K-HEART SPORTS – 04/22/23 – 0700
MINOT, ND – The Minot Minotauros are in Austin this weekend to begin the Robertson Cup Playoffs. Jackson Luther tallied the game winning goal at 4:35 of overtime as the Bruins defeat the Tauros 4-3. Austin led 1-0 after one period, but Minot would respond just 48-seconds into the second on a power play goal by Hunter Longhi. With just over a minute remaining in the period the Bruins tallied their second power play goal and led 2-1 after two. They would add another power play goal at 13:43 of the third to go ahead 3-1. The Tauros would rally late as Braden Fischer got a power play goal with 1:58 remaining. Chase LaPinta tallied a goal 31-second later and sent it to overtime. Noah Rupprecht made 26 saves for Minot, while Trent Wiemken made 31 saves. Game two in the best of five series is tonight in Austin. Game three is here in Minot next Friday.
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MINOT, ND – Thanks to the air-supported dome at Minot State, the Minot High girls softball team was able to play on Friday. The Majettes improve to 12-0 overall, 8-0 in the WDA.
High School Girls Softball
Class A
Minot High def. Watford City, 33-1
Class A
Minot High def. Watford City, 33-1
High School Girls Tennis
Williston def. Jamestown, 9-0
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MINOT STATE MEN’S GOLF
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (MSU) – Matching their low score from a month earlier at the Adams Pointe Golf Club, the Minot State men’s golf team finds itself in the midst of a wide-open race after the first round of the NSIC Men’s Golf Championship on Friday. The Beavers shot a 31-over 319 for the opening 18 holes of the 54-hole tournament and sit just five strokes back of both Minnesota Crookston and Upper Iowa, who are tied for seventh, and seven shots back of the University of Mary, which is sixth. Minot State is currently ninth after day one’s action. Bemidji State leads the tournament after an 8-over 296 and holds a four-stroke lead on Winona State, Concordia, St. Paul, and Minnesota State, Mankato, all of which are tied for second at 12-over 300.
While the Beavers are poised to climb in the team standings as the weekend continues, teammates Joshua Tu, Aimery Barrault, and Zach Hendrickson all are grouped within one shot of each other and ready to make a charge. Tu led the way for the Beavers as he shot a 6-over 78 on Friday and is tied for 25th, while Barrault and Hendrickson each carded 7-over 79s and are each tied for 27th. Andrew Makarchuk was next for Minot State as he shot an 11-over 83 and is tied for 41st, and Arron Grandy carded a 130-over 85 and is tied for 46th. Individually, Concordia, St. Paul’s Kurt Lambert leads the tournament field by one shot after day one as he turned in a 2-under 70. Minnesota State, Mankato’s Jack Klimek and Winona State’s Gabe Goodman are each one shot back of the lead as both turned in 1-under 71s on Friday. Day two of the three-day, 54-hole Championships is today at Adams Pointe Golf Club in Missouri.
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MINOT STATE SOFTBALL
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – It’s “Senior Weekend” for the Beaver softball team, and despite the wintry weather this week Minot State will get to celebrate in the friendly, and warm, confines of the Air-Supported Dome on the MSU campus. The Beavers will honor seniors Leo Watson and Jaycie Rostad this weekend as Minot State takes on Winona State and Upper Iowa inside “The Bubble” in NSIC doubleheader action today and Sunday. First pitch today has been pushed back to 3 p.m. against the visiting Warriors (30-11 overall, 13-3 NSIC), who come in having just been ranked at No. 10 in the first NCAA Central Region poll released earlier this week. Sunday, first pitch is scheduled for Noon against the Peacocks (14-21, 6-11) with a “Senior Day” ceremony honoring Watson and Rostad slated for 11:30 a.m.
Minot State (23-17, 10-8) will be challenged both days as the Beavers have beaten Winona State once in the last 15 meetings, while Upper Iowa swept last season’s meetings to snap a seven-game Beaver win streak. Both days will be key for Minot State in its playoff chase, as well, as the Beavers sit in seventh in the NSIC standings with 10 games left, six following this weekend which all are on the road.
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MINOT STATE-ASSISTANT A.D.’S
MINOT, N.D. (MSU) – Minot State’s Director of Athletics Kevin Forde is pleased to announce the addition of Janna McKechnie to the Beaver Athletics administration team, and the promotion of Ryan Beckner to a new role in the athletic department. McKechnie, a graduate of Minot State who has served the University for the past 12 years as the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving, is the Beavers’ new Assistant Athletic Director for External Operations. Beckner, who joined the Minot State Athletic staff in May 2021 as the Coordinator of Athletic Operations takes over in his new role with the Beavers as the Assistant Athletic Director for Internal Operations.
Janna joined the Minot State Advancement team in 2011 and led alumni events in the state and around the country. As director of annual giving, Janna managed all faculty and staff giving. As the Director of External Operations, McKechnie will handle many of the same duties for Minot State Athletics, working in cooperation with the Minot State Booster Club while managing giving for Beaver Athletics and sponsorships. A Minot native, Janna attended both Minot High School and Minot State and played basketball for the Beavers in the early 2000s. Janna and her husband, Aaron, have two girls. Janna is active in the Minot Optimist Club, Longfellow PTA, and the Professional Communication department on campus.
Beckner previously coordinated the use of the Minot State Athletic facilities. In his new role, Ryan is responsible for internal operations including human resources, finances, facilities, event management, external vendors, camps, and equipment services. He will manage graduate staff, game contracts for the department, and all HR responsibilities as well as manage Minot State’s three athletic on-campus facilities. Prior to joining the Minot State Athletic team, Ryan worked as a New Business Sales Consultant for The Aspire Group at Army West Point Athletics for two years. While at Army he was a member of the sales team that set consecutive records for most football revenue generated in an Army football season. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Beckner joined the Beaver Athletic team from Illinois State University where he earned his Master’s in Kinesiology & Recreation – Sport Management. At ISU, Ryan was an Event and Game Operations Intern for Redbird Athletics and held graduate assistantships at Heartland Community College Athletics and the Illinois State University Dean of Students Office. At USM, Ryan was a student assistant for USM Facility & Event Management, as well as the Eagle Club, which is the fundraising division of the Southern Mississippi Athletic Department. He was also president of the Student Eagle Club, the largest student organization on campus, and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
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TWINS-NATIONALS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joey Meneses hit his first homer of the season, Keibert Ruiz singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, and the Washington Nationals rallied past the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on a chilly night. Joey Gallo’s solo homer was one of just five hits for the Twins, who have scored two or fewer runs in seven of their 20 games. Minnesota led 2-0 before Meneses went deep in the seventh to chase Twins starter Tyler Mahle. Lane Thomas and Ruiz had RBI singles in the eighth against losing pitcher Griffin Jax. Erasmo Ramírez picked up the win and Kyle Finnegan got the save for Washington. Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco was activated from the injured list and started, his first action this year. Polanco had been sidelined with inflammation in his left knee, a lingering effect of an injury that kept him out for the final month of last season.
UP NEXT
Nationals: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 8.59 ERA) will take the mound for the second game of the series on Saturday. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his three starts this season.
Twins: After signing a four-year extension with the Twins on Friday, Pablo López (1-1, 1.73) will look to continue his hot start.
Nationals: RHP Chad Kuhl (0-1, 8.59 ERA) will take the mound for the second game of the series on Saturday. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his three starts this season.
Twins: After signing a four-year extension with the Twins on Friday, Pablo López (1-1, 1.73) will look to continue his hot start.
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WOLVES-NUGGETS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Jokic had his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Denver Nuggets fended off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-111 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series. Michael Porter Jr. pitched in 25 points and nine rebounds and Jamal Murray had 18 points and nine assists as Denver withstood another dashing performance by Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards. Edwards scored 36 points to raise his series total to 95. Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points after totaling only 21 points over the first two games for the Wolves. The Wolves will try to avoid being swept as they host game 4 on Sunday evening.
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WILD-STARS
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Mats Zuccarello scored twice and Ryan Hartman had a three-point game as the Minnesota Wild beat the Dallas Stars 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. Zuccarello scored Minnesota’s first goal on a backhander and beat Stars goalie Jake Oettinger on a breakaway in the third period. Marcus Johansson, Marcus Foligno and Hartman added goals for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson, who did not play in Game 2, made 23 saves for the Wild. Luke Glendening scored for Dallas. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.