The Professional Women’s Hockey League has hired Meghan Turner as general manager for its newest franchise in Seattle, the league announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Turner spent the last two seasons as assistant general manager of the Boston Fleet, working alongside GM Danielle Marmer. The decision comes nearly three weeks after the PWHL announced it would expand to Seattle for the 2025-26 season.

The team, which will go by PWHL Seattle until an official name is unveiled, will play at Climate Pledge Arena, home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, and train at the Kraken Community Iceplex.

“I’m so honored to step into this role and have the opportunity to build a PWHL team in Seattle,” Turner said in a press release. “From the excitement that we experienced at the Takeover Tour this past season to the established women’s sports culture and the close relationship with the Kraken, I’m confident that we’re stepping into an environment that is more than ready for women’s hockey.”

Turner, who grew up in Bedford, N.H., played four years of college hockey at Quinnipiac University, alongside Marmer, and played in the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association. According to the league’s release, Turner worked in consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers and has ongoing service in the Army National Guard.

“Meghan brings an extraordinary combination of hockey experience, strategic vision, and professionalism to PWHL Seattle,” said Jayna Hefford, the PWHL’s executive vice president of hockey operations. “During her time in Boston, Meghan distinguished herself as a big-picture thinker who quickly earned the respect of players and staff alike. She’s the ideal person to lead this exciting new chapter in Seattle.”

In her new role, Turner will build Seattle’s first-ever roster starting in earnest on June 4, when the five-day exclusive signing window opens for expansion teams to sign free agents or players who have been left unprotected by their current teams.

Each of the PWHL’s six existing teams will submit a list of up to three players protected from selection during the signing window and the expansion draft. Those initial lists are due June 3 at noon ET. Once teams lose two players, they will be permitted to protect one additional player, increasing their protected list to four.

The expansion draft will be held on June 9.

At the draft, Seattle and Vancouver, which is also set to join the league in 2025-26, will each select at least seven players until both teams have reached a 12-player roster. If one team enters the expansion draft with fewer signed players from the signing window, it will be granted additional selections to reach 12. The order in which teams make their selections will be determined later.

“The talent in this league is unmatched, and I’m excited for the opportunity to build a team and an organization that reflects the passion of the city and the excellence of the league,” Turner said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and I’m ready to get started.”

(Photo of Meghan Turner participating in the Secret Dream Gap Tour in March  2022: AP Photo / Nick Wass)

GRAND FORKS — Matt Smaby came within a goal of leading the Waterloo Black Hawks to the United States Hockey League’s Clark Cup.

Waterloo lost to the Muskegon Lumberjacks 4-3 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Tuesday night in Young Arena.

Now, Smaby will try to help lead UND to the top of college hockey.

Smaby has been named UND’s associate head coach, completing the Fighting Hawks’ full-time staff under new head coach Dane Jackson.

Smaby was the lone finalist for the job.

UND waited to finish the deal to allow Smaby and Waterloo to chase the USHL title.

The four full-time coaches will be Jackson, Smaby, assistant coach Dillon Simpson and general manager Bryn Chyzyk.

“UND has always been a special place to me,” Smaby said. “My time at UND, both as a student-athlete and a coach, have molded me into the person, coach, father and husband I am today. When I had the chance to sit down with coach Jackson, what was most evident was his passion and love for UND hockey. Sharing that same passion, our visions aligned for what was needed to bring the program to the top of college hockey. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to work alongside coach Jackson and the rest of the staff, and I’m anxious to get to work.”

Jackson said he’s excited to add Smaby to the staff.

“Much like his playing days, his teams brought a strong work ethic and tenacity to everything they did, and we are excited to have that in our program,” Jackson said. “He has succeeded at every level he has played and coached at and knows what it takes to win the right way.”

Smaby will come to UND after his best season in Waterloo, where he led the Black Hawks to their first final in a decade.

Waterloo beat Lincoln, the USHL’s Anderson Cup champion as the league’s best regular-season team, in the Western Conference Final. The Black Hawks also knocked out Sioux Falls and Tri-City.

It was an impressive run for Waterloo, which lost both of its goaltenders to injury at the end of the regular season.

Waterloo called up draft pick Carter Casey from Grand Rapids, Minn., to serve as the team’s goaltender for the entire playoff run. Casey hadn’t played a game since mid-February when he was called.

East Grand Forks forward Brock Schultz played a key role on Waterloo’s team but suffered a season-ending injury during the middle of the playoff run.

Smaby’s coaching career started at UND as a student assistant coach from 2017-19.

He spent one year as an assistant for Salzburg in Austria’s top league before returning to Grand Forks to lead the youth hockey association.

In 2021, he took the Waterloo job.

He coached the Black Hawks for four seasons.

Smaby was a finalist for UND’s head coaching job in March. He interviewed twice for it.

Smaby, a Minneapolis native, came to UND in 2003 after two years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.

He played three years for UND, serving as team captain as a junior. UND went to NCAA Frozen Fours during his sophomore and junior season.

Smaby played four seasons in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also played for Tampa’s top minor-league affiliate.

He moved to Germany from 2013-17, where he played for Munich. Smaby led Munich to back-to-back championships in his final two years.

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

What does it mean to be a female athlete? Running striders till you throw up? Singing with your teammates during your hour-long bus ride to Huntley? Or starting each season with the annual fundraising car wash? 

In Lulu Keil’s case, being a female athlete means pairing each homecoming dress with an assortment of bruises from her game the night before. 

As a Varsity field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball player, Keil is no stranger to the guts and glory it takes to be a female athlete. Whether it’s fall, spring or winter, the pride she takes in wearing her jersey to school is undeniable and it inspires her peers to follow in her footsteps. 

“I love coming to school in my uniform. It’s so fun to represent your team and having teachers ask you about your game really makes the school feel more like a community,” said Keil. 

Like most aspiring athletes, Lulu grew up playing a variety of sports: tennis, golf, ice hockey, and soccer. It wasn’t until her freshman year when she decided to try out for the girls field hockey and lacrosse teams, and to no one’s surprise, she was a natural. 

With her unwavering determination and hunger to succeed, Keil quickly became a vital player on both teams, earning her a starting position, and a captain title. 

“Lulu’s probably one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive person on our team, she hates to lose, and she’s willing to fight. Watching her do that throughout tryouts, watching her do that everyday in drills, I never doubted that she was ready to be a Varsity level player, even when she might’ve doubted it,” said Girls Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey Coach Catanzaro. 

Catanzaro credits Lulu’s success to her unpredictable movement on the field. 

“Lulu stands out as an athlete primarily because she can do things you don’t expect. She is dynamic, she is smart on the field, regardless of what sport it is, and she has an amazing ability to read the situation and adjust to it before other players do,” said Catanzaro. 

Not only has Keil mastered the skills it takes to win a game, she understands the criteria for a strong team dynamic. Amongst her teammates, she is recognized as the “heart and soul” of the team. She exemplifies the perfect balance of focus and hard work, while also maintaining a supportive, and lighthearted attitude for her peers. 

“Lulu and I sat on the bus together during field hockey and basketball season and we always had so much fun together. She really helped ease my nerves before a game, and those bus rides were some of the most memorable parts of my athletic career,” said teammate Ryan Rice.

LFHS athletics has provided Keil with memories, skills, and friendships that will last a lifetime. From an intimidated freshman to a starting Varsity captain, the four years she has dedicated to her teams has shaped her into the person she is today and taught her the importance of being apart of a team.

“It’s not just a one person sport, and in order to be successful in field hockey, everyone on the team has to be doing their part,” said Keil, “I also love meeting so many new people and making connections with people I wouldn’t otherwise know.”

Regardless of her success at LFHS, Keil never imagined continuing her athletic career onto a collegiate level. 

“I decided pretty late that I wanted to play field hockey in college. At first, I thought I wanted more of a traditional college experience, but during my final season at LFHS, I realized that I couldn’t picture my life without field hockey,” said Keil. 

After emailing back and forth with the coach and visiting the campus, Keil announced her commitment to play field hockey at Dension University.

“Lulu is a Divison 1 level player. Denison is getting far more than they bargained for with her; she is going to go there and do great things. I can see Lulu being an All American, if she choses. The sky’s the limit for her, and I think she will take Denison by storm,” Catanzaro said. 

Associated Press

Two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler is suing the NCAA over rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

Zeigler’s lawsuit was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. The point guard played four seasons at Tennessee, helping the Volunteers to consecutive Elite Eight berths before graduating earlier this month.

The Vols went 109-36 during Zeigler’s time with the school. Zeigler was a third-team All-American this season, which ended with Tennessee’s loss to eventual national runner-up Houston in the Elite Eight on March 30.

“We have requested a preliminary injunction to allow Zakai to compete in the upcoming season while pursuing his graduate studies,” according to a statement from the Garza Law Firm and Litson PLLC. “We look forward to a swift resolution of this matter so that Zakai can begin preparing for next season.”

The NCAA said in a statement the association fully supports athletes profiting from name, image and likeness along with other benefits and is working for such reforms, which includes a proposed $2.8 billion settlement of an antitrust lawsuit.

“A patchwork of different state laws, executive orders and court opinions, make it challenging for any league to operate on a fair playing field, including at the conference level and that’s why partnering with Congress to develop a national standard would provide stability for student-athletes and schools everywhere,” the NCAA said.

This latest lawsuit against the NCAA notes Zeigler “diligently completed his undergraduate degree in four years” and graduated this month. That makes Zeigler’s lawsuit different from athletes who started careers at junior colleges or lower-division NCAA schools and are seeking a fifth season.

Yet the NCAA rule limiting athletes to four seasons during a five-year window keeps Zeigler from playing a fifth season and earning NIL money in “the most lucrative year of the eligibility window for the vast majority of athletes,” according to the lawsuit.

How much could Zeigler could earn in a fifth season with the Vols? The lawsuit says between $2 million and $4 million for 2025-26, given his record and visibility playing in the Southeastern Conference and based on projections from the Spyre Sports Group, the NIL collective associated with the university.

Athletes who redshirt or take five years to finish an undergraduate degree can earn NIL money each of their five years. The lawsuit also points to the NCAA’s redshirt system controlling who gets access to a fifth year of eligibility.

The lawsuit asks that the NCAA rule be declared a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Tennessee’s Trade Practices Act.

___

AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll

WILKES-BARRE — The race to fill the new seat on the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas will be decided in the November General Election, because neither cross-filed candidate could garner both nominations.

Attorney Mark Bufalino easily won the Democratic nomination and Attorney Tom Mosca decidedly captured the Republican nod.

The two will square off on Nov. 4, to see who will wear the black robe on the Luzerne County bench.

An additional judgeship on the Court of Common Pleas was added to the Luzerne County bench under Pennsylvania legislation from December 2023. The new judge will take office on the first Monday of January 2026.

According to unofficial results, Bufalino received 13,197 votes on the Democratic side, to 6,944 for Mosca. On the Republican side, Mosca received 11,651, to 7,437 for Bufalino.

“I am very pleased with the totals,” Bufalino said. And I am very appreciative of all the support from Republicans and Democrats. I will continue to work hard as we now head to the general election in November.”

Mosca said, “I’m thankful and grateful for all the people who came out and voted for me. It looks positive, and I am looking forward to getting into the meat of a spirited campaign heading to the fall general election.”

When he announced his candidacy for judge, Bufalino said he has devoted his life to the fight for justice and the rule of law.

Bufalino, 54, of Shavertown, is a well-known attorney and community leader who said his diverse legal experience allows him to bring the qualifications and temperament needed to be a tough, but fair member of the Luzerne County bench.

“As a lifelong resident of Luzerne County, I know how special this community is, which is why I want to take the professional and life lessons I have acquired through nearly 30 years of experience and use them to serve the residents of Luzerne County,” Bufalino said.

A graduate of Wyoming Seminary, Villanova University and Dickinson School of Law, Bufalino said he has handled a wide variety of complex civil and criminal cases at both the federal and state levels. He has been counsel for local law enforcement officers, and he was certified by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to try death-penalty capital homicide cases.

“As a Luzerne County judge, I pledge to fight for our families ensuring justice and fairness in our courts,” Bufalino said.

When Mosca entered the race, he said if given the opportunity, he is ready to serve the people of Luzerne County as the next county judge.

“For much of my professional career, I’ve had the desire to become [a judge] one day,” said Mosca, who has 35 years of local law experience. “I finally believe that all of my life’s experiences have prepared me for this moment.”

During the campaign, Mosca touted his volunteerism, experience and support for law enforcement. He said he has worked on cases of varying stakes throughout his career, from property disputes among neighbors to large commercial transactions.

For the past eight years, Mosca said he has served in leadership roles in the NEPA Task Force Against Human Trafficking, and he is the current board chair of the Victims Resource Center.

“I pledge that my courtroom will be a level playing field for all who enter it, with everyone receiving fair treatment, and the respect to which they are entitled,” Mosca said.

Mosca and his wife, Andrea, have two daughters, Hillary and Tori, and two grandchildren, Sebastian and Vivian.

He is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary and Wilkes University, and he earned his law degree from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.