Afternoon State News Briefs: UWRF hockey teams begins playoffs tonight

• UW-River Falls Falcons

UW-River Falls Falcons

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RIVER FALLS - The men’s playoffs begin tonight in the NCAA Division III Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

Saint Norbert gets a bye for placing first in the regular season at 12-4-2. The other six teams each have two-game series in the opening round. Second-place Saint Scholastica hosts UW-Stout in Duluth. Third-place River Falls is at home against Eau Claire. And Number-Four Stevens Point is at home against Superior. Meanwhile, the NCHA women will play their regular season finales this weekend. River Falls has won the season title, and will have the top-seed in the league playoffs that begin next weekend. River Falls is 17-2-1 in league play. Superior is 12-4-2, and Lake Forest is third at 12-5-1.

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Johan Ryd of Saint Norbert College has been named the men’s player-of-the-year in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. Ryd, a senior forward, is the league’s scoring leader with 33 points. And he has three game-winning goals, tied for the most in the NCHA. Ryd also leads a 12-member all-conference team which includes fellow Saint Norbert players Reid Campbell and goal-tender David Jacobson. Other Wisconsin players on the All-NCHA squad are Jason Yuel and Scott Lewan of River Falls, Jordan Singer and Tyler Jundt of Eau Claire, Jeff Forsythe of Superior, and Kyle Heck of Stevens Point. Jacobson also made the All-NCHA men’s rookie team, along with Cullen Bradshaw of Saint Norbert, Jordan Tredinnick of Stout, George Malliaras of River Falls, Andy Singerhouse of Superior, and Ross Anderson of Eau Claire. Mark Wick of Saint Scholastica in Duluth is the coach-of-the-year.

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The Milwaukee Admirals will play a two-game road series this weekend against the top team in the American Hockey League’s Western Conference. Milwaukee is at Oklahoma City tonight and tomorrow night – and the Barons have given up 20 fewer goals than any other AHL team, while losing just 12 times in regulation. Oklahoma City has 69 points, seven ahead of second-place Houston. Only Saint John’s has more points than Oklahoma, with 70 in the Atlantic Division. Milwaukee has 53 points, which is good for fourth in the Midwest Division. The Admirals are coming off a 3-0 home shutout of Peoria earlier this week.

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The Milwaukee Admirals will continue to be the Nashville Predators’ top minor league affiliate for at least two more seasons, and maybe three. The two teams announced yesterday that their affiliation has been extended through the 2013-14 season, with a mutual option for the following year. Milwaukee is in its 14th season as the top farm club for the NHL’s Nashville squad. That’s the third-longest affiliation involving teams in the American Hockey League. Admirals’ CEO Harris Turer said his team is very pleased to continue under Nashville’s banner. He said the Predators are committed to developing players by having a winning tradition in Milwaukee. The Admirals have a .588 winning percentage during its time with Nashville. And over 120 players have taken part in at least one game for both Milwaukee and the Predators.

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The University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team will host Denver tonight and tomorrow night. The Badgers are playing for the first time in two weeks. They’ll try to end a four-game losing streak, to keep their slim hopes alive for hosting the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The Badgers are 7-13-2 in the conference, and 12-14-2 overall. Denver is coming off a home sweep of Minnesota, which was ranked Number-One at the time. The Pioneers are third in the WCHA with 28 points and a record of 12-6-4. Denver is also 17-9-4 overall. An emotional moment is planned this evening, when former Badgers’ goal-tender Kirk Daubenspeck drops the ceremonial first puck. It was a year ago tonight when he was seriously injured in a foggy traffic crash near Dodgeville.

Meanwhile, the top-ranked Badger women will close out their regular season with a pair of home games against Ohio State this afternoon and tomorrow afternoon. The Badgers only need to win one of those games to win the WCHA season title outright. They clinched at least a share of the crown last weekend. Wisconsin is 28-2-2 overall. Ohio State comes in at 15-13-4.

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There were several upsets last night in the regional finals of the boys’ high school hockey tournament. The highest seed to lose was a Number-two, as Schofield D.C. Everest fell to Number-seven Lakeland 3-2. A trio of third-seeded teams went down to defeat – Waukesha North, Sun Prairie, and Green Bay Southwest. All seven Number-one seeds which played last night were victorious. That includes defending champion Wausau West, which won its tournament opener over Stevens Point Pacelli 7-0. Top-seeded Green Bay Notre Dame had the most lopsided score of the night, 13-1 over De Pere/West De Pere. Three regional finals will be played tonight. After that, 32 schools will compete in the sectionals next week.

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The WIAA girls’ hockey regionals began last night, with a 32-team field. Three-time defending champion St. Croix Valley had no trouble winning its first-round game over Superior, 8-1. Top seeds Green Bay East, Onalaska, and Schofield D.C. Everest also won their openers. Stoughton needed five overtimes to eliminate Middleton 3-2. Four regional contests are on tap for tonight. The sectional semifinal round will be played on Tuesday.

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The boys’ state high school swimming-and-diving meet began in Madison this afternoon at the UW Natatorium. Madison Memorial is going for its second straight Division-One team title, while McFarland will try to win its sixth consecutive crown in Division-Two. Five individual champions from a year ago are back in Division-One. Alex DeLakis of Eau Claire North-and-Memorial will go for his third straight title in the 100-yard breast-stroke, and his second straight gold in the 200-individual medley. The other returning champs are Austin Byrd of Chippewa Falls in the 100-backstroke, Jake Iotte of Appleton North-and-East in the 200 freestyle, Ben Anderson of Madison Memorial in the 50-freestyle, and Andrew Schula of Racine Park in the diving competition. In Division-Two, Ryan O’Donnell of McFarland is the two-time defending champ in the 200-individual medley. Nic Halvorsen of Kiel is going for back-to-back crowns in the 500-freestyle. And Jake Mandli of McFarland will try to repeat as the 100-breaststroke champion. The state meet runs through tomorrow.

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The University of Wisconsin women’s swim team is in fourth place at the halfway point of the Big Ten Championships at Iowa. The Badgers have 174 points. Minnesota’s in the lead with 235, followed by Ohio State and Indiana. Badgers’ senior Beckie Thompson won her fourth league title in the 50-yard freestyle, with a school-and-conference record time of :22.04 seconds. Thompson also helped Wisconsin win the 200-freestyle relay with a school-and-league record time of 1:28.46. The Big Ten meet continues through tomorrow.

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UW-Stevens Point is the men’s leader, and UW-Eau Claire leads the women after the first day of the WIAC swimming-and-diving finals in Brown Deer. The Pointer men are going for their 13th consecutive league title. They have 272 points to 236 for second-place La Crosse. Whitewater is third. Phil Devine of Oshkosh won his fourth straight gold medal in the three-meter diving competition. Joey Clapp of Stevens Point took gold for the second straight year in the 50-yard freestyle. Luuk Dekkers of Point won his second straight title in the 500-freestyle. On the women’s side, Eau Claire is in front with 236 points – 19 ahead of La Crosse. Two-time defending champion Stevens Point is third. Julia Olson of Eau Claire won her second straight gold in the 50-yard freestyle. Danielle Ellingson of La Crosse won the 200-individual medley for a second time, after taking the crown in 2009. The meet runs through tomorrow.

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Also, the Midwest Conference swim meet opens today at Lawrence in Appleton. Grinnell of Iowa dominates the sport, having won each year’s men’s title since 2002 and every women’s crown since 1999.

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In golf, Pewaukee native Mark Wilson struggled in his opening round at the PGA’s Northern Trust Open. Wilson shot a four-over-par 75 yesterday in Pacific Palisades California. And he was tied for 101st at the end of the day, nine strokes behind the leader, Phil Mickelson. Just over two dozen players failed to complete their first rounds due to darkness.

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Former Marquette University and current University of Minnesota men’s basketball forward Trevor Mbakwe will spend the next year on probation, after he pleaded no contest to an assault charge in Florida.

The 23-year-old Mbakwe settled a nearly three-year-old court case. He was charged with felony assault in May of 2009 at Miami-Dade College. A woman claimed that he punched her and tried to pull down her pants, but his attorneys said it was a case of mistaken identity. The incident happened the year after Mbakwe played his only season at Marquette. He later transferred to Minnesota – close to his home town of Saint Paul – but the Gophers suspended him for the 2009-2010 season because the court case had not been resolved. Mbakwe has been a star at Minnesota ever since, but he’s out for the season after he injured a knee a few weeks ago. The Gophers plan to file a waiver this spring, asking that Mbakwe be given a sixth year of eligibility.

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The Milwaukee Wave will begin its final regular season road trip tomorrow night at Baltimore, before moving on to Norfolk on Sunday afternoon. Milwaukee is 16-and-3 – and it broke a five-game winning streak in its most recent outing, a 17-14 home loss to Missouri. The Wave and Baltimore are 1-and-1 this season. The Blast handed Milwaukee its first loss on New Year’s Eve in a low-scoring 9-4 outcome. Milwaukee won the next match with Baltimore, scoring 14 points in the first quarter on February fourth. The Blast are at 14-6. Sunday’s opponent, Norfolk, is 3-17 – but the Sharx have won three-of-their-last-four at home.

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All of Wisconsin’s major college basketball teams have tonight off. And only a couple of games are scheduled in Division-Three. Mount Mary College will play at Alverno this afternoon as part of the NAC women’s challenge in advance of next week’s conference tournament. And Northland College of Ashland is playing a men’s-and-women’s double-header at Presentation in Aberdeen South Dakota. The Northland men are struggling at 3-9 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and 4-19 overall. The Lumberjacks are coming off a 10-point home loss to Martin Luther last weekend. Meanwhile, the Lumber-jills can get back to .500 overall with a victory tonight. The Northland women are 11-12 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The Jills have lost two-of-their-last-three, after getting crushed by 24 against Martin Luther. Most other Wisconsin Division III schools will play their regular season finales tomorrow night.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates will pay Casey McGehee over five times more than what the Milwaukee Brewers paid him last year. McGehee was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. And just before a hearing was to be held yesterday, McGehee and the Pirates agreed on a one-year deal worth just over two-and-a-half million dollars. He could also get another 137-thousand-dollars, based on his plate appearances this season. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said McGehee and Garrett Jones are likely to platoon at first base this season – and McGehee could also see some time at third. The Brewers traded him in December after his offensive production slipped. McGehee hit .223 a year ago, after batting .301 for the Brew Crew in 2009 and driving in 104 runs in 2010. He made $468,000 a year ago. McGehee and the Pirates decided to split the difference after he asked for almost two-and-three-quarter million dollars, and the Pirates offered him about two-and-a-third million. Jones also took his salary to arbitration, and lost. He’ll get two-and-a-quarter million this year, after making $455,000 in 2011.

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SCORES

Wisconsin boys' high school basketball from Thursday...

Amherst 52, Manawa 23

Bangor 57, Wonewoc-Center 41

Barron 67, Ladysmith 52

Belleville 57, Waterloo 54, OT

Beloit Turner 52, Orfordville Parkview 39

Benton 48, Cassville 42

Berlin 56, Westfield 48

Bloomer 40, Cumberland 22

Bonduel 62, Iola-Scandinavia 48

Brodhead 51, Palmyra-Eagle 35

Brookfield Academy 89, Milwaukee Hope School 53

Clinton 75, Walworth Big Foot 44

Cochrane-Fountain City 56, Alma/Pepin 53

Coleman Faith Christian 87, Hartland University Lake 61

Deerfield 64, Rio 36

Dodgeland 64, Madison Abundant Life/Madison Country Day 63, OT

Dodgeville 61, River Valley 47

East Troy 75, McFarland 58

Eleva-Strum 61, Alma Center Lincoln 39

Elk Mound 58, Independence 27

Fall River 70, Johnson Creek 33

Freedom 56, Winneconne 50

Germantown 90, Nicolet 54

Gilmanton 64, Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 38

Grafton 61, Beaver Dam Wayland 37

Grantsburg 58, Turtle Lake 57

Highland 59, Belmont 50

Hudson 55, Eau Claire North 43

Jefferson 46, Evansville 36

Juda 58, Albany 43

Kenosha St. Joseph 54, Kenosha Reuther 40

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 70, Fond du Lac Springs 68

Laconia 70, Lomira 29

Lakeside Lutheran 75, Columbus 70

Lodi 65, Watertown Luther Prep 59

Marshall 88, Wisconsin Heights 75

Menomonie 50, River Falls 48

Milwaukee Young-Coggs Prep 80, Eastbrook Academy 68

Monticello 47, Black Hawk 39

Necedah 44, Hillsboro 41

Oshkosh Lourdes 58, Green Lake 49

Osseo-Fairchild 53, Altoona 50

Peshtigo 58, Gillett 33

Platteville 55, Lancaster 42

Plymouth 67, Two Rivers 57

Prairie du Chien 60, Richland Center 26

Princeton 61, Oshkosh Valley Christian 59

Racine J.I. Case 53, Racine Washington Park 51

Randolph 66, Markesan 30

Random Lake 60, Cedar Grove-Belgium 59

Rice Lake 61, Eau Claire Memorial 54

Ripon 62, Waupaca 54

River Ridge 54, Pecatonica 42

Royall 70, Brookwood 32

Sheboygan Falls 76, New Holstein 66

Shullsburg 71, Potosi 64, 2OT

Spooner 60, Maple Northwestern 56

Stevens Point Pacelli 58, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 29

Suring 45, Coleman 40

Union Grove 56, Lake Geneva Badger 36

Unity 54, Clear Lake 24

Waterford 62, Elkhorn 60

Wausaukee 65, Lena 38

West Salem 66, Onalaska Luther 48

Westosha Central 58, Delavan-Darien 47

Whitefish Bay Dominican 73, Milwaukee University School 68

Whitewater 40, Edgerton 29

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Girls' high school basketball...

Algoma 61, Kewaunee 45

Appleton North 67, Kaukauna 40

Arcadia 69, Onalaska Luther 54

Baraboo 55, Portage 54

Colfax 53, St. Croix Central 26

Crandon 44, Florence 37

Cuba City 61, Boscobel 26

De Pere 58, Bay Port 34

Edgar 60, Northland Lutheran 24

Elcho 44, Laona 38

Elk Mound 54, Spring Valley 29

Fennimore 57, Mineral Point 40

Fort Atkinson 35, Milton 32

Frederic 76, Webster 38

Grantsburg 70, Flambeau 50

Green Bay Notre Dame 54, Manitowoc 52

Green Bay Preble 48, Ashwaubenon 44

Green Bay West 49, Green Bay East 29

Hartland University Lake 41, Williams Bay Faith Christian 31

Janesville Craig 66, Madison Memorial 25

Janesville Parker 41, Verona 37

Kettle Moraine Lutheran 58, Winnebago Lutheran 37

Kickapoo 48, Ithaca 41

Loyal 43, Gilman 37

Madison Edgewood 56, Stoughton 36

Madison La Follette 78, Beloit Memorial 26

Manitowoc Roncalli 43, Brillion 38

Mellen 52, Bessemer, Mich. 36

Menomonie 60, Tigerton 38

Mequon Homestead 60, Milwaukee Lutheran 41

Middleton 74, Sun Prairie 33

Milwaukee Bay View 40, Milwaukee Tenor 7

Milwaukee St. Joan Antida 53, Brookfield Academy 52

Milwaukee Vincent 67, Milwaukee Bradley Tech 41

Mondovi 52, Plum City 40

Neillsville 61, Marshfield Columbus 25

New London 44, Seymour 32

North Crawford 41, Weston 35

Oakfield 58, Green Lake 23

Oconto 68, Green Bay NEW Lutheran 32

Oregon 53, Mount Horeb 50

Oshkosh West 53, Appleton West 30

Owen-Withee 51, Greenwood 33

Platteville 39, Lancaster 27

Prescott 35, Durand 34

Seneca 62, La Farge 18

Sheboygan North 59, Pulaski 26

Sheboygan South 50, Green Bay Southwest 41

Somerset 40, Ellsworth 31

Southwestern 57, Iowa-Grant 40

Stanley-Boyd 55, Cadott 45

Sturgeon Bay 38, Gibraltar 16

Wabeno 61, Niagara 18

Wausau Newman 67, Stratford 47

West Bend West 55, Slinger 44

Wisconsin Lutheran 42, Hartford 20

Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 51, Marathon 40

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WIAA boys' hockey regional finals...

Amery Sectional

Hudson 6, Amery 1

New Richmond 4, Somerset 0

Superior 12, River Falls 1

Siren 8, Menomonie 5

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Eau Claire Memorial Sectional

Chequamegon/Phillips 3, Marshfield 2

Eau Claire Memorial 9, Hayward 1

Rice Lake 4, Altoona 3

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Schofield D.C. Everest Sectional

Lakeland 3, Schofield D.C. Everest 2

Mosinee 4, Stevens Point 2

Northland Pines 5, Wausau East 2

Wausau West 7, Stevens Point Pacelli 0

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Viroqua Sectional

Baraboo/Portage 4, Sauk Prairie 3

Onalaska 6, Tomah 3

Sparta 5, Wisconsin Dells/Reedsburg 2

Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 6, La Crosse Aquinas 3

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Neenah Sectional

Bay Port/Pulaski 4, Neenah/Hortonville 0

Appleton Xavier 5, Ashwaubenon 4

Green Bay Notre Dame 13, De Pere/West De Pere 1

Waupaca 5, Green Bay Southwest 3

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Madison West Sectional

Oregon 1, Sun Prairie 0

Verona 7, Monona Grove 0

Waunakee 7, Madison Edgewood 6

Middleton 3, Madison West 2

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Whitefish Bay Sectional

Janesville 6, Whitefish Bay 3

Stoughton 2, Waukesha 1

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Milwaukee University School Sectional

Fond du Lac St. Mary's Springs 3, Hartland Arrowhead 2

Mequon Homestead 8, Germantown 1

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WIAA girls' hockey regionals...

New Richmond Sectional

Chippewa Falls 3, Burnett County 2

Eau Claire Stars 6, Hudson 2

Hayward/Spooner 8, New Richmond 1

St. Croix Valley 8, Superior 1

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Tomahawk Sectional

Schofield D.C. Everest 9, Lakeland 0

Marshfield 4, Medford 1

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Middleton Sectional

Stoughton 3, Middleton 2 5OT

Sun Prairie 5, Rock County 2

Onalaska 7, Viroqua 1

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Hartland Arrowhead Sectional

Green Bay East 4, Beaver Dam 1

Hartland Arrowhead 5, Fondy/Waupun 4 2OT

Kettle Moraine 5, Appleton Xavier 4

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