Sports

Power 96 Sports for Friday April 3rd, 2026.

04/03/2026

The Austin Bruins have a 2 game series with first place in the central division on the line. Tonight and tomorrow the Black and Gold will host the Bismarck Bobcats at Riverside arena. Puck drop both nights is set for 7:05.

Matt Boldy scored his 39th and 40th goals, Kirill Kaprizov added his 40th and the Minnesota Wild wrapped up a playoff spot with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Third in the Western Conference and the NHL"s stacked Central Division, Minnesota secured the postseason spot in 75 games after getting in last season in the 82nd and final game before falling to Vegas in the first round. Ryan Hartman scored twice in the third to reach 20 goals, and Filip Gustavsson made 29 saves to help the Wild rebound from a 6-3 loss at Boston on Saturday. Former Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes had his 67th assist. The Wild will now hit the road to face Ottawa on Saturday.

The Detroit Pistons beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 113-108 last night as both teams were without a superstar. Minnesota ruled out All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, listing his right knee injury and an illness, about 90 minutes before tipoff. The Pistons announced earlier in the day that Cade Cunningham would be out at least another week to recover from a collapsed left lung. Edwards and Cunningham will be ineligible for NBA postseason awards because they can"t reach the 65-game minimum. Julius Randle finished with 27 points, Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid scored 19 points each and Mike Conley scored all 14 of his points in the first half. The Timberwolves have no time to dwell on the loss as they visit Philadelphia tonight.

For the first time in 194 days, Minnesota Twins baseball will be played at Target Field today. The club comes into its home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at 2-4 on the season, but fresh off a win over Kansas City. Bailey Ober is scheduled to start today for the Twins against righty Joe Boyle of the Rays. Minnesota has alternated between wins and losses in each of the past four years, and a loss last year to Cleveland means it"s, hopefully, time for another Twins win today. First pitch is set for 3:10

Power 96 Sports for Thursday April 2nd, 2026.

04/02/2026

Albert Lea Tiger Athletics, Track and Field events for today have been canceled. Boys and Girls Golf kicks off their season on Monday.

Jonathan India hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, powering the Kansas City Royals to a 13-9 victory over Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota scored eight runs in the final three innings before Lucas Erceg got two outs for his second save.

Ryan (0-1), an All-Star last season, labored through four innings. He threw 77 pitches while allowing five runs and four hits.

Luke Keaschall"s bases-loaded double scored two in the Twins" three-run seventh. Josh Bell"s three-run homer in the ninth capped the scoring. The game featured 11 ABS challenges to plate umpire Andy Fletcher"s strike zone, with the Twins going 8 for 9 - including four successful challenges by Ryan Jeffers while batting. Twins RHP Taj Bradley (0-0) opposes LHP Cole Ragans (0-1) in today"s series finale.

The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Detroit Pistons in a non-conference matchup. The Timberwolves have gone 21-15 away from home. Minnesota is sixth in the Western Conference giving up only 114.1 points while holding opponents to 45.8% shooting. The teams meet for the second time this season. The Pistons won 109-87 in the last meeting on March 28. Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 18 points, and Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves with 22 points. Rudy Gobert is scoring 11.1 points per game and averaging 11.5 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle is averaging 19.3 points and 5.6 rebounds over the last 10 games. Tipoff is set for 6 pm.

The Minnestota Wild will host the Vancouver Canucks tonight at 7. The teams match up Thursday for the third time this season. The Canucks won the last meeting 4-2. Kirill Kaprizov has 39 goals and 42 assists for the Wild. Vladimir Tarasenko has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games. Jared Spurgeon is day to day with an undisclosed injury.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday April 1st, 2026.

04/01/2026

Albert Lea Tiger Tennis held their season opener falling to New Ulm 7-0. Tiger teams are off today. Tomorrow Track and Field takes center stage.

For the last few seasons, the NFL has had several instances of broadcasting two Monday Night Football games on ABC and ESPN at the same time as part of the broadcast deal that increased Disney's total number of games per season. But with the league's deal to sell Disney control of NFL Network, those dual-MNF Mondays are now a thing of the past. EVP and COO of NFL Media, Hans Schroeder, admitted during a Tuesday press conference that the league and Disney miscalculated fan interest in simultaneous Monday night games. Schroeder said the league realized fans felt like they were conflicted to choose between those games.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have eight games remaining on their regular-season schedule, but will go into that stretch without one of their key players. Jaden McDaniels will be sidelined with left knee patella tendinopathy and a bone bruise. His status is listed as week-to-week. Minnesota hopes McDaniels can recover during the two weeks before the playoffs begin. The Wolves are off tonight before traveling to Detroit tomorrow.

The Minnesota Wild are also off today before hosting the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow night.

The Kansas City Royals face the Minnesota Twins, leading the series 1-0. Game time is set for 6:40. Joe Ryan gets the start for the Twins tonight while the Royals counter with Noah Cameron.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 31st, 2026.

03/31/2026

Dallas native Julius Randle scored 24 points, Anthony Edwards had 17 points off the bench in his return following a six-game absence, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-94. Edwards was announced as a starter but was late to the court and replaced in the lineup by Mike Conley. Edwards checked in after 2:01 elapsed. Edwards went in needing to play in every remaining Wolves game to meet the NBA"s 65-game minimum for eligibility for all-NBA consideration. Ayo Dosunmu had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists for his first triple-double since being acquired. Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Donte DiVincenzo hit 5 of 9 behind the arc and finished with 15 points. With the win, The Timberwolves (46-29) moved into sole possession of fifth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of idle Houston. The Timberwolves are now off until Thursday night when they visit Detroit to take on the Pistons.

The Kansas City Royals used home runs by Kyle Isbel and Isaac Collins, two hitters not known for their power, to defeat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on an unseasonably warm day in front of a sellout crowd of 39,320 in Kansas City"s home opener. The temperature at first pitch was 85 degrees. Simeon Woods Richardson (0-1) took the loss for the Twins. Woods Richardson allowed two runs but on five hits. Matt Wallner opened the scoring in the second inning for the Twins with a 424-foot home run that nearly reached the fountains in right-center. After an off-day today, the Twins and Royals resume the three-game series Wednesday.

The Vikings announced the decision to pickup receiver Jordan Addison"s 5th-year option. Every draft pick gets a contract that spans four seasons. What"s unique about 1st-Round selections is the team option for a 5th year, an added season of employment for a nice raise. Tacking on the 5th year ensures that the 24-year-old WR2 sticks around for a minimum of two more years. He"s carrying a $4.3 million cap charge into 2026 that will bump up to $18 million in 2027.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 30th, 2026.

03/30/2026

The Austin Bruins split their 2 game series against the Minot Minotauros. Friday night the Bruins received a rude awakening from a team they swept a weekend before when Minot opened the series with a 5-1 win. Saturday night, the Bruins were having none of that and sent the Tauros packing after handing them a 3-2 loss. The Bruins will try to hold onto their first place lead in the Central Division this weekend when they take on the 2nd place Bismarck Bobcats at Riverside Arena in a 2 game set.

Pete Alonso singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Tyler O"Neill hit a three-run homer and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 8-6 on Sunday. After the Twins bolted to a 4-0 lead against Orioles newcomer Shane Baz, Baltimore bounced back to win the deciding matchup of the season-opening, three-game series. Minnesota"s four-run second included a double by Tristan Gray that brought in three runs, the last after Gray was tagged out at third.

O"Neill homered off Twins starter Bailey Ober in the fourth to make it 4-3, and Dylan Beavers put Baltimore in front with a two-run double in the sixth. Lewis tied it with his second homer of the season in the seventh. He skipped into second base and continued his animated home run trot all the way to the plate. Up next Twins: RHP Simeon Woods Richardson faces Kansas City in the Royals" home opener Monday afternoon.

Saturday night, the Boston Bruins pushed past the Minnesota wild 6-3 on to spoil the Wild"s chance to clinch a playoff spot. The Wild have lost six of their last nine but have a firm hold on third place in the Central Division. A victory Saturday would have earned them a playoff berth. Kirill Kaprizov scored late in the second period for Minnesota after it fell behind 3-0. Mats Zuccarello added a power-play goal with a two-man advantage in the third to pull the Wild within 4-2.

Ryan Hartman"s goal sliced Minnesota"s deficit to 4-3. Filip Gustavsson stopped 25 shots but failed to pick up his 100th career victory. The Wild are now off until Thursday when they Host Vancouver.

Tonight the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Mavericks in Dallas. Tipoff is set for 7:30.

Power 96 Sports for Friday March 27th, 2026.

03/27/2026

The Austin Bruins are at home this weekend for a 2 game set against the Minot Minotauros at Riverside Arena. This weekend is a rematch of last weekend when the Bruins swept 2 games from Minot. Game time Tonight and tomorrow is set for 7:05.

Trevor Rogers pitched seven shutout innings and Colton Cowser and Blaze Alexander had seventh-inning RBIs to give the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on opening day yesterday. Twins righty Joe Ryan was every bit as good. In his second career opening day start, Ryan allowed one hit and two walks over 5 1/3 innings. After taking Friday off, the Twins and Orioles resume their series on Saturday with right-hander Taj Bradley starting for Minnesota against Baltimore righty Kyle Bradish.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored the winning goal with 4.4 seconds left in the game to lift the Minnesota Wild past the Florida Panthers 3-2. Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman also had goals for the Wild and Jesper Wallstedt made 18 saves. Minnesota"s Jared Spurgeon was helped off the ice and to the dressing room early in the third after appearing to collide with Noah Gregor near the post. Minnesota defenseman and Olympic gold medalist Quinn Hughes played in his 500th career game. The Wild are off today before heading to Boston for a game on Saturday.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are off today as well. They get back to action on Saturday when they host the Detroit Pistons. Game time is set for 4:30 and will be carried on ABC.

As the WNBA begins to open camps, some bad news for the Minnesota Lynx as Star Napheesa Collier is expected to be out for 4-6 months following surgery on both of her ankles.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday March 26th, 2026.

03/26/2026

The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing five of their top seven players for most of their record-setting overtime rally to beat the Houston Rockets. With a game-closing 15-0 run, the Timberwolves came back from 13 points down for a 110-108 victory over the Rockets. No other NBA team has overcome an overtime deficit that big since the league began logging play-by-play details with the 1997-98 season. Superstar Anthony Edwards was sidelined for a fifth straight game with knee trouble. Key backup Ayo Dosunmu was out, too, with a sore calf. Jaden McDaniels, who had 25 points and valiant defense on Rockets star Kevin Durant all night, started hobbling down the stretch of the fourth quarter and had to be pulled. Rudy Gobert, who had a steely 14 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, fouled out. Then early in overtime, Naz Reid was ejected after voicing his displeasure with official Scott Foster for an offensive foul call. The fans at Target Center were steadily filing out. The Timberwolves, with the win, stayed a half-game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference. They moved 1 1/2 games ahead of Houston and, most importantly, evened the season series at one apiece. The Wolves face the Rockets on the road on April 10. The T-Wolves have a few days off to recover and get healthy before a late Saturday afternoon game against Detroit.

Baseball is back, and that means the Minnesota Twins have set their Opening Day roster. The biggest takeaways: Tristan Gray won the final infielder spot, Mick Abel is officially the fifth starter and the bullpen has limited experience. The MLB season started Wednesday night, and the Twins open the campaign on this afternoon in Baltimore. Joe Ryan will get the opening day start for the Twins while the Orioles counter with Trevor Rogers.

The NY Yankees and the SF Giants opened up the 2026 last night. The Yankees shut out the Giants 7-0.

The Minnesota Wild visit the Florida Panthers after the Panthers took down the Seattle Kraken 5-4 in a shootout. Thursday's game is the second time these teams square off this season. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime in the previous matchup. Brad Marchand led the Panthers with two goals. For the Wild, Kirill Kaprizov has 38 goals and 42 assists for the Wild. Vladimir Tarasenko, who seems to have found his scoring touch, has scored six goals and added four assists over the past 10 games. Faceoff tonight is set for 6 pm.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday March 25th, 2026.

03/25/2026

Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson misplayed a carom off the end boards with 2:53 left in the third period which turned into a goal and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Wild 6-3 last night. Tampa Bay rallied from a two-goal deficit, scoring three goals in the second period and five unanswered overall to win for the fourth time in five games and fifth time in seven. Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello and Brock Faber also scored for the Wild, who have lost five of their last seven games. Gustavsson stopped 19 of the 23 shots that he faced. Minnesota jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and a 3-1 lead in the second before Tampa Bay bounced back. For Minnesota, Joel Eriksson Ek was back in the lineup after missing three games with lower-body injury and Kirill Kaprizov returned after missing two games, also with a lower-body injury. After an off day today, the Wild will take on the Florida Panthers Thursday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves back in action tonight as they take on the Houston Rockets tonight at 8:30 at the Target Center. Julius Randle is averaging 21 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the Timberwolves. Ayo Dosunmu is averaging 13.5 points and 3.3 assists over the past 10 games. Over their last 10 games, the Timberwolves are 5-5, averaging 114.0 points, 43.4 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.3% from the field. Some of those games were without leading scorer Anthony Edwards who is out for tonight"s game with a knee injury.

On Tuesday afternoon the Minnesota Twins blew out the Boston Red Sox to close Grapefruit League action. The 15-6 victory put a stamp on Spring Training, and following an off day today, the games will count. New manager Derek Shelton is looking to better a team that went just 72-90 a season ago. The Minnesota Twins won"t officially make their 2026 Opening Day roster final until Thursday. Joe Ryan has been named the starter for opening day on Thursday. Game time is set for 2:05

One of the most exciting parts of the NFL calendar year will take place next month: the NFL Draft, an annual three-day event in which hundreds of thousands of fans gather to celebrate the prospects their teams hope will help lift them to a Super Bowl. The event has never been held in Minnesota, but state officials are trying to change that. Minnesota Sports and Events, the regional sports commission that works to bring major events to the state, confirmed that it has submitted a bid to host the 2028 NFL Draft in the Twin Cities.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 24th, 2026.

03/24/2026

After participating and practicing yesterday, Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno are with the Wild for their East Coast swing this week. It remains up in the air whether or not they"ll play during the upcoming games. That swing opens up tonight when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Minnesota Wild at 6:30. Matthew Boldy has 38 goals and 37 assists for the Wild. Quinn Hughes has one goal and nine assists over the last 10 games. After facing the Lightning, the Wild will travel down to Florida then up the east coast for face Boston.

The Minnesota Twins left the Boston Red Sox training facility with a 9-6 win yesterday. Today the same 2 teams will battle it out at the Twins facility the their last Spring training game. The regular season opens up on Thursday as the Twins open up on the road against Baltimore.

A battle of 5th and 6th place teams in the NBA Western conference will take place tomorrow when the Houston Rockets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves after Kevin Durant scored 40 points in the Rockets' 132-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The teams meet for the second time this season. The Rockets won 110-105 in the last matchup on Jan. 17.

WNBA players unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement on Monday with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend. The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players. Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA it will become official. Then there will be a spring to the start of the regular season on May 8. First up is an expansion draft for the two new teams - Toronto and Portland. Rules regarding who the current teams will be able to protect and how the draft will work are still being figured out. The draft is expected to take place right around the Final Four. Teams are expected to start training camp on April 19 and will have little time to get prepared for the regular season.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 23rd, 2026.

03/23/2026

The Austin Bruins swept the Minot Minotauros, Friday night Goaltender Jack Solomon became the Bruins career shutout leader after notching his 8th career shutout in a 3-0 win. Saturday, the Bruins finished the sweep leaving town after a 6-2 win. Minot will look for revenge this weekend in another 2 game series at Riverside Arena. Faceoff Friday and Saturday nights are set for 7:05.

Bones Hyland scored 23 points, Jaden McDaniels had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Celtics 102-92 to snap an 18-game losing streak in Boston. Rudy Gobert had 14 rebounds and nine points. The Timberwolves" last win in Boston came in 2005. Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards was sidelined for his fourth straight game because of right knee inflammation. Forward Naz Reid returned after a two-game absence with a sprained right ankle and was ineffective until scoring in eight of his 11 points during Minnesota"s game-breaking 16-0 run midway into the final quarter. The Timberwolves get to enjoy a few off days before hosting Houston on Wednesday.

Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jump shot with 0.7 seconds left, lifting Minnesota past Mississippi 65-63 in the second round of the women"s NCAA Tournament on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years. Battle, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, took the inbound pass near the paint and dribbled out along the baseline for more space before swishing the winner and landing on her back. Mara Braun scored 17 points for the Gophers, Sophie Hart, added 10 points. The Gophers will tavel to Sacramento, California, to face the winner of the game tonight between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday after the Wild knocked off the Dallas Stars 2-1 in overtime on Saturday. Tuesday's game is the second time these teams meet this season. The Wild won the last meeting 5-1.

The Minnesota Twins still have to make roster decisions before the conclusion of spring training. Yesterday the Twins downed the club from the Atlanta Braves 7-3. Today, the Twins have a date with Boston. The regular season gets underway this Thursday. The Twins will open up the season on the road with a 3 game series in Baltimore, then move on to Kansas City. The home opener wont be until the 13th of April.

Power 96 Sports for Friday March 20th, 2026.

03/20/2026

The Austin Bruins will be in Minot this weekend for both Friday and Saturday games. The Bruins still hold first place in the Central Division with 76 total points. The Bismark Bobcats are in second with 73. Face off in Minot is set for 7:35 for both nights.

Adam Thielen and C.J. Ham shared similar paths to long NFL careers, and now they've ended their careers together as Minnesota Vikings.

Thielen and Ham shared a stage at TCO Performance Center on Thursday as the Vikings honored the duo, who are retiring as celebrated members of the organization. Thielen spent 11 years of his 13-year NFL career as a member of the Vikings. Ham spent all nine seasons in Minnesota. Both Minnesota natives went undrafted and earned contracts after rookie minicamp tryouts, wound up with the hometown Vikings made their journey even more remarkable. Thielen ends his career with the fourth-most receptions (542), fifth-most receiving yards (6,751), and third-most receiving touchdowns (55) in Vikings history. Ham played in 141 games during his nine-year NFL career. While his personal numbers don't pop off the page, he was a vital cog in some of the best rushing attacks in the league over the past decade. The Duluth native ends his career with two Pro Bowl nods and goes down as a Vikings fan favorite. Thielen admitted that the decision to retire was a difficult one, but that going back to last year, he had felt "wore out mentally." So, while he says it was "really tough," he's looking forward to getting to be a full-time, stay-at-home dad.

For the first time in 20 games, the Minnesota Wild lost in regulation to their Central Division rivals the Chicago Blackhawks, falling 2-1 on Thursday night, at Grand Casino Arena without star Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov was sidelined by a lower-body injury suffered in the 4-3 overtime victory at Chicago on March 17. Ilya Mikheyev started the scoring in the first period, and Connor Bedard put Chicago up 2-0 on a breakaway in the second before Nico Sturm responded for the Wild. Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight racked up 28 saves, while Jesper Wallstedt made 24 stops for the Wild. The Wild will host the Dallas Start Saturday afternoon, with tip off set for 3pm.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday March 19th, 2026.

03/19/2026

The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with quarterback Carson Wentz on a one-year deal Thursday, adding to their depth in a key year for them at the position. Wentz, who started five games last season as the Vikings' backup, joins a group that includes newcomer Kyler Murray along with incumbents J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer. The Vikings have been determined to upgrade the position after injuries and poor performances were largely responsible for them missing the playoffs in 2023 and 2025. Adding Wentz puts McCarthy in competition for both the starting role with Murray, and the No. 2 spot with Wentz. If nothing else, Wentz could give the Vikings a more reliable No. 3 quarterback than Brosmer proved to be as an undrafted rookie last season.

The Minnesota Gopher Womens Basketball team will face off against Green Bay tomorrow night at Williams Arena for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The WNBA and the league"s players" union have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a prolonged labor battle just 51 days before the league"s 30th season is set to tip off. Under the terms of the new CBA, the salary cap will jump from just $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million starting this season. Supermax contracts will now start at $1.4 million, up from $249,244 in 2025. Meanwhile, the average salary rises from $120,000 in 2025 to around $600,000 in 2026. The minimum salary will also increase to more than $300,000 under the new deal, up from $66,079 in 2025.

Tonight Ron"s Chicago Blackhawks come to town to take on the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are 3 and 0 against Chicago this season and look to keep the win streak alive. Faceoff is set for 6:30.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday March 18th, 2026.

03/18/2026

After losing Ryan Wright in free agency, the Minnesota Vikings have found their new punter in veteran Johnny Hekker. Hekker and the Vikings have agreed to terms on a one-year deal. How much money the Vikings are paying Hekker hasn't been disclosed. Hekker, 36, has played 14 NFL seasons, including the 2025 campaign with the Tennessee Titans. Before that, he spent 2022 to 2024 with the Carolina Panthers, and 2012 to 2021 with the Los Angeles Rams.

Hekker was the punter on the 2021-22 Rams team that won the Super Bowl. Kevin O'Connell was the offensive coordinator on that team. Hekker was named First Team All-Pro as a punter in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He was Second Team All-Pro in 2014 and 2018, having been selected to the Pro Bowl all three seasons that he made the first team. Hekker is also well known as one of the best passing punters in NFL history, having converted his fair share of fake punts for first downs, including one against the Vikings during the 2018 season. He's also recognized for the turning the ball sideways and dropping it before his punt, which makes the ball curve right, giving it the "banana punt" nickname.

Mats Zuccarello scored 3:09 into overtime, and the Minnesota Wild stopped a three-game slide by topping the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 on Tuesday night. Marcus Johansson had a goal and two assists as Minnesota improved to 3-0 against Chicago this season. Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan Hartman also scored, and Brock Faber had three assists. Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves for the Wild, and Jesper Wallstedt stopped two shots. Gustavsson departed for 3:27 in the third period because of an equipment issue. Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks. Foligno held his stick in the air and waved to the cheering crowd after he was saluted with a tribute video during a timeout in the opening period.

The Venezuela National team defeated the USA team last night 3 to 2 to become champions, in the final game of the World Baseball Classic.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 17th, 2026.

03/17/2026

The USA Baseball team will face the Venezuela national team tonight in the World Baseball Classic Finals. Venezuela punched their ticket to the finals when they beat Italy 4 to 2. First pitch tonight on FOX is scheduled for 7pm.

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Pirates yesterday 5 to 1. Today they will take on the Phillies in a noon game.

The Minnesota Wild travel to Chicago tonight to take on Ron"s Blackhawks. Tip off is set for 6:30pm

Tonight the Minnesota Timberwolves will host the Phoenix Suns at Target Center with a tip off at 7pm. The Twolves currently sit 6th in the Western Conference with a record of 41 and 27.

The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing in a new back up quarterback, with the signing of Justin Fields. Fields was released by the New York Jets after they acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Las Vegas Raiders.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 16th, 2026.

03/16/2026

Albert Lea"s Landon Uthke is officially a gold medal winner, as the U.S. Sled Hockey Team defeated Canada 6-2 to claim their 5th straight Paralympic gold medal on Sunday afternoon. With the win it was the first time in history that a single nation has won gold in all hockey events in the same olympic year.

The Austin Bruins dusted off their brooms and had a weekend sweep over the Minnesota Mallards, in the home and home series over the weekend. Friday night the Bruins defeated the Mallards 5 to 0 in Forest Lake, then came home to debut their new “Black Ice” jerseys in a 8 to 2 win at Riverside Arena.

The USA mens baseball team held off the high powered Dominican Republic team in a 2 to 1 win Sunday evening, in the World Baseball Classic. They will next play in the finals against the winner of the Italy and Venezuela teams who face each other on Monday evening.

Both the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Timberwolves fell in their games last night. The Wild lost 4 to 2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Twolves fell to the OKC Thunder 103 to 116.

Power 96 Sports for Friday March 13th, 2026.

03/13/2026

The Austin Bruins find themselves embattled in a home and home series against the Minnesota Mallards. Tonight the Bruins look to clip their wings on the Mallards home ice before returning to Riverside arena on Saturday night. Faceoff Saturday night is set for 7:05.

Travis Konecny scored the lone goal in a shootout to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. After Flyers goalie Dan Vladar stopped all three Wild attempts, Konecny ended it with a wrister over Jesper Wallstedt"s shoulder. Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov scored for Minnesota. Quinn Hughes had two assists, and Wallstedt made 24 saves. The Wild are 3-0-2 in their last five. The Wild will next host the Rangers on Saturday night.

The Minnesota Vikings found in Kyler Murray an ideal addition to their quarterback depth chart, setting up stiff competition for incumbent J.J. McCarthy for the starting job this season — and perhaps beyond. Murray visited Vikings headquarters and signed a one-year contract on Thursday, after the first overall pick from the 2019 NFL draft was released by the Arizona Cardinals. Because he"s already owed $36.8 million in guaranteed salary by the Cardinals for this season, Murray was able to sign for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million and give the Vikings a no risk opportunity. Murray, despite being sidetracked recently by injuries and dogged by questions about his work ethic, has two Pro Bowl selections, a 67% career completion percentage, a 2-to-1 ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions — and a bonus of 3,193 rushing yards with 32 scores.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are set to take on Golden State tonight as their west coast swing continues. The Wolves have dropped their last 3 after a 5 game winning streak. The Wolves are looking for any positive momentum. They currently have the 6th seed in the western conference. Golden State aims to stop its three-game home losing streak. The teams square off for the fourth time this season tonight. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 108-83 on Jan. 27. Julius Randle scored 18 points to help lead the Timberwolves to the win. Game time tonight is set for 9 pm.

Minnesota Twins yesterday defeated Boston 8-5 in spring training action. Today the club will take on the squad from Toronto as player evaluations continue.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday March 12th, 2026.

03/12/2026

Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the Minnesota Timberwolves 153-128 last night, moving above .500 with their third straight victory and sixth in seven games. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 36 points and Naz Reid had 18. Minnesota dropped to sixth in the tight Western Conference, but only a half-game behind the third-place Lakers. The Timberwolves have lost three in a row after winning five straight. They lost to the Lakers on Tuesday night to open four-game trip. The Timberwolves are off today before taking on Golden State as their west coast trip continues on Friday.

Tariq Francis scored 29 points to lead No. 14 seed Rutgers over 11th-seeded Minnesota 72-67 on Wednesday night in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Philadelphia Flyers hit the road against the Minnesota Wild aiming to continue a three-game road winning streak. Minnesota has a 38-16-11 record overall and a 19-7-7 record on its home ice. The teams meet Thursday for the second time this season. The Flyers won the previous matchup 2-1 in overtime. Matthew Boldy has 36 goals and 37 assists for the Wild. Kirill Kaprizov has eight goals and four assists over the last 10 games. Faceoff tonight is set for 7 pm.

Spring training baseball action saw the Twins down Detroit yesterday 2-1. Today, the Twins will face the Boston Squad. The Twins also trimmed their roster by 2 sending 2 first round picks back to their minor league clubs. Kaelen Culpepper, and fellow former first round pick Aaron Sabato, were reassigned to minor league camp. The moves decrease the camp bodies to 47. Just over two weeks left to go until the Minnesota Twins must reduce their roster to 26.

The Vikings announced the releases of defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on Wednesday, they also announced a procedural move involving safety Harrison Smith. Smith was not under contract for the 2026 season, but the team has designated him as a post-June 1 cut in order to spread the cap hit remaining on void years of his contract over the next two seasons. The move will provide the team with $1.3 million in cap savings this summer.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday March 11th, 2026.

03/11/2026

Kirill Kaprizov scored his 37th goal of the season, Matt Boldy notched his 36th, and Filip Gustavsson earned his fourth shutout of the season as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-0 on Tuesday night. Bobby Brink scored his first goal since the Wild acquired him from the Flyers on Friday. Brink, a Minnesota native, put his new team up 3-0 early in the third period. Danila Yurov and Ryan Hartman also scored in the third. Gustavsson stopped all 25 shots he faced. Quinn Hughes extended his point streak with an assist, giving him one goal and five assists in his last five games. The Wild next host Philadelphia on Thursday.

Luka Doncic had 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in his seventh triple-double of the season, and the Los Angeles Lakers overcame LeBron James" latest injury absence to sweep their season series with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 120-106 victory. Julius Randle scored 14 points and Anthony Edwards finished with 14 points on a 2-for-15 shooting night for Minnesota, which has lost two straight after a five-game winning streak. Four Timberwolves bench players scored in double figures in the opener of a four-game trip. The Timberwolves stay out west as they take on the Clippers tonight.

The Minnesota Vikings have officially received an additional draft pick for losing quarterback Sam Darnold to Seattle last offseason.

Compensatory picks for the 2026 draft were awarded by the NFL on Monday, with the Vikings receiving the top comp pick at 97th overall.

That means the Vikings now have nine picks in the 2026 draft and four in the top 100 picks:

? Rd 1, 18th Overall

? Rd 2, 49th Overall

? Rd 3, 82nd Overall

? Rd 3, 97th Overall

? Rd 5, 163rd Overall

? Rd 6, 196th Overall

? Rd 7, 234th Overall

? Rd 7, 235th Overall

? Rd 7, 244th Overall

Facing significant salary cap constraints, the Vikings aren"t expected to be very active in free agency, which will make the draft even more important. The draft will take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 10th, 2026.

03/10/2026

The Austin Bruins have a home and home series against the Minnesota Mallards this weekend. Friday the Bruins will be on the road to the Mallards pond before returning home to their own den at Riverside Arena on Saturday night. Last Saturday, the Bruins clinched a playoff birth in their quest for the Robertson Cup.

The Minnesota Vikings have limited flexibility to make a big splash this year in free agency, but the team is adding to its secondary. the Vikings agreed to terms on a two-year deal with cornerback James Pierre. The deal reportedly will be for $8.25 million total, with $3.7 million guaranteed. The 29-year-old has spent all six of his NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so he"ll reunite with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and Gerald Alexander, Minnesota"s new defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. The NFL"s new league year starts Wednesday afternoon, so Pierre and other free agents won"t officially sign with new teams until then. The Vikings are losing wide receiver Jalen Nailor to a three-year, $35 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Los Angeles Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight aiming to continue their four-game home winning streak. The teams meet for the third time this season. The Lakers won 116-115 in the last meeting on Oct. 30. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 28 points, and Julius Randle led the Timberwolves with 33 points. Randle is averaging 21.4 points, seven rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is averaging 29.5 points over the last 10 games. Tipoff tonight is set for 10 pm.

A much earlier game to catch tonight is the Minnesota Wild as they play host to the Utah Mammoth. The Mammoth are coming to town after playing last night in an overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Faceoff tonight is at 7 pm.

Spring training continues for the Twins who sent a slew of players to minor league camps as the regular season approaches. Yesterday, the Twins fell to the Atlanta Braves 9-8. Today the Twins are right back at it in a game against the Rays. The Twins will be playing every day for the next full week. Their next scheduled off day is on the 18th.

The Minnesota Wilds ECHL affiliate, the Iowa Heartlanders, announced it will finish this season, but will cease operations for the 2026-27 season. The team will focus on evaluating strategic alternatives to ensure a sustainable future. No word on if the team will relocate or stay in Corralville Iowa.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 9th, 2026

03/09/2026

The Austin Bruins split their 2 game series against the Aberdeen Wings over the weekend falling to the Wings 6-3 Friday night before rallying the troops and answering back with a 3-2 win on Saturday night and in defeating the Wings Saturday the Bruins also clinched a playoff birth in their quest for the Robertson Cup.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his NHL-leading 43rd goal and scored the winning goal in a shootout, lifting the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday in a matchup between two of the NHL"s top four teams in points. MacKinnon has 70 points in 55 career games against Minnesota, his most against any opponent.

Both teams converted on one of their first three shootout opportunities before Vladimir Tarasenko was stonewalled by Scott Wedgewood, giving MacKinnon the opportunity to deliver his team a win. Kirill Kaprizov scored his team-leading 36th goal of the season for the Wild, who had won eight of their previous 10 games. Nico Sturm also scored for Minnesota. The Wild are off today, they will host Utah tomorrow.

The Minnesota Vikings are keeping one of their pending free agents. Linebacker Eric Wilson is staying with the team on a three-year deal. the contract is worth $12.5 million guaranteed and up to $22.5 million in total. Wilson, 31, spent his first four NFL seasons with Minnesota before spending time with Philadelphia, Houston and Green Bay. He returned to the Vikings last season and excelled, moving from a reserve into a starting position and posting career numbers. In 17 games, Wilson tallied 115 tackles, a career-best 6.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles while holding up pretty well in coverage. The NFL"s new league year starts Wednesday afternoon, allowing free agents to officially start joining teams. The negotiation window, however, starts today.

The Timberwolves are off today as they travel to the west coast for tomorrows game against the Lakers.

Power 96 Sports for Friday March 6th, 2026.

03/06/2026

Albert Lea Tiger boys basketball"s chase for State came to an end last night in their contest against Belle Plaine with a 101-51 loss.

The Austin Bruins are on the road this weekend for a 2 game series against the Aberdeen Wings.

Anthony Edwards scored 22 points, including an impressive two-handed slam over RJ Barrett, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Toronto Raptors 115-107 for their fifth straight victory.

In the third quarter, Edwards used a crossover dribble to get free in the lane, elevated well above the rim and slammed it home, flexing and yelling at Barrett afterward. Barrett gave Edwards a little bump as they ran back up the court. Coming off a 41-point performance in Minnesota"s 117-110 win over Memphis on Tuesday night, Edwards had an efficient night, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 12 rebounds, Julius Randle scored 17 and Donte DiVincenzo had 16 points for the Wolves. The Timberwolves will next host Orlando on Saturday.

The Minnesota Wild are back in action tonight for a game against the Vegas Golden Knights on trade deadline day. The Wild already made a move when they acquired forward Michael McCarron from Nashville in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick on Tuesday. The Wild made another yesterday. On Thursday, just a few days after Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said his blue line was set, the Wild traded for defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panters for a conditional seventh-round pick. The condition is that if the Wild win two playoff rounds and Petry plays in 50 percent or more of those games, then the seventh in 2026 will turn into a fifth. The trade deadline is today at 2pm.

Spring training action from Florida saw the Twins spank the Yankees 15-0. Today the boys of summer will take on Atlanta.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday March 5th, 2026.

03/05/2026

Albert Lea Tiger boys basketball"s chase for State continues tonight when the Tigers take on Belle Plaine on tonight at 7. POWER 96 will bring you all that action starting about 6:45.

Sam Alexis scored 17 of his 23 points in the first half to help Indiana jump out early and cruise past Minnesota 77-47 last night that ended the Hoosiers" four-game losing streak. Cade Tyson scored 21 points and Isaac Asuma added 13 for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers shot 26% (6 of 23) in the second half and 32% overall. Minnesota hosts Northwestern in a regular-season finale on Saturday.

With the NHL Trade Deadline Friday afternoon, the Wild continue to add to their roster. They moved a 2028 2nd round pick to Nashville on Tuesday night for depth center Michael McCarron. McCarron, 30, led Nashville and ranks tied for 17th in the NHL with 165 hits this season, while winning 52.8 percent of his face-offs on the year. The Wild wanted to add face-off help, so mission accomplished. For his career, the 6-foot-6, 232-pound native of Grosse Point, Mich., has recorded 74 career points and 495 penalty minutes in 361 games across parts of nine NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens (2015-18) and Nashville (2020-26). McCarron helps in one area GM Bill Guerin highlighted: face-offs, where the Wild rank second worst in the league at a 46.2% success rate.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in action tonight when they host the Toronto Raptors at the Target Center. Tipoff is set for 7 pm.

The Twins are scheduled to play the Yankees today at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Righty Taj Bradley is slated to make the start on the mound for the Twins, and righty Paul Blackburn is the Yankees' scheduled starter.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday March 4th, 2026.

03/04/2026

As heard here on POWER 96 last night, Albert Lea Tiger boys basketball in their opening section game defeated Le Sueur-Henderson 89-67. The boys will next face Belle Plaine on Thursday night at 7. POWER 96 will bring you all that action starting about 6:45.

Kirill Kaprizov broke the franchise career goals record with 220, Mats Zuccarello, Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes each had a goal and assist and the Minnesota Wild beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1. Kaprizov"s empty-netter, a backhander from center ice for his 35th of the season, pushed him past Marian Gaborik for the most in Wild history. Yakov Trenin also scored to help Minnesota end a two-game slide and continue its home dominance of Tampa Bay. The Wild are 16-3-0 at home against the Lightning. Matt Boldy added a season-high three assists, extending his points streak to a career-high-tying 10 games. Filip Gustavsson stopped 26 shots, improving to 5-1-0 in his past six starts. The Wild are now off until Friday when they travel to Vegas.

Anthony Edwards scored 41 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a sluggish first half to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 117-110. The Timberwolves, who moved into fourth in the Western Conference over the weekend, have won four in a row and seven of eight. Memphis saw its two-game winning streak end. Julius Randle added 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Wolves and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 14 points off the bench. Edwards, fresh off being named Western Conference Player of the Week, took over in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Wolves pulled away. It was his ninth 40-point game of the season. Next up is a date with Toronto at the Target Center on Thursday.

The Minnesota Twins are of today after suffering a 5-3 loss at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday. Tomorrow, the Twins will face the Yankees in spring training action.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 3rd, 2026.

03/03/2026

Albert Lea Tiger boys basketball in action tonight as they host their section game against Le Sueur-Henderson. Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you all the action starting about 6:45 tonight.

The Minnesota Twins take on the Rays in Spring training action.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in action tonight at the Target Center when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at 7 pm.

The Minnesota Wild claimed forward Robby Fabbri of waivers from the St. Louis Blues. The waiver claim comes as the Wild placed winger Marcus Foligno on injured reserve with a lower-body injury. The NHL trade deadline is this Friday. The Wild host the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. Faceoff is set for 8:30.

The Minnesota Wild and city of St. Paul Mayor Her announced they"ve agreed to “a framework” of a deal that would fund renovations at the Grand Casino Arena complex but would require one-third of the money from the state. Under the terms of the deal, $600 million would be poured into Grand Casino Arena, the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. The parties will ask the Minnesota Legislature to provide $200 million of that, with the city and team each putting up $162.5 million and working together to fund the remaining $75 million. Her and the Wild say $450 million would go toward Grand Casino Arena, with the remaining $150 million being split among the RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium. If approved, the Wild would also agree to cover any project overrun costs and would extend their lease at the arena. State lawmakers will again figure to play a pivotal role in whether or not the plan moves forward or the sides go back to the drawing board. In addition to serving as the home of the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Frost, the arena hosts dozens of events throughout the year, including concerts, Monster Jam, and the high school hockey tournaments.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 2nd, 2026.

03/02/2026

Albert Lea Tiger teams are off today, tomorrow, POWER 96 will bring you the boys basketball section game as the Tigers host Le Sueur-Henderson. Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you all the action starting about 6:45.

The Austin Bruins split their weekend home series against the Aberdeen Wings at Riverside Arena. Game one on Friday night saw the Bruins fall to the Wings 2-1 in regulation. Saturday night, the Bruins extracted some revenge with a 3-1 victory. This weekend the Bruins will travel to Aberdeen to once again battle the Wings in a 2 game series.

Pavel Buchnevich scored late in the third period and the St. Louis Blues snapped a 10-game road losing streak by beating the Minnesota Wild 3-1 yesterday. Kirill Kaprizov scored to tie Marian Gaborik for the most goals in Wild franchise history with 218. Filip Gustavsson made 21 saves, but Minnesota lost its second straight after six straight wins. The Wild lost 5-2 Friday in Utah. It was the first time in 42 games this season that Minnesota lost when allowing three or fewer goals in regulation.

Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, Bones Hyland had 15 of his 18 points in the first half against his former team, and the Minnesota Timberwolves moved a game ahead of Denver in the Western Conference with a 117-108 win over the Nuggets. The Timberwolves will host Memphis on Tuesday night.

Sophie Hart scored 17 points, Amaya Battle added 10 of her 16 points in the second half and No. 22 Minnesota beat Illinois 78-73 on Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams to clinch a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota will be the No. 4 seed in Big Ten Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Minnesota Twins have a rare off day today, tomorrow the team will take on the Rays in Spring training action. Sunday, the Twins tied Atlanta 2-2.