Huskies Secure Home Ice in NCHC Quarterfinals, Wild to Host Stars

The St. Cloud State University men's hockey team shut out UMD Saturday to earn a weekend split, the Minnesota Timberwolves earned their fourth straight win, and the St. Cloud Norsemen split with Aberdeen. The Granite City Lumberjacks and SCSU Softball team left Saturday empty-handed, and the Gopher men's basketball team and Minnesota Wild are getting ready for their Sunday matchups.

RECAPS:

- The no. 10/11 SCSU men's hockey team earned a 2-0 shutout win over the no. 11-10 Bulldogs to earn the weekend series split in the regular-season finale. With the win, the Huskies secure home ice in the NCHC Quarterfinals which begin on Friday. Sam Hentges and Veeti Miettinen each netted one for St. Cloud. David Hrenak made a perfect 34 saves. The Huskies close out the season 18-12-4 overall, and UMD finishes 17-15-4. The teams will meet in the quarterfinal round at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

- The Timberwolves notched their fourth straight win with a 135-121 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Anfernee Simons led all scorers with 38 points for Portland. Karl-Anthony Towns led Minnesota with 36 points and 15 rebounds. The Wolves improve to 36-29 and the Trail Blazers fall to 25-38. The teams will face off again at Target Center on Monday night. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The Norsemen topped Aberdeen 2-1 on Saturday to earn the weekend series split. Brandon LaJoie and Gramm McCormack each scored one for St. Cloud. Tomas Bolo made 33 saves and allowed one goal. The Norsemen improve to 29-14-1-1 and will play one more game this weekend as they are set to host the Janesville Jets at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.

- The Lumberjacks were shut out 3-0 by Mason City in the final game of the regular season. Three players scored for the Toros. Xander Roberts made 13 saves and allowed three goals for Granite City, while Erik Chaffe made a perfect 37 saves for Mason City. The Lumberjacks close out the season 44-3 overall. As the first seed in the West Division, Granite City will face the Alexandria Blizzard in a best-of-three series in the NA3HL Fraser Cup Division Semi-Finals which begin on Thursday.

- The SCSU softball team lost both games of their Saturday doubleheader in extra innings in Clermont, Florida. Game one went to Ferris State University 7-5 in 8 innings, and game two went to Northwood University 2-1 in 8 innings. Haley McFarlane led St. Cloud with two runs on the day. The Huskies fall to 6-6 overall and have now lost four straight. The team will look to earn their first win of The Spring Games on Sunday when they face Mercyhurst University on Sunday at 2:45 p.m.

PREVIEWS:

- The Gopher men's basketball team (13-15) will close out the regular season with a road matchup against Northwestern (13-15). The Gophers beat the Wildcats 77-60 back in February. Minnesota is 101-69 all-time against Northwestern. Pre-game coverage tips-off at 6:00 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

- The Wild (32-18-3) will host the Dallas Stars (31-20-3) Sunday. This is the third matchup between the two teams this season. Minnesota won the first game in November, and Dallas took game two in December. The Wild are currently third in the Central Division, while the Stars are sitting in fifth. Pre-game coverage starts at 2:45 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.