Minnesota Sports Roundup: Wild look to extend winning streak to four

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DETROIT - The red hot Minnesota Wild took the day off yesterday, with no practice and no game.

The day of relaxation came after a big win on road ice on Monday when the Wild skated by the Canucks 3-1 in Vancouver. That was Minnesota's first win in British Columbia since January of 2009. And, with Monday night's 3-1 victory, Minnesota has won three straight games and five of its last six contests. The Wild will have a midday skate today in Detroit in preparation for tonight's game against the Red Wings in the Motor City. The game is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena and will broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.

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Here is this week's schedule of men's college hockey games in the WCHA Final Five at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul:

Thursday: #8 Minnesota State-Mankato vs. #14 Wisconsin, 2pm

Thursday: #6 North Dakota vs. Colorado College, 7pm

Friday: Minnesota State-Mankato/Wisconsin winner vs. #7 St. Cloud State, 2pm

Friday: North Dakota/Colorado College winner vs. #1 Minnesota, 7pm

Saturday: Championship Game, 7pm

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Here is this week's schedule of women's college hockey games at the NCAA Division I Frozen Four at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis:

Friday: #1 Minnesota vs. #4 Boston College, 5pm

Friday: #3 Boston University vs. #8 Mercyhurst, 8pm

Sunday: Championship Game, 3pm

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There are several Minnesotans taking part in one of the biggest stages of sports this week. The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets underway this week with the Golden Gophers headlining one of several teams boasting native Minnesota players. The Gophers have Trevor Mbakwe and Chris Halverson, both of St. Paul, along with Rodney Williams, Joe Coleman, and Andre Ingram, all of Minneapolis. Wisconsin and Harvard each have two Minnesotans. The Badgers roster includes Mike Bruisewitz of St. Paul and Jared Berggren of Princeton. The Crimson has Siyani Chambers and Jonah Travis of Minneapolis. Top-seed Gonzaga's roster includes Sam Dower of Osseo. St. Cloud native Nate Wolters is the leading scorer for South Dakota State. Bucknell's star player is Mike Muscala of Roseville, while Marquette's Trent Lockett is from Golden Valley. Creighton's Ethan Wragge is from Eden Prairie, while his Blue Jay teammate Isiah Zierden grew up in St. Louis Park. St. Louis University guard Jordair Jett hails from St. Paul, while Oregon swingman Carlos Emory is from Bloomington Wichita State reserve Jake White is from Chaska. The NCAA Tourney began last night with play-in games, while the event fully gets underway tomorrow.

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There will be at least three new championship teams at the 2013 Minnesota State Boys' High School Basketball Tournament. Only Minneapolis DeLaSalle returns to this year's event as a defending champion. The Islanders won the Class 2A crown last year and return as the division's top seed this season. The other three 2012 state title teams did not advance to the tourney this year. Four teams are making their first-ever state appearance, including Walker-Hackensack-Akeley in Class 1A, Byron in Class 2A, and Sartell-St. Stephen and The Blake School in 3A. The tourney gets underway today at the Target Center and Williams Arena and concludes on Saturday.

Here is this week's slate of opening round games in the 2013 Minnesota Boys' State Basketball Tournament in Minneapolis:

Class 4A (Wednesday): Brainerd vs. Apple Valley, 10 a.m., Target Center

Class 4A (Wednesday): Eden Prairie vs. Woodbury, noon, Target Center

Class 4A (Wednesday): Lakeville North vs. Park Center, 2 p.m., Target Center

Class 4A (Wednesday): Edina vs. Andover, 4 p.m., Target Center

Class 3A (Wednesday): Sartell-St. Stephen vs. Minneapolis DeLaSalle, 10am, Williams Arena

Class 3A (Wednesday): St. Paul Johnson vs. Delano, noon, Williams Arena

Class 3A (Wednesday): The Blake School vs. Austin, 2pm, Williams Arena

Class 3A (Wednesday): Grand Rapids vs. Marshall, 4pm, Williams Arena

Class 2A (Wednesday): Perham vs. Minnehaha Academy, 6pm, Target Center

Class 2A (Wednesday): Redwood Valley vs. Litchfield, 6pm, Williams Arena

Class 2A (Wednesday): Annandale vs. Byron, 8pm, Target Center

Class 2A (Wednesday): Hayfield vs. Esko, 8pm, Williams Arena

Class 1A (Thursday): Mountain Lake vs. Maranatha Christian, 11 a.m., Williams Arena

Class 1A (Thursday): Lakeview Christian vs. Rushford-Peterson, 1 p.m., Williams Arena

Class 1A (Thursday): Battle Lake vs. Upsala, 3 p.m,, Williams Arena

Class 1A (Thursday): Walker-Hackensack-Akeley vs. SW Minnesota Christian, 5pm, Williams Arena

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The Minnesota Timberwolves are off again today, getting ready for a road game at Sacramento on Thursday night. The Kings upset the Clippers last night 116-101. Minnesota lost by 15-points at Memphis last night. Thursday's game between the Wolves and Sacramento is set for 9 p.m.

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Twins pitcher Samuel Deduno was the winning pitcher for his native Dominican Republic as they won the World Baseball Classic with a 3-0 win over Puerto Rico last night in San Francisco. Deduno tossed five innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts. Fernando Rodney locked down his seventh save of the tournament. The Dominican Republic became the first team in WBC history to go undefeated in the tournament, posting a perfect 8-and-0 record. They defeated Puerto Rico three times along the way. Japan, who lost to Puerto Rico in the semifinals, had won the previous two World Baseball Classic's in 2006 and 2009.

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The Twins did not play a spring training game yesterday, getting their first scheduled off-day in Fort Myers since last Tuesday. The Twins return to Hammond Stadium tonight against Tampa Bay. Mike Pelfrey is Minnesota's scheduled starter. Lefty Matt Moore will pitch for Tampa. First pitch this evening is set for 6 p.m. Minnesota sports an 11-and-12 record this spring.

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Another funding source to help pay for the new Vikings stadium has been approved. The state Gambling Control Board has approved electronic bingo at bars and restaurants. The linked bingo games allow gamblers at different locations to play together, increasing the size of the jackpots. Officials are hoping that E-bingo will help boost lower than expected state revenues. To date, revenue from electronic pulltabs has fallen short of expectations. The state of Minnesota is contributing 348-million dollars toward the cost of the new stadium.

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The Minnesota Twins did not play a spring training game yesterday, getting their first scheduled off-day in Fort Myers since last Tuesday. The Twins return to Hammond Stadium tonight against Tampa Bay. Mike Pelfrey is Minnesota's scheduled starter. Lefty Matt Moore will pitch for Tampa. First pitch this evening is set for 6 p.m. Minnesota sports an 11-12 record this spring.

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The University of Minnesota baseball team beat Kansas State 8-3 last night in Manhattan, Kansas. Mark Tatera of Eagan had two triples to drive in four runs to push Minnesota to the victory. The Gophers are now 13-8 on the season and will play K-State again today at 3 p.m.

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The Minnesota Vikings signed offensive lineman Seth Olson to a contract yesterday. The four-year pro from the University of Iowa spent the past two seasons with the Colts, but has had two other stints with Minnesota, including time on the practice unit.

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Several student athletes and coaches have been named award winners by the NSIC this week. St. Cloud State senior wrestler Shamus O'Grady of Coon Rapids has been named the NSIC Wrestler of the Year after winning the NCAA Division II national title at 184-pounds. Minnesota State-Mankato 133-pounder Alphonso Vruno of Sandwich, Illinois is the league's Rookie Wrestler of the Year after placing third at the national meet. And, St. Cloud State coach Steve Costanzo is the conference's Coach of the Year and helping the Huskies to a second-place national finish. And, Augustana senior golfer Emily Kvidea of Spring Lake Park is the NSIC women's golfer of the Week after finishing fourth in a tourney in California.

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