Wisconsin

Gophers men’s hockey team accelerates away from Wisconsin, sweeps series

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2025

Gophers men’s hockey team accelerates away from Wisconsin, sweeps series

For nearly 2½ periods Saturday night, the record crowd of 10,894 at 3M Arena at Mariucci saw the Gophers men’s hockey team locked into a scoreless tie with Wisconsin. Battles along the boards, contested passes and big saves were common, and it appeared that the next goal not only would be a big one but just might be the only one.

Instead, a four-goal surge by Minnesota in the final 10:44 of the third period enabled the Gophers to not only display a gritty game but also show off their offensive power in a 4-1 victory for a series sweep of the Badgers.

“From start to finish, our guys were committed to their shifts,” Gophers coach Bob Motzko said. “… It’s kind of fun to see our team be back to what we knew we could do.”

The fourth-ranked Gophers improved to 21-6-3 overall and 12-4-2 in the Big Ten. They have 38 points in conference play, two behind first-place Michigan State.

Entering the weekend, the Gophers were 14-0 when they scored four or more goals but just 5-6-3 when not reaching that mark. So, 49 minutes of scoreless hockey against a team that enjoys locking down a game provided a test of Minnesota’s mettle. Consider it passed, even with the deceiving three-goal margin.

“Earlier in the year, we’d get frustrated and kind of lose ourselves and lose our game and just start worrying about scoring,” said junior forward Connor Kurth, who had two goals and an assist. “And I think now we’re understanding that playoff hockey is going to be tight, and we’ve got to start playing that way.”

With goalie Liam Souliere making 26 saves and helping his defensive corps with solid puck movement, the Gophers didn’t blink, biding time for an offensive outburst. It came in the third period, right after a Minnesota power play expired, when Matthew Wood took a feed from Brody Lamb and snapped a shot from the slot past Badgers goalie Tommy Scarfone for a 1-0 lead as the crowd roared in approval.

It didn’t take long for Kurth to make it 2-0. At 11:21, his shot from the left point beat Scarfone. “I was honestly trying to pass it to Woody,” said Kurth, who added an empty-net goal with 2:15 left in the third. “I was going for a little pass of the pad because I saw him crashing the net. Sometimes, they go in like that.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin air show, road race voted among best in country

Published

13 minutes ago

May 6, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin air show, road race voted among best in country

USA TODAY readers voted two Wisconsin events among the nation’s best for thrills and excitement – and one got a No. 1 spot.

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh was voted the Best Air Show, ranking first on a list of 10 air shows across the country.

Oshkosh annually becomes a landing pad for around 10,000 aircraft of all shapes and sizes, in what’s considered the world’s biggest fly-in convention. In 2025, EAA had record-breaking attendance, with around 704,000 visitors. This year, the air show will be held July 20-26.

Also highlighted on the most recent USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards, released Wednesday, May 6, was the Sports Car Club of America National Championship Runoffs in Elkhart Lake, which ranked sixth in the Best Motorsports Race category.

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs are an annual competition between top amateur road racers, frequently held at Road America.

The event was held annually at Road America from 2009 to 2013, then returned in 2020 and again for the 2024-2026 competitions. It also rotates to other sites across the United States. In 2027 and 2028, it will be held at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs will take place Sept. 28-Oct. 4.

The Best Air Show and Best Motorsports Race lists were among 10 lists in the overarching category “Thrills ‘n’ Wheels & Fishing.” Other lists include Best Boat Show, Best Car Show, Best Fishing Charter and Best Rodeo. The full list of winners can be found online at 10best.usatoday.com/awards.

To determine its lists, USA TODAY 10Best invites a panel of industry experts each week to nominate their favorite points of interest, in categories like food, drink, travel and lifestyle. Editors then vet the nominations and set aside a list of nominees to ask the public to vote on for a period of four weeks.

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.

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Wisconsin

Former Wisconsin basketball player Alie Bisballe transfers to Michigan State

Published

12 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Press Room

Former Wisconsin basketball player Alie Bisballe transfers to Michigan State

MADISON – When Alie Bisballe committed to the Wisconsin women’s basketball program during the summer of 2023, she had an scholarship on the table from Michigan State.

After the 6-foot-4 forward entered the transfer portal last month, the Spartans came calling again. This time she accepted their offer.

Bisballe announced her commitment to the Spartans May 5. The move puts her about two hours from her hometown of Lake City, Michigan.

She has two years of eligibility remaining.

Bisballe, who announced the news on Instagram, played in 36 games for Wisconsin in two seasons and averaged 1.3 points per game. She averaged one point and 0.8 rebounds per game this past season.

At Michigan State, she’ll joined another former Badger. Carter McCray, who played for UW in 2024-25, is transferring to Michigan State after one season at West Virginia.

Four Wisconsin players entered the portal last month. Rising senior Kyrah Daniels withdrew her name, but guard Breauna Ware signed with Wake Forest. Jovana Spasovski, a 6-0 wing with two years of eligibility remaining, has not announced a commitment.

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Wisconsin

Packers award $100K in grants to help launch girls flag football teams in Wisconsin high schools

Published

1 day ago

May 5, 2026

Press Room

Packers award 0K in grants to help launch girls flag football teams in Wisconsin high schools

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Green Bay Packers are boosting support for girls flag football in Wisconsin high schools, awarding $100,000 in grants to help schools launch new teams.

The team said 20 schools across the state were selected to receive $5,000 each to start girls flag football programs.

Six of the grant recipients are in our area: Freedom High School, Green Bay East, Kimberly, Little Chute, Neenah and Southern Door.

Along with the funding, the Packers are also providing participating schools with protective headbands and a flag football equipment starter kit to help new programs get started.

The goal is to build momentum for girls flag football as participation grows, with the long-term aim of the sport becoming a sanctioned Wisconsin high school sport.

Applications are already open for next year’s round of grants.

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