Sports

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    Power 96 Sports for Friday October 3rd, 2025.

    10/03/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Last night, girls soccer took it to Red Wing winning 4-1. Bots soccer also defeating Red Wing 2-1. Tiger volleyball, falling to Northfield 3 sets to none. Tonight POWER 96 will bring you Tiger Football as they look for a homecoming win to improve their record to 6-0. Coverage starts at 6:45 live from the Gus.

    The Austin Bruins open will have their home opener tonight as they host the North Iowa Bulls at Riverside Arena. Face off is set for 7:05. Saturday Night the Bruins head to Mason City to once again face the Bulls.

    Thursday night Football saw the San Francisco 49s hold on for a 26-23 win over the LA Rams.

    The Major League Baseball Wild Card playoff round is complete. The Chicago Cubs defeated the San diego Padres 3-1 to advance to the divisional round against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Detroit Tigers advances defeating the Cleveland Guardians 6-3. They will face Seattle. The Yankees shut out the Red Sox 4-0 and will take on the Blue Jays. All those series went 3 games. The LA Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds in 2 games winning 8-4, they will next face the Phillys. The Divisional rounds will open up on Saturday.

    Another early start for the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. The Vikes take on the Browns in London. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday starting at 7:30 am. Paul Allen and his crew will call the action at 8:30 am. Several Vikings did not practice thursday, leading to a lot of specualtion. The following did Not Practice and may be questionable for Sundays game.

    OT Christian Darrisaw (rest day)

    LB Dallas Turner (illness)

    G Donovan Jackson (wrist)

    C Michael Jurgens (hamstring)

    C Ryan Kelly (concussion)

    QB J.J. McCarthy (ankle)

    OT Brian O'Neill (knee)

    LB Andrew Van Ginkel (neck)

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday October 2nd, 2025.

    10/02/2025

    Tiger Athletics were off last night, but today both Boys and Girls Cross Country will be in action in Owatonna. Girls Volleyball will be in Northfield, Boys Soccer will be at the Gus, while Girls Soccer will be in Red Wing. Girls Swim and Dive will also host Owatonna here in Albert Lea. Tomorrow night Tiger Football takes over the Power 96 air waves as they face off against St. Peter for Homecoming Football.

    In the MLB Post Season, the reigning champion LA Dodgers swept the Reds to advance to the NLDS winning 8 to 4 yesterday, while the Padres forced a game 3 after defeating the Cubs 3 to 0. On the American League side, the Guardians forced a game 3 against the Tigers winning 9 to 1, and the New York Yankees forced a game 3 against the Boston Red Sox winning 4 to 3. Today highlights those game 3 matchups.

    Tonight the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night football. That game gets underway at 7:15.

    Early Sunday morning the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns face off in London England at 8:30 a.m. You can catch all of that action here on 96.1fm with Paul Allan and his crew. The pregame show will start at 7:30.

    Power 96 Sports for Wednesday October 1st, 2025.

    10/01/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Last night, boys soccer was defeated by Rochester Mayo 5-Nil. Tiger volleyball was shut out by Mankato East 3 sets to none. Today, Tiger teams are off.

    Albert Lea football head coach Paul Dunn is recognized this week as the Minnesota Vikings Coach of the Week following the team"s 5-0 start to the 2025 season. This recognition is part of the Minnesota Vikings" initiative to highlight high school football coaches across the state who demonstrate exceptional leadership, perseverance and positive impact on their athletes and community. Dunn and the Tigers will be featured on the Minnesota Vikings website and social media channels. The school's football program receives a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Minnesota Vikings.

    In local Volleybal action last night, NRHEG shut out JWP 3 sets to none, Southland shut out Kingsland 3 to 0, Owatonna defeated Mankato West 3 to 1, USC fell to Faribault Bethlehem 3 to 1, Lyle Pacelli shut out Glenville Emmons 3 to 0, Waseca was shut out by Belle Plaine 3 sets to 0,

    Tonight on Power 96 it"s Minnesota Vikings X"s and O"s , the Coaches show takes to the air tonight at 6:30 as the team gets ready to face the Browns in London on Sunday.

    MLB Wildcard Playoff results from yesterday saw Detroit beat Cleveland 2-1. The Chicago Cubs relied on 2 late homers to down the Padres 3-1. The Red Sox took game 1 from the Yankees 3-1 and the Dodgers topped the Reds 10-5. All of those teams are in action again today in their best of 3 series.

    Drama in the WNBA First Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was reportedly fined $15,000 by the WNBA for her comments and conduct after her team"s Game 3 semifinal loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Additionally, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon were fined $1,000 each for their public comments on WNBA officiating in which they defended Reeve. Yesterday, Queen Phee, Napheesa Collier, delivered a blistering assessment of the WNBA and its commissioner as she sat in front of the media with a prepared statement, disclosing private conversations she said she had with Cathy Engelbert, the league commissioner, that portrayed her as a leader who lacks accountability. The Lynx star player spoke for more than four minutes on topics ranging from Caitlin Clark, and her value to the league, to inconsistent officiating, which she feels Engelbert and the WNBA haven"t addressed. During what typically would be a routine end-of-season media availability, Collier blasted Engelbert as a leader who is insensitive to the current realities of being a WNBA player. Her remarks came as the WNBA players union, for which Collier is a vice president, prepares to engage the league in highly contentious collective bargaining that will set the parameters for a league trying to keep up with its unprecedented growth and global interest. Collier, in the end, said she just wants the league to do a better job protecting its players.

    The Cleveland Browns are benching veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and will turn to rookie Dillon Gabriel as their starter for Sunday's game in London against the Minnesota Vikings.

    Flacco will serve as Cleveland's backup Sunday, while rookie Shedeur Sanders will remain the third-string quarterback.

    Power 96 Sports for September 30th, 2025.

    09/30/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Last night, boys soccer was defeated by Pine Island/Zumbrota/Mazeppa 3-NIL. No time to dwell on the loss as the team is back in action tonight again on the road to take on Rochester Mayo at 7. Girls Soccer also in action tonight against Rochester Mayo as they host At the Gus starting at 7 pm. Tiger Volleyball hosts Mankato East at 7:15.

    In area sports action last night, Volleyball seen Blooming Prairie defeat Lourdes 3 to 1 and Waseca falling to St James 3 sets to 0.

    The Minnesota Twins and manager Rocco Baldelli have parted ways, the club announced on Monday. Baldelli"s seven-season tenure with the Twins came to an end on Sunday as the team finished with a 70-92 record, placing fourth in the American League Central and failing to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row. Twins President Derek Falvey said Baldelli was a “trusted partner and teammate” over the years, but in the end, “we did not reach the goals we set.” but really how could you when management sent nearly half the roster packing at the trade deadline, when 11 players were dealt away. From 2019-2025, Baldelli accrued a 527-505 record and led the Twins to three AL Central titles, in 2019, 2020 and 2023. In his first season as manager, Baldelli won AL Manager of the Year. Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad said the hunt for a new manager is now underway.

    The Minnesota Wild have signed left wing Kirill Kaprizov to an NHL-record eight-year, $136 million contract extension through the 2033-34 season, general manager Bill Guerin announced Tuesday. The contract includes a large signing bonus, sources told ESPN. The news comes after Kaprizov turned down a deal that would pay him $16 million annually. The NHL and NHLPA have already announced significant jumps in the salary cap for the next three seasons after COVID slowed down growth for several years. The 28-year-old Kaprizov had 25 goals and 31 assists and a plus-19 rating in 41 games during the 2024-25 regular season. In 319 games over five seasons with the Wild, he is fourth in team history with 185 goals and fifth with 386 points.

    Major League Baseball playoffs get underway today with the wild card rounds. 4 games on the docket today as the Cleveland Guardians take on the Detroit Tigers. The Chicago Cubs host the San Diego Padres. Those two are day games. Tonight, the New York Yankees will host the Boston Red Sox and the LA Dodgers will welcome in the Cincinnati Reds. The Wild Card Series are best of 3 meaning a team must win 2 games to advance to the divisional round.

    Monday night football had a double header. The Jets were taken out to sea by the Dolphins 27-21. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill suffered a dislocated knee and reportedly tore multiple ligaments. He is set to undergo surgery today, and expected to miss the rest of the season. The Denver Broncos, bucked the Cincinnati Bengals out of Mile High winning 28-3.

    Power 96 Sports for Monday September 29th, 2025.

    09/29/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics, Tiger Football is now 5-0 looking to make it 6-0 after defeating Fairmont 29-24 Friday night. This Friday, the homecoming game as St. Peter comes to the Gus. POWER 96 will bring you the Pregame at 6:45, Sports Director Dave Nelson and his crew will being you the call of the game at 7 pm. Today, boys soccer heads off to Pine Island for a 7:00 match.

    In area sports action from the weekend Football seen Austin fall to PEM 54 to 8, Waseca defeat Tri City United 49 to 6, LeRoy Ostrander / Lyle Pacelli fell to Mabel Canton 61 to 34, Blooming Prairie defeated St Clair Loyola 14 to 7, United South Central was shut out 47 to nothing by Lewiston Altura, Southland defeated JWP 38 to 8, Alden Conger Glenville Emmons defeated Grand Meadow 42 to 6, NRHEG fell to Redwood Valley 46 to 6, Owatonna defeated Rochester JM 25 to 7,and St Ansgar shut out Nashua Plainfield 36 to zip.

    The Austin Bruins wrapped up play in Blaine Minnesota at the NAHL Showcase on Saturday snagging an important point fut falling to the Minnesota Wilderness in a shootout 3-2. The Bruins will have their regular season home opener THIS Friday night at Riverside Arena as they partake in a home and home weekend series against the North Iowa Bulls.

    Kenneth Gainwell ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers held on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-21 on Sunday in Ireland"s first regular-season NFL game. Carson Wentz, making his second consecutive start for the injured J.J. McCarthy, was 30 for 46 for 350 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Vikings. Trailing 24-6, Wentz threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Wentz found Zavier Scott in the back of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown pass. The 2-point conversion made the score 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Wentz also hit a wide-open Jordan Addison for an 81-yard reception before he was tackled at the 1, setting up Jalen Nailor"s 2-yard touchdown reception on fourth down. The Vikings next travel to London to face the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. POWER 96 will bring you all the action live with Vikings football Sunday at 730am. Kickoff is set for 8:30.

    Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made two late 3-pointers and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the short-handed Minnesota Lynx 86-81 in Game 4 on Sunday to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021. Phoenix will face the winner between Indiana and las Vegas. Indiana forced a Game 5 earlier Sunday with a 90-83 home victory. The Mercury won the final three games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for game 4 because of her behavior and comments toward officials in Game 3. Minnesota also was without All-Star guard Napheesa Collier, who suffered an ankle injury near the end of the Game 3 loss.

    The Minnesota Twins fell to the Phillies on Sunday 2 to 1 to end their season. They ended their seson with 70 wins and 92 losses.

    Power 96 Sports for Friday September 26th, 2025.

    09/26/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics from last night saw Girls Soccer shut out by Northfield 4-NIL at the Gus. The boys team, also shut out by Northfield 7-NIL. Tiger volleyball shut down by Kato West 3 sets to none. Tonight, Friday night lights as the unbeaten tiger football team is home at the Gus looking to extend their unbeaten streak against Fairmont. POWER 96 will bring you the Pregame at 6:45, Sports Director Dave Nelson and his crew will bring you the call of the game at 7 pm.

    The NAHL showcase continues today up in Blaine with the Bruins taking on the Maine Nordiques at 3:45. The Bruins will wrap up the showcase on Saturday when they face the Minnesota Wilderness at 3:45.

    Minnesota Lynx playing game 3 in their best of 5 Semi-Final playoff series against the Phoenix Mercury tonight at 8:30. That series is tied at 1 game a piece.

    Byron Buxton hit two home runs including a second-straight leadoff homer, Bailey Ober threw six innings with five strikeouts and two hits, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Texas Rangers 4-0 on Thursday. The Twins (69-90) outhit the Rangers (80-79) 10-3, with Buxton, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien and Christian Vázquez each recording two hits. Ober (6-9) tied a season-low in hits allowed and did not allow a run for the first time this year. His last scoreless outing was Sept. 7, 2024, against Kansas City. The Twins head to Philadelphia to face the NL East champion Phillies. Minnesota"s RHP Joe Ryan starts opposite Philadelphia RHP Aaron Nola. First pitch is set for 5:45.

    The Minnesota Wild skated to a 5-2 loss against the Dallas Stars in pre-season action. Marco Rossi had both goals for the Wild. Next up will be a pre-season dance against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

    In Thursday night football action, The Seattle Seahawks held on for a 23-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

    A special start time for your Minnesota Vikings as the team will face the Steelers in Dublin. POWER 96 will begin our coverage at 7:30 Sunday Morning. Paul Allen and company will call all the action starting at 8:30.

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday September 25th, 2025.

    09/25/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics has Tiger girls tennis in action this evening at 5:15 in Rochester when they face Mayo. Girls swim and dive, also in Rochester to take on Century at 6. Girls Soccer will host Northfield at the Gus at 7 pm the boys team will be on the road, also to take on Northfield. Tiger volleyball wraps up the activities when they host Kato West at 7:15.

    The Austin Bruins skated to a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation earning themselves 1 point, but fell to the Janseville Jets in overtime 3-2. The NAHL showcase continues today with the Bruins taking on the Maine Nordiques at 3:45.

    Josh Smith homered, Billy McKinney drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Wednesday night to end a season-worst eight-game losing streak. Byron Buxton hit his career high 32nd home run on the second pitch from Jacob deGrom - a 447-foot shot to center field for a 1-0 Twins lead. It was the 18th time in his career that Buxton led off a game with a homer. Twins RHP Bailey Ober starts today"s rubber match opposite Rangers RHP Tyler Mahle. After the game, the Twins will head out to Philadelphia for a 3 game weekend series against the Phillies.

    Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said earlier this week that quarterback J.J. McCarthy when it comes to returning from an ankle injury, which suggests that he'll need to make a full return to practice before he's cleared for game action. McCarthy isn't ready to practice at all, however. He was listed as out on Wednesday and that makes it likelier that Carson Wentz will be starting against the Steelers in Dublin this weekend. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) also missed practice along with defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (chest), left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist). Safety Josh Metellus (foot) was the only limited participant.

    The Minnesota Wild are back home at the Grand Casino Arena taking on the Dallas Starts in Pre-Season action tonight. Faceoff is set for 7 pm.

    Minnesota Lynx are off today before playing game 3 in their best of 5 Semi-Final playoff series against the Mercury Friday night.

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday September 25th, 2025.

    09/25/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics has Tiger girls tennis in action this evening at 5:15 in Rochester when they face Mayo. Girls swim and dive, also in Rochester to take on Century at 6. Girls Soccer will host Northfield at the Gus at 7 pm the boys team will be on the road, also to take on Northfield. Tiger volleyball wraps up the activities when they host Kato West at 7:15.

    The Austin Bruins skated to a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation earning themselves 1 point, but fell to the Janseville Jets in overtime 3-2. The NAHL showcase continues today with the Bruins taking on the Maine Nordiques at 3:45.

    Josh Smith homered, Billy McKinney drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and the Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Wednesday night to end a season-worst eight-game losing streak. Byron Buxton hit his career high 32nd home run on the second pitch from Jacob deGrom - a 447-foot shot to center field for a 1-0 Twins lead. It was the 18th time in his career that Buxton led off a game with a homer. Twins RHP Bailey Ober starts today"s rubber match opposite Rangers RHP Tyler Mahle. After the game, the Twins will head out to Philadelphia for a 3 game weekend series against the Phillies.

    Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said earlier this week that quarterback J.J. McCarthy when it comes to returning from an ankle injury, which suggests that he'll need to make a full return to practice before he's cleared for game action. McCarthy isn't ready to practice at all, however. He was listed as out on Wednesday and that makes it likelier that Carson Wentz will be starting against the Steelers in Dublin this weekend. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) also missed practice along with defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (chest), left guard Donovan Jackson (wrist). Safety Josh Metellus (foot) was the only limited participant.

    The Minnesota Wild are back home at the Grand Casino Arena taking on the Dallas Starts in Pre-Season action tonight. Faceoff is set for 7 pm.

    Minnesota Lynx are off today before playing game 3 in their best of 5 Semi-Final playoff series against the Mercury Friday night.

    Power 96 Sports for Wednesday September 24th, 2025.

    09/24/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw Tiger girls soccer fall to Mankato East 8-Nil. The boys also falling to Kato East 2-Nil. Tiger volleyball suffered the same fate being shut out by Rochester Century 3 sets to none. Tiger teams are off today.

    In local Volleyball action from last night, Waseca fell to New Ulm 3 sets to none, Owatonna defeated Faribault 3 sets to nothing, NRHEG shut out Hayfield 3 sets to zip, Austin fell to Mankato East 3 to 1, Alden conger dropped a close one to Kenyon Wanamingo 3 sets to 2, Lyle Pacelli defeated Leroy Ostrander 3 to 2, and Southland defeated Glenville Emmons 3 to 0.

    The Austin Bruins are in action this after noon in Blaine Minnesota as the team takes part in the NAHL Showcase. The Bruins will open up Showcase play against the Janseville Jets at 3:45.

    Alyssa Thomas had 19 points and 13 assists to help the Phoenix Mercury erase a 20-point deficit and beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-83 in overtime on Tuesday night, tying the WNBA semifinal series at one game apiece. Napheesa Collier scored 24 points on her 29th birthday, Kayla McBride had 21 points and Courtney Williams added 20 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals for the Lynx, whose bench was outscored 25-3. The Mercury, who played their fourth game in seven days, will host Game 3 of the best-of-five series on Friday night.

    Zebby Matthews allowed his only run on a leadoff homer while pitching seven innings for the Minnesota Twins in a 4-1 win Tuesday night over the Texas Rangers, who lost their eighth game in a row and were eliminated from the playoff chase. Minnesota went ahead after Kody Clemens had a leadoff double in the third and scored on a fielder"s-choice grounder by Byron Buxton, who came home on a single by Ryan Jeffries. Clemens added an RBI single in the sixth. Taj Bradley gets the start for Minnesota today.

    The Minnesota Wild fell to the Dallas Stars last night in pre season action 3-2. The same 2 teams will go at it again tomorrow night in St. Paul.

    Tonight POWER 96 will bring you X"s and O"s, The Vikings Coaches show starting at 6:30. Get the lowdown as the team preps for their Early Sunday morning showdown in Dublin as the Vikes once again face Aaron Rodgers who this time is with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

    Power 96 Sports for Tuesday September 23rd, 2025.

    09/23/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics has both the boys and girls cross country teams participating in a varsity invitational today at 3:45. Tiger girls soccer will be on the road to take on Mankato East at 5 pm. The boys will host Kato East at the Gus starting at 7 pm. Tiger volleyball also in action tonight in Rochester as they take on Century at 7:00.

    In other area action, A-C continued their winning ways with the volleyball team shutting down USC 3-0, winning 25-13, 25-11 and 25-23.

    Vikings rookie left guard Donovan Jackson underwent wrist surgery on Monday morning in Los Angeles, head coach Kevin O"Connell announced. Jackson was the Vikings" first round draft pick in April. Jackson initially injured his wrist Week 2 vs. Atlanta, but was cleared to play against Cincinnati. O"Connell said that surgery was still necessary in a timely manner and with the Week 6 bye, this can minimize how many games he"ll miss. In other words, Jackson is expected to miss Week 4 against the Steelers in Dublin and Week 5 in London vs. the Browns, with a realistic chance to return Week 7 when the Vikings face the the Eagles. Blake Brandel, who was the Vikings" starting left guard last season, will now resume that role. Center Ryan Kelly is expected to return this week after missing one game due to a concussion.

    The Minnesota Lynx host the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA playoffs semifinals with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Lynx defeated the Mercury 82-69 in the last meeting. Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 23 points. The Lynx are 20-4 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota averages 86.1 points while outscoring opponents by 9.4 points per game. Alanna Smith is averaging 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Lynx. Napheesa Collier is averaging 17.3 points over the last 10 games. Tipoff tonight is set for 6:30 from the Target Center.

    The Texas Rangers host the Minnesota Twins to open a three-game series at 7:05. Zebby Matthews will get the start for the Twins, while the Rangers counter with Patrick Corbin. Byron Buxton has 21 doubles, seven triples and 31 home runs while hitting .266 for the Twins. Kody Clemens is 10 for 37 with a double and three home runs over the last 10 games.

    Power 96 Sports for Monday September 22nd, 2025.

    09/22/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw the Tiger football program remain undefeated shutting out Worthington on the road 42-0. The Tigers are now 4-0 for the first time since 1989. This Friday night the Tigers will host Fairmont at the Gus at 7 pm. Only one varsity activity on the schedule for today as girls tennis is set to take to the road to face Faribault at 4:45

    The Austin Bruins opened up their 25-26 regular season campaign on the road splitting the 2 game series against the Bismarck Bobcats. Friday night, the Bruins tamed the Cats 5-4. Saturday night, a much more defensive game as Bismarck escaped with a 2-1 win. Next up for the Black and Gold is the NAHL Showcase up in Blaine. The Bruins will take on the Janesville Jets Wednesday afternoon before facing the Maine Nordiques Friday afternoon. The Bruins will wrap up the Showcase Saturday afternoon when they face the Minnesota Wilderness.

    Isaiah Rodgers and the Vikings defense helped make Carson Wentz"s debut a rousing success, setting a Vikings record with two defensive touchdowns and forcing three of Cincinnati"s five turnovers in a 48-10 romp Sunday for the worst loss in Bengals history. Jordan Mason rushed for 116 yards and two scores on just 16 attempts, Will Reichard made a 62-yard field goal — the longest in Vikings history — as the first half ended, and Wentz had two touchdown passes over three quarters before yielding the mop-up work to rookie Max Brosmer. Wentz hit Josh Oliver and T.J. Hockenson for scores and went 14 for 20 for 173 yards without a turnover for the Vikings (2-1), who posted their most lopsided victory since 1998 and their highest score since 2015 — thanks in no small part to their new cornerback Rodgers. The Vikings have an early game on Sunday when they Face Pittsburgh in Dublin. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday starting at 7:30 am. Kickoff is set for 8:30.

    Courtney Williams scored a game-high 23 points, Kayla McBride scored 21, and Napheesa Collier added 18 points and nine rebounds as the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 82-69 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal series. Game 2 is Tuesday in Minneapolis before the teams head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday.

    Power 96 Sports for Monday September 22nd, 2025.

    09/22/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw the Tiger football program remain undefeated shutting out Worthington on the road 42-0. The Tigers are now 4-0 for the first time since 1989. This Friday night the Tigers will host Fairmont at the Gus at 7 pm. Only one varsity activity on the schedule for today as girls tennis is set to take to the road to face Faribault at 4:45

    The Austin Bruins opened up their 25-26 regular season campaign on the road splitting the 2 game series against the Bismarck Bobcats. Friday night, the Bruins tamed the Cats 5-4. Saturday night, a much more defensive game as Bismarck escaped with a 2-1 win. Next up for the Black and Gold is the NAHL Showcase up in Blaine. The Bruins will take on the Janesville Jets Wednesday afternoon before facing the Maine Nordiques Friday afternoon. The Bruins will wrap up the Showcase Saturday afternoon when they face the Minnesota Wilderness.

    Isaiah Rodgers and the Vikings defense helped make Carson Wentz"s debut a rousing success, setting a Vikings record with two defensive touchdowns and forcing three of Cincinnati"s five turnovers in a 48-10 romp Sunday for the worst loss in Bengals history. Jordan Mason rushed for 116 yards and two scores on just 16 attempts, Will Reichard made a 62-yard field goal — the longest in Vikings history — as the first half ended, and Wentz had two touchdown passes over three quarters before yielding the mop-up work to rookie Max Brosmer. Wentz hit Josh Oliver and T.J. Hockenson for scores and went 14 for 20 for 173 yards without a turnover for the Vikings (2-1), who posted their most lopsided victory since 1998 and their highest score since 2015 — thanks in no small part to their new cornerback Rodgers. The Vikings have an early game on Sunday when they Face Pittsburgh in Dublin. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday starting at 7:30 am. Kickoff is set for 8:30.

    Courtney Williams scored a game-high 23 points, Kayla McBride scored 21, and Napheesa Collier added 18 points and nine rebounds as the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx defeated the Phoenix Mercury 82-69 on Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal series. Game 2 is Tuesday in Minneapolis before the teams head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday.

    Power 96 Sports for Friday September 19th, 2025.

    09/19/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw Boys soccer down Mankato West 3-1. at the Gus. Girls soccer played to a scoreless 0-0 tie on the road at Kato West. Tiger Volleyball fall to Rochester John Marshall 3 sets to none. In other area action Alden Conger Volleyball downed GHEC-T-ML 3 sets to none, winning 25-18, 25-20, 25-20. Tonight, POWER 96 will bring you Tiger Football as they try to go 4-0 on the season. The Tigers will be on the road to take on Worthington. Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you the Pre-game at 6:45. Dave and his crew will call all the action starting at 7.

    Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith has been named the 2025 Kia WNBA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with Las Vegas Aces star A"ja Wilson. The two players each received 29 votes from a national panel of 72 sportswriters and broadcasters, marking the first time in league history that a key individual award has resulted in a tie.

    Just three weeks after the Vikings signed the 32-year-old quarterback Carson Wentz for experience and insurance behind J.J. McCarthy, Wentz has found himself running the first-team offense for the team he grew up rooting for. With McCarthy"s debut temporarily sidetracked by a sprained ankle, Wentz will extend the NFL record he set last season by making a start for his sixth team in a six-year span when the injury-ravaged Vikings host Cincinnati on Sunday. POWER 96 Will bring you Vikings Football Sunday starting at 11 am Sunday morning. Paul Allen will bring you the call at Noon.

    Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin and superstar Kirill Kaprizov both said all the right things in their first comments at this year"s training camp. Kaprizov"s representatives and Guerin"s front office are negotiating a potential contract extension that could make Kaprizov the highest-paid player in the National Hockey League.

    Both sides were tight-lipped about the status of the negotiations but agreed they are continuing and the relationship remains amicable. Kaprizov reaffirmed his desire to remain in Minnesota, saying he"s focusing on his game and leaving work on the contract to his agent. Kaprizov is entering the final year of his current 5-year, $45-million deal. If no extension agreement happens, he will either become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season or the Wild could attempt to trade him at some point.

    After falling behind 10-1 Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins staged a comeback bid only to fall short in a 10-9 loss to the New York Yankees. Zebby Matthews got the start for the twins, the Yankees pelted him for two runs in the first inning, four more in the second and three more in the third before manager Rocco Baldelli had seen enough and pulled Matthews from the game. Matthews allowed nine runs on 11 hits and two walks, raising his earned-run averaged to 5.97 this season. After the Yankees added one run in the fourth to take a 10-1 lead, the Twins rallied with three runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to two at 10-8. The comeback bid was highlighted by two-run homers from two guys who were in the minor leagues in August: Ryan Fitzgerald and James Outman. In the ninth, Trevor Larnach slugged a solo homer with one out to make it a 10-9 game. Yankees closer David Bednar got Kody Clemens to ground out before Royce Lewis struck out to end the game.

    The Twins will play their final four home games of their 2025 season this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians, including a doubleheader on Saturday. Barring an unlikely surge in fans coming out to Target Field, these games will result in the franchise finishing with its lowest full-season attendance since the turn of the century.

    Thursday night football seen the Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 31 to 21, after the Bills defense was able to hold off Miami"s late game push. The Bills are now 3 and 0. while the Dolphins fall to 0 and 3.

    The Minnesota golden Gopher Football team will take the weekend off, before they get ready to host Rutgers next Saturday the 27th at 11am.

    Power 96 Sports for Friday September 12th, 2025.

    09/12/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw Boys soccer defeated by Rochester John Marshall 6-Nil. Girls Soccer tied John Marshall at the Gus 0-0 and Tiger Volleyball fell to the Packers of Austin 3 sets to none. Tonight POWER 96 will bring you Tiger Football. Join Sports Director Dave Nelson at 6:45 for the pre-game show with kickoff at 7 live from New Ulm.

    In other are action Austin boys soccer defeated Owatonna 2-1.

    The Austin Bruins are in action over the weekend splitting a home and home matchup against the North Iowa Bulls. Saturday night the Bruins take to the ice at 7:05 at Riverside Arena in Austin. Sunday the black and gold head off to Mason City for game 2 against the Bulls.

    Natisha Hiedeman scored 21 points, Napheesa Collier had 19 and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Golden State Valkyries 72-53 on Thursday night to set a franchise record with 34 wins. Minnesota (34-10) had already cliched home-court advantage in the playoffs, locking up the No. 1 seed with a win over Connecticut last week. The Lynx tied the 2023 Las Vegas Aces for the most regular-season wins in WNBA history. Golden State (23-21) dropped to the No. 8 seed in the playoffs and will play Minnesota again on Sunday to begin a best-of-three series.

    The Vikings were dealt short-term blows to both their offense and defense following their Week 1 win over the Chicago Bears.

    The team placed linebacker Blake Cashman and running back Ty Chandler on injured reserve, which means they will each miss at least four weeks. Cashman left Monday"s game after suffering a hamstring injury, while Chandler injured his knee. Minnesota will take on the Atlanta Falcons at home on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. POWER 96 will begin our coverage at 6 PM with Vikings Football Sunday. Paul Allen will bring you all of the action just after 7.

    In Thursday Night Football action, the Green Bay Packers moved to 2-0 after beating the Washington Commanders 27-18.

    The Twins open up a 3 game weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Target Field. First pitch is slotted for 7:10

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday September 11th, 2025.

    09/11/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics has a full slate of activities going on today. The boys and girls cross country teams will participate in a varsity invitational at Rochester Eastwood Golf Course beginning at 4 pm. Girls Tennis will host Northfield at 4:45 at 5 pm, Boys soccer will host Rochester John Marshall at the Gus. Girls Swim and Dive also hosting John Marshall at 6. Girls Soccer will host John Marshall at the Gus at 7 pm and Tiger Volleyball also in action as they hit the road to take on the Packers of Austin at 7:15

    Zach Neto hit a two-run homer, Mike Trout drove in two runs and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday. Byron Buxton tied the game with a two-run shot in the sixth, his 31st homer this season. James Outman also homered, doubled and made a pair of leaping catches for the Twins. But they fell to 64-82 and were assured their first losing record since 2022. Following a day off today, the Twins send RHP Pablo López (5-4, 2.84 ERA) to the mound Friday night against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

    One game into his NFL career, J.J. McCarthy has already received his first award. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, two days after leading a thrilling, comeback win over the division rival Chicago Bears. In his debut, McCarthy completed 13 of 20 passes for 143 yards, throwing for 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 25 yards and the game-winning score. In the fourth quarter, he completed 6 of 8 passes for 87 yards and both of his passing touchdowns while finishing his night off with the rushing score. He"s now the 11th Viking since 1984 to win NFC Player of the Week honors in Week 1 and is just the third Vikings quarterback. McCarthy and the Vikings will try to move to 2-0 when they host Atlanta Sunday night at 7:20 p.m.

    The WNBA"s eight-team playoff field is set. The matchups, however, remain unsettled, making the regular-season finale between the Golden State Valkyries (23-20) and Minnesota Lynx (33-10) especially intriguing. The Lynx are locked into the No. 1 seed, while the Valkyries could finish either at No. 6 or No. 8 depending on tonight"s result. If the Valkyries lose, they"d get the No. 8 seed and would have to immediately face Minnesota again. If the Lynx don"t see the Valkyries in the first round, they"ll take on the Storm instead.

    Power 96 Sports for Wednesday September 10th. 2025.

    09/10/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw girls soccer fall to Faribault 3-Nil. Boys soccer hosting the Falcons at the Gus were downed 9-1. Tiger teams are off today.

    In other area action, Austin girls soccer fell to Byron 8 to nothing, Packer Boys soccer were defeated by Kato West 1 to nothing. In Volleyball action from last night, Austin defeated Marshall 3 to 0, Lyle - pacelli defeated Schaeffer 3 to 0, Waseca fell to TCU 3 to 0, NRHEG fll to WEM 3 to 2, USC fell 1 to 3 to Randolph, and Blooming Prairie dropped a close one 3 to 2 to Hayfield.

    Kyle Hendricks threw seven shutout innings, Chris Taylor and Yoán Moncada hit three-run homers, and the Los Angeles Angels scored all of their runs with two outs in a 12-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Right-hander Zabby Matthews (4-5) took the loss, giving up five runs and seven hits in 4 ? innings. Twins right-hander Taj Bradley will oppose Angels right-hander Jose Soriano in today"s series finale.

    Kelsey Mitchell scored 18 points and the Indiana Fever wrapped up the regular season with an 83-72 win Tuesday night over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, who were resting MVP candidate Napheesa Collier. Jessica Shepherd, starting in place of Collier, scored 16 points for the Lynx (33-10), who play their last game at home Thursday against Golden State. Minnesota locked up the top seed on Aug. 30 but has only gone 5-5 in its last 10 games. Their first playoff game will be at Target Center on Sunday vs. Seattle, Golden State, or Indiana.

    Tonight at 6:30, POWER 96 will bring you X"s and O"s, The Minnesota Vikings Coaches Show as they recap the comeback victory on Monday night against the Bears as well as Preview Sunday nights game, again on the national stage, as the Vikings take on the Atlanta Falcons. POWER 96 will bring you all the coverage you need Sunday night starting at 6 pm with Vikings Football Sunday. Paul Allen will have the radio call starting just after 7 pm.

    The Vikings have opened as 4.5-point favorites for this Sunday Night Football showdown. That tells you the oddsmakers are putting more stock into McCarthy's huge fourth quarter than his ugly first three quarters of NFL action. The atmosphere for his first regular season game at home promises to be absolutely raucous, which has to be taken into consideration as well. McCarthy vs. Penix is a rematch of the 2023-24 college football national title game between Michigan and Washington, which the Wolverines won comfortably behind a dominant running game.

    Power 96 Sports for Tuesday September 9th, 2025.

    09/09/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics today has girls tennis on the road to face Faribault at 4:45. Girls Swim and Dive in action tonight at 6 when they host St. Peter. The boys and girls soccer teams both facing Faribault tonight. The girls will be in Faribault, while the boys will host the Falcons at the Gus. Both matches get underway at 7 pm. Tiger Volleyball also in action tonight hosting Winona at 7:15.

    In other area action, Alden-Conger Volleyball shut out Fairbault Bethlehem Academy 3 sets to none, winning 25-13, 25-17, 25-16

    J.J. McCarthy threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another in his long-awaited NFL debut, and the Minnesota Vikings rallied for a season-opening 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. McCarthy became the first starting quarterback to lead a fourth-quarter comeback from a deficit of at least 10 points in his NFL debut since Hall of Famer Steve Young did so in 1985, McCarthy threw for 143 yards. Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones each had 44 yards receiving. Will Reichard kicked two field goals, including a 59-yarder near the end of the first half that matched a Soldier Field record. LB Blake Cashman left with a hamstring injury. … S Harrison Smith (illness) did not travel with the team. … OT Christian Darrisaw, coming back from a torn ACL last season, was inactive. Vikings: Host Atlanta Sunday night.

    Royce Lewis homered twice and drove in four runs as the Minnesota Twins beat the sloppy Los Angeles Angels 12-3 on Monday night.

    James Outman also went deep as the Twins moved to 4-0 against the Angels this season, outscoring them 33-7. Simeon Woods Richardson (6-4) allowed three runs and struck out six in five innings. Travis Adams struck out four in 1 2/3 innings of relief.

    Luke Keaschall had an RBI single, Matt Wallner had a two-run double, and Austin Martin doubled and scored three runs. RHP Zebby Matthews (4-4, 4.73 ERA) starts for the Twins and RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-9, 4.81) takes the mound for the Angels as the series continues on Tonight.

    The Minnesota Lynx will face the Indiana Fever tonight with tipoff slotted for 6:30.

    Power 96 Sports for Monday September 8th, 2025

    09/08/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw the Tiger football team defeat the Austin Packers 65 to Nothing in Friday night action. This week the Tigers will travel to New Ulm for Friday night football. Tiger varsity teams are off today. In other are action Alden Conger defeated Lanesboro 36-0.

    The Austin Bruins opened up their pre-season over the weekend defending their home ice in the opener against the Minnesota Wilderness with a 6-1 win Friday night. Saturday, the Wilderness returned the favor on their home ice downing the black and gold 5-1. This weekend is a pre-season border battle as the Bruins host the North Iowa Bulls on Saturday before heading south of the border to take on the Bulls in Mason City Sunday night.

    Minnesota Vikings Football get underway tonight as the Viking invade Soldier Field to take on the Bears in Prime Time action. POWER 96 will bring you the Pregame show at 6 pm. Paul Allen will have the call for you just after 7. Vikings six-time Pro-Bowl safety Harrison Smith will not play in Minnesota"s season-opener Smith has been dealing with an undisclosed personal illness and will not travel with the team.

    Sports 12

    Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens homered and the Minnesota Twins beat Kansas City 5-1 on Sunday to drop the Royals two games back for the last AL wild card. Buxton led off the game against Michael Lorenzen (5-10) with his 30th homer, extending his career high. Clemens hit his 16th homer in the fourth, a 451-drive that gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead. Minnesota padded its advantage in the fourth with a double steal, with Royce Lewis on first and Luke Keaschall on third. Bailey Ober (5-7) gave up one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Twins: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson starts Monday against the Los Angeles Angels and RHP Caden Dana. That game in LA gets underway at 8:38.

    The Minnesota Lynx are off today. They will face the Indiana Fever tomorrow night with tipoff slotted for 6:30.

    The Minnesota Golden Gophers put a smack down on Northwestern State Saturday, beating them 66 to nothing. Not only did the team or fans think they would score that many times, but also the staff at Huntington Bank Stadium didn"t know either. The Gophers scored so many times, that the crew at the stadium ran out of fireworks for the touchdown celebrations.

    Power 96 Sports for Friday September 5th, 2025.

    09/05/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw Boys soccer shut out by Austin 4-Nil. Tonight, The Tiger football team looks to add to Their win column got go 2-0 as they hit the road to take on the Austin Packers. POWER 96 will bring you all the action starting at 6:45. Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you the call at 7. In other are action A-C Volleyball defeated Martin County West 3-0 winning 25-20, 25-20, 25-16

    Kyle Teel hit a three-run home run, Colson Montgomery homered and drove in three, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 11-8 on Thursday night. Luke Keaschall had four hits and two runs scored for the Twins. Mickey Gasper had three RBIs, and Matt Wallner and Kody Clemens homered. Travis Adams (1-3) allowed three hits and four runs in one inning of relief for Minnesota, which is 3-7 in its last 10 games. Minnesota starts a six-game road trip in Kansas City, and they have not announced who will face Royals RHP Michael Wacha.

    A"ja Wilson had 31 points and eight rebounds, Jackie Young added 20 points and the Las Vegas Aces beat the first-place Minnesota Lynx 97-87 on Thursday night to set a franchise record with their 13th straight victory. Natisha Hiedeman scored 22 points off the bench for Minnesota, 11 in the fourth quarter. Courtney Williams added 14 points and Napheesa Collier had 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

    The Minnesota have released their first injury reports of the 2025-26 campaign in advance of their showdown on Monday Night Football to start the season. Christian Darrisaw with a knee problem did not participate. Harrison Smith has been dealing with an unknown illness for a few weeks now, which casts some doubt on his availability on Monday night. Zavier Scott and Elijah Williams are a bit of a surprise, but as backups less impactful if they don"t play. Jalen Nailor, who had a hand injury and had a proceedure done on it in August seems on track to play on Monday night, as does Andrew Van Ginkel, who"s missed a lot of practice time last month with what we now know is a neck injury. POWER 96 will bring you all the action Monday Night starting at 6 pm.

    Game 1 of the NFL regular season is in the books as the Philadelphia Eagles downed the Dallas Cowboys 24-20. The Kansas Chiefs take on the LA Chargers tonight. That game will be free on You Tube TV.

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday September 4th, 2025.

    09/04/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics back in action today with girls swim and dive taking to the pool at 6 pm when they visit the Huskys of Owatonna. Boys soccer will be in Austin to take on the Packers at 7 and Tiger volleyball will trek to Owatonna for their match at 7:15.

    Brooks Baldwin had an RBI single and Michael A. Taylor followed with a go-ahead two-run double as the Chicago White Sox rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight win. Luke Keaschall hit an RBI double to drive in Trevor Larnach in the first, then scored on Matt Wallner"s single to make it 2-0. Royce Lewis had an RBI single to left in the third inning, scoring Ryan Jeffers to push Minnesota"s lead to 3-1. Jeffers had three hits, all singles. Zebby Matthews gave up one run and three hits while striking out five in six innings for the Twins. White Sox RHP Shane Smith starts against Twins RHP Taj Bradley tonight at 6:40. After the game, the Twins head off to Kansas City to open up a 3 game series against the Royals.

    A Minnesota Wild veteran will be among the latest American-born players inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Zach Parise, a Minneapolis native who spent nine seasons of his 19-year NHL career with the Wild from 2012 to 2021, will be inducted in December alongside four other 2025 honorees. NHL forwards Scott Gomez and Joe Pavelski, Olympic gold medalist Tara Mounsey, and hockey photographer Bruce Bennett fill out the Class of 2025. Parise and the rest of the Class of 2025 will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame during a Dec. 10 ceremony in St. Paul.

    Tonight, the Las Vegas Aces host the Minnesota Lynx. That game will get underway at 9 pm.

    The NFL Regular season kicks off tonight when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. That game will be on NBC with Kickoff scheduled for 7:20.

    Power 96 Sports for Wednesday September 3rd, 2025.

    09/03/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics are idle today. Action resumes on Thursday. Last night, Tiger girls soccer defended their home field from the Austin Packers with a 3-Nil win.

    In other area action, the Alden-Conger Volleyball team defeated NRHEG 3 sets to none winning 25-14, 25-18, 25-20.

    Andrew Benintendi went 4 for 5 with two homers and five RBIs as the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 12-3 on Tuesday night. Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson struck out seven and gave up two earned run in five innings. The Twins will send RHP Zebby Matthews to the mound against White Sox RHP Gómez.

    Football season is almost here. The NFL gets underway tomorrow night. The Vikings will open up on the road as they face a divisional rival in the Chicago Bears on Monday night at Soldier Field. Tonight, you can hear directly from the coaching staff and get the Vikings vibe going into the fresh season when POWER 96 bring you X"s and O"s, The Minnesota Vikings Coaches Show. Each and every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 7 you"ll get the inside info going into the Vikes next game.

    After an off day today, the Las Vegas Aces host the Minnesota Lynx Thursday night. The teams will play each other for the fourth time this season. The Lynx won the last matchup 111-58 on Aug. 2, with Kayla McBride scoring 24 points in the win. Napheesa Collier is averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.6 blocks for the Lynx. McBride is averaging 14.4 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 46.0% over the past 10 games.

    Power 96 Sports for September 2nd, 2025.

    09/02/2025

    Friday night lights were back underway here in the area. As heard here on Power 96, Albert Lea defeated Tri City United 39 to 18. This Friday the Tigers head to Austin to take on the Packers. Power 96 will again bring you that game live on 96.1fm or via our Free Live Stream.

    In area gridiron action from Friday Waseca defeated St. Peter 7 to 6, and Alden Conger / Glenville Emmons defeated Mabel Canton 59 to 14.

    Saturday Tiger Volleyball participated in a Varsity Invite in Rochester. Albert Lea, Austin, Blooming Prairie, Waseca, Century, New Ulm, Elso, Mankato East and Luverne attended. Albert Lea defeated Waseca 2 to 1, but fell to Century 2 to 0, Blooming Prairie 2 to 1, Luverne 2 to 0, and New Ulm 2 to 1. Austin defeated East 2 to 1, Luverne 2 to 0, and Blooming Prairie 3 to 9, but fell to Elso 2 to 0.

    Today Tiger Girls Soccer takes over the Gus as they host the Austin Packers. Tiger Girls Tennis will host Maple River at the high school. And JV football travels to the Le Sueur fairgrounds to take on TCU.

    Anthony Barr, despite his friend and former teammate Eric Kendricks revealing that he threw up before every game, did a little bit of everything during his 10-year NFL career. On Monday, Barr was back in Minnesota, where he starred for nine of his 10 seasons, to hold his retirement press conference. "It's really good to be back here," Barr said. "It's important to me to retire as a Viking because the community means so much, the franchise means so much. His success at linebacker led to four consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 2015 to 2018.

    Napheesa Collier scored 25 points, Natisha Hiedeman added 20 points and a career-high 10 assists for her first double-double, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Dallas Wings 96-71 on Monday night.

    Courtney Williams added 15 points and nine assists for the Lynx (32-8), who already wrapped up the No. 1 overall seed for the playoffs. Bridget Carleton had 12 points. The Lynx start a three-game road trip at Las Vegas on Thursday.

    Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth homered and Brooks Baldwin and Mike Tauchman hit consecutive run-scoring doubles as the Chicago White Sox rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Monday. Royce Lewis homered and Byron Buxton drove in two runs for Minnesota. Twins starter Bailey Ober allowed four runs on six hits in five innings and had three strikeouts and two walks. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson will start for the Twins against RHP Davis Martin.

    The NFL is about ready to kick off their 25-26 Season. Games will start Thursday and Friday. Thursday night football will have the Dallas Cowboys visiting Philadelphia to kick off the season. Friday night, the Kansas City Chiefs head west to face the Los Angeles Changers. Sunday, the majority of teams will play and The Minnesota Vikings will face the Chicago Bears in a Monday Night Football matchup. POWER 96 will bring you Vikings Football Sunday on a Monday starting at 6pm. Paul Allen and his crew will have the call just after 7.

    Power 96 Sports for Friday August 29th, 2025.

    08/29/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger Athletics from last night seen the Tiger Girls Soccer team winning bug on the road defeating Winona 2-1. Boys Soccer hosted Winona falling to the Winhawks 2 to 0. Boys and Girls Cross Country traveled to St. Olaf for a meet yesterday where 26 teams participated. Star runner for the boys team was Andrew Tscholl who placed 29th over all, and the Star runner for the girls was Elle Schulz who placed 74th. Tonight Tiger Football takes over Power 96 as they host Tri-City United at the Gus. Power 96 will bring you all of the action both on 96.1fm or via our FREE LIVE STREAM from our website or our Boxcast App. We will bring you a pregame at 6:45, followed by the kick off at 7. Don"t forget you can always go back and rewatch the game or other broadcasted games from your own TV using our Boxcast App.

    In area sports action from last night. Alden Congers Volleyball defeated Hayfield 3 to 0, while Knight Alyvia Newman earned her 1,000th kill. Waseca defeated JWP 3 to 2, USC fell to Martin Luther 3 to 1, NRHEG took down Tri-City United 3 to 2, and Lyle Pacelli shut out Le Roy Ostrander 3 to 0,   In area football Austin fell to New Ulm 44 to 7, Blooming Prairie fell to Lewiston Altura 21 to 8, and Southland fell to Waterville Elysian Morristown 28 to 26.

    With news of Harrison Smith recovering from a personal health matter, the Minnesota Vikings have beefed up the safety room by signing veteran K'Von Wallace to the practice squad. With Smith's status for the Sept. 8 season opener against the Chicago Bears up in the air, Wallace brings some needed depth to the roster. The 28-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2020 and he's played 71 games with four teams ever since.

    Skylar Diggins scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half and the Seattle Storm rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat the Minnesota Lynx 93-79 on Thursday night.

    Seattle, which trailed 39-18 midway through the second quarter, tied its second-largest comeback win in franchise history.

    Kayla McBride had 20 points with five 3-pointers to lead Minnesota (30-8), which lost for just the second time in 20 home games this season. A win would have secured the Lynx home court advantage for the entire playoffs. Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams each scored 18 points of Minnesota. Williams also had 10 assists.

    Drake Lindsey passed for 290 yards and two touchdowns in his debut and Darius Taylor rushed for 141 yards on 30 carries to help Minnesota wear down Buffalo 23-10 in their season opener. Jameson Geers had four catches for 38 yards and a score and redshirt freshman Jalen Smith jogged into the end zone with a wide-open 60-yard reception that broke the game open early in the fourth quarter. On Sept. 6, Minnesota hosts FCS foe Northwestern State, which took a 20-game losing streak into this season.

    The Minnesota Twins aim to end their three-game home losing streak with a victory against the San Diego Padres. Byron Buxton has a .269 batting average to lead the Twins, and has 15 doubles, four triples and 27 home runs. Luke Keaschall is 13 for 38 with two home runs and four RBIs over the past 10 games. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 at Target Field.

    Power 96 Sports for Thursday August 28th, 2025.

    08/28/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics today has girls tennis on the road to take on Redwing at 4:45. Girls soccer, also on the road facing Winona at 7 pm. The boys soccer team will host Winona tonight at 7 pm at the Gus.

    Addison Barger had a two-run double in the eighth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 9-8 on Wednesday night. Byron Buxton hit two solo home runs, and Brooks Lee and Luke Keaschall also hit solo blasts. Buxton opened the game with his 16th career leadoff homer, then went deep again in the third. The homers were his 26th and 27th. It was Buxton"s 16th career multihomer game. Keaschall homered in the third, his fourth. Lee went deep in the fifth, his 14th. The Twins are off today for a travel day. RHP Zebby Matthews is scheduled to start against San Diego on Friday night.

    The Vikings signed sixteen players to the practice squad on Wednesday, several who were among those cut ahead of Tuesday"s deadline to get down to the maximum of 53 players on the active roster. Wide receiver Tim Jones had been included on the initial 53-player roster, but was moved to the practice squad to make room after the team"s trade with Carolina which brings Adam Thielen back to the Vikings. Among the other notable inclusions on the practice squad are LB Gabriel Murphy, WR Lucky Jackson, and CB Fabian Moreau. Murphy had a strong preseason and was likely one of the final cuts from the 53-man roster. Jackson saw a lot of reps during training camp, both at receiver and returning kickoffs and punts.

    Moreau returns to the Vikings after spending the offseason with San Francisco. The Niners released him during the roster cutdown.

    Players on NFL practice squads can be claimed by other teams, but the claiming team is required to immediately include the acquired player on their active roster.

    Power 96 Sports for Wednesday August 27th, 2025.

    08/27/2025

    Albert Lea Tiger athletics saw Girls soccer fall to the Huskies of Owatonna at the Gus 1-Nil. The boys team was shut out in Owatonna 6-0. Tiger volleyball had no score available in their contest against Kenyon-Wanamingo. Today, girls swim and dive is in Rochester to take on Mayo tonight at 6. In other area action, Alden Conger came up big in their volleyball matchup against Blooming Prairie, shutting out the Awesome Blossoms 3 games to none. 25-11, 25-15, 25-12

    Mickey Gasper hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning, Matt Wallner added a go-ahead homer and the Minnesota Twins rallied to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 on Tuesday night.

    Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman came on in the ninth with Toronto leading 4-3, but Gasper greeted him with a game-tying homer, the first of his career. Four batters later, Wallner gave the Twins the lead with a two-run homer, his 20th. Wallner homered twice in Mondays 10-4 loss. The Twins snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the third time in 12 games. Blue Jays LHP Eric Lauer is expected to start Wednesday. The Twins have not named a starter.

    The Minnesota Vikings have officially set the initial 2025 roster.

    The biggest surprises were placing LB Gabe Murphy and WR Lucky Jackson on waivers. Veteran cornerback Ambry Thomas had his contract terminated. Fullback C.J. Ham was placed on the reserve/injured list with a designation to return. Same goes for LB Tyler Batty. So, at least for now, neither occupies a 53-man roster spot. With Ham when he"s ready, that will clearly change. To-be-determined if Batty can stick. The Vikings, for now, only four cornerbacks. So, it seems logical that one will be added in the coming days.

    He"s coming home! Wednesday morning it was announced that Minnesotan, Stand out Minnesota State Mankato and former Minnesota Viking, Adam Thielen will again be a Viking. The Carolina Panthers are sending Thielen and a 26 conditional 7th round and a 27 5th round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a 26 5th round pick and a 27 4th round pick. Theilen who is 35 spent his first 9 seasons with the Vikings producing a pair of 1200 plus yard seasons and 2 pro bowl selections.

    The big sports news from Tuesday came off the football field, when Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement. Meaning Kelce a future Hall of Fame Tight End, is no longer a free agent of sorts.

    The Albert Lea High School volleyball team from the fall of 1974 will be inducted into the Albert Lea High School Athletic Hall of Fame at the banquet Oct. 4 at Wedgewood Cove. The team played their home games in the “new” high school gym, and the nomination form for the team highlighted that they were the first group of girls to participate in interscholastic teams for Albert Lea High School and were the first volleyball team to win back-to-back conference titles. The team went on to lose to Blooming Prairie in the district finals. The team, along with eight individuals, will also be honored at the Tigers homecoming football game Oct. 3 against St. Peter. Tickets for the banquet the next night can be found on the Albert Lea Education Foundation website under “Hall of Fame” or can be picked up at the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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