As the preliminary round of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship reaches its climax, Canada and Finland square off in what could decide the top seed in Group B and shape quarterfinal matchups. Canada enters the contest riding high after a dominant 9-1 victory over Denmark, showcasing a potent blend of depth and scoring punch led by top prospects like Gavin McKenna and Michael Hage, both among the team’s leading point producers. The Canadians have shown glimpses of their offensive explosiveness throughout the tournament, combining skill, speed, and size, and will be looking to carry that momentum into this marquee showdown. A win here not only secures bragging rights but also could provide a more straightforward path through the knockout rounds.
Finland, meanwhile, has carved its own path through the group with disciplined play and strong team balance. The Finns have been impressive on both ends of the ice, including a resounding 8-0 victory over Latvia, and boast multiple contributors in their forward corps as well as steady goaltending from Petteri Rimpinen. Their methodical puck possession and willingness to grind through defensive structure have kept them unbeaten in regulation, making them a dangerous foe capable of upsets if Canada’s top unit isn’t sharp. Historically, this matchup has favored Canada, but Finland’s all-around performance this tournament suggests this New Year’s Eve clash will be competitive and potentially pivotal for momentum heading into the playoff rounds.
This is a great matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
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Kendall Coyne Schofield scored her league-leading sixth and seventh goals, Nicole Hensley shined with a 31-save outing, and the Minnesota Frost topped the Toronto Sceptres 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Katy Knoll, Britta Curl-Salemme and Grace Zumwinkle also scored for Minnesota. Taylor Heise had three assists.
Daryl Watts had the lone goal for Toronto. Elaine Chuli made 14 saves, with Raygan Kirk turning away two shots in relief in the third period.
Watts opened the scoring 4:55 into the contest when she backhanded a puck over Hensley’s right shoulder on a pass into the slot from Renata Fast.
Curl-Salemme put Minnesota ahead at 12:59. With one skate behind the goal line, some feet away from the end boards, Curl-Salemme fired it in off Chuli’s shoulder, who seemed to have to duck her head to not get hit by the shot.
Coyne Schofield made it a three-goal game with 4.4 seconds left in the second when her low backhand shot trickled in five-hole on Chuli, who was replaced by Kirk after the period.
Coyne Schofield added an empty-netter with 3:17 left after Toronto pulled Kirk for an extra attacker with 5:45 remaining.
With her first-period goal, Watts became the second PWHL player to have 50 career points, joining Montreal’s Marie-Philip Poulin (55).
Up next
Frost: Visit Ottawa on Saturday.
Sceptres: Host Seattle at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, as part of the PWHL Takeover Tour on Saturday.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov scored twice, Gage Goncalves added two assists and had the deciding goal in the shootout as the Tampa Bay Lightning held off the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 on Sunday.
Oliver Bjorkstrand had two assists for Tampa Bay. Nick Paul and Pontus Holmberg also scored for the Lightning, who won their fourth straight game. Jonas Johansson stopped 32 shots and both attempts in the shootout.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice, including the tying goal with 3.8 seconds left, and added an assist as Montreal rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 in the third period to secure a point. Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist, and Ivan Demidov also scored for the Canadiens. Jacob Fowler finished with 18 saves for Montreal, which played its first game coming out of the Christmas break.
Kucherov scored two of Tampa Bay’s three goals in the second period.
Goncalves fed Kucherov for a breakaway goal at 2:28 of the second. Kucherov scored again at 12:11 when Goncalves missed a 2-on-1 chance wide, but Brayden Point picked up the rebound and quickly fed Kucherov above the crease.
Paul made it 3-0 at 14:49.
Demidov broke up Johansson’s shutout bid 1:06 into the third period, poking in a Slafkovsky pass above the paint. But Holmberg answered 34 seconds later, deflecting a Bjorkstrand pass to score in his fourth consecutive game. Montreal then scored three times in the final 10:44 of the third.
Slafkovsky started the comeback at 9:16 before and Dobson scored at 12:17 to make it a one-goal game.
Earlier Sunday, Tampa Bay activated Brandon Hagel from injured reserve after missing four games and placed defenseman Ryan McDonagh on injured reserve, three games after he returned from an 18-game absence.
MINNEAPOLIS — Seven players scored one goal each, Matyas Marik had a strong outing in the net and Czechia routed Denmark 7-2 on Saturday night at the World Junior Championship.
Marik stopped 20 of 22 shots, allowing only single goals in the first and third periods. He played in place of Michal Orsulak, who allowed seven goals in a 7-5 loss to Canada on Friday.
Tomas Galvas had a goal and two assists for the Czechs.
Czechia peppered Denmark goalkeeper Anton Wilde with 53 shots.
Czechia scored three times in the second period. Vaclav Nestrasil scored first with a wicked slapshot for a 3-1 lead before Denmark’s Oliver Larsen made it 3-2. Adam Jiricek’s goal at 11:20 of the second made it 4-2. Stepan Hoch scored to make it 5-2 with 5 minutes left in the period.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Taylor Heise scored her first goal of the season 2:57 into overtime Saturday to give the Minnesota Frost a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Goldeneyes as the Professional Women’s Hockey League Takeover Tour hit Edmonton’s Rogers Place.
Heise worked her way into the left faceoff circle before rifling a shot just under the crossbar to give the Frost the win and keep Vancouver winless on the road.
Abby Hustler also scored for Minnesota, with Maddie Rooney making 27 saves.
Izzy Daniel had Vancouver’s lone goal, and Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 33 shots.
With 10,264 mostly partisan Vancouver fans having cheered through 52 minutes of scoreless hockey after two goals in the first three minutes of the game, the Goldeneyes had a golden opportunity with a power play at 15:04 of the third period. Against one of the worst penalty-killing teams in the league, Vancouver failed to generate a single shot on goal.
Gabby Rosenthal drew a delay of game penalty just 52 seconds in and it took Minnesota only 26 seconds to capitalize. Hustler rifled a shot from the slot past Maschmeyer to finish off a series of crisp passes that left her wide open.
The Goldeneyes responded less than two minutes later when Daniel backhanded a rebound past Rooney.
The game was the third of 16 Tour stops for the PWHL this season and the first of two visits to Edmonton with the second game scheduled for April 7, 2026.
The Takeover Tour consists of 16 neutral-site regular-season games played outside the league’s current cities. Saturday’s game was the second Tour stop in Edmonton. Last season, the Ottawa-Toronto game drew a sold-out crowd of 17,518 to Rogers Place.
The World Junior Championship tournament kicked off in Minnesota on Friday. For those eager to check it out, there’s a free fan experience called the Bold North Breakaway.
While many people are likely cleaning up from Christmas, hockey fans in St. Paul are coming from all walks of life. Whether it’s inside the RiverCentre or outside at Rice Park, hockey lovers young and old can easily find something to their liking.
The fan festival features bumper cars on ice, s’mores by the fire, a rink where someone can play hockey by themself, a holiday market with over 40 local vendors and more.
WCCO spoke with a father-son duo who flew from Canada.
“I didn’t know Minneapolis is only two hours from Toronto,” said Bryan Forrest of Ontario. “So when I saw that, and it was the World Juniors, figured it would be worth coming.”
The events run through Jan. 5. More information on the festival can be found here.
Loke Krantz, an 18-year-old from Sweden, is spending Christmas Day in a hotel in St. Paul, Minnesota. It’s his first time in the Twin Cities. He’s thousands of miles away from home and couldn’t be happier.
“It’s huge, just to play here,” Krantz said.
He’ll take to the ice at Grand Casino Arena on Friday, playing for his home nation against Slovakia to kick off the 2026 World Junior Championship. The ice hockey tournament, celebrating its 50th year, is returning to the United States for the seventh time. Minnesota has hosted just once before, and bringing the tournament back is anticipated to have an economic benefit. Visit Saint Paul President and CEO Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson wrote an Op-Ed in the Minnesota Star Tribune predicting a $75 million impact in the state.
That’s because, according to Hendrikson, the talent on display will draw fans from across the world.
Krantz is excited to play at the home of the Minnesota Wild, but he’s hoping to make playing in National Hockey League stadiums his full-time job. Over the summer, he was drafted by the Seattle Kraken.
At the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront hotel on Thursday, players and coaches alike were flowing in and out, making final preparations. Andy Boschetto, originally from Boston, is on the coaching staff for Slovakia. He was finalizing training plans while continuing to make Christmas magic for his children.
“We make it work,” Boschetto said. “My wife flew the kids out with her, woke up this morning and did presents, went right to meetings and practice. They were able to take part in some of that, so that’s cool for me as a dad.”
The tournament will be played at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul and the 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s ice hockey team. Team USA is chasing a historic third-straight gold medal with Gophers coach Bob Motzko at the helm.
Boschetto has spent time in Minnesota before and knows what the sport means to those in the region.
“It’s a big hockey community, so it will be a big week,” Boschetto said. “You have a bunch of kids who are under the age of 20 who get to play in front of the world for their country with their pride on the line.”
While the tournament begins on Friday, teams have been in Minnesota for days with warm-up matches and training happening everywhere from Bemidji to Rochester. The tournament will conclude with the gold medal game on Jan. 5.
If you or a loved one are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, whether while waiting for your chance to dogear pages of your very own, or for the next episode of the show to drop, VF asked hockey romance aficionados about their recommendations for books fans may want to reach for.
Canadian Boyfriend, Jenny Holiday
‘Canadian Boyfriend’ by Jenny Holiday
Elizabeth Held, co-founder of the Really Reading Romance Book Club, writer of the What to Read If newsletter, and author of the upcoming nonfiction book Romancelandia, highlighted Jenny Holiday’s Canadian Boyfriend, a straight romance that “doesn’t actually have that much hockey in it.” (“A surprising number of hockey romances do not actually feature a ton of hockey,” Held says.) She called it a book “about people in their late 30s figuring out their baggage, under the guise of a hockey romance.” Held especially loves the audiobook edition, narrated by actor Joshua Jackson. “I think it’s just totally fabulous and very fun that he went from playing a hockey player as a teenager in The Mighty Ducks, and then narrating this book as an adult hockey player. It’s just a nice easter egg.”
Face Off (D.C. Stars Book #1), Chelsea Curto
‘Face Off’ by Chelsea Curto
Held calls Chelsea Curto “an up-and-coming star in the romance world, particularly for hockey,” thanks to her D.C. Stars series. “If you are still mourning the cancellation of Pitch, this is your book, because it’s about the first female NHL player,” Held says of Face Off, the first book in the series. That trailblazing player finds chemistry (that she wasn’t looking for) with a male teammate, making for a spicy rivals-to-lovers plotline.
Shoot Your Shot, Lexi LaFleur Brown
‘Shoot Your Shot’ by Lexi LaFleur Brown
Talk about an insider point of view: Who better to write a hockey romance than someone who has lived one? Lexi LaFleur Brown, whose books include Shoot Your Shot and the upcoming Evening the Score, is married to former NHL player JT Brown. Held hails Brown as “a new author who’s interesting, especially in this moment,” pointing out Brown’s deep roots not just in hockey, but in the hockey romance online community. “She rose to prominence on BookTok, specifically by dissecting hockey romances and what they got right or wrong.” Expert source? Check and check.
Ice Knights series, Avery Flynn
‘Parental Guidance’ by Avery Flynn
Avery Flynn’s Ice Knights series, beginning with Parental Guidance, is “genuinely hilarious,” Held says. “Those books make me laugh out loud.”
Check, Please! Ngozi Ukazu
‘Check, Please!’ by Ngozi Ukazu
Some hockey romances are graphic in the sexytimes sense. Others are graphic as in…illustrated. Such is the case with Check, Please!, a two-volume queer hockey rom-com in graphic novel form. “I feel like it’s a little bit of a cult favorite,” Held says. “The main character, Bitty, is a gay southern baker, and he’s in college on a hockey scholarship. He lives in kind of a frat house with his fellow hockey players, but they are all really supportive of him and his sexuality and his quest for love. Maybe there’s a little bit of a spark between him and the older team captain. It’s one of those ones that either you love it, or you haven’t heard of it.”
Him, Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
‘Him’ by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Laura McCormack, another avid romance reader, says she recommends “literally everything” by Sarina Bowen. Megan, who devours at least one hockey romance a week (and asked to be identified by only her first name), says that a series Bowen co-wrote with Elle Kennedy was her gateway into the genre. “Him and Us were maybe my first,” and then she was hooked.
Rookie Move, Sarina Bowen
‘Rookie Move’ by Sarina Bowen
If you’re ready to settle into an entire extended universe of love and hockey, McCormack recommends Bowen’s Boston Bruisers series, beginning with Rookie Move. “That one is just delicious,” she says. “It’s straight and it’s got spice, but it’s got a lot of heart, and kick-ass heroines who are successful in their own right. It’s fun because it has tie-ins to other series. It’s the hockey player and his brother, and his brother works for the security team, and then you get to go and read the series for the security team. It’s great.”
The Deal, Elle Kennedy
‘The Deal’ by Elle Kennedy
McCormack also loves Kennedy’s Off-Campus series, beginning with The Deal, which features college-aged characters and plenty of spin-offs. “Now they’re on the second generation [of characters],” she says. “ I was listening to one of the second-generation ones on a plane, and I gasped so loud at the reveal part that I scared the man next to me. It was a really good time.”
The Shots You Take, Rachel Reid
‘The Shots You Take’ by Rachel Reid
Reid has more to offer than just Heated Rivalry and the Game Changers series. Reader Megan recommends Reid’s standalone book The Shots You Take, another queer hockey romance, this one set in a small town and featuring two ex-friends mapping out their shared future. “I love it,” she says. “It’s set over many, many years. It’s a second-chance romance, there’s some yearning, reconnecting, and finding their way back to each other.”
Like Real People Do, E.L. Massey
‘Like Real People Do’ by E.L. Massey
Enemies to lovers, public image versus private life, young love, yearning, and ice rinks? Like Real People Do, the first installment in E.L. Massey’s Breakaway series, has all that and more. Capizola recommends this title especially to those who enjoyed the third episode of Heated Rivalry, which explores similar themes, “like how fame impacts the ability for you to be yourself.” This queer hockey romance follows a young pro player and an online hockey influencer as their relationship evolves. Plus, Massey has fun playing with the bad boy hockey player stereotype, with Capizola describing the main character as, “I’m not just a jock, I have feelings!”
Puckboys series, Eden Finley and Saxon James
‘Egotistical Puckboy’ by Eden Finley and Saxon James
You know what “puck” rhymes with? Yeah, expect a lot of that in the 10-book (so far) Puckboys series, co-written by Eden Finley and Saxon James. The first book is Egotistical Puckboy, and each installment follows a different queer hockey couple. McCormack loves this series when you’re in the mood for something that’s “silly and filthy and gentle on plot.” Once you burn through all 10, don’t worry: The two authors have multiple other hockey series to add to your TBR list.
And when hockey comes up in conversation, she doesn’t hesitate to mention the reading material that brought her to the sport: “If someone wants to talk to me about hockey, I will absolutely talk to them about hockey. If they ask, ‘Oh, why did you get into it?’ I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, have you heard of hockey romance? It’s amazing.’”
And if they yuck her yum, showing disdain for queer hockey smut, then she knows they’re not for her: “If I have to dim the things I’m excited about in order to be cool to someone, then I don’t want to be their friend,” she says.
The cross-fandom pollination has gone in the opposite direction as well.
“I’ve seen hockey reporters say, like, I’ve got a bunch of new followers, if you want to learn the game, like, what do you want to know?” Held says. Show creator Jacob Tierney has been a guest on the hockey podcast What Chaos, and the Empty Netters podcast now recaps each Heated Rivalry episode. “I love it when people find a new passion. So I hope this leads to romance readers becoming hockey fans and hockey fans becoming romance readers, right? And then ideally, we would get a romance novel in like a year or two about people, one person from each fandom and how they fell in love together.”
The breakout success of the show has felt validating to readers, who hope to see more like it in the future, including plotlines of acceptance, diversity, and anti-homophobia that Reid explores in the series, which Held calls “very explicitly a critique of the NHL.”
In the here and now, however, romance enthusiasts are thrilled with the show’s success, and ready to welcome new fans into the fold.
“There’s a cool feeling of like, oh my God, we’ve known about this for so long,” Capizola says. “People are like, where did this come from? And we’re all like, it’s been here, welcome. There’s, like, seven more books [in the series].”
The Rogers High School girls hockey team in Rogers, Minnesota, feels re-energized by a new addition to their coaching staff this season.
Brittyn Fleming is the newest assistant coach for the Royals, and she comes with quite the resume. She spent five seasons playing for the Minnesota State University Mavericks as their lead scorer.
Finding so much success in college and the pros, she was ready for a change.
“I just did a lot of reflecting and I knew that I wanted to give back to the sport that gave me so much,” Fleming said.
New to this role on the ice, Fleming hopes to model her coaching style after her own dad.
“He was just an incredible coach, and I strive to be the coach that he was,” she said. “He cared so much about his players not only on the ice but off the ice, and I really respect that, and I just hope to do that with these girls.”
These high school players really admire who they’re learning from.
“She’s super cool and it’s been so fun getting to know her,” said junior defender Alyssa Nuernberg. “She’s just so nice and a great role model for our team.”
Nuernberg says Coach Fleming has helped her love the game more.
“Her at the rink, her presence has made such a big impact on us already,” Nuernberg said.
Fleming hopes she can bring more success to this young program.
“They are really eager to learn and they respect my past and my career, and I love that,” Fleming said.
Rookie Sarah Wozniewicz scored her first goal with 65 seconds left in overtime to rally the Ottawa Charge to a 3-2 victory over the two-time defending-champion Minnesota Frost on Sunday at Allstate Arena in a continuation of the PWHL’s Takeover Tour.
Wozniewicz secured an assist from Peyton Hemp to score the winner for the Charge (1-1-0-5) at 3:55 in the 5-minute OT.
Ottawa took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on a power-play goal by Ronja Savolainen — with assists from Kateřina Mrázová and Jocelyne Larocque.
The Frost (3-0-1-2) pulled even midway through the second on Britta Curl-Salemme’s second goal. Kelly Pannek earned her fourth assist, and Mae Batherson picked up her second.
Brianne Jenner found the net for the third time this season, beating goalie Nicole Hensley with 4 seconds left to put the Charge up 2-1 heading into the final period. First-round pick Rory Guilday recorded her fourth assist on the power-play goal, and Rebecca Leslie notched her third.
Batherson, a defender, scored her first career goal and knotted the game at 2-all four minutes into the final period on a power play — with another assist from Pannek and one from Kendall Cooper — her third.
Gwyneth Philips finished with 21 saves in goal for Ottawa — one in OT. Three of Hensley’s 19 saves came in the extra period.
Ottawa: At Toronto on Tuesday.
Minnesota: Versus Vancouver on Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.
SAN JOSE — Collin Graf may have been born to play hockey. He certainly didn’t know it at the time.
But these days, Graf is making headlines on the ice. Most recently, the second-year Sharks forward scored two goals Thursday night in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars, notching the first multi-goal game of his career.
Playing on San Jose’s top line with Macklin Celebrini and rookie Igor Chernyshov, Graf finished off a pass from Celebrini in the crease and potted another net-front pass from Chernyshov.
This season has been Graf’s NHL breakout. He stuck on the Sharks’ roster out of training camp and has played in 34 of 35 games, accumulating 18 points.
San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his goal against the Dallas Stars in the second period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
“He’s put in a lot of work,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “When he first came in, in the NHL, the pace is extremely high. So he went in after the summer, put a lot of work in last year to get the pace up. And now his details, his hockey sense is really what sticks out the most. He’s a smart individual. And now he’s added another layer to his game with the checking component.”
Graf, 23, grew up as the son of engineers Robert and Theresa in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and his initial foray onto the ice came for a different reason.
“My mom just wanted me to learn how to skate,” Graf said. “And then when I was skating, there were hockey players on the other side of the ice, and I guess I told my mom that I wanted to do that.
“So then it took me like two years to get good enough at skating to become a hockey player. And ever since, I’ve been a hockey player.”
San Jose Sharks’ Igor Chernyshov (92) chats with San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) during their game against the Calgary Flames in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
A hockey player, but not one who was ticketed to be a professional from the beginning. Graf was undersized and undrafted coming out of juniors at 5-foot-8 and 145 pounds. He didn’t play for a Canadian major junior team or in the American junior leagues, instead staying within the Boston Bruins’ junior development program.
He signed with Union College in 2021, scoring 11 goals and 22 points in his freshman season. Then he transferred to Quinnipiac, where he led the Bobcats with 58 points as they won the national championship.
He thought then about turning pro then but opted to return for one more year.
“I met with teams, and I definitely considered it,” Graf said. “My linemates, we all ended up signing the next year. We talked about it, and we wanted to come back. We had a good group of guys. They’re my buddies. My best friends are still from college to this day. It was a great decision on my part, just in terms of getting bigger, stronger, becoming more mature as a human.”
San Jose Sharks forward Collin Graf (51) shoots the puck while being defended by Utah Mammoth’s Mikhail Sergachev (98) during the first period of their game on Monday, Dec.1, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
Graf continued to develop his all-around game and signed with San Jose after Quinnipiac’s season ended in April 2024. He played immediately, recording a point in his second career game and finishing with two in seven games played as the Sharks wrapped up the last-place season that landed them Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick.
The next season wasn’t always glamorous for Graf. Though he joined Celebrini for 33 games with the Sharks and compiled 11 points, he spent most of the year in the AHL with the Barracuda, putting up 35 points in 40 games.
It’s uncertain how long he’ll stay on the Sharks’ top line this year. Will Smith is due back before long from an upper-body injury, and Warsofsky said he may shuffle San Jose’s lines before Saturday’s game against Seattle.
But after adjusting to the pace of the game, Graf has made enough headway that he is quickly becoming a part of the Sharks’ long-term plans.
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) makes a save as San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) looks for the rebound during second period NHL hockey action in Toronto on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
“He’s transformed his game from what he was in college,” Warsofsky said. “He’s getting to the point where he’s accepting that more and more. There’s another level we continue to push and get to, but he’s done a really good job. He’s here late in the facility. You can tell he really wants it, and that’s an important piece of the whole thing.”
For Celebrini, who jumped into the NHL minted as a franchise star from the get-go, Graf’s intelligence is a separator that has emerged as he’s grinded his way to the highest level.
“He’s one of the smarter players on the ice, and he’s always in the right spot with a great stick,” Celebrini said. “That’s why he’s been so great on our PK as well, his ability to disrupt plays and read plays before they happen. It helps when you’re playing with him and trying to create offense. He’s seeing the same things as I am.”
San Jose Sharks’ Collin Graf (51) celebrates his goal with San Jose Sharks’ William Eklund (72) and San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini (71) against the Boston Bruins in the third period at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
It’s been a dream journey for Graf to reach this point. He’s already blown his own expectations out of the water.
“When I first went into college, I wasn’t thinking about the NHL or pro hockey,” Graf said.
Now he has the best in the game singing his praises.
“We’ve built a good relationship,” Celebrini said. “The play speaks for itself. He’s just so smart and it’s easy to play off him because he’s always thinking two steps ahead.”
San Jose Sharks right wing Collin Graf (51) shoots and scores the game-winning goal past Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson (32) during overtime of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Kendall Coyne Schofield scored her league-leading fifth goal of the season and Nicole Hensley made 27 saves and Minnesota Frost beat the undefeated Boston Fleet 5-2 on Friday night.
Coyne Schofield found the back of the net, poking in a rebound in the first period. Dominique Petrie scored on a tip-in, and the Frost went into the first intermission up 2-0.
After Fleet goalie Aerin Frankel stopped a breakaway early in the second period, the puck got away from her and Britta Curl-Salemme scored on the rebound.
Boston swung momentum its way when it scored two goals in 23 seconds in the third from Olivia Mobley and Riley Brengman. With just over a minute, the Fleet pulled Frankel, and the Frost put away two empty net goals to win their first home game of the season.
Frankel made 25 saves on 28 shots.
Up next
The Fleet will travel to Ottawa to face the Charge on Dec. 27.
The Frost will host the Charge in Chicago on Dec. 21 as part of the league’s Takeover Tour.
The Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame has found its home in Inver Grove Heights, with construction expected to begin in 2026.
“Since announcing this legacy project in August, the outpouring of support from players past and present, Minnesota-based companies, and hockey fans statewide has been overwhelming,” said MNHHOF CEO Natalie Darwitz.
The planned $70 million, 120,000 square-foot facility will be located adjacent to Interstate 494 and east of Vikings Lakes. It’ll include a 30,000 square-foot museum with five exhibit wings, an ice rink, performance venue, hockey-themed restaurant and taproom, along with community event spaces.
Inver Grove Heights Mayor Brenda Dietrich said she was “thrilled” about the location of the hall of fame.
Minnesota Hockey Hall of Fame
“The site is in our Northwest Area, which has long been envisioned for major development, and the Hall of Fame offers the opportunity for new amenities and attractions that will benefit Inver Grove Heights for years to come,” she said.
The hall of fame is expected to open in late 2028.
President Trump will host members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men’s ice hockey team — famous for defeating the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” — at a bill signing Friday to award congressional medals in the team’s honor, CBS News has learned.
The event, which will be held in the Oval Office at 3 p.m., will feature hockey stars from the gold medal-winning team, including captain Mike Eruzione, goaltender Jim Craig and forward Buzz Schneider. The widow, son and daughter of deceased coach Herb Brooks are also expected to attend.
The legislation will award all of the players with Congressional Gold Medals to recognize the 45th anniversary of the U.S. victory at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. The bill passed the House and Senate in September.
Ten additional players expected at the event include defensemen Jack O’Callahan, backup goaltender Steve Janaszak and forward Rob McClanahan.
“President Trump will honor the legendary Olympic men’s ice hockey team whose ‘Miracle on Ice’ resulted in a historic and symbolic victory against the Soviet Union,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. “This triumph fueled a resurgence of national pride as Americans across the country watched Team USA unexpectedly take home the Gold Medal.”
The U.S. hockey team pounces on goalie Jim Craig after a 4-3 victory against the Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, as a flag waves from the Lake Placid, N.Y., crowd.
Uncredited / AP
The 1980 game — held in Lake Placid, New York — pitted the U.S. against the Soviet Union, a Cold War archrival and hockey powerhouse that had won gold in the prior four Winter Olympics.
The bid to recognize the game’s anniversary with congressional medals picked up bipartisan support, including from lawmakers in Minnesota, the home state of many of the players.
“The ‘Miracle on Ice’ hockey game was an upset that nobody saw coming – but one that showcases the strength and resilience of Americans in the face of adversity,” Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said in a September statement.
Boston is losing a major landmark that has stood for 115 years.
Matthews Arena opened two years before Fenway Park and 18 years before the old Boston Garden.
“Every time you step on this ice, walk in this building, it’s a privilege,” said Vinny Borgesi, captain of the men’s hockey team at Northeastern University. “There’s so much history behind it.”
Originally the Boston Arena, the building opened in 1910, quickly becoming the spot for high school and college hockey.
“I’ve been in and out of that building for 60 years or so, and that’s what made it special on Monday,” said Joe Bertagna, the former Hockey East commissioner who grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts.
He and others college legends took part in a final skate Monday. Bertagna recalled playing at an exhibition game against Czechoslovakia at the arena while skating for Harvard University.
“I also lost my last high school game in double overtime to Melrose High, one of our rivals,” he said.
The Celtics and Bruins started playing in building, and it attracted countless politicians and entertainers, as well.
Northeastern has owned the aging arena since 1980 and considered whether it should be renovated or replaced.
“There’s some nostalgia. There’s some sadness,” said Jim Madigan, the school’s athletic director. “But at the same time, we can’t get in the way of progress, and so you look to what the future will bring.”
A state-of-the art venue is now set to replace the old one. It won’t open until 2028, requiring the school’s teams to play all their games on the road for two years.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit of difficulty, but I also think that it’s something we can rally around, a little bit of an underdog mentality,” said Dylan Hryckowian, an assistant captain with the men’s hockey team.
The last game will be Saturday night, when Northeastern’s men’s hockey team takes on rival Boston University.
Northeastern says demolition will get underway this winter.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Eric Robinson ended a 10-game stretch without a goal by breaking a third-period tie and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook had Carolina’s other goals and Andrei Svechnikov supplied two assists. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves to improve his record to 9-1-0 for the Hurricanes, who wrapped up a 4-3-0 homestand. Bussi is the only Carolina goalie to win a game since Nov. 17.
Dmitri Voronkov scored on a first-period power play for the Blue Jackets, who’ve lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time in more than a month. Jet Greaves stopped 27 shots, but Columbus has been outscored 45-28 in the third periods of games this season.
Voronkov scored with 7:21 remaining in the opening period on just the second Columbus shot of the game.
Jarvis responded at 9:42 of the second period for his team-leading 17th goal. It was his sixth goal during the homestand.
Robinson took a pass from Taylor Hall and delivered his first goal since Nov. 15, coming against one of his former teams. Staal tacked on a power-play goal with 6:22 left. Martinook’s goal with 1:15 to play was an empty-net, short-handed tally.
The Hurricanes celebrated the 20th anniversary season of the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship with an on-ice pregame ceremony that included Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour, who was captain of the title team.
Up next
Blue Jackets: Host Ottawa on Thursday to begin a four-game homestand.
Hurricanes: Visit Washington on Thursday night.
Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.
A test event at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — the new, 16,000-seat venue that is being built on the outskirts of Milan — had to be moved, and new ones won’t be until Jan. 9-11.
“There is no plan B,” Andrea Francisi, the Chief Games Operations Officer for Milan Cortina, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
“So necessarily we have to be able to organize the competition in an impeccable manner at Santagiulia.”
The first Olympics game at the main hockey arena is the women’s preliminary round competition on Feb. 5, just one day before the opening ceremony.
Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new arena.
Francisi admitted there is “no precise date” for the venue to be handed over to local organizers, but he is confident “for the moment” that it will be ready for the Olympics.
“There are daily updates in the sense that our team is there working every day,” Francisi said. “The companies which are involved with the building of the facility have sped up their work significantly.
“We’re monitoring all that daily together with them, there’s great collaboration between us, we’re creating a coordinated plan between their work and our preparations and for the moment we’re healthily optimistic, but 100% we’ll do it.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Hagel scored twice and Jonas Johansson made 12 saves as the Tampa Bay Lighting beat the New York Rangers 4-1 Saturday to extend their winning streak to seven games.
Nick Paul and Jake Guentzel also scored and Nikita Kucherov had three assists as the Lightning ended New York’s three-game winning streak. Tampa Bay is 7-0-0 since Nov. 18 and has outscored opponents 30-10 in that span.
The Rangers heard boos from the Madison Square Garden crowd as they fell to 2-8-1 at home where they have been shut out five times and scored once on three other occasions. New York is 11-4-1 on the road.
Hagel scored at 10:53 of the opening period as his shot deflected off Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy’s skate. He made it 2-0 with his team-best 15th goal at 8:57 of the second when he slid his own rebound past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
Defenseman Darren Raddysh and Kucherov assisted on both goals.
Kucherov has a nine-game points streak of four goals and 14 assists. He leads the Lightning with 32 points. Raddysh has 11 points in his last seven games.
J.T. Miller ruined Johansson’s shutout bid with his seventh goal at 17:31 of the second. Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad assisted.
Paul scored at 2:02 of the third to make it 3-1. Rookie defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous also assisted.
Guentzel added an empty-netter at 19:41.
Fox left the game at 7:03 of the third after he was checked hard into the boards by Hagel. Fox’s left arm appeared to absorb the brunt of the hit.
Shesterkin made 31 saves.
The Lightning outshot the Rangers 11-2 in the first. New York didn’t register its first shot on goal until the 9:29 mark.
The Lightning were missing injured defensemen Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak, as well as forward Brayden Point, out for a fourth-straight game.
Kelly Pannek scored two goals, Nicole Hensley had a shutout and the two-time defending champion Minnesota Frost disappointed a record women’s hockey crowd with a 3-0 win over the Seattle Torrent on Friday afternoon.
The 16,014 fans set a record for largest attendance at a women’s hockey game in a U.S. arena. It was the inaugural home game for the Torrent.
Late in the first period Pannek got the bounce as she fired a shot from between the circle that Torrent goalie Corinne Schroeder couldn’t corral. She scored her second goal of the season midway through the third period and Grace Zumwinkle added a power play goal.
Hensley made 30 saves for the Frost (1-1-0-0).
Schroeder, who led the league with four shutouts last season for the New York Sirens, made 22 saves for the Torrent (1-0-1-0).
Both teams had two power plays.
Up next
Minnesota plays at Ottawa on Tuesday.
Seattle is home again on Wednesday against New York.
