Cashman, the quarterback of the defense, would be ready to go Sunday vs. the Eagles. OL Donovan Jackson the starting left guard, underwent wrist surgery after the Week 3 win vs. the Bengals with an eye on an immediate return following the bye. The Vikings also had quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle), right tackle Brian O"Neill (knee), and Michael Jurgens (hamstring) return in some capacity on Monday. An official injury report isn"t due until Wednesday afternoon.

Monday Night Football had 2 games last night. The Buffalo Bills were defeated by the Atlanta Falcons 24-14. And the Chicago Bears came from behind to score with no time on the clock and left Washington with a 25-24 victory.

The final 4 in the Major League Baseball playoffs went to slug it out last night and the Seattle Mariners opened up a 2 games to none lead over the Toronto Blue Jays winning 10-3. The LA Dodgers playing spoiler defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 to take a one game to none lead in that series. The Dodgers and Milwaukee will go at it again tonight with the first pitch slotted for 7:08.

Power 96 Sports for Monday October 13th, 2025.

10/13/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Friday night the Tiger football team fell to Waseca 35-10 to go 5-2 on the season. It"s a short practice week as the team will hit the road to take on Belle Plaine on Wednesday night. POWER 96 will bring you all that action live at 7 pm, right after x"s and O"s. Tiger sports are off today.

The Austin Bruins split their home and home series with the North Iowa Bulls that saw both teams fail to defend their home ice. Friday night, the Bruins left town after a 6-2 win. Saturday night, the Bulls returned the favor downing the Bruins 4-3. This weekend the Black and Gold will host the Minot Minotauros at Riverside Arena.

Kirill Marchenko had his fourth career hat trick and Elvis Merzlikins made 48 saves in his season debut, carrying the Columbus Blue Jackets past Minnesota 7-4 to spoil the Wild"s home opener on Saturday night. Kirill Kaprizov had his first two goals of the season and an assist for the Wild, just 11 days after signing the richest contract in NHL history with his eight-year, $136 million extension. Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist. Tonight the Wild will host the LA Kings.

The No. 12 Golden Gophers men"s hockey team skated to a 2-2 draw with No. 11/10 Boston College from 3M Arena at Mariucci Friday night. Javon Moore and Brodie Ziemer scored in regulation before LJ Mooney and Tanner Ludtke found the back of the net to claim the non-conference shootout victory.

Minnesota"s defense returned an interception for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and Minnesota held on to defeat Purdue 27-20 on Saturday. Gopher QB, Drake Lindsey, threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

Major League Baseball is down to 4 teams as the Championship Series continues today. The Toronto Blue Jays face the Seattle Mariners in Toronto. The Jays have a 1 game to none lead. In the NLCS, The LA Dodgers host the Milwaukee Brewers at 7 pm.