Recent content from Brian Wicker
Live: Twins go for sweep vs. Royals. Follow on Gameview
The Twins are going for their third consecutive victory at Target Field. Tap here for play-by-play, a boxscore and score updates throughout MLB.
Live at 6:40 p.m.: Twins go for sweep vs. Royals. Follow on Gameview
The Twins are going for their third consecutive victory at Target Field. Tap here for play-by-play, a boxscore and score updates throughout MLB
Gophers top Nebraska in baseball, lose to Northwestern in softball
Noah Berghammer's homer helped power the Gophers past the Cornhuskers 3-1 to take two of the three-game series.
Rocori basketball coaching legend Bob Brink dies at 84
Brink was the second-winningest coach in Minnesota boys' basketball history and took the Spartans to 13 state tournaments.
Prior Lake girls' hot start continues with lacrosse blowout of Apple Valley/Burnsville
The Lakers' deep offensive attack proved lethal with a 12-goal first half, including four goals from senior midfielder Payton Bloedow.
Lakeville North walks off in eighth inning to defeat Rosemount
The Panthers' McKinley Malecha hit a walk-off single in the eighth inning to deal the Irish their first loss of the season.
Stillwater scratches across one run to triumph over Mounds View in pitchers' duel
Pinch hitter Tanner Voight's go-ahead single in the top of the seventh inning helped the Ponies improve to 8-0 this season.
My basketball ego could take beating by picking these games
How one of our in-house experts sees the 16 girls' quarterfinals.
Ten things to know about the far-flung girls' basketball state tournament
From superstar Gianna Kneepkens to double-duty coach Jeff Buffeta, and more.
Class 1A quarterfinal: Delano's 'Blue Magic' line vs. Little Falls and its standout goalie
The last 1A quarterfinal of the day, with the 4-5 seeds, for the chance to play again on Friday.
Class 1A quarterfinal: First state trip for Dodge Center vs. undermanned Hermantown
The No. 1-seeded Hawks will be playing without most of their varsity players against the Wildcats and their state-leading scoring leader.
Buddy battles boost Dodge County
By pushing each other hard, teammates Brody Lamb and Charlie Blaisdell have helped make the Wildcats into a state tournament team for the first time.
Class 1A quarterfinal: Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato vs. East Grand Forks
The teams play at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.
Class 1A quarterfinal: First-time tourney teams Northern Lakes, Gentry Academy formed in different ways
The teams open the Class 1A state tournament with a game at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Meet the 2021 Star Tribune All-Metro boys' hockey team
See who made the second and third teams as well.
![Kyle Kukkonen- Maple Grove- #9 at Sunday March 14, 2021 In Edina, MN.] Jerry Holt •Jerry.Holt@startribune.com](https://chorus.stimg.co/22406840/Kyle_Kukkonen11_large.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Better than ever: Maple Grove's Kyle Kukkonen is the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year in boys' hockey
After suffering a broken leg last season, the Crimson star had 72 points this season in leading his team back to the state tournament he was forced to miss last year.
Unbeaten Gentry Academy powers through Mahtomedi to snatch state tourney berth
Nick Sajevic spearheaded the Stars' attack, recording a hat trick and an assist in their 7-3 victory in the Class 1A, Section 4 final.
Rosemount upends Park of Cottage Grove to win section title
With their victory over the Wolfpack in the Class 4A, Section 3 title game, the Irish are going to the state tournament for the first time since 1987.
Champlin Park downs Park Center in overtime to claim state tournament berth
The Rebels, led by Joshua Strong with a game-high 26 points, overcame the Pirates 69-63 in the Class 4A, Section 5 final to return to state for the first time since 2017.
St. Thomas Academy routs Rosemount for Class 2A, Section 3 boys' hockey title
Cadets forward Tommy Deverell scored two goals to help his team clinch a berth in the Class 2A tournament over the Irish.
Stingy East Ridge defense holds back White Bear Lake to reach Class 4A, Section 4 girls' basketball final
The Raptors held the Bears to only 17 points in each half.
Burnsville defeats Lakeville South, clinches first South Suburban Conference championship
Goals from Zoie Dundon and Hannah Benfer helped the Blaze win their ninth consecutive girls' hockey game.
Boreen nets winning goal for Hill-Murray in overtime vs. South St. Paul
Freshman Chloe Boreen scored her 13th goal of the girls' hockey season for the Pioneers about two minutes into the bonus period.
Breck uses late goal to beat St. Paul Johnson
The Mustangs broke the 1-1 tie late in the third period to take their first lead of the game and beat the Governors 2-1.
DeLaSalle edges Cooper in boys' basketball
It was a back and forth matchup, but the Islanders prevailed over the Hawks 65-59.
Top-ranked Becker blows past No. 10 Big Lake 93-39
The Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, used an aggressive approach on both ends of the floor to extend their winning streak to 29 games.
Chiefs fans celebrate a Super Bowl victory in a Florida bar
Our Patrick Reusse found a Chiefs bar in Cape Coral, Fla., and mingled with the patrons as the Chiefs beat the 49ers for their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years.
State Fair ... through the lens of a Gophers wide receiver
One of Demetrius Douglas' interests outside of football is photography. He took these Polaroid shots at the Minnesota State Fair.
Coon Rapids-Andover falls to Virginia pitcher's no-hitter
Justin Lee threw a no-hitter as South Riding, Va., defeated Coon-Rapids-Andover in the Little League World Series on Sunday.
Twins sweep weekend series from Royals
The Twins, behind six strong innings from spot starter Devin Smeltzer, shut out Kansas City 3-0 on Sunday to sweep the three-game series.
Another power surge as Twins crush Tigers
The Twins hit four home runs in burying the Tigers 12-2 in Detroit on Sunday.
Power + pitching = another Twins victory
The Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 7-0 on Sunday at Target Field, sweeping the series.
Twins sweep three-game series from Orioles
The Twins completed a three-wins-in-24-hours sweep of the Orioles on Sunday.
NWHL All-Star Game
The NWHL All-Star game Sunday featured 11 women who competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics and several with Minnesota ties.
Minnesota's colorful winter birds
During the holidays, when the sky is often gray and snow or frost adorns tree limbs, it can be especially fun to watch colorful winter birds.
Gophers win Big Ten baseball title
The Gophers edged Purdue 6-4 to win the Big Ten baseball tournament title in Omaha on Sunday.
Toronto 7, Twins 5
The Twins lost 7-5 to Toronto at Target Field on Monday night.
Wild 6, St. Louis 2
The Wild thumped the Blues 6-2 on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
![Twins pitcher Trevor May handed a signed hat back to Shepherd Ayshford, 12, of Anoka, during TwinsFest Saturday at Target Field. ] AARON LAVINSKY �](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/SZDCYIV64GW6YFMQDOO3CHY2Q4.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
TwinsFest is coming to Target Field this weekend
What you need to know about TwinsFest this weekend:
Final photos from the 2017 deer hunting season
Today's display of pictures from the regular firearms season and muzzleloader season concludes our series of whitetail images from the 2017 harvest.
Three Minnesota wrestlers help U.S. win title
Mark Hall and Gable Steveson of Apple Valley won gold medals at wrestling's junior world championships in Tampere, Finland, while Mitch McKee of St. Michael finished with a silver medal.
Twins 6, Texas 5
The Twins rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 6-5 at Target Field on Sunday.
Twins 14, Baltimore 7
The Twins overcame a 5-0 deficit after two innings to hammer the Orioles 14-7 at Camden Yards on Monday night.
On Herschel Walker, NASCAR and Minnesota's nine-ton ball of twine
Southern sports tradition and Northern eccentricity meet Thursday when former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty and some celebrity pals roll through Darwin, Minn. -- home of the world-famous twine ball -- on a motorcycle ride for charity.
Twins 7, Chicago White Sox 6
The Twins took an early 6-0 lead, then hung on to beat the White Sox 7-6 in Chicago on Thursday night.
You can quote me on that ... T-shirt
Part of Grizzlies coach David Fizdale's Game 2 postgame rant, thanks to quick thinking/work by the team's PR staff, became a rallying cry on T-shirts before Game 3 against the Spurs -- and they won! So we wondered: What Minnesota sports quotes or slogans might have deserved such iron-on immortality?
Wolves 102, Sacramento 88
Behind 29 points from Karl-Anthony Towns and 27 from Andrew Wiggins, the Wolves defeated the Kings 102-88 in Sacramento on Monday night.
Gallery: Wolves 111, Denver 108
The Timberwolves rallied in the fourth quarter, then held off the Denver Nuggets 111-108 at Target Center on Sunday night.
Gallery: Wild 4, Arizona 3
Nino Niederreiter's third-period goal lifted the Wild over the Arizona Coyotes 4-3 at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night.
Gallery: Wolves 104, L.A. Clippers 101
Karl-Anthony Towns had 37 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves past the Clippers 104-101 in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Gallery: Dallas 98, Wolves 87
The Mavericks beat the Wolves 98-87 in Dallas on Sunday, ending Minnesota's three-game winning streak.
Gallery: Wild 3, Chicago 2
The Wild rallied back from a two-goal deficit to beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in Chicago on Sunday night.
Gallery: Wolves 101, Dallas 92
The Timberwolves defeated Dallas 101-92 at Target Center on Monday night.
Gallery: Gophers 78, Ohio State 68
The Gophers men's basketball team held off Ohio State 78-68 at Williams Arena on Sunday night.
Gallery: Wild 2, Anaheim 1
Goals by Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon lifted the Wild over the Ducks in Anaheim, Calif., on Sunday night.
Gallery: Philadelphia 93, Wolves 91
Robert Covington's basket with less than one second remaining lifted the 76ers over the Timberwolves 93-91 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Michigan State 75, Gophers 74 (OT)
The Gophers lost 75-74 in overtime to Michigan State in the Big Ten men's basketball opener at Williams Arena on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Wild 3, Nashville 2 (OT)
Jared Spurgeon's overtime goal lifted the Wild over the Predators 3-2 in Nashville on Tuesday night, Minnesota's 11th victory in a row.
Gallery: Wolves 104, Atlanta 90
Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine combined for 64 points as the Wolves beat the Hawks 104-90 at Target Center on Monday night.
Gallery: Wolves 92, Atlanta 84
The Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns' 17 points and 18 rebounds, beat the Hawks 92-84 in Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Gallery: Wolves 115, Phoenix 108
The Wolves won 115-108 over the Suns at Target Center.
Gallery: Wolves 99, Chicago 94
The Wolves topped the Bulls 99-94 in Chicago on Tuesday night in Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau's return to the Windy City.
Gallery: Wild 5, Florida 1
The Wild won its fifth game in a row, a 5-1 rout of the Florida Panthers at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Utah 112, Wolves 103
The Wolves lose to Utah at Target Center on Monday night.
Gallery: New Orleans 117, Wolves 96
Behind 45 points and 10 rebounds from Anthony Davis, the Pelicans crushed the Wolves 117-96 in New Orleans on Wednesday night.
Gallery: Gophers men 85, Arkansas 71
Freshman guard Amir Coffey scored all 19 of his points in the second half as the Gophers men's basketball team defeated Arkansas 85-71 in a nonconference game at Williams Arena on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Boston 99, Wolves 93
The Boston Celtics scored the first 17 points of the fourth quarter to overtake the Timberwolves 99-93 at Target Center on Monday night.
Gallery: Dallas 3, Wild 2 (OT)
The Stars beat the Wild 3-2 in overtime in Dallas on Monday night.
Gallery: Calgary 1, Wild 0
Backup goalie Chad Johnson made 27 saves as Calgary shut out the Wild 1-0 at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Charlotte 115, Wolves 108
The Hornets beat the Timberwolves 115-108 on Tuesday night.
Gallery: Gophers 84, Texas-Arlington 67
The Gophers used a 28-3 run in the second half to pull away to the nonconference victory at Williams Arena on Monday night.
Gallery: Wolves 123, Orlando 107
The Timberwolves built up a big lead and held it, defeating the Magic 123-107 in Orlando on Wednesday night.
