Gophers women's hockey faces Bemidji State

The No. 6 Gophers women's hockey team, which has an eight-game winning streak, will play Bemidji State at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at Ridder Arena in a WCHA series.

Minnesota (13-4-1, 8-3-1 WCHA) is coming off a road sweep of Lindenwood, 3-1 and 4-3 in overtime. Alex Woken had two goals and two assists in that series and Sophie Skarzynski had six assists.

The Beavers (5-9-2, 3-6-1-1) lost 4-0 to St. Cloud State on Nov. 22 in their most recent game.

USA Curling has announced the eight-team field for the U.S. Olympic team trials for mixed doubles curling, which will be Dec. 13-17 at Fogerty Arena in Blaine.

Five teams qualified through their performances at the U.S. championships in March, including three with Minnesota links: Tabitha Peterson (Minneapolis) and Joe Polo (Duluth); Alex Carlson (St. Paul) and Derrick McLean (Bothell, Wash.); and Vicky Persinger (Blaine) and Jared Zezel (Hibbing). Two Wisconsin-based teams — Becca Hamilton and Matt Hamilton, and Nina Roth and Kroy Nernberger — also qualified via the national championships.

Three discretionary selections were added to the field: Jamie Sinclair (St. Paul) and Korey Dropkin (Duluth), Monica Walker and Jason Smith (St. Paul), and Cory Christensen (Duluth) and John Shuster (Chisholm).

The winner of the trials will compete at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, where mixed doubles curling will make its Winter Games debut.

• Minnesota State Mankato was picked as the preseason favorite in both the NSIC men's and women's indoor track and field coaches' polls.

.• Play-by-play announcers Cory Provus of the Twins and John Focke of the Lynx and KFAN talk-show host Dan Barreiro were nominated for Minnesota Sportcaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.

• Four MIAC women's soccer players were named to the United Soccer Coaches' first All-North Region team. They are goalkeeper Ashley Becker of Gustavus, defender Clara Webby of Macalester and forwards Ashley St. Aubin of Augsburg and Mallory DeBoom of St. Thomas.

• Five MIAC players made the All-North Region men's soccer first team. Four play for St. Thomas: goalkeeper Aidan Hogan, defender Kevin VanLieshout, midfielder Shae Bottum and forward Justin Oliver. The fifth is defender Oscar Campbell of Hamline.