When the top-ranked Gophers men's hockey team returns to the ice Sunday afternoon against Arizona State, it will receive a boost in the return of senior forward Brannon McManus, who missed the past four games because of a lower-body injury.

"I waited eight months to play four games, and I had to wait another two months to play however many we have left," said McManus, whose five points were leading the Gophers at the time of his injury. "I might be a little bit behind, and it'll take a couple shifts to get right back into it, but it's all excitement from here on out."

McManus, who has 31 goals and 36 assists in 113 career games, had been skating on a line with center Sammy Walker and left winger Blake McLaughlin when he was injured in the Nov. 24 series finale against Ohio State.

Randy Johnson

Golf rounds up average of 29.7% in Minnesota

The Minnesota Golf Association recently conducted a facility rounds study involving 358 courses to validate the increase in golf participation attributed to COVID-19 and restrictions on other forms of outdoor recreational activities in place for much of 2020. Golf facilities in Minnesota reported that rounds were up an average of 29.7%.

"At the time of Governor Tim Walz's initial Stay at Home order issued in March, we felt that playing golf satisfied all the concerns relative to social distancing and curbing the spread of the COVID virus," said Tom Ryan, MGA executive director, adding, "As it turned out, golf was one of the few sports or activities that all Minnesotans could safely participate in throughout the summer, and the findings reported here reflect that."

Golf rounds across the U.S. were up 13.1%.

Staff and Wire Services