Sports

Power 96 Sports Update 4-25

04/25/2024

Albert Lea Tiger sports from yesterday saw boys golf winning the Big 9 Conference tournament in Mankato with a score of 301. 2nd place Northfield was 10 strokes behind finishing with a 311 Faribault finished 3rd with a team score of 313.Boys Track and Field finished 3rd in their triangular with a final score of 34.

A full slate of activities today as girls golf participates in their Big 9 conference tournament in Mankato. Clay Target will get underway at 4:30 in Austin. Boys tennis will host Faribault at 4:30. Boys baseball on the road today to face Rochester John Marshall at 5 pm and girls softball will host John Marshall at 5 pm. POWER 96 will bring you that game live this evening.

Willi Castro hit a 3-run home run on his 27th birthday and Joe Ryan pitched six innings for his first win of the year as the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 6-3 Wednesday.Castro"s homer capped a four-run second inning against Chicago left-hander Garrett Crochet. It was his second career home run on his birthday and it drove in Austin Martin and Christian Vásquez.Ryan (1-1) had a pair of three-strikeout innings, The Twins righty struck out eight and gave up three runs to win for the first time in five starts. Griffin Jax pitched a scoreless inning for his third save of the year. First pitch of the series finale is set for 12:10.

Timberwolves center Naz Reid was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year on Wednesday, the first player in franchise history to receive the honor. Reid beat out finalists Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Finally, tonight is the first day of the NFL Draft. That action gets underway at 7 pm. The Vikings hold 2 first round selection with pick 11 and pick 23. They have to make them count as the Vikings wont have another selection until the 4th round.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-24

04/24/2024

Albert Lea Tiger sports from yesterday saw boys golf winning their triangulars. Girls Softball fell to Mankato West 14-1 in 5 innings. Boys baseball was shut out by the Kato West Scarlets 7-0. Boys tennis also shut out in that matchup with Red Wing 7 sets to none. Today, Boys Golf will take part in the Big 9 Conference tournament in Mankato.Boys and Girls Track and Field will be in Owatonna to participate in a triangular at 4:30.

In other area action, The Alden Conger boys golf team defeated St. Clair/Loyola 172-199. Alden Conger had 4 golfers shoot a 43 to help secure the win.The Alden Conger Girls golf team fell just short losing to St. Clair/Loyola 229 to 237.

Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points for a career best in the playoffs and spearheaded another stifling defensive performance by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 105-93 victory over the Phoenix Suns to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series on Tuesday night. Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert each had 18 points for the Wolves to offset a smothering of Anthony Edwards by the Suns, who held him to 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting after allowing him 33 in the opener. The teams head to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday night.

Alex Kirilloff hit a two-out, game-ending single after Byron Buxton led off the ninth inning with a tying homer, and the major league-worst Chicago White Sox fell to 3-20 with a 6-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Trevor Larnach hit a 433-foot, two-run homer in the eighth to get the Twins within 5-4 and help set up the heroics by Buxton and Kirilloff The Twins have won three of four after a five-game skid. The teams will be back at it tonight first pitch tonight at Target Field is set for 6:40.

The NFL Draft takes place tomorrow at 7 p.m. and the league"s review into tampering allegations against the Falcons and Eagles is ongoing and will not conclude this week, per the NFL."That alone is a favor to the Falcons and Eagles, if either is found guilty of tampering with Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley, respectively. If they get whacked, they won't lose 2024 draft picks.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-23

04/23/2024

Albert Lea Tiger sports had a successful day yesterday with both boys and girls golf winning their triangulars. The Girls hosted a match between Faribault and Kato East with Albert Lea coming out on top with a 349 team score. Faribault scored a 374 and East finished with a 397. The Boys were in Faribault for their matchup with Kato East and Faribault. The Tigers went into the match undefeated in Big 9 play. By the time all was said and done the Tigers remained undefeated with a team score of 311 to Faribault"s 316 and East"s 338. The Tigers Archie Nelson shot a fantastic 4 under round finishing with a 68. Girls Softball fell to Austin 7-5.

Today, Boys tennis heads to Red Wing for a 4:45 matchup. Boys baseball will host Kato West at 5 p.m. at Hayek Field POWER 96 will bring you that game live. Softball is back at it today taking on Kato West at 5 p.m. in Kato.

Max Kepler had two hits and three RBIs in his return from the injured list and the Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 7-0 on Monday night.Chris Paddack struck out 10 in seven innings to win as a starter for the first time in nearly two years. Edouard Julien homered among his three hits for Minnesota. Blanked for the eighth time this season and once in each series, Chicago has lost 10 of 11. The White Sox fell to 3-19, the worst record in the majors.Paddack (1-1) scattered just six hits and walked none for his first win as a starter since May 2, 2022. Minnesota entered the night hitting an MLB-worst .135 with runners in scoring position, including 0 for 16 the past two games. It finished 2 for 6. The Twins and white sox are back at it tonight starting at 6:40.

Wrapping things up in the Stanley Cup playoffs the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Boston Bruins 3-2 to even the series 1-1, The Carolina Hurricanes stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Islanders 5-3 to take a 2-0 series lead. Out west the Vegas Golden Knights took down the Dallas Stars 4-3 for a 1-0 series lead and the Edmonton Oilers took down the LA Kings 7-4 in game one.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-22

04/22/2024

Albert Lea Tiger sports back in action today. Girls Golf will host a Triangular at Wedgewood Cove at 2:30. Boys gold hits the road to play in a triangular in Faribault at 2:30. And Girls Softball will host Austin tonight at 5 pm.

The Austin Bruins ran into a brick wall in the Minot Minotauros over the weekend in the first round of the Robertson Cup playoffs losing both contests. Friday night the Bruins were blown out 9-1. The team faired a bit better Saturday night when the Bruins fell 3-1. The Black and Gold now face an uphill battle in the best of 5 series which will continue Friday night in Austin for game 3. Minot will look to bounce the Bruins out of the playoffs, while the Bruins will try to fight their way back into the series. A win on Friday means a game 4 on Saturday night at Riverside Arena.

Buddy Kennedy homered and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Sunday.Spencer Torkelson had two hits, scored twice and knocked in two runs. Riley Greene scored three times for the Tigers, who improved to 8-3 on the road.The Twins have lost six of seven and are hitting .195, the second-worst batting average in the big leagues. Twins right-hander Louie Varland (0-4) was wild from the start. He walked the first two batters he faced and, after getting a groundout, gave up a single and another walk.

Varland pitched around a leadoff walk in the second, but didn"t make it out of the third inning. The Twins will take on the White Sox tonight.

Anthony Edwards scored 18 of his 33 points in the third quarter and had nine rebounds to carry the Minnesota Timberwolves in a tone-setting 120-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns to start the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday. Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points, Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting and Rudy Gobert locked down the lane with 14 points, 16 rebounds and constant shot-altering defense to lead the Wolves to their first Game 1 home win in the playoffs in 20 years.

Game 2 is in Minneapolis on Tuesday before the best-of-seven series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3.   

Power 96 Sports Update 4-19

04/19/2024

Albert Lea Tiger sports ended up with an unexpected off day yesterday due to poor field conditions. All the events have been rescheduled. Today, Girls golf will take on multiple teams at Lake City Golf Course. The Boys team will also face multiple schools at Willow Creek Golf Course. Boys Track and field will be in Austin to participate in an invitational.

Some area results from yesterday, Alden Conger Boys golf defeated Madelia 182-189.Alden Conger Girls golf also faced Madelia falling 238 to 263.

Seattle scored a tie breaking goal with 2:40 remaining, and the Kraken held on to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Thursday night to wrap up the regular season for two teams that missed the playoffs.

Brock Faber answered Yanni Gourde"s empty-netter with 1:46 left by scoring for the Wild on a 6-on-4 power play with 1:05 left and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury pulled, but Kraken goalie Joey Daccord ,who had 21 saves, and the defense held up.Kirill Kaprizov scored his 46th goal of the season on a power play in the first period, and Mats Zuccarello had the tying goal midway through the third period for the Wild. Kaprizov finished with 96 points this season. The Wild finished the season 39-34-9 and in sixth place in the Central Division.

The Western Conference playoffs are set. The matchups for the first round will see the Dallas Stars take on the Vegas Golden Knights, the winner of that series will take on the winner of the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche. In the Pacific Division part of the bracket the Vancouver Canucks will take on the Nashville Predators with the winner of that series moving on to take on the winner of the Edmonton Oilers and the LA Kings. The Stanley Cup playoffs will get underway on Saturday when the Islanders take on the Hurricanes and the Maple Leafs going to battle against the Boston Bruins.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-18

04/18/2024

Albert Lea Tiger Volleyball player Addison Dirkes signed her letter of intent to continue her Volleyball career at Gustavus College.

Albert Lea Tiger sports on the docket today include boys baseball who will be in Faribault to take on the falcons. First pitch is set for 5 pm. Girls softball will host Faribault at 5 at the Hammer Complex. Tiger teams were off yesterday.

Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Baltimore Orioles a 4-2 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday and a three-game sweep of the Twins.It was the first career walk-off homer for Mullins.Pablo López allowed a leadoff homer to Henderson in the first but was outstanding after that. He exited after six innings and 87 pitches, having allowed a run and two hits with seven strikeouts. The Twins scored twice in the seventh to take the lead briefly. Austin Martin"s single scored Manuel Margot from first, he"d been running with the pitch. One out later, Kyle Farmer"s single scored Martin. Twins: Have an off day today before hosting Detroit on Friday night. Joe Ryan (0-1) starts for Minnesota against Jack Flaherty (0-1).

AL Central scores from last night: The Detroit Tigers fell to the Texas Rangers 5-4, the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox split a double header. Kansas City won the first game 4-2 and Chicago won game two 2-1. The Cleveland Guardians were shutout by the Boston Red Sox 2-0.

The Minnesota Wild signed goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension on Wednesday, bringing back the veteran for his age-40 season.Fleury, who turns 40 on Nov. 28, has had a prolific season in which he passed Patrick Roy for second place behind Martin Brodeur on the NHL ‘s all-time list in career goaltending wins. Brodeur (691) is still 130 ahead of Fleury, but don"t expect him to stick with that long-shot pursuit. Speaking of the Wild, The team will wrap up their season tonight when they host the Seattle Kraken at the X. Faceoff tonight is set for 6 pm.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-17

04/17/2024

Albert Lea Tigers had a complete wipe-out of all activities yesterday due to the weather. All of the games have been rescheduled. Tiger teams are off today but will be back in action tomorrow.

Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Ryan O"Hearn homered, Grayson Rodriguez pitched six solid innings and the Baltimore Orioles trounced the Minnesota Twins 11-3 on Tuesday night. Twins starter Chris Paddack allowed nine runs and 12 hits, but he did make it through five innings for the first time this season. He left with one out in the sixth and a man on third. The runs matched a career high and the hits were three more than Paddock's previous high. Minnesota recalled outfielder Trevor Larnach from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned outfielder Matt Wallner to St. Paul. RHP Pablo López gets the start for Minnesota in today's series finale. First pitch is set for 12:05.

Elsewhere in AL Central action last night: the Detroit Tigers took down defending champion Texas 4-2, the Cleveland Guardians needed extra innings but took down the Boston Red Sox 10-7 in 11 innings, and the game between the Royals and White Sox was postponed.

NBA action from last night saw the LA Lakers down the New Orleans Pelicans 110-106. The Lakers will be the seven seed in the Western Conference and take on the defending Champion Denver Nuggets. The Sacramento Kings beat up on the Golden State Warriors 118-94. The Kings will play the Pelicans on Friday and the winner will be the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores has returned to the team. Flores said Tuesday that he did not receive any chances to interview for a head coaching opening during this offseason's hiring cycle. The Vikings opened up the start of voluntary workouts on Monday at the Performance Center.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-16

04/16/2024

Albert Lea Tigers have a full slate of action, but today"s weather may interfere with those plans. Boys golf has been rescheduled to Friday. Girls and Boys track and field is to host multiple schools at the Gus at 4:30. Boys baseball is slated to take on Austin in Austin today at 5 Girls softball is scheduled to host Austin at 5. Again, all of those are dependent on the weather cooperating. We will bring you any updates as they come in.    

Cedric Mullins saved a run with an exceptional diving catch in deep left-center, then homered and drove in three runs for the Baltimore Orioles in a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. Ryan Jeffers and Jose Miranda each had three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota. Louie Varland (0-3) allowed six runs — four earned — in five innings after second baseman Edouard Julien"s fielding error helped Baltimore to a two-run first. Today, Orioles RHP Grayson Rodriguez will open up for Baltimore. He has completed 5 2/3 innings and allowed two or fewer runs in all three starts. The Twins will counter with RHP Chris Paddack (0-0, 4.15)who failed to complete five in his two outings. First pitch tonight is set for 5:35.

Anthony Edwards is currently getting ready to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Later this summer, he hopes to be wearing an Olympic gold medal. Team USA is finalizing its roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and Edwards will be one of 11 players selected. They're leaving one roster spot open for a 12th selection. He"ll be on a roster that includes Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. Team USA has won four straight Olympic gold medals.

Caitlin Clark is headed to the Indiana Fever.The Fever officially selected Clark with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft in New York on Monday night. The two-time national player of the year is now the first Iowa Hawkeyes player, men"s or women"s, to ever be selected with the top pick in the draft.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-15

04/15/2024

Albert Lea Tiger team results from over the weekend, Boys baseball split their double header against Winona dropping the first game to the Winhawks 3-1, but bouncing back in game 2 to fight back for a 7-6 win. The team is next scheduled to take on Austin tomorrow evening in Austin. Tiger Softball fell to Winona 10-1. Boys tennis was shut out 7-0 by Kato West. In the second matchup the Tigers fell to Winona 7-0. Today Boys golf will host Northfield while girls gold will travel to Northfield for their matchup.

The Austin Bruins secured their spot in the Robertson Cup playoffs after defeating St. Cloud Friday night with a 6-1 win at Riverside Arena. Saturday, the Bruins wrapped up the regular season in St. Cloud but suffered a 3-0 defeat.

Liam Ohgren scored his first career goal and the Minnesota Wild beat San Jose 6-2 on Saturday night to assure the Sharks of having the best odds to win the NHL draft lottery. Kirill Kaprizov added two goals in the final minute of the second period for the Wild.Matt Boldy, Declan Chisholm and Marcus Johansson also scored for Minnesota.Jesper Wallstedt made 27 saves to get his second career win.The Wild will take on the LA Kings tonight at 8:30.

Mark Canha"s two-run double highlighted a four-run eighth inning for the Detroit Tigers as they rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Sunday. The Twins wasted a strong outing from starter Bailey Ober, who allowed three hits in six-plus scoreless innings. The Twins will Open a three-game series in Baltimore today. RHP Louie Varland is scheduled to start against Orioles LHP Cole Irvin. First pitch is slotted for 5:35.

Bradley Beal scored 36 points on 6-for-6 shooting from 3-point range and the Phoenix Suns beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 125-106 on Sunday to stay out of the play-in tournament and set up a rematch in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Wolves will host Game 1 of the best-of-seven series this Saturday.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-12

04/12/2024

Albert Lea Tiger team results from last night saw the Tigers baseball team win a relocated game in Northfield 3-1 The boys were originally slotted to host Northfield, but due to field conditions the game was moved to Northfield. Tiger baseball will now host Northfield on April 30th. Girls softball fell to Northfield 12-5 in 5 innings. The Albert Lea Boys Track and Field team competed against Winona and Austin in an early April Triangular on Thursday evening at Hammer Complex. The final team scores were: Winona 77 Albert Lea 56 Austin 27.Tiger teams are off today, but return to action Saturday as the Baseball team will play a double header taking on Winona at Noon. Boys Tennis will be at Kato West. Girls Softball will head to Winona for a noon showdown.

Other area action from last night saw Alden Conger softball fall to Houston 11-6 in 7 innings.

The Minnesota Twins game yesterday was postponed due to weather in the Motor City. The teams will play their regularly scheduled game today as Pablo Lopez will take the mound this evening for the Twins. The Tigers are going to counter by sending Tarik Skubal to the mound. First pitch tonight is set for 5:40. The Twins and Tigers will play a doubleheader on Saturday to make up Thursday's postponed game. Game one will get underway at 12:10. Game 2 is still set to begin at 4:40 Saturday afternoon.

Scores from around MLB yesterday: The New York Mets took down the Atlanta Braves 16-4, the Kansas City Royals dismantled the Astros 13-3, the A"s squeaked out a win over the Rangers 1-0. The Philadelphia Phillies took down the Pirates 5-1 and the Baltimore Orioles took down the Boston Red Sox 9-4 in extra innings. The Brewers and Reds had their game postponed.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-11

04/11/2024

Albert Lea Tiger teams are scheduled to be in action today but the weather could play a part of the actions. Clay Target will be in Austin at 4 pm. Boys and Girls track and field hosting an invitational at 4:30 Boys tennis is slated to be in Roch to take on Century at 4:45. Boys baseball is scheduled to host Northfield at Hayek Park at 5 pm. Girls softball is scheduled to take on Northfield in Northfield also at 5 pm.

Edouard Julien homered twice and scored three runs for the Minnesota Twins to spark a lagging lineup and lead a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.Julien, who entered the afternoon in a 3-for-28 start to the season, led off the first and fifth innings with opposite field drives into the bleachers in left for his first career multi-homer game.Ending an 0-for-33 team-wide skid with runners in scoring position was just as encouraging for the Twins, who have an MLB-worst .184 batting average. Byron Buxton delivered the streak-stopping RBI single in the third after Julien, the second-year second baseman, started the inning with a single. Today's series opening game against the Detroit Tigers has been postponed due to weather and the teams will play a double-header on Saturday starting at 1:10.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 on Wednesday night.The Nuggets (56-24) took a one-game lead over Minnesota and Oklahoma City, who are both 55-25 in the West. The Thunder walloped San Antonio 127-89 on Wednesday night to stay within striking distance of the conference"s top seed. After last nights action the Timberwolves and Thunder are now tied for second in the Western Conference with both teams trailing Denver by one game. All three teams have two games left to play in the regular season. The Timberwolves are off today before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to Target Center on Friday night.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-11

04/11/2024

Albert Lea Tiger teams are scheduled to be in action today but the weather could play a part of the actions. Clay Target will be in Austin at 4 pm. Boys and Girls track and field hosting an invitational at 4:30 Boys tennis is slated to be in Roch to take on Century at 4:45. Boys baseball is scheduled to host Northfield at Hayek Park at 5 pm. Girls softball is scheduled to take on Northfield in Northfield also at 5 pm.

Edouard Julien homered twice and scored three runs for the Minnesota Twins to spark a lagging lineup and lead a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.Julien, who entered the afternoon in a 3-for-28 start to the season, led off the first and fifth innings with opposite field drives into the bleachers in left for his first career multi-homer game.Ending an 0-for-33 team-wide skid with runners in scoring position was just as encouraging for the Twins, who have an MLB-worst .184 batting average. Byron Buxton delivered the streak-stopping RBI single in the third after Julien, the second-year second baseman, started the inning with a single. Today's series opening game against the Detroit Tigers has been postponed due to weather and the teams will play a double-header on Saturday starting at 1:10.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 on Wednesday night.The Nuggets (56-24) took a one-game lead over Minnesota and Oklahoma City, who are both 55-25 in the West. The Thunder walloped San Antonio 127-89 on Wednesday night to stay within striking distance of the conference"s top seed. After last nights action the Timberwolves and Thunder are now tied for second in the Western Conference with both teams trailing Denver by one game. All three teams have two games left to play in the regular season. The Timberwolves are off today before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to Target Center on Friday night.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-10

04/10/2024

Albert Lea Tiger teams are off today. Last night Girls softball took Rochester Century to 10 innings before losing 1-0. The Boys baseball team held their home opener also taking on Century. The Tigers were defeated 4-1. The boys will host Northfield on Thursday.

Nathan MacKinnon notched his seventh career hat trick as part of a four-point performance, and the Colorado Avalanche broke out of a two-game funk with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy had goals for a Wild team that was officially eliminated from postseason contention. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves. The Wild will now play the roll of spoiler, disrupting teams in the playoffs and playoff hut. They will take on Vegas on Friday.

Tyler Glasnow tied his career high with 14 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-3 on Tuesday night.James Outman and Will Smith each hit a three-run homer as Los Angeles won for the third time in four games.

Minnesota fell to 0-4 at home this season. The Twins have scored just five runs in those four games.Ryan Jeffers, Carlos Correa and Alex Kirilloff homered for Minnesota after Glasnow departed.

After the game OF Max Kepler was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee contusion. Kepler is 1 for 20 with a walk through five games this season. Newly acquired reliever Michael Tonkin took Kepler"s place on the 26-man roster. The series will wrap up today when right-hander Chris Paddack (0-0, 4.50) gets the start for Minnesota. The Dodgers will counter with right-hander Bobby Miller. First pitch is slotted for 12:10 this afternoon. The Timberwolves are on the road taking on Denver tonight at 9 pm. The two teams are tied atop the Western Conference with three games remaining.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-9

04/09/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from last night Girls Golf took down Red Wing 378-382. On the Boys side the Tigers emerged victorious 326 to 346. Tiger action begins today at 5 p.m. when boys baseball holds their home opener against Rochester Century. Girls softball is on the road to face Century. The Boys tennis match against Owatonna has been canceled.

Shohei Ohtani had two doubles and a home run, his third in five games to tie his career high with three extra-base hits and power the Los Angeles Dodgers past the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday night. Manny Margot hit a two-run homer off his former team to give the Twins a third-inning lead, but the loaded Dodgers lineup was too much for their depleted bullpen after starter Bailey Ober deftly worked to depart with one run allowed in five innings. Today RHP Louie Varland (0-1, 6.75 ERA) takes the mound for the Twins. Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow (2-0, 3.18 ERA) will get the start on Tuesday night, First pitch is set for 6:40.

On the injury front the Twins placed right-hander Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list before the game with a triceps strain, their eighth pitcher on the IL. Five of them were being counted on for relief roles, including closer Jhoan Duran, who"s out with a strained oblique.

AL Central scores from last night: The Cleveland Guardians shutout the division rival Chicago White Sox 4-0 and the Detroit Tigers fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-4.

It"s back to back titles for the Huskies of UCONN after they defeated Purdue.The Huskies pulled away from Purdue in the second half on the way to a 75-60 win over the Boilermakers. The victory makes UConn the first team since Florida in 2006 and 2007 to win back-to-back men"s basketball national titles. The Huskies have now won six national championships.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-8

04/08/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics results from the weekend saw Albert lea softball downing Worthington 16-7 in 7 innings. Boys Baseball took down Worthington 11-5. Today both Boys and girls golf will face Red Wing at 2:30.

The Austin Bruins took 3 of 4 points in their series against the Aberdeen Wings. Friday night's game went to overtime before the Wings knocked off the Bruins 3-2. Saturday night, the Bruins flipped the script for a 3-2 win in regulation on Saturday night. 2 regular season games are left for the Bruins. A weekend home and home series against St. Cloud. Friday the Bruins will host St. Cloud before hitting the road to face the Norsemen on Saturday night.

The Twins had their series against the Guardians shortened as yesterday's game was postponed due to rain. The Guardians-Twins game will become part of a split doubleheader at 1:10 p.m. on Aug. 9 before the originally scheduled 7:10 p.m. game. That will now be a four-game series. The Twins will host the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Shohei Ohtani show for a three-game series starting on Monday night. They"ll start Bailey Ober, followed by Louie Varland and Chris Paddack. First pitch tonight is set for 6:40

Kirill Kaprizov had two goals and an assist, rookie Jesper Wallstedt made 24 saves in posting his first NHL shutout and the Minnesota Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0 on Sunday.Wallstedt, who gave up seven goals on 34 shots in his NHL debut at Dallas on Jan. 10, got the shutout in his first time back in net for the Wild. The victory keeps Minnesota"s slim playoff hopes alive. It has 83 points with five games remaining. Vegas and Nashville, the top two wild-card teams in the Western Conference, entered Sunday with 92 points. The Wild will next face Colorado on Tuesday night.

Naz Reid hit six 3-pointers while scoring 31 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves capitalized on LeBron James' absence and Anthony Davis' early exit with an eye injury for a 127-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Anthony Edwards added 26 points for the Timberwolves, who moved even with Denver atop the Western Conference. The Wolves are off today and will host Washington Tuesday.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-5

04/05/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics results from yesterday saw Albert lea softball losing in 7 innings 11-0 against Mankato East. Boys baseball suffered a defeat after leading most of the game. The Tigers fell to Kato East 6-5. The Boys and the girls will be in Worthington on Saturday.

Area golf action saw a battle between Alden Conger NRHEG and Glenville Emmons at the Riverview Golf Course at New Richland. NRHEG won the match with a team score of 237, followed by Alden Conger with a team score of 263.

Tanner Bibee and the Cleveland bullpen had 15 strikeouts to put the clamps on Minnesota"s bats, Steven Kwan had three hits and the Guardians spoiled the Twins" home opener with a 4-2 victory Thursday.Bibee (1-0) matched his career high with nine strikeouts, allowing one run over 5 1/3 innings.Carlos Correa had three hits and Edouard Julien homered for the Twins. Minnesota, which averaged more than 10 strikeouts per game to lead the majors last year, fanned the 15 times and stranded nine runners — eight in scoring position.

Twins starter Pablo López (1-1) gave up four runs, three earned in 5 2/3 innings. The Twins are off today but they will play at Target Field Saturday when RHP Joe Ryan who gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings in his first start of the season last Saturday at Kansas City takes the mound. Ryan was 0-3 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts against Cleveland last year.

Elsewhere in the AL Central last night the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets split their double header. Detroit won game one 6-3. The Mets won game two 2-1. The Kansas City Royals took down the White Sox 10-1

The Colorado Avalanche moved closer to first place with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild last night.Vinni Lettieri and Declan Chisholm scored for Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson stopped 31 shots. The Wild will next host Winnipeg on Saturday.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-4

04/04/2024

After an off day yesterday, Albert Lea Tiger athletics are scheduled for a slate of activities today. Boys and girls track and field will face off against multiple schools at an invitational at Faribault at 4:30. Girls Softball will host Mankato East at the Hammer Complex tonight at 5 pm. Tiger Baseball is also on the docket for tonight as the Tigers take on Kato East at 6:30.

Anthony Edwards scored 28 points, Naz Reid added 23 and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the short-handed Toronto Raptors 133-85 on Wednesday night to move into a tie for first-place in the Western Conference.Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota, whose 48-point win marked its largest margin of victory this season.The Timberwolves began the day tied with Oklahoma City for second in the West, one-half game behind first-place Denver. Minnesota"s win moved it into a tie with the idle Nuggets with six games remaining for both teams.The Wolves are off today, they will take on Phoenix Friday night.

Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio became the youngest player in six years to hit a home run but it wasn"t enough for the Brewers, who lost to the Minnesota Twins 7-3 on Wednesday as Ryan Jeffers hit a tie breaking three-run drive to cap a five-run seventh inning. Alex Kiriloff went 4 for 4 with two singles, a double and a triple.Jeffers had four RBIs for the Twins.The Twins will open their home schedule with a three-game series against Cleveland. Scheduled starters for Friday"s opener are RHP Pablo López (1-0, 1.29 ERA) for the Twins and RHP Tanner Bibee (0-0, 6.75) for the Guardians.First pitch for the chilly home opener is set for 3:10.

In the AL Central last night the Kansas City Royals fell to the Orioles 4-3, the Cleveland Guardians beat the Mariners 8-0 and the White Sox and Tigers had their games postponed.

The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild will face off at Xcel Energy Center tonight at 7:00 PM ET.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-3

04/03/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics are off today but return with a flurry of action tomorrow when Boys and girls track and field will face off against multiple schools at an invitational at Faribault at 4:30. Girls Softball will play Mankato East at the Hammer Complex at 5pm. Yesterday, the girls softball was postponed due to weather.

Vinni Lettieri scored the winning goal with just under seven minutes to play and the Minnesota Wild beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Tuesday night to earn a crucial two points and keep their faint playoff hopes alive.Mason Shaw scored for the first time in more than a year, Matt Boldy had a goal, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for the Wild, who are six points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second Western Conference wild-card spot with eight games to play.

Wild forward Ryan Hartman sat out the first game of his three-game suspension for throwing his stick toward the officials after overtime in Saturday"s loss to Vegas. The Wild are off today before hosting Colorado Thursday night.

Naz Reid strengthened his case for the Sixth Man of the Year Award with 25 points and six rebounds, Anthony Edwards scored 19 points and the Timberwolves kept up their push for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 113-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.The Timberwolves, who have clinched a playoff berth, are tied for second with Oklahoma City at 52-23, a half-game behind Denver, with seven games remaining in the regular season.

The T Wolves are back at it again tonight as they host Toronto at the Target Center.

Jackson Chourio singled in a run in his first American Family Field plate appearance, Christian Yelich homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Tuesday to open a season with four straight wins for the first time since 2006. Twins starter Louie Varland (0-1) gave up three runs, six hits and two walks in four innings. Brewers RHP Joe Ross makes his first major league appearance since August 2021 and Twins RHP Chris Paddack makes his first start since May 2022 when the two-game series concludes this afternoon.

Power 96 Sports Update 4-2

04/02/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics will have to wait a few days longer to be back in action. The girls softball game scheduled for today against Stewartville has been canceled due to weather. No make up date has been announced yet.

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended three games for throwing a stick on the ice from the bench after a game last weekend, the second time he has received supplemental discipline this season and the third over the past year.The NHL"s department of player safety announced the ban for unsportsmanlike conduct after a hearing with Hartman on Monday. The league in a video explaining the suspension said Hartman also verbally berated the officials around launching the stick following Minnesota"s overtime loss to Vegas on Saturday night and called his actions “intentional, deliberate and solely due to frustration. Officials agreed with Hartman that he wasn't trying to hurt anyone but said the 29-year-old even acknowledged throwing the stick was unprofessional and unacceptable.Hartman will forfeit $62,195 in salary. Hartman will have to watch his team mates take on Ottawa tonight at 7 at the X

The Timberwolves clinched their third consecutive playoff berth when New Orleans lost to visiting Phoenix 124-111 on Monday night. The three straight playoff appearances are the longest streak in franchise history since the team made eight playoff trips in a row from 1997-2004. They will try to bounce back tonight when they host a red-hot Rockets team fighting for its playoff life. Houston entered Monday two games back of Golden State for the final play-in spot and has won 11 of its last 12 games. The Rockets and the Wolves will get underway tonight at 7 a the Target Center.

For 20 minutes Monday, the women of Iowa and LSU put on a show.Then Caitlin Clark seized the spotlight.The Iowa All-American and NCAA all-time leading scorer broke a 45-45 halftime tie with a deep pull-up 3 to open the third quarter. It was the first of four made 3s in the stanza for Clark as Iowa opened an 11-point third-quarter lead.The game was effectively over from there as Iowa went on to a 94-87 win over LSU in the Albany regional final. Clark finished with 41 points and nine made 3-pointers.The win secures a berth in the Final Four for Iowa and avenges last season's loss to LSU in the national championship game.Iowa will next face UCONN in a Final 4 Matchup on Friday.   

Power 96 Sports Update 4-2

04/02/2024

Albert Lea Tiger athletics will have to wait a few days longer to be back in action. The girls softball game scheduled for today against Stewartville has been canceled due to weather. No make up date has been announced yet.

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended three games for throwing a stick on the ice from the bench after a game last weekend, the second time he has received supplemental discipline this season and the third over the past year.The NHL"s department of player safety announced the ban for unsportsmanlike conduct after a hearing with Hartman on Monday. The league in a video explaining the suspension said Hartman also verbally berated the officials around launching the stick following Minnesota"s overtime loss to Vegas on Saturday night and called his actions “intentional, deliberate and solely due to frustration.”Officials agreed with Hartman that he wasn't trying to hurt anyone but said the 29-year-old even acknowledged throwing the stick was unprofessional and unacceptable.Hartman will forfeit $62,195 in salary. Hartman will have to watch his team mates take on Ottawa tonight at 7 at the X

The Timberwolves clinched their third consecutive playoff berth when New Orleans lost to visiting Phoenix 124-111 on Monday night. The three straight playoff appearances are the longest streak in franchise history since the team made eight playoff trips in a row from 1997-2004. They will try to bounce back tonight when they host a red-hot Rockets team fighting for its playoff life. Houston entered Monday two games back of Golden State for the final play-in spot and has won 11 of its last 12 games. The Rockets and the Wolves will get underway tonight at 7 a the Target Center.

For 20 minutes Monday, the women of Iowa and LSU put on a show.Then Caitlin Clark seized the spotlight.The Iowa All-American and NCAA all-time leading scorer broke a 45-45 halftime tie with a deep pull-up 3 to open the third quarter. It was the first of four made 3s in the stanza for Clark as Iowa opened an 11-point third-quarter lead.The game was effectively over from there as Iowa went on to a 94-87 win over LSU in the Albany regional final. Clark finished with 41 points and nine made 3-pointers.The win secures a berth in the Final Four for Iowa and avenges last season's loss to LSU in the national championship game.Iowa will next face UCONN in a Final 4 Matchup on Friday.   

Power 96 Sports Update 4-1

04/01/2024

The Austin Bruins swept the home and home series from the North Iowa Bulls. Friday night, the Bruins downed the Bulls 5-1. Saturday in Mason City, if it aint broke don"t fix it… the Bruins again defeated the Bulls 5-1. This weekend, the Bruins will try to take over possession of 3rd place in the Central when they hit the road to Aberdeen to face the Wings.

Jonathan Marchessault scored into an empty net 3:30 into overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.Minnesota, desperate to make up ground in the fight for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, pulled goalie Filip Gustavsson about three minutes into the extra period. But Vegas gained control of the puck, and Marchessault fired a shot from near his own blue line that found the back of the net for his 40th goal of the season.As a result, Vegas earned two points and Minnesota zero, thanks to a rule that penalizes any team that loses after pulling its goalie in overtime.The Wild are off today and will Host Ottawa on Tuesday night.

DeMar DeRozan had 27 points and eight assists and Alex Caruso added 21 points on a season-high seven 3-pointers as the hot-shooting Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-101 on Sunday. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but he also had six of Minnesota"s 14 turnovers. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 10 boards, Mike Conley finished with 19 points and seven assists, and Naz Reid had 14 points for the Timberwolves, who were trying to clinch a Western Conference playoff spot. The Timberwolves will Host Houston on Tuesday.

Salvador Perez, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia each bashed a Bailey Ober pitch over the stadium walls, Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez both rifled pitches off those walls for extra bases, and the Royals handed the Twins their first loss of the season, 11-0. Ober, who recorded only four outs and gave up nine hits and a walk, good for eight Royals runs. Ober's day was done after just 53 pitches. The Twins have a day off before RHP Louie Varland starts the opener of a two-game series in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Power 96 Sports Update 3-29

03/29/2024

Matt Boldy broke a tie 18 seconds into the third period and the Minnesota Wild beat the NHL-worst San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Thursday to pick up a couple of points in their slim playoff bid.Joel Eriksson Ek also scored, Ryan Hartman added an empty-net goal and Kirill Kaprizov had two assists. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves and assisted on Hartman"s goal to help Minnesota improve to 7-1-3 in its last 11 games.Minnesota is nine points back of Vegas for the final wild-card berth in the Western Conference and three points behind St. Louis. Minnesota has 10 games left, the next against the Golden Knights on Saturday. Eriksson Ek was back in the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury. He"s second on the Wild with 61 points, including a career-high 30 goals. The Wild will host Vegas Saturday night.

Pablo Lopez admitted to feeling some anxiety when the Twins ace stepped on the mound to face the Royals on opening day. It didn"t calm him down any when Maikel Garcia homered off him three pitches later.The All-Star right-hander eventually managed to get his nerves under control, holding Kansas City to just three more hits without a walk while breezing through seven innings Thursday. And when Royce Lewis homered, and Carlos Correa had three hits and two RBIs, Minnesota had a 4-1 victory to begin its defense of its AL Central crown.Brock Stewart worked the eighth for Minnesota. Griffin Jax earned the save by handling the ninth. After taking Friday off, the Twins sent RHP Joe Ryan to the mound against Royals RHP Seth Lugo on Saturday.   

Elsewhere in the AL Central the Detroit Tigers took down the division rival Chicago White Sox 1-0 and the Cleveland Guardians took down the Oakland A"s in Oakland 8-0.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be back in action tonight taking on the Denver Nuggets. Tip off is scheduled for tonight at 8:00 in Denver.

Power 96 Sports Update 3-28

03/28/2024

Naz Reid had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 20 points to help the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome a sluggish start Wednesday night to beat the NBA -worst Detroit Pistons 106-91.Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 14 rebounds and Kyle Anderson scored 14 points off the bench to help offset a quiet nine points by All-Star Anthony Edwards for the Wolves (50-22), who moved into a second-place tie with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference after the Thunder lost in overtime to Houston.Denver has a half-game lead over Minnesota and Oklahoma City after the Nuggets lost to Phoenix. The Wolves hit the 50-win mark for just the fifth time in their 35 seasons, matching the franchise"s third-highest total with 10 games to go. Minnesota"s all-time best record was 58-24 in 2003-04. Next up, The Timberwolves hit the road to face Denver on Friday.

As the Minnesota Twins open their American League Central title defense against the host Kansas City Royals on Thursday afternoon, the club is already dealing with an injury-depleted bullpen.Closer Jhoan Duran (right oblique strain), lefty Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring strain) and right-hander Justin Topa (left knee tendinitis) will begin the year on the injured list. Right-handed starter Anthony DeSclafani (right forearm strain) is also on the shelf.The Twins open up the new season this afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 3:10.

In the NHL last night the Ottawa Senators took down the Buffalo Sabers 6-2 and the Tampa Bay Lightning took down the Boston Bruins by the score of 3-1. The Wild are back in action tonight when they welcome the San Jose Sharks to the X.

Albert Lea Softball and Baseball seasons are quickly approaching. Tiger Softball will open the season on the road taking on Stewartville on Tuesday April 2nd. Tiger Baseball will open the season a few days later on April 4th in Mankato as the Tigers take on Kato East.

Power 96 Sports Update 3-27

03/27/2024

The Minnesota Twins got some revenge a day after being shut out by the Atlanta Braves. Yoyner Fajardo hit a game-tying two-run single in the sixth inning, Niko Goodrum broke the tie the next inning and the host Minnesota Twins scored five unanswered runs to charge past the Atlanta Braves 9-6 in their spring-training finale Tuesday in Fort Myers. Next up will be the start of the Regular Season which will get underway on the 28th when the Twins start the season on the road taking on Kansas City. Pablo Lopez will get the first start of the season, the rest of the Twins will face Cole Ragans. First pitch is set for 3:10 pm.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had last night off and will be back in action tonight when they take on the Detroit Pistons. Last night the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 119-112 to maintain their half game lead over the Timberwolves for second place in the western conference. The Denver Nuggets were idle last night and still lead Minnesota by a game and a half for the top spot in the west. Minnesota has 11 games left on the schedule.

One roster move to note, The Timberwolves will sign T.J. Warren for the rest of the NBA season.The veteran forward had a pair of 10-day contracts after joining the team on March 6. He has played in seven games, averaging 14 minutes and scoring 4.1 points.The signing, expected to be made official today.Warren was the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft out of North Carolina State and spent the first five seasons of his career with the Suns.

The Minnesota Wild will be back in action on Thursday. In the Central Tuesday night the Predators took down Vegas 5-4, Chicago took down Calgary 3-1, Colorado lost to Montreal 2-1, Arizona beat Columbus 6-2, Winnipeg fell to Edmonton 4-3 in OT, and Dlallas took down San Jose 6-3.   

Power 96 Sports Update 3-26

03/26/2024

The Minnesota Twins were shut out yesterday in their game against the Atlanta Braves 4-0. Today, the Twins will be looking for revenge as the Twins again take on Atlanta. First pitch today is slotted for 12:05

tackle. Officials must see a tackler grab the runner; they must see the tackler swivel himself up in the air; and they must see that swivel lead to the tackler unweighted,the airborne motion before which he then falls on the ball carrier"s leg area or below the knee.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the night off last night but the association had a game that directly impacted the Timberwolves in their chase of the top spot in the Western Conference. The Denver Nuggets took down the Memphis Grizzlies 128-103. With the win the Nuggets moved a game and a half ahead of the Timberwolves for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves will next be in action when they take on the Detroit Pistons at Target Center on Wednesday.