Sports

Power 96 Sports for Friday April 25th, 2025.

04/25/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics yesterday saw Tiger Boys Golf take 3rd out of 12 teams in the Big 9 Mid Season meet in Northfield. Tiger baseball as heard here on Power 96 fell to Rochester John Marshall 6-4 last night. Tiger softball was postponed due to weather. That game will take place today at John Marshall. Also today, girls golf will get underway at noon. Boys tennis is slotted for a match in Faribault at 2:30. Tiger hockey Senior Connor Pirsig is looking to continue his hockey career signing a tender offer with the Mason City Toros of the NA3HL.

The Austin Bruins, fighting for their playoff lives, are in Minot tonight for a matchup against the Minitauros. A win tonight will force a game 4 tomorrow night. A loss will bring the Bruins season to an end.

The Minnesota Vikings made Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson the 24th selection in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, completing an offseason overhaul of the interior of their offensive line. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Jackson, was the third guard taken in the first round. The Vikings have only three picks remaining in this draft, one in the third round on Friday and one each in the fifth and seventh rounds on Saturday.

Kirill Kaprizov had had two power-play goals to help the Wild beat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 last night for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series. Matt Boldy scored for the third straight game, Marco Rossi had his first career postseason goal and Marcus Foligno added an empty-netter for the Wild. Game 4 is in Minnesota on Saturday at the X.

Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas homered Thursday as the Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 3-0 in a game that was shortened to seven innings because of rain.

The win salvaged the finale of the three-game series for Chicago and snapped a 14-game losing streak at Target Field, the longest road losing streak against any opponent in team history. Chris Paddack gave up two runs on five hits with four walks and five strikeouts to remain winless in five starts this season. Minnesota is expected to activate RHP Pablo López (1-1, 1.62) from the 10-day IL to make the start today when the Angels visit to kick off a three-game series. First pitch is set for 6:40.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will continue their playoff series against the LA Lakers tonight at the Target Center. The series is split at 1 and 1. Tipoff is at 8:30.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday April 24th, 2025.

04/24/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics yesterday saw Tiger baseball defeating Rochester Century 4-2. Cooper Kermes went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a triple. Sam McGill threw 4 2/3 innings striking out 6 while giving up 1 hit and 1 earned run. Tiger boys golf also picked up a win with a score of 295 in their triangular at the Mankato Golf Club. Boys and Girls golf is set to participate in the Big 9 Conference Tournamant. Tiger baseball is set to host Rochester John Marshall at 5 pm. And Tiger softball will be in Rochester to face John Marshall. Power 96 will bring you the baseball action here on 96.1 fm or streaming the audio and video from our website at kqprfm.com.

Byron Buxton struck out in his first three at-bats Wednesday night, but he erupted with a 414-foot, two-run homer to give the Twins a comfortable cushion late in a 6-3 win over the White Sox.   Luke Keaschall was outstanding once again. The rookie was batting third in the order for a second straight night and he ripped a double in the first inning and finished the night 1-for-3 with the double, a hit-by-pitch and two stolen bases. He has five stolen bases in five career games. David Festa started for Minnesota and was charged with two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in four innings. Minnesota improved to 9-15, which suggests movement in a positive direction after they began the season 4-11. Right-hander Shane Smith will look to salvage a win in the series for the White Sox. Minnesota counters with Chris Paddack, who had his best start of the year last time out in a no-decision. First pitch is set for 12:10.

Minnesota Twins legends Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek are both recovering from recent strokes. The Twins announced Wednesday that Oliva and Hrbek, both members of the franchise's Hall of Fame, suffered recent strokes and are recovering well. Minnesota wished both of them well in recovery on its social media pages on Thursday.

The Minnesota Wild are back home for game 3 of their playoff series againt the Vegas Golden Knights. With the series tied at 1 game a piece, the while hope to capitalize their home ice advatage. Faceoff tonight is set for 8 pm.

The NFL is invading Green Bay for tonights NFL Draft. Round 1 gets underway this evening at 7 pm. The Tennessee Titans hold the First pick in the draft. The Vikings are set to pick 24th.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday April 23rd, 2025.

04/23/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics yesterday saw a tough day for the Tigers. Tiger baseball fell to Mankato West 7-2, while Tiger softball fell to West in a 17-3 loss. Boys tennis fell to Redwing 6-1. Boys Track and Field took 3rd in their triangular versus Winona and Century. Girls golf placed 2nd in their triangular with a score of 410. There is activity today as Boys golf particiaptes in a triangular in Mankato. Tiger baseball is in Rochester to take on Century at 5.

In other area action, Alden Conger Glenville Emmons softball coming up big over Schaeffer Academy 11-1 in 5 innings.

Bailey Ober worked six strong innings to win his second straight start, Trevor Larnach hit a two-run homer and Byron Buxton made a diving catch to end the game and seal the Minnesota Twins" 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. Ober (2-1) allowed one run on eight hits with six strikeouts. After giving up eight runs in 2 2/3 innings in his season debut, Ober has allowed six runs in his last four starts, covering 22 1/3 innings. Rookie RHP David Festa makes his third start this season for the Twins tonight. First pitch is set for 6:40.

It appears NaJee Thompson's time with the Minnesota Vikings has come to an end. The cornerback said on social media his time with the organization has come to an end, and the report became official Wednesday as the Vikings waved Thompson with a failed physical.

The Minnesota Wild scored three goals in the first period and never looked back as they evened their first-round playoff series at one game apiece with a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Matt Boldy got the Wild run started with the first goal of the contest just four seconds shy of the midway point of the first period. Marcus Foligno made it a two-goal lead 11 minutes, 35 seconds into the frame, and Mats Zuccarello had the Wild well on the way to victory when his goal with 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining in the first made it 3-0. Kirill Kaprizov made it a 4-0 lead when he scored 3:59 into the second period, though the Knights got that back when Noah Hanifin scored 12:04 into the second frame. Vegas gave itself a chance in the third period when Tomas Hertl scored 2 minutes, 26 seconds into the frame to make it a two-goal deficit. But the Knights never got closer. Kaprizov provided an empty-netter with 2 minutes, 26 seconds remaining. Vegas outshot the Wild 32-17, but Filip Gustavsson turned away 30 of those shots. Knights goalie Aiden Hill made 12 saves on 16 Wild shots. The Wild were able to steal a win on the road and even the series as it shifts to the X Thursday night, where puck drop is set for 8 p.m.

Luka Doncic had 31 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers fought back to even their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-85 victory last night. Julius Randle scored 27 points and Anthony Edwards had 25 for the Timberwolves, who lost most of their offensive fluidity from Game 1. Game 3 is Friday night in Minneapolis.

Teams and Fans are getting ready for what their futures could hold, as they prepare for the NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans will officially be on the clock, when the draft starts at 7pm tomorrow night.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday April 22nd, 2025.

04/22/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from last night seen the Tiger Boys golf team take 1st in a triangular against Mankato East and Faribault at Wedgewood Cove. Leading the Tigers was Noah Teeter who tied his high school best with a -3, as the Tigers shot a 293 total. Tiger boys tennis lost 7 nothing to both Rochester and Northfield.

Tiger athletics have a full slate of activity scheduled for today including girls golf which will participate in a triangular at 2:30. Track and field is in Winona today for their triangular at 4:30. Boys tennis will host Red Wing at 4:45. At 5 pm Tiger softball will host Mankato West, while baseball is in Mankato to face the Scarlet's at 6. Power 96 will bring you all the action from Tiger Softball here on 96.1fm, or you can stream the action from our website at kqprfm.com.

The Minnesota Twins hope that a return home can cure what ails them. Minnesota is coming off getting swept in a three-game road series against the Atlanta Braves. The Twins have lost 15 of 22 games to start the season, and their biggest challenge has been at the plate.

Now the Twins are back to Minneapolis to open a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox that starts this evening.

Minnesota hopes to hit reset on a start that has been anything but invigorating. With 17 losses in 22 games, the White Sox are one of only two major league teams with a worse record than the Twins. The other is the Colorado Rockies, who are 4-17. That game will get underway with a first pitch at 6:40.

The Twins are hoping to make downtown Minneapolis a little easier to navigate this weekend. The Twins announced Monday they've moved up start times a half hour for games against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday and Sunday. First pitch Friday is now scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT, while Sunday's has been moved up to 12:40 p.m.

Get your coffee ready, or get a nice afternoon nap in, if you want to watch either of the Minnesota play off games tonight, as they are both set for the late games. The Minnesota Timberwolves are in LA for game 2 in their best of 7 series. The T-Wolves tore apart the Lakers in game 1 with a 117-95 win, and hope to repeat that performance tonight. Tipoff is set for 9 pm.

Also at 9:00 tonight, The Minnesota Wild are also out west taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in game 2 of their playoff series. In a very physical game 1 the Wild came up short falling to Vegas 4-2 with a last second empty netter. During game 1, special team opportunities were at a premium which means for a lot of 5 on 5 hockey. Not only did the Wild and Vegas each score twice at 5-on-5, but the Wild actually generated more scoring chances and high-danger looks, according to Natural Stat Trick.

They also had the edge physically, the Wild"s 54 hits were the second-most in a playoff game in franchise history.

The Vikings have reconvened for the start of the voluntary portion of the offseason program. According to head coach Kevin O"Connell Quarterback J.J. McCarthy is "ready to hit the ground running, starting today", and O'Connell also had an update on Christian Darrisaw, who is now about six months removed from his injury. O'Connell didn't want to give a specific timetable for his return to full strength. But by all accounts, rehab is rolling along without a hitch. It seems Darrisaw has an excellent chance to be ready to protect McCarthy's blindside when Week 1 comes.

Power 96 Sports for Monday April 21st, 2025.

04/21/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletic activity for today includes boys tennis in Rochester to compete in a triangular. Boys golf is slotted to take part in a triangular today as well beginning at 2:30. Weather permitting. Tomorrow Tiger Softball takes over the Power 96 airwaves as they host Mankato West the the Hammer Complex. Listen here on 96.1fm or stream the audio from our website at kqprfm.com.

The Austin Bruins find their backs against the wall facing a must win game 3 on the road in Minot Friday night, after falling to the Minotauros both last Friday and Saturday nights. In the best of 5 series, the bruins skated to a 3-1 loss on Friday night. Saturday a tighter defense limited Minot"s chances and ended regulation tied at 1. Minot scored in the overtime period to win 2-1. The Bruins must win both Friday and Saturday to force a game 5 back at Riverside Arena.

Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin hit two-run homers, Grant Holmes allowed only one run and the Atlanta Braves beat the Minnesota Twins 6-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep. Marcell Ozuna also homered off Joe Ryan, who allowed six runs, eight hits, and one walk in five innings. Byron Buxton had two hits, including a home run off right-hander Enyel De Los Santos, for Minnesota. The Twins are off today before opening open a home series against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points, Naz Reid added 23 with six 3-pointers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves smoked the Los Angeles Lakers for a 117-95 victory Saturday night. The Wolves led by 11 at halftime, after a second quarter where they outscored the Lakers 38-20. Then they came out of the locker room, and kept pouring it on, increasing their lead to 27 with five minutes left in the third. Anthony Edwards had 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in the first-round series opener. Game 2 will be Tomorrow at 9 pm.

The Vegas Golden Knights opened their first-round Western Conference playoffs series with a 4-2 victory Sunday night over the Minnesota Wild. It was a grind from start to finish and the difference was Vegas needing only five seconds to score on their first and only full power play opportunity, while the Wild went without a shot on goal on their lone power play. Matt Boldy scored both Wild goals, Kirill Kaprizov assisted on both and Filip Gustavsson stopped 23 shots. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Las Vegas.

Justin Thomas won the RBC Heritage golf tournament Sunday, ending his 3 year drought.

Power 96 Sports for Friday April 18th, 2025.

04/18/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics yesterday were rained out. Tiger teams are off today and for the holiday weekend. They will return to action Monday.

Tonight starts round 1 of the playoffs for the Austin Bruins. The Bruins open a best of 5 series hosting the Minot Minotauros at Riverside Arena in Austin tonight and tomorrow. Faceoff both nights is set for 7:05. The action will continue next weekend in Minot.

On Thursday, the league announced the Minnesota Wild will be in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 20 for Game 1 against the Golden Knights in the best-of-seven series. The game starts at 9 p.m. CT. Game 2 will be on Tuesday night before the Wild come back home to the X for games 3 and 4. Game 3 will be on Thursday next week.

The Twins are reportedly calling up prospect Luke Keaschall. He"s expected to make his major league debut this weekend in Atlanta.

The corresponding roster move is unknown as of Thursday afternoon. But it could entail infielder/outfielder Willi Castro being put on the 10-day injured list. He left Wednesday"s game with an oblique injury.

The Twins used the 49th overall pick in the 2023 Draft to acquire Keaschall. He can play second base, third base, and the outfield.

The Twins will have to make a 40-man roster move to add Keaschall to the roster. The Twins will open up a 3 game series against the Atlanta Braves tonight. First pitch is set for 6:15.

The Minnesota Timberwoves have been getting ready for their playoff series opener against the LA Lakers on Saturday with tipoff set for 7:30. Games 1 and 2 will be in Los Angeles.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday April 17th, 2025.

04/17/2025

Tonight weather permitting, Albert Lea Tiger athletics takes over the Power 96 air waves, as Tiger Baseball hosts Faribault. Tiger Softball is set to travel to Faribault. Both games are have 5pm first pitches. You can listen to Tiger baseball here on 96.1fm or you can stream the audio and the video from ourwebsite at kqprfm.com or watch from the luxury of your tv using the boxcast app.

The Austin Bruins held a media day on Wednesday before their playoff series kicks off against the Minot Minotouros Friday night. Head coach Steve Howard and players answered questions from the media, and highlighted their aspirations about bringing a Robertson Cup back to Riverside arena, for the first time in their 15 year existence.   The Bruins host Minot in Game 1 Friday and Game 2 on Saturday. Both games will be played at Riverside Arena.

The NFL Draft is officially 1 week away. This years draft takes place in Green Bay April 24th to the 26th, where the Minnesota Vikings currently hold the 24th overall pick.

Lee Corso will retire from ESPN's "College GameDay" in August, ending a career with the show that began in 1987.

Ty France singled in the 10th inning to give the Minnesota Twins a 4-3 victory Wednesday over the New York Mets, who had rallied with a three-run eighth.

With the speedy Byron Buxton conveniently on second as the automatic runner, France smacked a 1-1 pitch from Reed Garrett (0-1) with none out that bounced in center field with no chance for Tyrone Taylor to get his glove down.

Buxton, Harrison Bader and Willi Castro had RBI singles for the Twins (7-12), who won just their second series in six sets this season after Jhoan Duran pitched a hitless ninth and Cole Sands (2-1) did the same in the 10th.

The Twins have added a utility player to their roster ahead of their upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves.

The team announced on Wednesday that they acquired infielder Jonah Bride from the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations.

Bride was on the Marlins" Opening Day roster this year as the designated hitter and went 4-for-40 with two RBI, five walks and three runs scored in 12 games before being designated for release on April 15.

Some other roster moves for the Twins as they will place right fielder Matt Wallner on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring.

Wallner was held out of the line-up on Wednesday, after he felt tightness in the muscle while running out an infield hit in the first inning the night before.

After an off day today, the Twins begin a three-game series Friday at Atlanta when RHP Chris Paddack starts opposite Braves RHP Bryce Elder. First pitch scheduled for 6:15.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday April 16th, 2025.

04/16/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from yesterday saw the Tiger softball team fall to Austin 3-2. Boys Baseball put themselves in the win column with 6-5 win over Austin at Hayek Field. Tiger teams are off today.

In other area action, Alden Conger boys golf came in second in a quad with a team score of 169. The girls team, also coming in second with a team score of 223. Alden Conger Glenville Emmons softball bested Lyle Pacelli 9-5.

Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader had three hits apiece and Brooks Lee homered on Tuesday as the Minnesota Twins defeated the New York Mets 6-3.

Byron Buxton singled twice and scored two runs for the Twins. The Twins collected 13 hits, a season high, and went 5 for 14 with runners in scoring position.

Bailey Ober (1-1) gave up three earned runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings to pick up his first victory since Aug. 9, a span of 13 starts.

Both Matt Wallner and Carlos Carrea exited the game with injuries, but no updates have been given.

RHP David Festa will start for the Twins in Wednesday afternoon"s series finale.

The Wild clinched a spot in the playoffs in dramatic fashion when Joel Eriksson Ek scored the tying goal with 20.9 seconds left in regulation, and Matt Boldy got the winner with 17.9 seconds remaining in overtime to beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Tuesday.

The crowd erupted again when the Wild sent retiring goalie Marc-Andre Fleury out for overtime. Fleury made five saves, fending off a 4-on-3 power play. Marcus Johansson scored for the Wild (45-30-7), who have the first wild card spot and will face Vegas in the Western Conference quarterfinals. Minnesota"s first-round series starts in Las Vegas either Saturday or Sunday.

Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko was named head coach of the 2026 U.S. National Junior Team, USA Hockey announced on Tuesday. Motzko has previously served as head coach for the U.S., including for a gold-medal run in 2017. The Americans will begin their quest for their 3rd straight gold this December.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are idle until they open up their playoff round on Saturday at 7:30 when they face the LA Lakers in LA. That game will be broadcast on ABC.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday April 15th, 2025.

04/15/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from yesterday saw the Tiger softball team fall to Stewartville 2-1. Boys tennis played in a triangular and found them selves shut out by Kato West 7-0. In the second match the Boys were also shut out 5-0 against Winona. 2 games were called because of the weather. Girls Golf fell to Northfield with a score of 413 to 365. Today boys golf will play in a triangular at Green Lea starting at 2:30. Boys and girls track and field will be in Owatonna to participate in a triangular. Tiger softball is on the road to face the Packers at Todd Park at 6 pm. Boys Baseball in action today as the Tigers take on Austin at 5 pm at Hayek Field. Power 96 will bring you that action live on the air starting just before 5pm.

In other area action, Alden Conger girls golf downed New Ulm Cathedral 235 to 256. Alden Conger Glenville Emmons softball fell to Madelia 10-4 in 5 weather shortened innings. Knights boys golf winning big defeating New Ulm Cathedral 188 to 247.

The Minnesota Wilds last regular season game takes place tonight when the Wild host the Anaheim Ducks at the X. The Wild have yet to earn a playoff slot and tonight's game will have implications. The NHL Playoffs get underway on Sunday.

Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl in his nine-year career and was the father of two NFL quarterbacks, died Monday. He was 70.

Juan Soto hit his first home run since the opening weekend of the season and the New York Mets beat the slumping Minnesota Twins 5-1 on Monday night. Minnesota finished with three hits on a damp and chilly evening and tied a season high with 13 strikeouts. The Twins managed just one run on a sacrifice fly by Christian Vázquez. Minnesota is hitting .203, the second-lowest mark in the American League. Twins starter Joe Ryan needed 101 pitches to labor through five innings, allowing one run and striking out eight. In the past seven games, Minnesota starters are 2-1 with a 0.96 ERA. They"ve struck out 36 batters, walked seven and allowed just one home run. Yet the team is 2-5.

There weren't many fans to take in the loss Monday night. The announced crowd of 10,240 was the lowest attendance figure in Target Field history, excluding seasons that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic when crowds weren't allowed. The previous record low attendance number was 11,465 on April 17, 2019, according to twinstrivia.com. RHP Bailey Ober gets the start tonight at Target Field.

Paige Bueckers was selected number 1 over all in the WNBA draft Monday night. Bueckers a Edina native averaged 19.9 points per game, which is the most ever for the Connecticut Huskies.

The Minnesota Lynx selected 19-year-old Russian wing Anastasiia Kosu with their first pick, the No. 15 overall, in the second round of the WNBA draft Monday night in New York. The Lynx did not have a first round pick.

Power 96 Sports for Monday April 14th, 2025.

04/14/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from the weekend saw boys baseball win their double header. Logan Davis pitched a complete game in game 1 against Winona as the Tigers won 13-2. Sam McGill and Hayden Christenson teamed up in game 2 for a 7-2 win. McGill had a solo home run in that game as well. Girls Softball on Saturday fell 11 to 10 in 8 innings, where Maggie Olson hit her first career home run. Today, boys tennis will host a triangular at 2 pm. Girls golf is scheduled to take on Northfield at Green Lea at 2:30 and weather permitting Tiger softball is scheduled to host Stewartville at the Hammer Complex at 5pm.

The Austin Bruins finished their regular season with 2 more wins in their home and home series against the Minnesota Mallards. Friday night at fan appreciation night at Riverside Arena, the black and Gold clipped the wings of the Mallards 3-1. Saturday night the Bruins invaded the Mallards pond and left town with a 4-2 win to wrap up the regular season and give the Bruins 42 wins on the year, tying the 2012/2013 year for most single season wins in franchise history. Next up is a playoff date with the Minot Minotauros. The Bruins secured the second seed in the Central Division and earned themselves the home ice advantage in the best of 5 series. Game one will be Friday April 18th and game 2 Saturday the 19th at Riverside Arena. Faceoff both nights is set for 7:05.

The Minnesota Wild are off until Tuesday when they host the Ducks of Anaheim at the X. Face off is set for 7pm.

Byron Buxton and Edouard Julien homered, Simeon Woods Richardson delivered a strong start and the Minnesota Twins snapped a three-game skid by beating the Detroit Tigers 5-1 in their series finale Sunday at Target Field in Minneapolis. Woods Richardson gave up just five hits and one run while fanning five across five innings. His lone blemish in the winning effort was giving up a homer to Spencer Torkelson in the fourth, which ended up being the only run for the Tigers. Brooks Lee was recalled Sunday while Jose Miranda was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul.

Joe Ryan will take to the mound today as the Twins open up a series against the NY Mets. First pitch is set for 6:40 from Target Field.

Anthony Edwards had 18 of his 43 points in the third quarter to help the Minnesota Timberwolves pull away from the Utah Jazz for a 116-105 victory on Sunday to secure the 6th seed in the playoffs and stay out of the play-in games. Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 18 rebounds and Donte DiVincenzo added 16 points for the Timberwolves.

The NBA hasn't released the full schedule for the first round of the playoffs, but Game 1 start times have been revealed and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers will get the primetime slot when they begin a best-of-seven series on Saturday. The league announced Monday morning that Game 1 between the Wolves and Lakers will tip off at 7:30 p.m. CT and be televised nationally on ABC. The Lakers are the No. 3 seed and will have home-court advantage against the sixth-seeded Wolves.

Power 96 Sports for Friday April 11th, 2025.

04/11/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics as heard here on power 96, Tiger girls softball fell to Mankato East 7-1in the first of 2 games, while in game 2 of their double header the Tigers fell to Northfield 15-2 in 5 innings. Boys tennis was shutout by Rochester Century 7-0. Tiger baseball was defeated by Northfield 7-0 after Northfield broke out a 7 run 7th inning. Boys golf is on the road today taking on multiple schools at Willow Creek Golf course at 1 pm. Boys and girls track and field will be at Triton to take on multiple schools.

Bobby Witt Jr. hit a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Thursday. Twins starter Bailey Ober allowed a first-inning run on three consecutive singles, then settled in to permit just two hits over his final five scoreless frames. He finished six innings, allowing a run on five hits and a walk, striking out four. Ty France led off the second inning with his second home run of the year, tying the game. Today, the Twins face the Detroit Tigers at Target Field. RHP Reese Olson gets the start for the Tigers. Minnesota will recall RHP David Festa from Triple-A St. Paul to make his first start of the season as RHP Pablo López was placed on the Injured List. That game will get underway at 7:10.

Nothing brings golf to the forefront quite like Masters week. And for Minnesota golf fans looking forward to catching some of the world's best in town, the 3M Open announced a couple headliners for the 2025 edition of the event, revealing 2023 U.S. Open champ Wyndham Clark and six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa will be among the field at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minn., from July 24-27.

Anthony Edwards scored 44 points, including 18 during Minnesota"s franchise-record, 52-point third quarter, and the Timberwolves beat the Memphis Grizzlies 141-125 on Thursday night in a game between teams fighting to avoid the play-in tournament.

Julius Randle added 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves, who broke open the game with the highest-scoring quarter in the NBA this season. Edwards was 5 for 5 in the third and Randle scored 14 points as Minnesota made 18 of 21 shots.

Naz Reid finished with 14 points as Minnesota won its sixth in the last seven, and joined the Golden State Warriors and Grizzlies tied in the sixth through eighth spots in the Western Conference at 47-33. The Timberwolves host Brooklyn tonight at the Target Center at 8 pm.

Former Minnesota Vikings center Garrett Bradbury says he holds "no ill will" towards his former team after they cut him earlier this offseason. The 29-year-old center had spent the entirety of his six-year NFL career with the Vikings, who drafted him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Bradbury started 88 games for Minnesota in that time, including all 17 in 2024. Minnesota released Bradbury after signing former Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly to a two-year, $18 million deal at the start of free agency. The Vikings attempted to find a trade partner before cutting Bradbury, who signed with the New England Patriots on a two-year, $12 million deal shortly after his release from Minnesota.

The Wild are in Calgary to face the Flames tonight at 9.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday April 10th, 2025.

04/10/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics were off yesterday, today they return with a full slate of action including 2 games that POWER 96 will air live. At 4 PM POWER 96 will bring you Tiger girls softball as they take on Mankato East. Boys tennis will host Rochester Century at 4:45. Tiger baseball is in Northfield for a 5 pm matchup. At 6 pm POWER 96 will bring you more Tiger softball as they host the Raiders of Northfield. You can listen to power 96 coverage on 96.1FM or you can stream the audio and video of the game from our website at kqprfm.com.

It was fast and furious at the X last night as Joel Eriksson Ek scored a career-high four goals in his return from a lower-body injury, Kirill Kaprizov had his second of the game in overtime in his first game back and the Minnesota Wild outlasted the San Jose Sharks 8-7 on Wednesday night.

Minnesota moved into the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference when the St. Louis Blues lost at Edmonton in a late game. The Wild and Blues each have 93 points, with St. Louis having played one more game.

Eriksson Ek missed the previous 21 games. Kaprizov also returned from a lower-body injury after missing the last 28 games and 40 of the 43. He had surgery in late January. Kaprizov — who also had an assist — scored his 25th goal of the season at 1:01 of overtime to end it after Will Smith tied it for San Jose with 52 seconds left in regulation.

Marcus Johansson and Brock Faber also scored for the Wild, and Matt Boldy had four assists. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 24 shots and broke a tie with Martin Brodeur for NHL regular-season OT victories with 70.

The Wild have an Alberta back-to-back, playing in Calgary on Friday night and Edmonton on Saturday night.

Joe Ryan continued his mastery over Kansas City, giving up just two hits over seven scoreless innings in the Minnesota Twins" 4-0 victory over the Royals on Wednesday night.

Ryan who struck out four and did not give up a walk, is now 7-0 in nine career starts against the Royals with a 1.30 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.

The Twins got runs in the eighth and ninth, as Matt Wallner and Ty France, respectively, each hit his first home run of the season. The teams will complete their four-game series today. The Twins will send RHP Bailey Ober to the mound. First pitch is set for 1:10.

Twins star prospect Walker Jenkins was placed on the 7-day injured list Wednesday. Jenkins, 20, started the season with the Twins' Double-A affiliate, the Wichita Wind Surge, and the injury has knocked him out of action after two games and eight at-bats. The Twins' top prospect suffered a left ankle sprain — it's the same ankle that he sprained early during spring training.

Even after suffering one of the worst regular season losses in franchise history on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, the Timberwolves can likely avoid the play-in tournament by winning out over their final three games. They take on the Grizzlies tonight, the Nets Friday, and the Jazz Sunday. Tonight's game has a tip off set for 8:30PM.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday April 9th, 2025.

04/09/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics from yesterday saw Boys golf shoot their 2nd lowest round in team history with a 293 over Red Wing who shot a 350. Girls Golf fell to Red Wing 418 to 362. Boys tennis shut out by Owatonna 7-0. Track and Field hosted a meet at the Hammer Complex where they had many athletes place. Girls softball fell to Rochester Century at the Hammer Complex 12-2 in 7 innings. The lady Tigers will host a double header on Thursday. Power 96 will bring you both of those games starting at 4pm. Tiger teams are off today.

Cole Ragans struck out 11 in six crisp innings, and the Kansas City Royals beat the sloppy Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City won for the fourth time in five games despite managing just two unearned runs and three hits. Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez pitched 4 2/3 innings of three-hit ball before departing because of right hamstring tightness. López struck out six and walked one. Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (0-1, 4.50 ERA) and Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (1-0, 3.27 ERA) take the mound on Wednesday. That game will get underway at 6:40.

Among the dozens killed and more than 100 injured when the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed early Tuesday is the sister of former Minnesota Twins star Nelson Cruz. Nelsy Cruz was confirmed killed in the collapse. She was the governor of Montecristi, a northwestern province in the Dominican Republic. Her death was confirmed by Nelson Cruz on social media.

Tonight the Minnesota Wild take to the ice as they host the San Jose Sharks at the X. Faceoff is set for 7 pm. The Wild will be without defenseman Jake Middleton, who was injured in a road loss to the New York Islanders last Friday. Middleton will not return to face the Sharks because of an upper body injury.

The Wild are down to just four games left in the regular season and it is only a matter of time before Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek are back on the ice with their teammates for the first time in many weeks.

The next step toward their respective return from injury came Tuesday when they participated in five-on-five contact drills during the team's morning skate. It's still not decided if either one will be back for Wednesday's game against San Jose, but they are getting very close. The sooner the Wild get their stars back, the better. Minnesota has 91 points with four games remaining. That's good for the second wild-card spot in the West. The Blues own the first wild card with 93 points, but they've played one more game than the Wild.

The Milwaukee Bucks erased a 24-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103 on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee won its fifth straight and snapped Minnesota"s five-game winning streak by producing the Bucks" biggest fourth-quarter comeback since at least 1996-97, when the NBA began tracking play-by-play data.

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points for Minnesota. Donte DiVincenzo added 24 and Naz Reid had 17. With the loss, Minnesota blew an opportunity to help itself in the wide-open Western Conference race. The Timberwolves entered Tuesday in a four-way tie for fifth place in the West, just a half-game behind fourth-place Denver. After an off day today, the T-Wolves will wrap up their road trip on Thursday when they face Memphis.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday April 8th, 2025.

04/08/2025

Albert Lea Tiger athletics today finds the boys golf team taking to the links to face Red Wing at Green Lea at 2:30. Boys and girls track will host a tournament at the Hammer Complex. Boys tennis is on the road to face Owatonna at 4:45. Tiger Girls softball takes over the Power 96 air waves tonight as they host Rochester Century at the Hammer Complex with first pitch at 5 pm. Sports Director Dave Nelson will bring you the call along with his crew. Pregame scheduled to start at 4:50. You can catch all the action on 96.1fm or our website at www.kqprfm.com www.kqprfm.com.

Kyle Isbel went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs, Michael Lorenzen allowed one run in six innings and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Monday night. Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli was ejected in the bottom of the sixth for arguing a pitch-clock violation — which came on a full count and resulted in a walk — against Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson. Tonight, RHP Pablo López will make his third start of the season against Royals LHP Cole Ragans. First pitch is set for 6:40.

Rory McIlroy said Tuesday that he's trying to block out noise and that this week might be his best chance to capture an elusive green jacket at the Masters and become only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. The first round of the Masters starts Thursday.

The Minnesota Wild are off tonight, but they will host the San Jose Sharks tomorrow at the X.   

The Vikings have released cornerback Nahshon Wright, the team announced on Monday. He was acquired from the Cowboys in a trade for Andrew Booth Jr. last August. Wright spent the season on Minnesota's practice squad, and then signed a reserve/futures contract in January.

The number 7 Timberwolves are in Milwaukee to take on the Bucks tonight. The T Wolves are trying to make a push into the top 6 in the Western Conference, to avoid a play in game at the end of the season. The Bucks have already clinched a play off birth in the Eastern conference. Tipoff is slotted for 7 pm.

Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp had gone up to shoot a potential game winning 3 with 4.9 seconds left, but was forced to adjust when Walter Clayton Jr. came flying out to contest. Sharp dropped the ball with 4.2 seconds left, hoping a teammate would pick it up and bail him out. But nobody moved, not a Houston player nor a Florida player. Gators forward Alex Condon finally dove on the ball with 2.0 seconds left, securing it and tossing it toward Clayton. The buzzer sounded, Clayton slammed the ball on the ground, and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson looked on in stunned silence.

The Florida Gators after erasing a 12-point second-half deficit held on for a 65-63 win over Houston, to be crowned national champs.

Power 96 Sports for Monday April 7th, 2025.

04/07/2025

The Austin Bruins had a successful weekend of play in their home and home series against the North Iowa Bulls. Friday night in Mason City the Black and Gold left town with a 4-1 win and gave Bruins Head Coach Steve Howard his 250th win as Bruins head coach. Saturday night at Riverside Arena, the Bruins shut out the Bulls 4-0. Bruins goaltender Carl Axelsson set a single season record with 6 shutouts on the year. One series remains before the playoffs start. This weekend, the Bruins will look to clip the wings of the Minnesota Mallards Friday night at Riverside Arena, Saturday the Bruins will try to mess up the nest of the Mallards in Forest Lake.

Marco Rossi scored on a power play 58 seconds into overtime for the Minnesota Wild, who stopped a four-game losing streak by beating the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Sunday.

Matt Boldy, who scored early in the third period and assisted on Marcus Foligno"s go-ahead goal less than two minutes later, drew a tripping penalty on Jason Robertson to give the Wild a 4-on-3. Boldy and Mats Zuccarello set up Rossi"s tap-in. Filip Gustavsson made 23 saves for the Wild, who lead Calgary by six points for the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Wild have four games left, including a crucial one at Calgary on Friday. The Flames have six games remaining. The Wild will next host San Jose Wednesday.

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored goal No. 895 on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky to become the NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader.

Ovechkin, on a pass from longtime teammate Tom Wilson, netted the record breaker in a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders with a power-play goal past fellow Russian Ilya Sorokin with 12:34 left in the second period of Sunday's game - the 1,487th game of his career, the same as Gretzky's career total.

Jose Altuve drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the 10th inning after Yordan Alvarez tied it with a two-run homer in the ninth and the Houston Astros rallied from an early six-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 9-7 on Sunday.

Altuve"s single off Twins reliever Louis Varland (1-1) scored automatic runner Brendan Rogers from third base. Jake Meyers then stole home on a double steal to make it 9-7. Matt Wallner had four hits and Trevor Larnach drove in three runs for Minnesota. No rest for the Twins as RHP Simeon Woods Richardson takes the mound today when they open a four-game series at Kansas City.

First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a 14-year, $500 million contract extension, pending a physical, sources said Sunday night. The no-deferral deal keeps the homegrown star in Toronto for the rest of his career, and comes as the 5-5 Blue Jays are in the midst of a road trip that takes them to Fenway Park to meet the Boston Red Sox on Monday. Guerrero, 26, a four-time All-Star and son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, had said he would not negotiate during the season after the sides failed to come to an agreement before he reported to spring training. But the sides continued talking and sealed a deal that is the third largest in Major League Baseball history, behind only Juan Soto's 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets and Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million pact with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays, snakebit in recent years by Soto and Ohtani signing elsewhere, received a long-term commitment from their best homegrown talent since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay.

The Timberwolves play the fourth of a five-game trip on Tuesday against Milwaukee.

Power 96 Sports for Friday April 4th, 2025.

04/04/2025

Albert Lea Tiger Track and Field traveled to Faribault for a meet Thursday where they placed in many of the events. The Tigers also took 2nd in the 4x100 and the 4x800. Both baseball and softball were postponed last night. Baseball is rescheduled to tomorrow at 1pm and softball was rescheduled to April 10th. Power 96 will bring you Tiger baseball tomorrow live from Hayek Field. Tomorrows softball game has also been rescheduled to May 12th.

The Austin Bruins are involved in a home and home series this weekend against the North Iowa Bulls. Tonight"s game will take place in Mason City before the Bruins return home to Riverside Arena in Austin to host the Bulls Saturday night. Faceoff Saturday is set for 7:05.

Fans were excited to welcome baseball back to Target Field Thursday, and when Joe Ryan struck out the side to open the game and the Twins took a 2 to nothing lead in the bottom of the first, fans had even more to celebrate. But the excitement quickly ended when the Astros went yard in back to back at bats to tie it up.

Christian Walker and Jeremy Peña homered and Brendan Rodgers had three hits and three RBIs to lead the Houston Astros to a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Hunter Brown who gave up the two runs in the bottom of the first, shut down the Twins the rest of the way. Twins starter Joe Ryan allowed five runs on five hits and struck out six over five innings. Up next, RHP Bailey Ober will face Houston RHP Spencer Arrighetti for game 2 on Saturday.

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) is pleased to announce that David J. Langerud from Albert Lea Area Schools has been recognized by the NIAAA as a Certified Athletic Administrator. To earn this distinction, David J. Langerud has demonstrated the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration. The certification process included a thorough evaluation of the candidate's educational background, experience, and professional contributions, as well as a rigorous, comprehensive written examination. David J. Langerud is one of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators nationwide to attain this level of professionalism.

Anthony Edwards shook off an injury scare and finished with 28 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Brooklyn Nets 105-90 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win. Edwards, who also added five rebounds, appeared to avoid serious injury when he briefly left the game after he stepped backward onto the foot of Nets coach Jordi Fernandez while making a 3-pointer late in the second quarter. Edwards was helped off the court, but returned for the start of the second half.

Rudy Gobert added 21 points for Minnesota while shooting 9 of 10 from the field and adding 18 rebounds. The Timberwolves will Take on the 76ers in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

The Minnesota Wild are on Long Island to face the New York Islanders tonight. The Islanders" winless skid reached six games (0-4-2) on Tuesday with a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Islanders dropped the first meeting of the season series 6-3 on Feb. 8 in what was both teams" final game before the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off. It"s been a while since the Islanders have beat the Wild, as their last win against Minnesota came on Dec. 29, 2019. The Wild have an active seven-game winning streak against the Islanders.

Some good news on the injury front. Kirill Kaprizov is making positive steps toward recovery after undergoing surgery for a lower-body injury on Feb. 1. As of Wednesday, Kaprizov is cleared for contact, per Wild Head Coach John Hynes.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday April 3rd 2025.

04/03/2025

Both Tiger Baseball and Softball have been rescheduled due to the weatehr.

After an 0-4 start, the Minnesota Twins have clawed their way back into a five-way tie for first place in the American League Central Division. Minnesota dumped the White Sox 6-1 following a lengthy rain delay Thursday, and the win gets them to 2-4 on the season and tied with the equally struggling Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and White Sox. Thursday's win was highlighted by Byron Buxton's first inning solo homer and diving catch, and then Hunter Bader's third homer of the season: a three-run shot in the fourth inning. An RBI double from Buxton in the fifth put the Twins up 5-0. He would then score the sixth run for the Twins later in the inning on a double off the bat of Ty France. Minnesota also got a gem from starting pitcher Pablo Lopez. The veteran right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked one. Another good sign: Carlos Correa doubled and singled for his first hits of the season. He was 0-for-12 entering the game. The Twins are back in action Thursday afternoon with their home opener against the Houston Astros.

The Minnesota Wild never possessed the puck in overtime and it took the Rangers only 24 seconds to score the game-winning goal Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Wild ended uo losing 5 to 4. The winning goal came after Artemi Paranin sped up the right wall, around the net and found Minnesota native K'Andre Miller, who slid a pass through traffic to Vincent Trocheck for an easy goal. Despite the loss, Minnesota earned an important point in the Western Conference wild-card race. The Wild now have 89 points with six games to play and they're tied with the St. Louis Blues — winners of 10 straight games — for the two wild-card spots. Both clubs are attempting to hold off the Calgary Flames, who are seven points back and have played two fewer games than Minnesota and St. Louis. Goals on the ice at MSG Tuesday night were scored by Gustav Nyquist, Brock Faber, Marcus Johansson and Marco Rossi. The Wild will hang out in New York for two more days and play the Islanders on Friday night.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday April 2nd 2025

04/02/2025

Trailing 3-0 in the sixth inning, the Twins hadn't been able to do much against White Sox starter Shane Smith, who was making his major league debut. It looked like Smith would continue cruising as he quickly got the first two outs of the inning, but then he issued back-to-back walks to Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach. That marked the end of his debut. Penn Murfee came on in relief and gave up back-to-back RBI singles to Ryan Jeffers and Ty France for the Twins' first runs. Then he hit Willi Castro with a pitch before giving up a two-run single to Jose Miranda that gave the Twins a 5-3 lead. The runs not only broke open the game, but also snapped a streak of 19 straight scoreless innings for the Twins. and they beat the Chicago White Sox 8-3 on Tuesday night for their first win of the season.

Ryan Jeffers and Ty France each had two hits for Minnesota, and Harrison Bader added a three-run homer in the ninth. Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson struck out five while pitching four innings of two-run ball. Louis Varland (1-0) got the win. Minnesota"s Pablo López opposes Sean Burke in the series finale Wednesday, before the Twins travel back to Minnesota for their home opener.

Gophers men's hockey defenseman Mike Koster signed his first professional contract with the Minnesota Wild"s ECHL's Iowa Heartlanders, the team announced on Tuesday. Koster is the latest among several Gophers players to sign land deals after the season.

After entering the transfer portal on Tuesday morning, Colorado State forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson committed to the Gophers men's basketball program just a few hours later, marking the first portal pickup for new coach Niko Medved. Crocker-Johnson started 29 of the team's 36 games, and averaged 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in Colorado State's two NCAA Tournament games.

Detroit"s Isaiah Stewart was suspended for two games and four other players from the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves drew one-game suspensions for their roles in an on-court altercation between the teams earlier this week. The NBA handed the one-game bans to Detroit"s Ron Holland II and Marcus Sasser along with Minnesota"s Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo. All five of those players were ejected from Sunday"s game, as were Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Minnesota assistant coach.

In an atmosphere that felt pulled straight from their playoff series last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves again beat the Denver Nuggets despite a historic performance from Nikola Joki?. The reigning MVP posted a 61-point triple-double, the most points in NBA history in a triple-double and a new career high in scoring, but Denver fell 140-139 in double overtime. Anthony Edwards was quiet for most of the game, until the fourth quarter began. He entered the frame with 10 points on the night and left with 23, with six of them coming on on back-to-back 3-pointers to help swing the game in regulation. The T wolves will now fly across the country to take on the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow night.

After three decades under the rule of owner Glen Taylor, the transition process is officially taking place with Taylor now expected to complete the sale of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx to billionaire Marc Lore and former MLB superstar-turned-business mogul Alex Rodriguez, so long as the NBA Board of Governors approves the sale.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday April 1st, 2025.

04/01/2025

Martín Pérez threw six hitless innings in a sparkling Chicago debut, and the White Sox pounded the Minnesota Twins 9-0 on Monday.

Andrew Vaughn and Andrew Benintendi hit three-run homers in the first and second innings. Michael A. Taylor made it 9-0 with a two-run drive in the third against Twins starter Chris Paddock (0-1), sending the White Sox to an easy win. Paddack got tagged for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Twins" only hits were singles by Willi Castro in the seventh against Mike Vasil and Ryan Jeffers in the eighth. They fell to 0-4 following a sweep at St. Louis, their worst start since the 2016 team that dropped its first nine games of the season. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson gets the ball for the Twins on Tuesday night, while White Sox RHP Shane Smith makes his major league debut. First pitch is set for 6:40.

Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored in the shootout, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Monday night for their third win in four games. Vinnie Hinostroza and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild, who lost for the fourth time in five contests. Filip Gustavsson finished with 26 saves. Minnesota lost for the fifth time in their last six road games. Minnesota still has a 22-11-4 away record this season. After an off day today, the Wild will visit the New York Rangers on Wednesday.

NFL owners approved a variety of rule changes Tuesday, including a modification of the dynamic kickoff that will place the ball after touchbacks at the 35-yard line and a tweak to the regular-season overtime period to mirror postseason rules.   Both teams will now be able to possess the ball in overtime in the regular season, even if a team scores an offensive touchdown on its first possession after the proposal, submitted by the Philadelphia Eagles, was passed by owners Tuesday. The original proposal was for a 15-minute overtime period, but that was amended to 10 minutes.

The Gophers women's basketball team has reached the WBIT championship game after dumping Florida 66-52 Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indiana. Minnesota (24-11) will face Belmont in the title game on Wednesday, once again at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. The championship game will be televised on ESPN2 at 5 p.m.

After just one year at Iowa, Freshman guard Aaliyah Guyton has entered the transfer portal. Guyton had a promising freshman season for the Hawkeyes averaging 4.7 points and 16 minutes a game in 29 appearances for the Hawks. Guyton was a top 100 recruit out of high school.

The Timberwolves are in Denver to take on the Nuggets tonight. Tipoff is set for 9 pm.

Power 96 Sports for Monday March 31st, 2025.

03/31/2025

Hailey Deming signed her letter of intent with St. Thomas University Monday morning, where she will join the swimming and diving program. Albert Lea Tiger athletics are off until Thursday.

The Austin Bruins split their weekend series against the Minot Minotauros in Minot. Friday night the Bruins found themselves in the win column defeating Minot 5-2. Saturday night was a much different result with Minot not taking kindly to Friday nights beating and fought back against the black and gold for a 4-1 win. The Bruins will next have a home and home series against North Iowa. Friday the Bruins will cross the border to Mason City before returning home to host the Bulls at Riverside Arena on Saturday night.

Julius Randle had 26 points and eight rebounds and Anthony Edwards added 25 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Detroit Pistons 123-104 on Sunday night in a game that was interrupted by a second-quarter fight.

Tempers flared after Detroit fouled Timberwolves forward Naz Reid. Five players — including Reid and teammate Donte DiVincenzo — were ejected, along with Detroit head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Minnesota"s assistant coach.

Rudy Gobert had 19 points and 25 rebounds to help Minnesota win for the third time in four games. The Timberwolves, or at least some of them pending suspensions, will travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Tuesday.

The Minnesota Wild will take on the New Jersey Devils tonight in New Jersey at 6 pm.

Victor Scott II and Pedro Pages each hit three-run home runs to propel the St. Louis Cardinals to a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Willi Castro homered for the Twins, who lost their first three games of the season for the first time since 2016.

The contest was halted by rain for 58 minutes in the middle of the fifth inning. The Twins are happy to leave St. Louis and head to Chicago to face the White Sox. RHP Chris Paddack will face Chicago White Sox LHP Martin Perez in the first of a three-game series this afternoon.

Edina native Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 40 points to lead second-seeded Connecticut to an 82-59 win over third-seeded Oklahoma State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament Saturday night in Spokane, Washington. The Huskies advance to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season and for the 18th time in their last 19.

Forward Connor Kurth signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, becoming the fifth Gophers player to sign with the NHL after their season ended on Thursday.

The men's Final Four is set, and it's all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008.

The Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers will open the semifinal action at 5:09 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the Houston Cougars and Duke Blue Devils at 7:49 p.m.

Power 96 Sports for Friday March 28th, 2025.

03/28/2025

Albert Lea Tiger Spring Sports is here, and today Tiger baseball participates in a scrimmage at Hayek Field against Tri-City United starting at 4 pm.

The Austin Bruins are on the road this weekend, facing off against the Minot Minotauros both tonight and Saturday night.

Matt Boldy had the go-ahead goal and an assist in the second period for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.

Frederick Gaudreau had two goals, Jon Merrill scored and Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves for the Wild, the only NHL team this season that hasn"t lost (28-0) when leading after two periods. After the game, Ovechkin organized a handshake line for retiring Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who"s been in the league since the 2003-2004 season.

With star Kirill Kaprizov sidelined for over two months and top center Joel Eriksson Ek out a month-plus, there is some good news. Both Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek resumed skating yesterday morning, but are still at least a week away from action. Minnesota hosts New Jersey on Saturday.

Lars Nootbaar homered and Sonny Gray pitched five solid innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in their rain-delayed opener Thursday. Harrison Bader hit a two-run shot for Minnesota against his former team to bring the score to 4-2, but it wasn"t enough to push the Twins past the Cards.

Minnesota RHP Joe Ryan faces RHP Erick Fedde when the three-game series resumes Saturday afternoon.

The University of Minnesota's championship dreams died Thursday night when they blew a two-goal, third-period lead and lost to UMass 5-4 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA tournament. UMass scored the game-winning goal in overtime immediately after Minnesota defenseman Ryan Chesley appeared to be tripped while carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Instead of the refs blowing the whistle and awarding Minnesota a power play, the Minutemen got away with the trip, collected the puck after the turnover, and scored the game-winning goal just seconds later.

Last year, the Vikings famously crushed their preseason Vegas win total to an extent that few teams in NFL history can match. They came into the year projected to win 6.5 games and more than doubled that, going 14-3 behind an incredible season from Sam Darnold and an elite defense. Kevin O'Connell was named the AP Coach of the Year as a result. This years win total has now been reveled at 8.5 wins, which is tied with Ron"s Chicago Bears.

Power 96 Sports for Thursday March 27th, 2025.

03/27/2025

It"s Opening Day for Major League Baseball. The Minnesota Twins are in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals where Pablo Lopez gets the start for the Twins. St. Louis will counter with former Twin Sonny Gray at Busch Stadium. First pitch is slotted for 3:15. The Twins will spend their first six games away and will visit the Chicago White Sox for a three-game series after they play the Cardinals. The Twins will face the White Sox on March 31-April 2.

One player who won't see playing time on opening day is third baseman Royce Lewis, who is dealing with a left hamstring strain. Lewis suffered the injury during a Grapefruit league game earlier this month against the Boston Red Sox. The Twins will have their home Opening Day game at Target Field on Thursday, April 3. Minnesota will host the Houston Astros, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:10.

The No. 1 ranked 2026 high school football recruit from Wisconsin, Gavin Meier, verbally committed to the Gophers on Wednesday night. The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle is now Minnesota's sixth pledge in the class.

Hockey fans once again will be focused on Alex Ovechkin when the Washington Capitals face off against the Minnesota Wild tonight in Saint Paul. The 39-year-old Ovechkin enters the game with 889 career goals, which is five shy of matching Wayne Gretzky for No. 1 all-time. Minnesota is looking to bounce back from a pair of losses against the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights in its two most recent games. The Wild were outscored 8-1 in those contests.

Despite the recent skid, the Wild remain in position to earn a wild-card playoff berth, six points to the good of the cutoff line. But a prolonged slump could bump Minnesota out of that spot. This is the second and final game of the regular season between the teams. The first matchup went to a shootout round, when the Wild edged the host Capitals for a 4-3 victory on Jan. 2. Faceoff tonight a the X is set for 6:30.

Having lost three of their last four games the Timberwolves look to right their ship Friday when they will host Phoenix. The T Wolves are in a tight race with the Warriors and Clippers for the West's No. 6 seed.

Power 96 Sports for Wednesday March 26th, 2025.

03/26/2025

Jack Eichel scored three goals for his fifth career hat trick as the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-1 on Tuesday night. Marcus Johansson scored a goal and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots for Minnesota, which lost for the second time in two nights. Minnesota continues to struggle offensively without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. After getting shut out in Dallas on Monday night, the Wild managed just four shots on goal in the first period and didn"t even get a shot on net during their only power play of the game. The Wild will next host Washington on Thursday.

Minnesota Twins infielder Brooks Lee and right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart will begin the season on the injured list. The moves were announced Sunday by the club. Lee, the No. 8 overall pick by Minnesota in the 2022 draft out of Cal Poly, had been dealing with lower back tightness during spring training and was sidelined for the first two months of the 2024 season with a herniated disk in his back. Stewart sustained a left hamstring injury but also underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder last August. The Twins defeated Colorado yesterday in spring training action 5-3. The Twins open the regular season tomorrow in St Louis.

The Tomberwolves are off intil Friday when they host Phoenix.

Ben McCollum grew up a fan of the Iowa men"s basketball team, and now, he's coaching the Hawkeyes. McCollum was introduced as Iowa"s new head coach on Tuesday, a day after his hiring was announced by the university. The Iowa native, born in Iowa City and raised in Storm Lake, replaces Fran McCaffery, the program"s all-time winningest coach fired at the end of the regular season after missing the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. McCollum mentioned McCaffery, as well as other former Iowa coaches like Lute Olson, George Raveling and Tom Davis, and credited them with building the program.

The NFL's competition committee is likely to propose a change to the league's kickoff rules that could raise return rates for the 2025 season, a source confirmed Tuesday.

The proposal, expected to be submitted in time for next week's league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, would spot touchbacks at the 35-yard line rather than the 30, as it was in 2024 during the inaugural season of the league's revamped kickoff format. The NFL is expected to send the committee's full list of rule proposals to clubs this week.

Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs and the New England Patriots reached an agreement Tuesday on a three-year, $69 million deal that includes $26 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. Diggs, 31, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 8 while with the Houston Texans but is on track to return for Week 1 of the upcoming season, a source told ESPN. The Patriots made an aggressive push to sign receiver Chris Godwin in free agency, which reflected their desire for a No. 1-caliber receiver to pair with second-year quarterback Drake Maye. When Godwin returned to Tampa Bay, the Patriots eventually turned to Diggs, bringing him to town for a visit last week. Diggs joins a receiving corps with free agent signing Mack Hollins, veteran Kendrick Bourne and third-year players Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas among those near the top of the depth chart.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 25th, 2025.

03/25/2025

Jake Oettinger shut out his home-state team stopping 32 shots, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene scored 58 seconds apart late in the second period and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Monday night. Oettinger, who grew up about 20 miles south of the Twin Cities in Lakeville, Minnesota, is 7-0-2 in regular-season play against the Wild and has an eight-game home winning streak beginning in late January. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for the Wild. Gustavsson allowed only two goals last week going 3-0-0 to be selected the NHL"s First Star of the Week. The Wild finish a back-to-back at home tonight against Vegas. Faceoff is set for 7 pm.

Tyrese Haliburton finished with 24 points and 11 assists, and Obi Toppin made six 3-pointers and added 20 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-103 on Monday night. Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 20 points and Anthony Edwards added 17 despite being a game-time decision with a hand injury. Rudy Gobert finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds as Minnesota lost for the third time in four games. The Timberwolves have some time to figure out their woes as they will next host Phoenix on Friday.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will speak to local media members in a press conference at TCO Performance Center on Wednesday afternoon, the team has announced. Adofo-Mensah has a presser every year around this time to discuss the team's activity in free agency and provide an update on the offseason. This setting will be an opportunity for the Vikings' GM to recap a busy couple weeks, in which the team added a dozen new players in free agency, including big names like Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Ryan Kelly, and Will Fries. The Vikings also traded for Jordan Mason and retained some key in-house pieces in Byron Murphy Jr., Aaron Jones, and Harrison Smith.

The University of Minnesota will hire Colorado State men"s basketball coach Niko Medved to lead its squad next season. According to the University of Minnesota, Medved has agreed to a six-year term, which still needs approval from the Board of Regents. It will be a homecoming for Medved, a U of M alum and graduate of Roseville Area High School. Medved got his coaching start with the Gophers, hired as a student manager and assistant before going on to a full-time position at Macalester College. Medved coached teams at Furman and Drake before his most recent job at Colorado State, where he compiled a 143-85 record over seven seasons and led the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four years. In this year"s tournament, CSU advanced to the Round of 32, falling to No. 4 seed Maryland on a buzzer-beater Sunday night. Medved will replace former Gophers coach Ben Johnson.

The Pohlad family is looking to sell the Minnesota Twins for a higher price than previously expected — at least $1.7 billion — which is in part motivated by the franchise operating in significant debt, according to a recent report from The Athletic. According to The Athletic, the Twins have more than $425 million in debts, which are among the highest figures of Major League Baseball teams. That's led to a slightly inflated price point — Forbes valued the team at $1.46 billion in 2024. In talks with interested buyers, the Twins have deemed a $1.5 billion valuation "a non-starter," per The Athletic. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the Pohlads would be able to get $1.7 billion for the team as they restart the sales process following Justin Ishbia ending his pursuit of the franchise to instead increase his stake in the rival Chicago White Sox.

The Twins take on the Colorado Rockies in Spring training action today.

Power 96 Sports for Tuesday March 25th, 2025.

03/25/2025

Jake Oettinger shut out his home-state team stopping 32 shots, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene scored 58 seconds apart late in the second period and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Monday night. Oettinger, who grew up about 20 miles south of the Twin Cities in Lakeville, Minnesota, is 7-0-2 in regular-season play against the Wild and has an eight-game home winning streak beginning in late January. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for the Wild. Gustavsson allowed only two goals last week going 3-0-0 to be selected the NHL"s First Star of the Week. The Wild finish a back-to-back at home tonight against Vegas. Faceoff is set for 7 pm.

Tyrese Haliburton finished with 24 points and 11 assists, and Obi Toppin made six 3-pointers and added 20 points to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-103 on Monday night. Naz Reid led the Timberwolves with 20 points and Anthony Edwards added 17 despite being a game-time decision with a hand injury. Rudy Gobert finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds as Minnesota lost for the third time in four games. The Timberwolves have some time to figure out their woes as they will next host Phoenix on Friday.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will speak to local media members in a press conference at TCO Performance Center on Wednesday afternoon, the team has announced. Adofo-Mensah has a presser every year around this time to discuss the team's activity in free agency and provide an update on the offseason. This setting will be an opportunity for the Vikings' GM to recap a busy couple weeks, in which the team added a dozen new players in free agency, including big names like Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Ryan Kelly, and Will Fries. The Vikings also traded for Jordan Mason and retained some key in-house pieces in Byron Murphy Jr., Aaron Jones, and Harrison Smith.

The University of Minnesota will hire Colorado State men"s basketball coach Niko Medved to lead its squad next season. According to the University of Minnesota, Medved has agreed to a six-year term, which still needs approval from the Board of Regents. It will be a homecoming for Medved, a U of M alum and graduate of Roseville Area High School. Medved got his coaching start with the Gophers, hired as a student manager and assistant before going on to a full-time position at Macalester College. Medved coached teams at Furman and Drake before his most recent job at Colorado State, where he compiled a 143-85 record over seven seasons and led the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four years. In this year"s tournament, CSU advanced to the Round of 32, falling to No. 4 seed Maryland on a buzzer-beater Sunday night. Medved will replace former Gophers coach Ben Johnson.

The Pohlad family is looking to sell the Minnesota Twins for a higher price than previously expected — at least $1.7 billion — which is in part motivated by the franchise operating in significant debt, according to a recent report from The Athletic. According to The Athletic, the Twins have more than $425 million in debts, which are among the highest figures of Major League Baseball teams. That's led to a slightly inflated price point — Forbes valued the team at $1.46 billion in 2024. In talks with interested buyers, the Twins have deemed a $1.5 billion valuation "a non-starter," per The Athletic. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the Pohlads would be able to get $1.7 billion for the team as they restart the sales process following Justin Ishbia ending his pursuit of the franchise to instead increase his stake in the rival Chicago White Sox.

The Twins take on the Colorado Rockies in Spring training action today.