Minnesota Scene: Two Gophers named to U.S. team for World Juniors

Gophers sophomore forward Hudson Fasching and freshman defenseman Ryan Collins were named to the U.S. national junior team's preliminary roster Tuesday morning.

The pair is among 30 players selected to attend USA Hockey's training camp for the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Toronto and Montreal.

The camp will be held Dec. 16-19 in Boston, where the roster will be trimmed to 23.

• Gophers senior defenseman Ben Marshall was named the Big Ten's third star of the week after recording three points during the team's road trip to Boston.

Marshall scored what would be the game-winning goal in the Gophers' 6-2 victory over Boston College on Friday night. He added two assists on two power-play goals in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Northeastern.

• Brent Gates Jr., a 6-1, 190-pound forward for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, recently committed to the Gophers. He is from Grand Rapids, Mich. His father played baseball for the Gophers and later spent seven seasons with three teams in the majors, including the Twins.

JASON GONZALEZ

Four Seasons Curling Club will host "Curling Night in America," a made-for-TV event featuring teams from the United States, New Zealand, China and Japan playing Thursday through Saturday at Fogerty Arena in Blaine.

The U.S. men's team includes Olympians Joe Polo and Chris Plys, both of Duluth, and is coached by Pete Fenson, of Bemidji, Minn., who skipped the American men to the Olympic bronze medal in 2006.

The U.S. women's team features Tabitha Peterson of Eagan and Aileen Sormunen of Duluth.

Games are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. The event will be recorded for broadcast as a series on the NBC Sports Network beginning in January.

Rachel Blount