Minnesota Sports Briefs: Charity hockey game set for June 20 at Ridder Arena

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MINNEAPOLIS - The annual charity hockey game to benefit the "Defending The Blue Line" organization is scheduled for Wednesday, June 20th at Ridder Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.

The charity game and autograph session features several NHL players, most of whom are from Minnesota. Included in the preliminary roster of stars to take part is Zach Parise of the Devils, Jamie McBain of the Hurricanes, Matt Hendricks of the Capitals, and Wild players Josh Harding and Nate Prosser. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25-dollars on gameday. "Defending The Blue Line" is an organization designed to help military families with costs associated with playing hockey. The group provides financial assistance to those who need it by helping with registration fees, equipment costs, hockey camp tuition, and tickets to Wild games. The charity game and autograph session is set to start at 5:30 p.m. on June 20th.

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The Minnesota Vikings completed their second Organized Team Activity workout of the week yesterday and will have a third final session later today. Chad Greenway missed yesterday's workout as he is attending to a family matter. Jared Allen and Percy Harvin were also absent. Head coach Leslie Frazier says the team is making progress, but has a long ways to go before the start of the season. The team is allowed to do football-related workouts only during the OTA periods. There will be four such workouts next week with a minicamp set for the following week.

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Vikings fullback Jerome Felton apologized for last weekend's arrest during OTAs yesterday. Felton was arrested in Eden Prairie last Friday night for driving while impaired. He appeared in nine games with the Panthers last year after spending the previous three seasons with the Lions.

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>Could plans for the new Vikings stadium intercept the current process of criminal investigations in Minneapolis? Hennepin County Administrator Richard Johnson says the stadium's design uses the parking lot of the local forensic crime lab. The lab itself wouldn't be leveled but Johnson says the building's parking lot being used as the Vikings party plaza would make the lab unusable. County Sheriff Rick Stanek says he prefers the crime lab to stay where it is so workers continue to have easy access to the courts and the jail.

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The numerous concussion lawsuits against the NFL are about to become one. The "Los Angeles Times" reports more than two-thousand former NFL players and their families will file a "master complaint" in court today. The move will consolidate the nearly 100 concussion-related lawsuits against the league. The complaint will be filed in the US. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit alleges the NFL purposefully withheld from players its knowledge of the link between football-related head injuries and long-term neurological damage.

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Elk River beat Mahtomedi in the semifinals and Wayzata in the championship match to claim the Class 2A 2012 Minnesota Boys' Team Tennis State Championship yesterday. In Class 1A, Breck School beat The Blake School in the semifinal round and then sneaked by Rochester Lourdes in the championship to claim the team trophy.

Class 2-A Semifinals: Wayzata 5, Eagan 2 (final)

Class 2-A Semifinals: Elk River 6, Mahtomedi 1 (final)

Class 2-A Championship: Elk River 5, Wayzata 2 (final)

Class 1-A Semifinals: Breck School 4, The Blake School 3 (final)

Class 1-A Semifinals: Rochester Lourdes 7, Mound Westonka 0 (final)

Class 1-A Championship: Breck School 4, Rochester Lourdes 3 (final)

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The championship matches in the 2012 Minnesota Boys' and Girls' State Lacrosse Meet have been set. Eastview will take on Eden Prairie to decide the boys title tonight at 8 p.m. in Chanhassen. Both of those teams won semifinal bouts on Tuesday. The Eden Prairie girls will match up with The Blake School for the girls crown this afternoon at 2 p.m. Eden Prairie beat Apple Valley and The Blake School knocked off Stillwater in yesterday's girls' semifinals.

Here are results from yesterday's first-round pairings for the 2012 Minnesota Girls' Lacrosse State Tournament in Chanhassen:

Eden Prairie 11, Apple Valley 2 (final)

The Blake School 17, Stillwater 10 (final)

Eden Prairie vs. The Blake School, 2pm

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Here are Thursday's first-round matchups in the 2012 Minnesota Girls' State Softball Tournament in North Mankato:

Class 3-A: Stillwater vs. Farmington, 9am

Class 3-A: Bloomington Jefferson vs. Mankato East, 9am

Class 3-A: Big Lake vs. Maple Grove, 11am

Class 3-A: Forest Lake vs. Orono, 11am

Class 2-A: New Ulm vs. Kasson-Mantorville, 9am

Class 2-A: Albany vs. Maple River, 9am

Class 2-A: Hawley vs. St. Anthony Village, 1pm

Class 2-A: Mound Westonka vs. Cloquet, 1pm

Class 1-A: Eden Valley-Watkins vs. Blooming Prairie, 11am

Class 1-A: Red Lake Falls vs. New Ulm Cathedral, 11am

Class 1-A: New Life Academy vs. Sebeka, 1pm

Class 1-A: Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg vs. Cherry, 1pm

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Here are results from Wednesday's games in the American Association:

New Jersey 9, St. Paul 2 (final)

Kansas City 8, Fargo-Moorhead 3 (final)

Sioux Falls 4, Gary 1 (final)

Wichita 11, Sioux City 7 (final)

Lincoln 3, Winnipeg 1 (final)

Amarillo 4, El Paso 3 (final)

Laredo at Grand Prairie, ppd (rain)

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Duluth 3, Rochester 2 (final)

St. Cloud 15, Alexandria 7 (final)

Mankato 6, Thunder Bay 2 (final)

Willmar 13, Waterloo 8 (final)

LaCrosse 9, Eau Claire 1 (final)

Battle Creek 11, Lakeshore 4 (final)

Wisconsin Rapids 8, Wisconsin 6 (final)

Madison 2, Green Bay 1 (final)

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Johnny Dawkins will add former Stanford Cardinal Mark Madsen to his staff as an assistant coach Madsen replaced Dick Davey, who retired after four years on the job. The Cardinal made it to the NCAA Tournament in all four years that "Mad Dog" was on the team, including a Final Four appearance in 1998. Madsen played for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2003 through 2009.

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Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant had 34 points and 14 rebounds as the Thunder secured a spot in the NBA Finals with a 107-99 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game Six of the NBA Western Conference finals. The Thunder advanced to the Finals for the first time since they were located in Seattle as the SuperSonics in 1996.

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The Miami Heat will try to avoid elimination when they face the Boston Celtics in Game Six of the NBA Eastern Conference finals tonight. Boston has won three straight in the best-of-seven series. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said yesterday that Chris Bosh may be in the starting lineup tonight.

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New Jersey's Adam Henrique netted the game-winner with less than five minutes to go as the New Jersey Devils avoided elimination with a 3-1 win over the Kings in Game Four of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. The Devils still trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, but they will host Game Five on Saturday. White Bear Lake native Ryan Carter, a former Minnesota State-Mankato player, is on the Devils' roster, as is Minneapolis native Zach Parise, a former Shattuck-St. Mary's of Faribault player.

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"I'll Have Another" has been installed as the 4-to-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Belmont Stakes. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner will break from Gate Eleven following yesterday's post-position draw at Belmont Park. "I'll Have Another" is trying to become just the twelfth horse to win all three legs of the Triple Crown and the first since "Affirmed" in 1978.

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Jury selection is now complete for the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse trial. Four more jurors were chosen on Wednesday, filling out the 12-member panel for the high-profile trial. Four alternates were also selected. Sandusky is a former Penn State assistant football coach who faces more than 50 counts of child sexual abuse. Eight of the selected jurors have ties to Penn State. The trial begins next week.

Tags: minnesota sports, proam, sports, prep