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Six things that will shape women's pro basketball in a pivotal 2025

Jan 7, 2025, 09:15 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Keep an eye on unrestricted free agents who could amplify star talent in a similar fashion, including Wings forward Natasha Howard, the Aces’ duo of Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes and the Storm’s Gabby Williams. — PeltonThe current CBA was considered a huge step in the […]

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Six things that will shape women's pro basketball in a pivotal 2025

Keep an eye on unrestricted free agents who could amplify star talent in a similar fashion, including Wings forward Natasha Howard, the Aces’ duo of Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes and the Storm’s Gabby Williams. — PeltonThe current CBA was considered a huge step in the right direction for the league and players when it was signed in January 2020. But that was before this era of unprecedented growth for the WNBA and women’s basketball, highlighted last season by historic attendance numbers, TV ratings and a new .2 billion media deal.What might the next CBA have in store? “Whenever negotiations are next, it’s not groundbreaking or landmark that we’re aiming for,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN this summer. “We’re aiming for transformational.” In their opt-out announcement, the players specifically referenced fighting for an equity-based “business model that reflects their true value, encompassing higher salaries, enhanced professional working conditions, expanded health benefits, and crucial investments needed for long-term growth.”The WNBA moves to a 44-game regular season in 2025, up from 40 the past two seasons. Despite the increase, going to full-time charter travel last year has actually made the schedule less onerous for players, and this year, there is no major international event (the Olympics or FIBA Women’s World Cup) to accommodate. It remains to be seen how a 44-game schedule — which opens May 16 — will work when one of those events comes into play.That’s when the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, in an expected move, opted out of the collective bargaining agreement two years early. In a time of unprecedented growth and star power, sparked in 2024 by rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, it sets the stage for fascinating negotiations that could determine the future direction of the league.According to Unrivaled, the 36 women who make up the six teams are paid six-figure salaries and are getting equity in their respective teams.But don’t be surprised if Golden State takes big swings in free agency this month. Owner Joe Lacob has adopted the same goal with the Valkyries that he did from when he first bought the Warriors: win a championship within five years. To do so, the organization must attract top talent, and ownership investment has been evident with the Valkyries playing at Chase Center and training at the Warriors’ former practice facility in Oakland.

What should we expect in WNBA free agency?

The Valkyries, of the Western Conference, will host their inaugural game May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks. The league will sit at 13 teams until 2026, when the Toronto Tempo and Portland WNBA team both launch (an expansion draft for those franchises is expected to be held later this year). Expectations are that the league will add a 16th franchise by 2028. — Philippou

2 RelatedThe league also is expanding its playoff format with the WNBA Finals, going from best-of-five (the setup since 2005) to best-of-seven. The new series will have a 2-2-1-1-1 structure; the higher seed would host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, and its opponent would host Games 3, 4 and 6.After unprecedented player movement in WNBA free agency the past two years, the trade market might do more to change teams’ fortunes than free agency this year.Add in Jewell Loyd‘s request for a trade from the Seattle Storm and the market is ripe for blockbuster deals as teams prepare for 2026, when nearly all of the WNBA’s star players have the chance to become free agents and take advantage of an expected jump in the salary cap.


Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who led their teams to the WNBA Finals in October, co-founded Unrivaled, which tips its first season on Jan. 17. AP Photo/Pamela SmithUnrivaled’s inaugural seasonWhen Unrivaled tips off Jan. 17 in Miami, it will mark the start of a new space in women’s basketball.The 3×3 league, founded by WNBA players Stewart and Napheesa Collier, gives players a domestic alternative to playing overseas during the W offseason. This isn’t the first offseason option in the United States, but the caliber of players participating — and the compensation they are getting — sets this league apart.

How could Paige Bueckers fit on the Dallas Wings?Golden State’s Natalie Nakase, the Chicago Sky‘s Tyler Marsh and the Dallas Wings’ Chris Koclanes: All were successful WNBA assistant coaches. Nakase and Marsh won two titles in Las Vegas with head coach Becky Hammon. Koclanes was an assistant to Curt Miller at Connecticut and Los Angeles, and now will work in Dallas for Miller, who is general manager of the Wings. Koclanes shares something in common with Smesko and Roberts: He was most recently a USC women’s assistant, and left the Trojans midseason.

For the first time since the Atlanta Dream in 2008, the WNBA will debut a new expansion team this spring: the Golden State Valkyries. The franchise, which is led by GM Ohemaa Nyanin and head coach Natalie Nakase, took the first steps toward building its inaugural roster in an expansion draft last month. Their 11 selections included seven international players, WNBA veterans Monique Billings and Kayla Thornton, plus second-year fan-favorite Kate Martin.Several of the top potential free agents, including Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun, Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces, Satou Sabally of the Dallas Wings and Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever, are eligible to receive the core designation from their teams before players can begin negotiating new contract starting Jan. 21. That would mean those players could only change teams via trade.


Expansion and the launch of the Golden State Valkyries

The games — which will be played on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays over a two-month span — will take place on a 70- by 50-foot compacted full court. The season has a round-robin schedule, after which the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. — AndrewsStephanie White, who returns to the Indiana Fever, is the most experienced WNBA coach in a new position this year. She previously led that franchise from 2015-2016, then spent five years coaching women’s college basketball at Vanderbilt and two with the Connecticut Sun. None of the other hires this offseason have been head coaches in the WNBA before.The Washington Mystics‘ Sydney Johnson: The Mystics hired Johnson and their new GM (former WNBA player Jamila Wideman) at the same time, rather than bring the GM aboard to help with the coach hiring. Johnson spent last season as a WNBA assistant with Chicago, and has also coached USA Basketball 3×3 teams. But the bulk of his coaching experience is in the men’s college game, including eight years as head coach at Fairfield and four at Princeton. — Voepel


Seven new WNBA coaches will impact the league

Karl Smesko left Florida Gulf Coast for Atlanta and Lynne Roberts left Utah for Los Angeles. Other coaches have moved from college to the WNBA, but the timing for these two — after they already had started their college seasons — stood out. The job security and pay for many college coaches have long been considered barriers for WNBA teams trying to lure them. But the pro game has become more appealing than it once was, as the college game – with the advent of NIL and the transfer portal — has become more challenging for some.Connecticut’s Rachid Meziane: This is his first job in the United States, and the first time a European coach has been hired to take over a WNBA team. Former Chicago coach James Wade is an American who also had French citizenship and mostly coached in Europe before coming to the WNBA. Emre Vatansever, from Turkey, filled in on an interim basis when Wade left the Sky during the 2023 season to go to the NBA’s Raptors. But Meziane is a French native, a longtime pro coach in France and has guided the Belgian women’s national team. He is from a pool that previously has not been tapped into.ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Kevin Pelton, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel look at what the new year brings for the women’s pro game.In early December, the Golden State Valkyries — the WNBA’s first new team since 2008 — held their expansion draft.Within weeks, more than half of the league’s teams were looking for new head coaches.play

All of that is to say it has been a wild offseason for women’s professional basketball, and things are only getting started here in 2025.
Unrivaled has received multiple notable investments from prominent sports figures, including NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, gold medalist Michael Phelps, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and USC star JuJu Watkins. The league also has a multiyear partnership with Turner, which will broadcast the games.It started the day after the New York Liberty won their first WNBA championship.

WNBA schedule and playoff changes

Andraya Carter and Carolyn Peck discuss how Paige Bueckers could impact the Dallas Wings if she is selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.Top stories of the week from Get exclusive access to thousands of premium articles a year from top writers.• 1 trade worthy player on every NBA team »
MLB teams winning the offseason so far? »
Way-too-early CFB coaching hot seat tiers »
More ESPN+ content »

The league and PA announced in December they met for “preliminary conversations” and had a “constructive dialogue.” Both sides will aim to come to an agreement sometime this year, well before the 2026 campaign gears up. But sources told ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike in October that players are prepared to negotiate for as long as it takes, even if it necessitates a work stoppage. — PhilippouSabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese, Brittney Griner and Chelsea Gray are among some of the most notable players on this season’s rosters, with Cameron Brink committed to playing next year.


League, players work toward new CBA

Although we might not see a league-changing move like Stewart leaving the Storm for New York in 2023, free agency could still have an impact on the title chase. Last year, the Minnesota Lynx flew under the radar when they signed starters Alanna Smith and Courtney Williams, who helped the Lynx take the Liberty the distance in the WNBA Finals.There have been many different hiring patterns for WNBA coaches in the past three decades. But this offseason presents perhaps the most eclectic group. They represent a vast array of backgrounds, another indication of how the WNBA is widening its footprint.Shortly after the WNBA Finals concluded, the WNBPA announced what most around the game expected: The union opted out of its current collective bargaining agreement two years early. The deal was set to expire in 2027, but now will only remain in effect through 2025.And later this month, a new 3×3 league featuring high-profile WNBA stars and backed by A-list money, kicks off a must-see offseason experiment.

College Sports

College Coach of the Century #13

DUBUQUE, Iowa — Number 13 on our countdown of the best college coaches from eastern Iowa is former Loras soccer coach Dan Rothert. Coach Rothert was with Loras for 22 years, 18 of which were spent as both the men’s and women’s coach. He was a 14-time ARC conference coach of the year, and was […]

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College Coach of the Century #13

Number 13 on our countdown of the best college coaches from eastern Iowa is former Loras soccer coach Dan Rothert.

Coach Rothert was with Loras for 22 years, 18 of which were spent as both the men’s and women’s coach. He was a 14-time ARC conference coach of the year, and was the 2012 national coach of the year.

He brought the Loras men’s team to five Final 4s, and was a DIII national runner-up in 2015.

This year we’re celebrating the best of the best from the sports world in Eastern Iowa over the last 25 years. The over-arcing theme of this series will be “The Stories of the Century”. During this year, we’ll count down the top 25 athletes, coaches, and teams from the past 25 years.

The year will be divided up into fourths, with the first portion of the year being dedicated to the best athletes (both high school and college) from the last 25 years.

Every Monday we’ll be releasing two more prep athletes, and every Wednesday we’ll announce two college athletes who will be added to the list.

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Kayla Treanor – Penn State

Kayla Treanor was named the 10th head coach in Penn State’s women’s lacrosse history in May 2025. Treanor, a highly decorated player at Syracuse, comes to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Syracuse for the last four years. “We are thrilled to welcome Kayla Treanor to our Penn State family as our […]

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Kayla Treanor was named the 10th head coach in Penn State’s women’s lacrosse history in May 2025. Treanor, a highly decorated player at Syracuse, comes to Happy Valley after serving as the head coach at Syracuse for the last four years.

“We are thrilled to welcome Kayla Treanor to our Penn State family as our women’s lacrosse head coach,” said Kraft. “Her unparalleled experience as both a player and coach make her the perfect leader for our program. I know Kayla will elevate our program to new heights after seeing firsthand her passion for developing student-athletes, championship mindset and commitment to excellence.”

As the head coach at Syracuse, Treanor compiled a 59-24 record and guided the Orange to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including back-to-back National Semifinal bids in 2023 and 2024. Treanor and the Orange played the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country in 2024 and 2025. Among the many accolades received by Syracuse student-athletes under Treanor, Meghan Tyrell was a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist in 2022 and 2023.

This year, Syracuse advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and had a trio of US Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans. Under Treanor’s guidance, Emma Ward became SU’s all-time assists leader. In September 2024, Treanor was selected to be an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team for the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Japan.

In 2024, the Orange won their second-straight ACC regular-season title and advanced to the National Semifinals before falling to eventual National Champion Boston College. Syracuse finished with a 16-6 record after holding opponents to less than 10 goals in 11 games. She mentored four IWLCA All-Americans, including first-teamers Katie Goodale and Emma Tyrrell. Tyrrell became just the ninth Division I player to record 400 career points and finished her career ranked sixth on the NCAA all-time point list. In addition, Kate Mashewske set the NCAA single-season record for draw controls with 234.

Treanor’s 2023 squad won its first 15 games of the season for the best start and longest winning streak in program history. Syracuse finished the season with 18 wins, the fourth-most wins in program history. The Orange occupied the No. 1 spot in the Inside Lacrosse/IWLCA poll for five consecutive weeks and earned a share of the ACC regular-season title with an 8-1 record. In her first year at the helm, Treanor helped the Orange defeat eight ranked teams. Syracuse advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and finished with a 15-6 record.   

Prior to returning to lead her alma mater, Treanor spent four years at perennial contender Boston College, serving as associate head coach in 2020 and 2021 and assistant coach in 2018 and 2019. In her four years at BC, the Eagles advanced to the championship game three times (2020 season was cancelled due to COVID) and won a national championship in 2021. Under her tutelage, Sam Apuzzo and Charlotte North won the Tewaaraton Award for the most outstanding American college lacrosse player. Treanor also spent one year as an assistant coach at Harvard in 2017.

As a player, Treanor led Syracuse to four consecutive Championship Weekend appearances from 2013-16, including a spot in the 2014 National Championship game. She is the only player in program history to earn IWLCA first-team All-America honors each of her four seasons. She was also a three-time finalist for the Tewaaraton Award and earned IWLCA Attacker of the Year three consecutive years. Treanor was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, 2015 and 2016. She left Syracuse as the Orange’s all-time scoring leader.

Treanor also found success as a player with Team USA. She helped the U.S. win gold at the 2017 and 2022 World Championships and was selected to the All-World Team both years. Treanor retired after the 2022 championships as U.S. Lacrosse’s all-time leader in points (77) and goals (44). Treanor also played professionally from 2017-21.



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5 things to know about the 2025-26 Bulldogs women’s hockey schedule – Duluth News Tribune

DULUTH — The picture for 2025-26 at Amsoil Arena is now complete as the Minnesota Duluth’s women’s hockey program revealed next season’s schedule Wednesday in conjunction with the WCHA releasing its league schedule. The Bulldogs are coming off a fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2024-25 and will be entering their second season under head coach […]

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DULUTH — The picture for 2025-26 at Amsoil Arena is now complete as the Minnesota Duluth’s women’s hockey program revealed

next season’s schedule

Wednesday in conjunction with the

WCHA releasing its league schedule.

The Bulldogs are coming off a fifth-straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2024-25 and will be entering their second season under

head coach Laura Schuler

in 2025-26. The Sept. 20 start date is the earliest for a regular season game in program history.

Below is a combined men’s and women’s schedule for 2025-26, plus five things to know about the Bulldogs 2025-26 women’s hockey schedule.

You can read five things to know about the men’s schedule here.

UMD Hockey schedule 2025-26 (1).jpg

Gary Meader / Duluth News Tribune

UMD only has 14 home games

The Bulldogs will play 20 of their 34 regular season games in 2025-26 on the road, including the first six games. Four of the six nonconference games are road games while two are at a neutral site.

UMD plays four games in seven days to start the season, opening with a Saturday-Sunday series at Mercyhurst on Sept. 20-21 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Then they travel four hours east through New York to Syracuse to play the Orange in a Thursday-Friday series Sept. 25-26.

UMD opens WCHA play Oct. 10-11 at defending league and national champion Wisconsin at LaBahn Arena in Madison.

The Bulldogs are heading to Ireland

Two of the Bulldogs’ six nonconference games will take place across the pond, and that doesn’t mean Lake Superior.

UMD will take part in the 2026 Friendship Series

on Jan. 2-3 in Belfast, Northern Ireland — part of the United Kingdom — along with Boston University, Harvard and Quinnipiac. UMD is the first WCHA member to take part in the event.

This will be the first overseas trip for the Bulldogs women’s hockey program. UMD said

in its schedule announcement

more details about the Friendship Series will be available in the coming weeks. The official travel partner of the Friendship Series, Cara Travel Group,

has packages available now on its website for fans.

There’s only three doubleheader weekends

college women play ice hockey

Minnesota Duluth forward Mary Kate O’Brien (3) celebrates after Minnesota Duluth forward Caitlin Kraemer (11) scored the game-winning goal against Syracuse on Jan. 3 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group

It’s actually more like two-and-a-half doubleheader weekends for UMD men’s and women’s hockey during the regular season at Amsoil Arena in 2025-26.

The only doubleheader of the first half is on Saturday, Oct. 18, when the women host Minnesota State and the men have Bemidji State.

The Bulldogs men are at the Beavers on Friday night

, while the Mavericks are in Duluth all weekend for a WCHA series.

The other two doubleheader weekends at Amsoil Arena are Jan. 9-10 when the women return from Ireland to host Wisconsin, while the men have a nonconference series against Lindenwood (St. Louis, Missouri). The women host Bemidji State and the men have North Dakota on Feb. 6-7.

Another doubleheader is possible if the women secure home ice for the WCHA quarterfinals. That best-of-three series would be played when the men are hosting Colorado College on Feb. 27-28.

Bulldogs will miss time for the Olympics

college women play ice hockey

Minnesota Duluth defenseman Ida Karlsson (24) skates with the puck against St. Cloud State during the first round of the WCHA tournament on Feb. 28 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group

UMD could be without four players for the final 6-8 games of the 2025-26 regular season because of the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 6-22 in Italy.

Senior forward

Thea Johansson

and junior defenseman Ida Karlasson of Sweden, senior defenseman

Krista Parkkonen

of Finland and junior goaltender

Eve Gascon

of Canada are all candidates for their respective country’s Olympic women’s hockey teams. They could also miss additional time during the season for pre-Olympic camps.

UMD is scheduled to play series against Bemidji State, St. Thomas and Minnesota during the Olympics — which coincide with the final three weeks of the regular season. UMD also travels to Ohio State on Jan. 30-31. That’s the weekend before the Olympics begin.

No countries — not even the United States and Canada — will be centralizing their national/Olympic teams in 2025-26 because of the PWHL, so UMD won’t lose a player like Gascon for the entire season. That also means Gascon cannot take an Olympic redshirt season like Ashton Bell did in 2021-22 or Maddie Rooney in 2017-18.

UMD, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio State and St. Cloud State will all likely be missing players to the 2026 Winter Olympics over the final month of the regular season.

Is the WCHA Final Faceoff getting a new look?

college women play ice hockey

Wisconsin celebrate defeating Minnesota during the WCHA Final Faceoff championship game on March 8 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group

One notable date missing from the league’s schedule release Wednesday was the 2026 WCHA Final Faceoff. The league has yet to make an official announcement about the 2026 league semifinals and final

after Amsoil Arena hosted in 2025.

The event is expected to begin rotating again after spending nine consecutive seasons at Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. St. Thomas announced this week its new rink in St. Paul, Anderson Arena, will open on Oct. 24, making it a prime candidate to be the next host.

To broaden the pool of Final Faceoff sites and accommodate rinks that host men’s and women’s hockey — such as Anderson Arena and Amsoil Arena — the WCHA’s championship weekend will likely take place over three days instead of two in the future with semifinals on Thursday and championship on Saturday.





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Illini Soccer Bolsters Roster with Pair of Transfers

Story Links CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin announced the additions of Cayla Jackson (Clermont, Fla.) and Lauren Smith (Frisco, Texas) to the Fighting Illini roster for the 2025 season.  CAYLA JACKSON | FORWARD | CLERMONT, FLA. | GEORGIA // EAST RIDGE HS // TAMPA BAY UNITED ABOUT JACKSON Made 16 appearances, seven starts, in her freshman season […]

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Illini Soccer Bolsters Roster with Pair of Transfers


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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer head coach Katie Hultin announced the additions of Cayla Jackson (Clermont, Fla.) and Lauren Smith (Frisco, Texas) to the Fighting Illini roster for the 2025 season. 

Cayla Jackson Signed

CAYLA JACKSON | FORWARD | CLERMONT, FLA. | GEORGIA // EAST RIDGE HS // TAMPA BAY UNITED

ABOUT JACKSON

Made 16 appearances, seven starts, in her freshman season at Georgia
Scored the game-winning goal on her collegiate debut vs. Illinois on Sept. 5, 2024
Played for Tampa Bay United ECNL and East Ridge High School
Ranked in IMG Top 150 rankings
Named to First Team ECNL in 2021-22 and Second Team ECNL in 2022-23
Selected to ECNL Girls National Training Camp in 2022
Helped lead Tampa Bay United to ECNL U16 Final Four
Selected to ODP and USYNT U-14, U15, and U-16 player pools
Twice named to Orlando Sentinel First Team All-Central Florida
Named to three All-Area First Teams
Set school records for most goals in season and career
Captained East Ridge for two seasons
Scored 46 goals with 22 assists in junior season
Scored 38 goals with 17 assists in sophomore season and earned district championship.

Jackson joins the Illini after spending 2024 at Georgia. During her freshman campaign with the Bulldogs, Jackson scored one goal, on her collegiate debut vs. Illinois on Sept. 5, in 10 appearances, all coming off of the bench.

HULTIN’S TAKE: “We’re excited to welcome Cayla Jackson to our Fighting Illini famILLy. After a solid year at Georgia and a standout youth career, Cayla has proven herself to be a smart, technical and dynamic player. She brings a high level of skill and creativity to the field, but just as importantly, she’s a person of strong character, with an incredible work ethic, a positive attitude, and natural leadership qualities that will make an immediate impact.” 

WHY ILLINOIS: “I chose Illinois because it felt like home. My father went to Illinois State and this is the second time I’ve been recruited by the University with a completely different staff. I also scored my first collegiate goal versus Illinois and I feel as though God’s purpose was for me to be here.”

Lauren Smith Signed

LAUREN SMITH | DEFENDER | FRISCO, TEXAS | TEXAS TECH // MEMORIAL HS // STING DALLAS BLACK 06

ABOUT SMITH

Was a mid-year enrollee at Texas Tech…did not feature in a game with the Red Raiders
Two-time all-district selection at Memorial HS
Was named team’s defensive player of the year as a freshman
Attended elementary and middle school with current Illini Bella Zanoni

  • Mom and aunt played college soccer at Texas Tech and Houston, respectively
  • Smith joins the Illini after spending the spring at Texas Tech as an early enrollee. She was a two-time all-district selection at Memorial HS, where she tallied 10 goals in her high school career. She was also named the team’s defensive player of the year as a freshman.

    HULTIN’S TAKE: “We’re excited to add Lauren Smith to our program. She had a strong youth career and gained valuable experience this spring that has prepared her well for the college level. Lauren will be a great addition to our back line. She’s athletic, dominant in the air and brings a relentless mentality when it comes to protecting our goal. We’re looking forward to the impact she’ll make in our defensive unit.” 

    WHY ILLINOIS: “I chose Illinois because I feel it is the best fit for me and will give me the best opportunity both athletically and academically.”

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    Chicago Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar scores twice for US at worlds

    STOCKHOLM — Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar scored twice to help the United States rally for a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic and hand the titleholder its first defeat at the ice hockey world championship Tuesday. The victory lifted the Americans to second place in Group B in Herning, Denmark. Switzerland won the group […]

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    STOCKHOLM — Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar scored twice to help the United States rally for a 5-2 victory over the Czech Republic and hand the titleholder its first defeat at the ice hockey world championship Tuesday.

    The victory lifted the Americans to second place in Group B in Herning, Denmark. Switzerland won the group with the Czechs finishing third.

    “I loved our effort and how we played to our identity,” U.S. coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Give our power play credit too. Overall, great team effort and a good step forward as we continue to build.”

    Nazar deflected a shot into the net to tie the score at 2 on a power play 1:35 into the third period. He scored on another power play for the 21-year-old’s sixth goal in the tournament.

    Logan Cooley roofed a shot from close range to make it 4-2 with 6:31 to go, and Andrew Peeke finished it off with a goal into an empty net.

    Josh Doan gave the Americans a 1-0 lead 9:25 into the game on a rebound with a backhand between the pads of goalie Karel Vejmelka.

    The U.S. dominated the first period, outshooting its opponent 23-8. The Czechs came back in the second as David Pastrnak tied the score on a breakaway 41 seconds into the period by beating his Boston Bruins teammate Jeremy Swayman for his sixth goal of the tournament.

    Pastrnak then set up Martin Necas in the left circle to one-time a shot that put the Czechs 2-1 up 8:33 into the second period.

    Earlier, Austria reached the playoffs for the first time in 31 years by defeating Latvia 6-1 to become the fourth and final team to advance to the quarterfinals from Group A.

    Sweden and Canada face each other later Tuesday for the top spot in the group. Finland, another qualified team, beat Slovakia 2-1.

    Switzerland beat Kazakhstan 4-1 in Herning and moved to the top of Group B before later games.

    Kazakhstan was relegated after five years in the top division.

    Switzerland finished with 19 points, two ahead of the Americans and Czechs

    The winner between Germany and Denmark later Tuesday will determine the fourth and final team from Group B to advance.

    Originally Published:



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    Eleven Carson High athletes sign national letters of intent at college level

    Eleven Carson High athletes have signed national letters of intent with colleges. Those players, which were provided by the school’s athletic administration, include: Division I * Sawyer Macy, cross country and track, Lehigh University * Dominic Porter, wrestling, Mercyhurst University * Aurora Giurlani, cheerleading, Nevada Division II * Sergio Villanueva, football, Wooster College Division III […]

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    Eleven Carson High athletes sign national letters of intent at college level

    Eleven Carson High athletes have signed national letters of intent with colleges. Those players, which were provided by the school’s athletic administration, include:

    Division I

    * Sawyer Macy, cross country and track, Lehigh University

    * Dominic Porter, wrestling, Mercyhurst University

    * Aurora Giurlani, cheerleading, Nevada

    Division II

    * Sergio Villanueva, football, Wooster College

    Division III

    * Ewan Kalley, men’s swimming, University of Redlands

    * Johan Lizarraga, men’s soccer, Concordia College

    * Joshua Lopez, men’s soccer, Concordia College

    NAIA

    * London Bishop, cheerleading, Carroll College

    * Angelo Macias, football, University of St. Mary

    Junior college

    * Alondra Carrillo, women’s soccer Truckee Meadows Community College

    * Danika Presswood, softball, Northeast Iowa Community College

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