The Wolves made the move on Tuesday.

Lee played in three games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 25.3 minutes. He has yet to make his NBA debut, due to surgery he had on Dec. 30 to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee.

After a three-year career at UCLA, Lee was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Bulls and acquired by the Wolves in a trade.

Shooting guard has been a problem position for the Wolves. Starter Wes Johnson has struggled. Martell Webster recently returned from a back injury. Wayne Ellington has been used sporadically.

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A big congratulations to the new National Cheer Champions.

The Minnetonka High School Varsity Cheer Team took home first place at this weekend’s Universal Cheerleaders Association championships.

They were held in Orlando, Florida.

Minnetonka beat 16 other schools in the semi-finals and 10 other schools in the finals.

Watch their winning performance above.

The Twins announced their slate of giveaways and promotions on Monday.

When they host the Kansas City Royals at Target Field on Saturday night, June 30, the Twins will wear uniforms of the 1951 Minneapolis Millers, the Triple-A team that played at Nicollet Park on the city’s south side. Future Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays played on that 1951 team as a 20-year-old before being called up to the majors by the New York Giants, who later moved to San Francisco.

The Royals will wear uniforms of the Kansas City Blues, who played in the American Association with the Millers for decades before the city gained a Major League Baseball franchise.

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It seems they were right.

Jason Richardson scored 17 points, and Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu each added 14 as the Orlando Magic used a big second half to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 102-89 on Monday night.

Richardson, coming off a season-high 31 points in the Magic’s win at Milwaukee on Saturday, did all his damage in the first three quarters against Minnesota before sitting out the fourth. He said afterward he was not hurting, but simply deferred to teammate J.J. Redick.

Redick had seven points in the final period, and led all bench scorers with 14 of his own.

“J.J. had it going and they just let him play it out, and he did a great job and hit some shots,” Richardson said. “He had it going, so I didn’t mind sitting out the fourth quarter.”

Richardson said the two games he sat out Jan. 30 and Feb. 1 have reenergized him unlike a previous three-game stretch he sat out in mid-January with a bone bruise on his knee.

He is averaging 18 points per game in his seven games since then, up from the 9.9 he was averaging for his latest respite. The Magic are 5-2 since his return.

“It feels good,” he said. “I wasn’t healthy when I came back from the first time. I still had the bone bruise, but the competitive side wanted me to be out there and play. That’s just how I am, I hate sitting down. Once I got those two days off, I really got the rest I needed.”

While Richardson has voiced repeatedly his willingness to be the person the Magic count on late in close games, they didn’t need him down the stretch Monday, hitting 12 of 30 3-pointers for the game and with all five starters reaching double figures. They also had just nine turnovers — only three in the second half — which kept Minnesota from offering any real threat in the second half.

Orlando has now won two of its last three games and earned its seventh straight victory over the Timberwolves.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy still saw things that continue to concern him

“We’re making 3-point shots, enough of them, but we’re not making 2-point shots and it’s a real struggle right now,” he said. “But when you only turn it over nine times, it gives you a chance. Twenty assists and nine turnovers — that’ll work.”

Kevin Love led Minnesota with 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Nikola Pekovic added 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Timberwolves turned it over 18 times, which led to 17 Magic points.

Minnesota lost its fourth straight game, with its next opportunity to stop the skid coming Wednesday when it hosts Charlotte.

“You’ve got to go out and play,” coach Rick Adelman said. “They’re not going to stop this season because we’ve lost four in a row. We’ve been in games, but we just haven’t been able to put one away.”

Magic center Dwight Howard picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter and could only watch as his team’s 20-point third-quarter lead was cut to 90-82 with less than six minutes to play on a pair of free throws by Derrick Williams.

Orlando was able to bounce right back without their big man, though, thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers by Redick and Nelson.

Turkoglu then took a miss by J.J. Berea coast to coast on the next possession and swished a jumper from the wing that made it 98-82.

The Timberwolves never threatened the rest of the way.

“We just have to stay together and really have a sense of urgency to win,” Love said. “We have to continue to build as a team and right now we’re not doing that. Everybody, including myself needs to step up. Coach Adelman and the coaching staff can only do so much. It’s really on us to break the barrier and have a breakthrough with this team.”

Howard drew headlines Saturday after a comment following the Milwaukee win Saturday that alluded to a desire to want the ball more late in games. He continued to defend that stance Monday after a foul-riddled night in which he finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

It only adds more intrigue to the daily soap opera that has followed him since a preseason trade request that continues to be on the table with the All-Star break and the March 15 trade deadline looming.

“My point is I want to be the guy to carry the team,” Howard said. “I don’t think that’s bad. That’s something I want to be. I want to be the guy in the fourth quarter who carries the team. Not just score the ball, but make great plays.”

He insists that the comment is not a knock on his current teammates, though, and that he’s happy with their latest resurgence.

“You look at the Lakers, Kobe (Bryant) is that guy,” he said. “Carmelo is that guy for the Knicks. And Jordan was that guy for the Bulls. And that’s what I want to be. I want to be great. Great players want to take that lead. … That’s what I want to do for this team. That’s it.”

Notes: Timberwolves C Darko Milicic was active Monday after missing four straight games with a sprained right ankle. … G Luke Ridnour sat out dealing with what coach Rick Adelman said was a family matter. … Richardson’s streak of six games with at least three 3-pointers was snapped.

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The Gophers (13-14, 5-8 Big Ten) used a 20-0 run to forge a 40-24 lead with 17:00 to go. But the Cornhuskers (19-5, 8-4) fought back, turning a 58-51 deficit into a 58-58 tie on Kaitlyn Burke’s basket with 3:17 left.

Neither team scored until Kellogg made her go-ahead basket 2:16 later. The Gophers then sank four free throws for the final margin in breaking a three-game slide.

Rachel Banham led Minnesota with 21 points, including three 3-pointers. Kiara Buford added 16 points. Brianna Mastey and Kellogg grabbed 11 rebounds each as the Gophers piled up a 42-31 edge on the boards.

Jordan Hooper sank four 3-pointers and led Nebraska with 20 points. Lindsey Moore added 12.

The Cornhuskers, who dropped their second straight, split the season series with Minnesota.

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The deal was announced Monday.

The 5-foot-9 Thorn shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range last season as a reserve for the Sky. She appeared in all 34 games and averaged 5.4 points, 2.4 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 16.8 minutes.

Thorn was drafted by the New York Liberty in the second round in 2003. This will be her 10th year in the WNBA.

The defending champion Lynx open the 2012 season at home against the Phoenix Mercury on May 20.

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The move was made Monday. Roster spots opened when forward Brad Staubitz was sent to the Houston Aeros and defenseman Clayton Stoner was put on injured reserve with a lower body injury last week.

Stoner joined forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse and Jarod Palmer on IR. They’re all out indefinitely with concussions. Forward Cal Clutterbuck also sustained a lower body injury Saturday against Columbus.

Scandella has three of the 10 goals by Wild defensemen this season. He was sent down five weeks ago.

If Foucault plays, he will be the NHL-most 39th player used by the Wild this season. The franchise record is 40, set last season.

The Wild host Anaheim Tuesday.

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According to CBS Sports, Moss made the announcement that he wants to return to the NFL during an online chat with fans.

“I wanna play football,” Moss said Monday morning. “Your boy is going to come back here and play some football, so I’m really excited. I had some things I had to adjust in my life.”

Monday is also Moss’ birthday, so as a present to fans, he offered a live chat to answer their burning questions. Several hundred fans joined in the USTREAM conversation by the end of hour.

Read the full CBS Sports story here.

As the first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, Lin is re-opening doors in Asia that were feared to be closing in the wake of Yao Ming’s retirement. He’s led the New York Knicks to five straight victories and has become an instant fan favorite at Madison Square Garden.

Rubio is the Spanish sensation who has fans in Barcelona watching his fancy passes on Internet feeds in the wee hours of the morning. His infectious play has made him an instant rock star in the Twin Cities and has the Timberwolves gunning for the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

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They shot 65 times, and 35 of them were on target. Only one went in the net. This is the way a once-promising season is going for the sputtering Wild, who not only wasted a Saturday night at home full of stellar scoring chances but suffered their second loss of the week to the NHL’s worst team.

“I’m pretty sure we controlled that whole game,” said right wing Devin Setoguchi, who had the only goal in a 3-1 setback against Columbus. The Wild lost by the same score on the road on Tuesday.

More humbling for the Wild was the fact that this came against their former coach, Todd Richards. Fired after two seasons in charge of the Wild, Richards is now the interim coach for the Blue Jackets.

“Honestly, it’s not about me. It’s not about me feeling good. I’m happy that we won the game as a team,” Richards said.

So for all the areas in which they could point out positives, the Wild were forced to swallow the bitter pill of another loss. In February, for teams with designs on playing in the postseason, forechecking, passing and skating well simply aren’t enough. The only fundamental that truly matters at this stage is the standings.

“This time of year, we know we need wins. At this time of the year, outplaying a team unfortunately doesn’t matter a whole lot,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “Deserving to win, unfortunately, doesn’t count for a whole lot. We have to find ways to win. We have to win games where we outplay the team like we did tonight, and we have to win games sometimes where it’s even or 50-50.”

The Wild allowed only 19 shots on goal to Columbus on Saturday, but they didn’t play with ferocity in front of either net. That’s an attribute their game could use a lot more of, whether it’s muscling for position for the rebound poke-in or moving a scoring threat out of the goalie’s way. There is a certain finishing touch they’ve been lacking since racing to a 20-7-3 record, the best in the league at that point in mid-December.

Since then, they’re 5-15-5. Following Saturday’s loss, they are 12th in the Western Conference. They’re an insignificant four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, but they’re four teams behind now, and that is significant.

“This isn’t the time of year for moral victories. We have to find a way to put points on the board,” center Matt Cullen said.

The Wild got captain and first-line center Mikko Koivu back from a left shoulder injury last week, but they were outscored 8-3 in their first two games with him in the lineup. They’ve scored only six goals in the last five games.

“If I knew the answer to scoring goals, I’d have 50. It’s a confidence thing for us right now,” Setoguchi said.

There are no road trips longer than two games left on the Wild’s schedule, so that should help their cause. After tearing into the team following a loss on Thursday to the Vancouver Canucks, Yeo has opted for the more-uplifting approach, trying to remind his players of what they’re capable of.

“This team’s not going to go away. We’re going to get back to work and find a way to win,” Cullen said.

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Connolly had two goals and three assists as Minnesota Duluth avenged Friday’s 3-1 loss and beat the Fighting Sioux for the first time in AMSOIL Arena. The Bulldogs (19-7-4, 12-7-3) had been outscored 8-1 by North Dakota in their two previous games against the Sioux on home ice.

Both of Connolly’s goals came on the power play, as UMD went 4-for-8 with a man advantage. Minnesota Duluth scored three times on the power play in the first period to go up 4-2.

“We dug ourselves way too big a hole. When you put yourselves in 5-on-3 situations two times in a row, you put yourselves in position to be behind,” North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said.

Connolly’s last goal, at 1:46 of the second period, proved to be the game-winner.

Travis Oleksuk added a goal and two assists, and Mike Seidel scored a goal and assisted on another.

J.T. Brown scored the Bulldogs’ first goal of the game early in the first period, but North Dakota took a 2-1 lead on goals by Brock Nelson and Stephane Pattyn.

Carter Rowney had two goals for the second straight night for North Dakota (16-11-2, 12-10-0). But Rowney missed an open shot at the net in the closing seconds.

“It just slid off the end of his tape … probably missed by inches,” Hakstol said.

Kenny Reiter had 29 saves for UMD, and Aaron Dell and Brad Eidsness had 26 for UND. Dell had 12 saves and gave up five goals before he was replaced by Eidsness in the second period. Eidsness had 14 stops.

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Defenseman James Wisniewski had an empty-net goal in the final minute and added an assist in his first time back from a 17-game absence because of an ankle injury. Rick Nash assisted on both of Umberger’s goals to give the NHL-worst Blue Jackets their second win this week against the Wild.

Devin Setoguchi had a goal for the second straight game, a snap shot in the first period off a sharp pass by Mikko Koivu that gave the Wild the lead. But Umberger answered less than 5 minutes later, scoring on a slap shot that slipped through traffic and past goalie Niklas Backstrom with 56 seconds remaining in the opening frame of the physical game the Wild couldn’t afford to lose.

They controlled the flow for most of the night, outshooting the Blue Jackets 35-19 and generating plenty of prime chances near the net. But they struggled to catch passes cleanly, and despite a resurgence of energy after a lifeless effort in a loss to Vancouver on Thursday, the Wild dropped their fourth straight game.

The Wild are 5-15-5 since mid-December, when they had the NHL’s best record at the 30-game mark. Now they can’t even beat the Blue Jackets, who have been buried at the bottom of the Western Conference all season. Columbus won 3-1 at home against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Steve Mason made 34 saves and earned his first victory in seven starts since Dec. 29 for the Blue Jackets, with primary goalie Curtis Sanford scratched because of a back injury. Mason gave up 10 goals over his previous two turns.

Kyle Brodziak nearly broke the second-period tie at the beginning of a power play by trying to backhand a loose puck past Mason as he fell over in the crease. Mason was able to get his glove on it before it crossed the line, and the call of no-goal was upheld by a replay review.

Then Umberger knocked in a rebound over Backstrom’s head to give the Blue Jackets the lead in the waning seconds of the second period.

That was the first power-play goal scored by the Blue Jackets on Minnesota’s ice in eight matchups. They failed to score on 16 straight man-advantages until Umberger struck late in the second period.

Columbus also had two power-play goals on Thursday at Dallas in a 4-2 loss to the Stars.

NOTES: Wild RW Cal Clutterbuck took a hard hit from Fedor Tyutin and limped to the locker room in the second period. He didn’t return. … Nash has five points in four games. … Wild RW Brad Staubitz cleared waivers and was assigned to Houston of the AHL. He had no goals or assists, while averaging only 6½ minutes over 43 games, this season and was a healthy scratch in five of the previous seven games. The move left the Wild with only 21 players on the active roster. Their only scratch was D Justin Falk. He was replaced by D Mike Lundin, a healthy scratch in 16 of the previous 20 games.

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In his fourth, his teammates returned the favor.

Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

Steve Novak scored 15 points, including the game-tying 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play and Lin used his quickness to draw a foul and get to the line in the closing seconds. He finished with 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Lin had just five points on 1-for-13 shooting and four turnovers in the second half.

“It was an ugly one, it was a gutsy one, it was a road win, everybody was tired,” Lin said. “That’s the beauty of basketball. That’s the beauty of our time. We never gave up.”

Kevin Love had 32 points and 21 rebounds for the Wolves, who missed two chances to win the game in the final five seconds.

The Knicks trailed by seven with 6:41 to play and it looked as if a week of Tebow-like hype was finally catching up to Lin. But the Wolves only scored one field goal the rest of the way, and the Knicks hung in there.

Playing yet again without the injured Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, who was mourning the death of his brother, Landry Fields scored 19 on 8-for-10 shooting and Iman Shumpert added 20 points.

Fields hit a short jumper to make the score 94-93 with 2:10 to go and Shumpert added another for a 95-94 lead with 1:22 to go to give them their first lead since early in the second quarter.

But Love, who had 31 points and 31 rebounds in win over the Knicks last year, hit two free throws and Rubio drove to the rim for a left-handed layup for a three-point lead with 39 seconds to play.

Novak’s 3-pointer tied it at 98 on the next possession and Lin missed the front end of a pair of free throws before sinking the go-ahead shot.

“I just had to get that first one out of the way,” Lin said sheepishly.

Bill Walker added free throws to seal it for the Knicks, who scored 29 points on 23 Minnesota turnovers. Two of those came from Rubio in the final minute.

“I just made two huge mistakes,” Rubio said. “I have to learn from that.”

The matchup of two of the most dynamic young point guards in the league made this an extremely hot ticket. The Timberwolves had to sell standing-room only tickets to pack in an announced crowd of 20,232, the largest crowd here since 2004.

Lin and Rubio have each energized dormant franchises in their own way.

Rubio’s unselfish play and flair for the dramatic have made the Wolves cool again, as evidenced by the fifth sellout this season.

The Knicks were lost at 8-15, with rumors of Mike D’Antoni’s job security swirling before the coach moved to Lin out of desperation.

All he’s done since is re-ignite a basketball-loving city’s enthusiasm for the game, help fill the league’s void in Asia after Yao Ming’s retirement and save the Knicks’ season.

He scored 89 points in his first three starts, including an incredible 38 to beat the Lakers in the Garden on Friday night.

“This is really just a credit to the team,” Lin said. “This team is a team and that’s why it’s so fun to play with them.”

In his fourth start, Lin is already drawing the casual fan even in road games. He was cheered heartily in pregame introductions and gave the curious crowd exactly what it was looking for. His quickness gave Rubio fits on defense and he scored in every manner imaginable.

There was the crossover of Luke Ridnour and step-back jumper, a tear-drop drive into the lane and stutter-step blow-by for two, and that was just in a three-minute stretch of the first quarter.

“Just his leadership, and I know he got a little tired, couldn’t finish the way he normally would, but his leadership on the floor is invaluable,” D’Antoni said. “And that’s why sometimes we have to ride him.”

NOTES: The Timberwolves wore Minnesota Muskies uniforms in tribute to the ABA team that spent one season here in 1967. “I’m still trying to figure out what a Muskie is,” F Anthony Tolliver said. … Timberwolves C Darko Milicic missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right ankle. Coach Rick Adelman said he hoped Milicic would be ready for the game Monday at Orlando. … The Wolves in-house DJ played Whitney Houston songs during halftime after news of the singer’s death at 48.
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It’s been an interesting season for Kevin Love.

From an all-star selection to a suspension, Love talked about it all with WCCO-TV’s Mike Max.

See what Love has to say as Max tosses him a Rubio-style pass in the video above.

WCCO’s Eric Nelson & Steve Thomson Interviews Lester Bagley

“This is their third swing at it,” he said. “We actually preferred and thought their previous versions were more viable. But, of course, what is politically achievable is the question at the Capitol. What could get the votes? So they put a package together that included some user fees.”

The new funding proposal for Arden Hills includes; user fees, parking lot naming rights, $25-per-vehicle parking fees, a 3 percent tax on every Vikings ticket and hospitality taxes. Bagley said the proposal was problematic for the Vikings because the team was counting on some of the revenues that would go to the county instead.

“We have some issues, but Ramsey County is hanging in there,” he said. “We’re working hard. We’re still alive, but we just have some issues with this latest version.”

As for Minneapolis as a possible stadium location, Bagley said the city is still in the running, but like Arden Hills, it comes with issues.

“It’s been clear to us, and told to us by numerous legislators on both sides of the isle, that if the stadium is going to be built in Minneapolis, there is going to need to be city support for it,” Bagley said.

He said that is one of the challenges the city has.

“The mayor and council president Barbara Johnson are working hard on that,” he said. “Let’s get support of the city council, because that is going to be critical for any progress at the Capitol.”

He said there are issues regarding the Metrodome as a possible stadium location because they would have to tear it down and play two or three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — From Ricky Rubio to a former Timberwolves star and to the search for a new athletic director at the University of Minnesota.

It’s all a part of this week’s news and notes.

The person who replaces Joel Maturi may get pushed into eliminating sports, depending on who listens to who at the University of Minnesota.

Among the names to watch are Iowa State’s Jamie Pollard, who also spent time at Wisconsin. Former Gopher football coach Glen Mason is being pushed by some alums to go after the job.

Gopher baseball coach John Anderson is being encouraged inside the university. University of Minnesota-Duluth Athletic Director and football coach Bob Nielson could end up a candidate.

Ricky Rubio is drawing rave reviews from the league, including his overseas friends, about his impact with the Timberwolves early on. Rubio has had media from Europe just to do a 10-minute interview with him.

Former Timberwolves player Wally Szczerbiak is working for CBS cable and coaching his daughter’s 8-year-old basketball team in long island.

Former Gopher hockey standout Jordan Schroeder could get called up by the Vancouver Canucks soon.

Mario Lucia is playing for a highly successful junior hockey team in Canada. His father and head gopher coach Don Lucia was asked if the competition was not that good.

“Who says that? Oh the important people. Oh you mean those guys sitting behind the computer that don’t know anything about it,” he said.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced before Saturday’s game between the Gophers and the Pioneers that Rau would sit out for his hit from behind in Friday’s game. The collision sent Zucker into the boards and out of action with an upper-body injury. The hit came after Zucker had given up the puck.

Rau was given a five-minute major penalty for boarding and a 10-minute game misconduct.

Rau and Zucker were teammates on the U.S. national team for the world junior tournament.

Zucker is also a Minnesota Wild prospect, drafted by the NHL club in the second round in 2010.

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The Vikings announced on Saturday that Paton is being promoted from director of player personnel to assistant general manager. Paton has been one of GM Rick Spielman’s most trusted advisors for years. He worked with Spielman in Chicago and Miami before coming to the Vikings in 2007.

Spielman was promoted to general manager earlier this offseason, giving him full control of the football operations.

Spielman praised Paton’s “work ethic, leadership, professionalism and keen eye for identifying talented football players” in a statement announcing that he would remain with the Vikings.

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Twins baseball has become interactive, but not only on the field. It’s also now on the Internet, and it’s taking baseball to a whole new level and making it personal.

When the season starts at Target Field, you’re sure to hear a few familiar sounds. They’ll be coming from your phone.

Social media isn’t’ just changing the way the media covers sports, it’s changing the relationship between fans and players.

“It was actually last year, I was sitting on the bus with Michael Cuddyer. I kept going through web sites and he said why don’t you go on Twitter you can follow those websites or those people and just get everything right there?” said Twins pitcher Glen Perkins.

Once the game is over, players put down their bats and gloves and pick up their cell phones.

“I think it helps for the fans to feel somehow connected with us and makes it a little more personable,” Pitcher Brian Duensing said.

Because the players aren’t always on the mound, Perkins shows us what he’s up to when he’s out of uniform.

“I didn’t want to write about baseball. I’d like to think of myself as more than a baseball player, so I try to do the stuff that I think is interesting,” he said.

The players share and they receive. If the players have a tough night, they’ll hear about it directly from fans in 140 characters or less.

“Last year was a rough year and I got a lot of Tweets saying ‘keep your head up,’” Duensing said. “It’s actually really encouraging because sometimes you feel like you’re letting everyone down and when you get tweets it reassures you they’re behind you.”

It’s not just the guys on the field getting involved, members of the team’s front office is logging on, too.

Fans are turning to social media for the latest news on the team. Dave St. Peter, whose Twitter handle is “@TwinsPrez,” said fans deserve to hear what’s going on straight from the source.

“I think it’s important that we’re speaking to our fans,” St. Peter said. “A lot of fans are on Twitter that are asking questions and I was worried unless I was sending a response to answer – they weren’t getting answered.”

You won’t find all of the Twins players on Twitter. Only about 20 are signed up.

“My technology savviness is non-existent,” said pitcher Matt Capps, who does not tweet. “I thought Twitter was a yellow canary bird for the longest time.”

Twins fans will have a new hashtag to follow this year. Perkins started “#ThingsCarlSays.” He’ll be tweeting one-liners from fellow ace, Carl Pavano.

Here is a list of the current Twins who actively use Twitter.
Follow the Twins baseball season on WCCO through our Twins Blog.

DENVER (AP) — Kyle Ostrow had a goal and two assists as Denver defeated second-ranked Minnesota 5-3 in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game on Friday.

Dustin Jackson and Nate Dewhurst added a goal and an assist apiece for the Pioneers (19-10-1, 15-6-0).

Ostrow, Jackson and Dewhurst scored in the first period, helping Denver to a 3-1 lead. Nate Condon scored the game’s first goal for Minnesota, which lost for the fourth straight time in Denver.

The Pioneers outshot Minnesota19-9 in the first period, but shots evened out and by the end of the game, both teams had put 34 shots on goal.

Joey LaLeggia assisted on two goals for Denver.

Sam Brittain made 31 saves for Denver and Kent Patterson had 29 saves for Minnesota.

Jason Zucker scored the game-winning goal in the second period before being helped from the ice after a hard check that earned Kyle Rau a game misconduct. Zucker was down for an extended period.

Zach Budish had a goal and assist for Minnesota(19-10-1, 15-6-0).

Despite the loss, the second-ranked Gophers maintained their lead atop the WCHA standings by virtue of MinnesotaDuluth’s loss to North Dakota. Minnesotahas 30 points, three ahead of MinnesotaDuluth.

Denver moved ahead of Colorado College into third place, one point out of second.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) — It’s been two years since the Breck boys hockey team won a state championship.

But in the process of the last several years, Breck has become a bit of a hockey school. Every year, it seems the Mustangs are right in the thick of it for state tournament appearances and state championships.

“Everyone knows who the hockey team is there. Everyone knows who the hockey guys there are. We call it the Hockey Mafia. We like it, if you’re a part of it it’s a good thing I guess,” said Grant Opperman, a captain for Breck.

The Mustangs win games by being offensive all the time.

“It’s a good thing and a bad thing,” said Connor Andrele, a Breck captain. “I think we definitely have confidence in our offense. We’re definitely a strongly offensive team, but then some days when we go into a game thinking we’re just going to outscore them and we tend to forget our defensive responsibilities. We really have to work on that a little bit more.”

The truth is they win games because of a commitment to the sport. It’s a dedication that expands beyond the hockey season.

“We’ve got good kids and we work hard in the summer,” said Breck coach Les Larson. “Ever since the Minnesota State High School League passed that law a few years ago where you can actually spend some time practicing in June and July with your kids.”

So it goes like this: When you have kids who love a sport, they get pretty intense when they go about playing that sport.

“These kids take it seriously. Along with the elite leagues, these kids are playing a lot of hockey and it shows,” said Larson.

Put it into words and it sounds something like this.

“There’s a sign in the locker room that says ‘If not us who, if not now when?” and we kind of live by that,” Opperman said.

Breck is currently 18-3 and ranked No. 3 in Class A.

High School Sports Rally: Highlights

High School Sports Rally: Part 2

High School Sports Rally: Part 3

What truly made the Mavericks too tough for the sloppy Timberwolves to handle was the presence of their savvy old point guard, Jason Kidd.

Nowitzki welcomed Kevin Love back from his two-game suspension with a season-high 33 points, winning the matchup of Western Conference All-Star power forwards and helping Dallas stave off a Minnesota in a 104-97 victory over on Friday.

“He makes the game so much easier for everyone,” said Jason Terry, the other part of the veteran trio that steadied the Mavericks down the stretch after a 19-5 run spurt by the Wolves brought them within 78-75 on Nikola Pekovic’s putback to open the fourth quarter.

Kidd, playing for the first time in seven games due to a strained right calf muscle, responded by swishing a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to six with 10:15 left.

“He’s a big part of our heart and soul. When we’re without him, we can win some games but we’re not the same team,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said.

Terry had nine of his 16 points in the final period. Kidd had eight points, 10 assists and five rebounds. The Mavericks blamed most of his eight turnovers on teammates unprepared for his slick passes, since they hadn’t seen them in a while.

Kidd joked it must’ve been fan appreciation night because of all the balls being thrown into the seats. He didn’t have time to think about his big shot because he was huffing and puffing on the stationary bike behind the bench — riding all the way across the river to St. Paul, he joked — until entering the game 17 seconds before.

“Whatever I can do to help my team,” he said.

Nowitzki topped 24 points for the fourth straight game by shooting 11 for 19 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Love finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds, going 14 for 14 from the free-throw line, but the Wolves missed a chance to sweep the season series from a Western Conference foe since beating the Memphis Grizzlies all three times in 2008-09.

“That is definitely vintage Dirk. He’s a Hall of Fame player and when he decides he wants it, more often than not he’s going to have success,” Love said.

The Wolves had a season-high 28 turnovers and shot just 6 for 23 from 3-point range.

“Just being a youthful team, we’re going to have lapses like that and unfortunately it was against a team that we beat a couple of times,” Love said.

Love was punished for stepping on Luis Scola’s face against the Houston Rockets last weekend. He was by far Minnesota’s most productive player in his return, but his was still a rather quiet performance. He made nine of 12 shots from 3-point range over the Wolves’ two previous wins over the Mavericks, but he went 0 for 3 behind the arc in this one.

Nowitzki, named to his 11th straight All-Star game despite a relatively slow start to his 13th season, has clearly worked himself back into shape. After averaging less than 10 points over the three games prior to this spurt, Nowitzki is averaging 28 points in the last four games while shooting 60.5 percent. Though he lost his touch late, he seemed to have an extra edge against Love. The two of them bumped elbows and torsos in the post all night.

“He’s been fun to watch. He’s an animal on the glass. We all know that. He’s tough to play,” Nowitzki said.

The Wolves (13-14) still haven’t had a record this good this late in a season in six years. The Mavericks (16-11) didn’t have to be convinced. They were blown out in both of the first two meetings.

But the league’s oldest team still has plenty of pride — and championship rings on their fingers. They showed the Wolves, who were the second-youngest team in the NBA when this lockout-sliced season began, that they’re still a team to be reckoned with in the top-heavy West.

The Wolves made only two baskets outside the lane in the first quarter and fell behind 29-16; Love and Wes Johnson combined to shoot 1 for 8 in that frame. Nowitzki’s first 3-pointer made it 11-6 Mavericks, and the Wolves didn’t get back within five again until a flying putback dunk by Derrick Williams at the end of the third.

“We threw passes away when we worked hard defensively and got the ball back. We just threw it away like there was no value to the ball,” coach Rick Adelman said, lamenting what he called a lack of concentration.

The Mavericks took advantage of the small Wolves backcourt by posting up Vince Carter often, and Nowitzki made them pay when they switched to a zone.

“His presence opens so much up for everyone else. That’s called an All-Star presence, to me. It’s not always about the numbers,” said Mavericks backup Delonte West, who had 10 points.

NOTES: The Mavericks are 8-1 when they score 100-plus points this season. … Ricky Rubio reached 10 points with a late push and had eight assists for the Wolves. Pekovic had 12 points, and Michael Beasley scored 20 points in his new reserve role.

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — Ramsey County leaders are back on the offense in the stadium game with a new funding proposal to get the Arden Hills stadium site back on the legislature’s radar. The only problem: The Vikings don’t like it.

Rebuffed by legislators not once, but twice, Ramsey County officials delivered a stadium financing plan to Gov. Mark Dayton.

“Our new plan is a game changer,” said Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett. “The site that we have with 260 acres is far and away the best site that there is if you want to do things differently and not be on a 35- or 40-acre site.”

County funding for the Arden Hills stadium would come from user fees, including parking lot naming rights, $25 per vehicle parking fees a 3 percent tax on every Vikings ticket and unspecified hospitality taxes for new hotels, bars and restaurants developed on the stadium site.

Meanwhile, Dayton is visibly frustrated by the lack of progress on any plan, more specifically progress made by Minneapolis.

“I understand now why the Vikings decided: Enough of Minneapolis, we’re going to Arden Hills,” said Dayton.

He’s singling out the Minneapolis City Council and the state legislature for not acting quickly enough on what he calls a stadium “jobs” bill. He warned again: don’t be surprised if the Vikings leave.

“In the real world of sports pro franchises, teams move or they sell to somebody else who will move,” said Dayton. “If you want to play Russian roulette and try to see how long it’s gonna will take for that to happen in Minnesota, I think that’s a very foolish gamble.”

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are walking a very tight line on this.

On the one hand, they say they appreciate Ramsey County “hanging in there” through all the controversy.

On the other hand, the team has “significant concerns” about the plan, especially the part where Ramsey County gets the parking revenues.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — In high school, 700 wins is a lot no matter what sport you are in.

It’s even cooler when you and your brothers reach that milestone together and set a state record in the process. That’s what happened for the Lexvold brothers in the Kenyon-Wanamingo wrestling program.

“They’ve definitely made me tougher. I can go out and not back down from anything,” said Mitchel Lexvold.

Mitchel is that last of the Lexvold brothers. That’s great news for anyone who has wrestled Nathan, Drew, Chad and Mitchel over the years.

“To have 4 boys as successful as these boys- it’s something you don’t see very often,” said Coach Matt Ryan.

It began with Nathan who won a state title in 2008. Drew won back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010. Mitchel won his first last year and is hoping for another. Chad came close, getting second at state in 2010.

“A state title has gone to the same house 4 years in a row. Pretty amazing,” said Ryan.

That’s not even the most amazing part. On Saturday Mitchel got his 200th career win, putting the brothers’ win total at 699. No. 700 was the magic number for most state wins by brothers, and Thursday night Mitchel put his family in the history books with a win against Goodhue.

“700 times I’ve given the kid a handshake coming off the mat. Hard to think it’s been that many,” said Ryan.

And it didn’t happen by accident. The Lexvold’s are now legendary. Mitchel said it was a goal since their dad put a wrestling mat in the basement when he was just 4. Of course, being the youngest that didn’t always work in his favor.

“Many fights and I don’t if I’ve ever won one,” said Mitchel.

But it made him better and it made his brothers better. Now Mitchel says, they have something to tell the kids and grandkids about.

“We’ve all had to work together our whole lives. We wrestled all the time growing up together. To come out with the most wins in Minnesota, that will be cool to know,” said Mitchel.

Mitchel said his brothers didn’t put any pressure on him to get that win. Nathan wrestles at Augsburg College, Drew wrestles at Minnesota State University-Mankato.

Mitchel said he’s not sure what college he will go to next year, but he will likely wrestle.