KHRT SPORTS – THURSDAY – 03/14/24
MINOT, ND – The final tournaments of the winter sports season begin today with the Division A and Division Boys Basketball State Tournaments. We’ll broadcast select games on The Heart 106.9 and 1320 KHRT.
High School Boys Basketball
Division A
Division A
State Tournament – FargoDome
Quarterfinal
#2 Devils Lake vs #7 Valley City, 1 pm
#3 Grafton vs #6 Beulah, 2:45 pm
#1 Kindred vs #8 Killdeer, 6:30 pm
#4 Des Lacs-Burlington vs #5 Shiloh Christian, 8:15 pm (HEARD ON 1320 AM)
#2 Devils Lake vs #7 Valley City, 1 pm
#3 Grafton vs #6 Beulah, 2:45 pm
#1 Kindred vs #8 Killdeer, 6:30 pm
#4 Des Lacs-Burlington vs #5 Shiloh Christian, 8:15 pm (HEARD ON 1320 AM)
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High School Boys Basketball
Division B
Division B
State Tournament – Minot State Dome
Quarterfinal
#2 Bowman County vs #7 Our Redeemer’s, 1 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
#3 Westhope-Newburg vs #6 Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 2:45 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
#1 North Star vs #8 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion, 6:30 pm
#4 Bishop Ryan vs #5 Sargent County, 8:15 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
#2 Bowman County vs #7 Our Redeemer’s, 1 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
#3 Westhope-Newburg vs #6 Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier, 2:45 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
#1 North Star vs #8 LaMoure-Litchville-Marion, 6:30 pm
#4 Bishop Ryan vs #5 Sargent County, 8:15 pm (HEARD ON 106.9 FM)
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MSU WOMENS HOCKEY
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO. (MSU) – Absolute pandemonium in St. Louis! A one-second difference from facing a must-win in the loser-out turns into a first-round victory for Minot State women’s hockey. The Beavers made their first appearance of the 2024 ACHA National Tournament in a wild debut versus the University of Michigan. It was do or die for the 4th-seeded Minot State Beavers, who laid it all out on the ice in a 3-2 overtime win over 9th-seeded Michigan. Before the chaos began, it was Minot who got the ice breaker at 6:23 in the first period. That lead would hold for over nine minutes until the Wolverines tied things up at 15:35. Going into the first intermission, the score was even at one. The second period featured a single goal as Michigan took their first lead of the game at the 7:50 mark. Down 2-1 heading into the third, the Beavers had some work to do to avoid being sent to the loser-out round. Period three is when the stakes get high, and Michigan held on for dear life. The Wolverines kept the lead for all of 19:59. Until that little sliver of time and effort for Minot State to capitalize on a scoring chance, they do just that to shock all that were in attendance at the Centene Community Ice Center. 2-2…that is what the scoreboard read just before it hit all zeroes. One more faceoff to officially send it to overtime. In the sudden death frame, a good amount of time would pass for both teams to catch their composure yet still maintain high focus on the task at hand. That was until at 33 seconds of the 16th minute, the Beavers set up a shot and rebound in the slot for the game-winning goal that sent the whole team into a frenzy and into the quarterfinals. Ball game, Beavers win 3-2. Makena Welby was the hero for Minot State as she not only garnered the last-second goal to tie it in regulation, but also the winner in overtime for her first two goals of the 2024 National Tournament. Continuing to build off a good regular season into the postseason was defenseman Aspen Cooper as she scored her first of the tournament early in the opening period. Haylie Biever opened the tournament as the number one option in net for the Beavers. She did her part in giving the team a chance to win with 24 saves on 26 shots. The Beavers picked up their first win over the Michigan Wolverines under MSU Athletics affiliation, counting for both regular and postseason. They advance to the ACHA quarterfinals and will await their next opponent following the results of the loser-out round today.
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UND HOCKEY-HONORS
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (UND)– After winning the program’s sixth Penrose Cup as the conference’s regular season champions, North Dakota placed six student-athletes on the NCHC’s all-league teams as announced by the conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Jackson Blake headlined the group for UND, earning a unanimous selection to the All-NCHC First Team after a record-breaking sophomore campaign. Blake set the NCHC single-season scoring record with 37 points in conference play, breaking the previous mark of 35 held by UND’s Brock Boeser (2015-16) and Denver’s Bobby Brink (2021-22). He had nine more points than any other forward in NCHC play. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick led the NCHC with 26 assists in 24 NCHC games, while potting 11 goals, which tied for seventh, including three game-winners. Overall, Blake leads all NCHC players with 52 points, scoring 19 goals and adding 33 assists in 36 games. His 52 points tie for third nationally.
Senior goaltender Ludvig Persson earned a spot on the All-NCHC Second Team between the pipes in his first season at North Dakota, starting 23 of the team’s 24 NCHC games and posting a 14-8-1 record. Persson paced the NCHC in both wins (14) and shutouts (3) during league action, while also ranking second in the nation with five total clean sheets. His 2.73 GAA was third in conference play, while he posted an .898 save percentage. Overall, Persson is 21-10-2 in 33 starts this year, with the 21 wins tops in the NCHC. He carries a .906 save percentage on the season, tying for fourth in the NCHC, while his 2.47 GAA is third. Four other Fighting Hawks were named to the All-NCHC Honorable Mention squad, with forwards Cameron Berg and Riese Gaber joining defensemen Jake Livanavage and Garrett Pyke with honors.
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each institution and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote, with the most points at each position earning the honors. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes the maximum a player can receive. The NCHC will announce its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be revealed at the NCHC Awards Celebration in Saint Paul, Minn. on Thursday, March 21 on the eve of the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
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VIKINGS-FREE AGENCY
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a new contract with defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard on Wednesday as the NFL signing period opened at the start of the new league year. Bullard was set to become an unrestricted free agent entering his ninth NFL season. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Bullard, who was a third-round draft pick in 2016 by Chicago, also has played for Arizona, Seattle and Atlanta. He has spent two years with the Vikings, starting 21 of 29 games he’s played in. He had a career-high 44 tackles and two sacks in the 2023 season. The Vikings have revamped their defense by agreeing to terms with edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and inside linebacker Blake Cashman.