Danny Kristo of Eden Prairie scored the game-winnnig goal at 1 minute, 16 seconds of the third period as the U.S. National Under-18 Team defeated Finland 4-3 Friday in its final preliminary-round game of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Under-18 Hockey Championship in Kazan, Russia.
The U.S. team will play Germany on Sunday in the quarterfinals. Jordan Schroeder scored the first U.S. goal; Aaron Ness had the assist. Both players have signed with the Gophers.
Gophers softball, track • Briana Hassett pitched her eighth shutout of the season for the Gophers softball team in a 2-0 victory over Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
• The distance medley relay team of Nikki Swenson, Jamie Dittmar, Challis Larson and Gabriele Anderson captured the title at the Kansas Relays in Lawrence. The Gophers clocked a time of 12 minutes, 4.15 seconds. Ruby Radocaj led the Gophers' individual performances, with a second-place finish in the javelin (168 feet, 5 inches).
• Sophomore Aaron Studt marked a career-best throw of 62 feet, 7 1/2 inches to win the shot put at the Tommie Twilight Meet in St. Paul. Two other Gophers won events at the meet: Seijen Takamura in the 5,000 (14:46.70) and David Gierut in the pole vault (16-1).
USA Diving David Boudia (Noblesville, Ind.) and Thomas Finchum (Indianapolis) claimed their fifth national title together in synchronized 10-meter, and Abby Johnston (Columbus, Ohio) and Mary Yarrison (Springfield, Va.) won their second title in women's 3-meter synchro at the Speedo USA Diving Spring National Championships at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
Yarrison and Johnston, who came straight to Minneapolis from Moscow, where they won a bronze medal together at a FINA Grand Prix meet last week, scored 302.10 points for the national title.
Boudia and Finchum scored 423.60 points for their latest national title, while Sean Moore (Englewood, Colo.) and Wes Wieser (Chesterfield, Mo.) took second at 404.85 points.
Etc. • Hockey forwards Justin Jokinen of Cloquet High and Tyler Thompson, who played at Benilde-St. Margaret's through his junior year, signed with Minnesota State Mankato.
• The Lynx re-signed restricted free-agent center Vanessa Hayden-Johnson.
• Gigi Marvin and Bobbi Ross were named the most valuable players for the Gophers women's hockey team.
• The Gophers baseball game with Illinois, scheduled for Siebert Field, was rained out. The teams will play doubleheaders today and Sunday.
