Breck never trailed in defeating Warroad 4-1 for the Class A girls state hockey championship Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena.

Breck School/Groves Academy defender Alexis Ulrich (13) shoot against Warroad during the first period of the Class 1A championship game of the State Girls Hockey Tournament at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.. (Matt Blewett / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Molly Larson got the Mustangs on the board with a goal assisted by Annie Moos and Torrin Luoma at 14:05 of the opening period. Mackenna Schlieman made it 2-0 in favor of Breck at 2:21 of the middle frame.

Warroad made it a game on a Jaylie French goal, assisted by Taylor Reese and Lydia Fylling at 1:51 of the third. However, the Mustangs countered at 9:14 on an Ashley Babbit strike assisted by Taylor Hall and Schlieman at 9:14.

Warroad peppered Breck goaltender Clara Milinkovich with 38 shots, but she turned aside all but the one Warriors goal. In a last-ditch effort to pour even more offense on Milinkovich and the Mustangs defense, Warroad pulled goalie Payton Rolli — who made 19 saves — for an extra attacker.

Breck took advantage of the empty net to ice the game on a final Schlieman goal at 16:21 and rose out the final 39 seconds before players mobbed on the ice to celebrate a state title.

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Neither the Minnesota nor St. Thomas women’s hockey teams are heading into the postseason on a hot streak as both were swept in their respective final series of the regular season.

Minnesota-Duluth 2, Minnesota 1 (OT)

The Gophers losing streak hit four games as UMD once again claimed a second consecutive overtime win against their southern neighbors at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. After a 3-2 win Friday night, the Bulldogs snagged a 2-1 victory in the extra session on Saturday.

UMD held a 1-0 lead on the strength of a Caitlin Kremer power-play goal in the opening period. The edge held until 7:03 of the second period when Anabella Fanale drew Minnesota even with an even-strength tally.

The game remained tied into the extra session until the Bulldogs’ Tova Henderson did it to the Gophers once again. A day after netting the game-winning goal at 1:41 of OT, Henderson repeated the feat at 1:47 of OT to clinch the regular season-ending triumph.

UMD goaltender Eve Gascon made 34 saves, while Minnesota netminder Layla Hemp made 24 stops.

The result made no change in the final WCHA regular-season standings. The Gophers (24-9-1 overall, 18-9-1 WCHA) remained locked into third place, while the Bulldogs (19-12-3, 15-10-3) remained cemented to fourth.

Minnesota State 4, St. Thomas 3 (OT)

Much like the Gophers, the Tommies also suffered an overtime loss. St. Thomas lost its fourth straight matchup with a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of Minnesota State at the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.

The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead in the first period before Rylee Bartz leveled the count for the Tommies in the middle frame.

MSU recorded the first two goals of the third period before the Tommies rallied on scores by Whitney Horton and Ella Boerger — Boerger’s tally coming with just eight seconds remaining in regulation to knot the score at 3-3 and send the contest into OT.

The contest appeared headed for a shootout before the Mavericks claimed the win with 18 seconds remaining in the added session to skate back to Mankato with a series sweep.

St. Thomas goaltender Julia Minotti made 17 saves, while MSU goalie Hailey Hansen stood tall with 35 stops.

The Tommies (12-21-1, 7-20-1) finished seventh in the WCHA’s final regular-season standings.

The WCHA playoffs begin on Feb. 27.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — Before the Twins even played an inning in the Grapefruit League this spring, injuries sidetracked their top two starting pitchers.

The Twins announced Friday that Pablo López will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday. On Saturday, about 15 minutes before first pitch against the Boston Red Sox, the Twins announced Joe Ryan was scratched from his start.

Ryan’s injury is not nearly as serious — the Twins announced low back tightness on the right side for the all-star starter — but it does put his status for the World Baseball Classic in jeopardy. Manager Derek Shelton did not have an update after the game game on Ryan, who had left the ballpark to have imaging taken. The Twins expect to have more information on Sunday.

Shelton said Ryan felt something in his back when he was preparing.

“He was in a good spot,” Shelton said. “There is day-to-day soreness with everybody, but this is something that came up.”

In his place, the Twins called upon minor leaguer Eston Stull, whom they signed last year out of independent ball. Stull tossed two scoreless innings in the Twins’ 7-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Jeffers tests ABS

Ryan Jeffers didn’t wait too long to use the Twins’ first ABS (automated ball-strike) challenge this spring, tapping his helmet to challenge a pitch from Stull that he believed to be a strike.

Jeffers lost that challenge in an eventual walk to Masataka Yoshida. He won the next challenge, stealing a strike for Simeon Woods Richardson on the very bottom of the strike zone during Yoshida’s next plate appearance.

The Twins tested out the system last spring, and it has been in use in the minor leagues for years. But they’re still trying to figure out how best deploy it in-season.

Likely no one will end up challenging more than Jeffers, who is expected to be the Twins’ primary catcher. Pitchers, catchers and batters are allowed to challenge, though early indications are that the challenges primarily will not come from pitchers.

“I thought it was good. We knew last year in spring training from tracking it that he was really good at it,” Shelton said. “We have to figure out where this is at.”

Briefly

Royce Lewis started spring training with a bang, hitting a home run off Red Sox starter Payton Tolle. He singled in his second at-bat and stole a base. … Simeon Woods Richardson, who came on in relief rather than starting because Ryan was scheduled to start, threw two scoreless innings and struck out a pair. … Taj Bradley, who is ramping up to compete in the WBC for Mexico, is expected to start when the Twins take on the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon in North Port, Fla.

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North/Tartan senior Sydney Johnson captivated the crowd and captured two individual titles in the Class 2A state gymnastics meet Saturday afternoon at Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

Johnson won on the balance beam with a 9.700 and claimed her second individual championship for her 9.750 floor routine. She finished third in the all-around competition with a 38.375, behind Monticello senior Lauren Hansen’s 38.600.

Johnson said it came as a surprise, winning two individual titles. But the results did not come by accident.

“I was not expecting this at all, like, at all,” Johnson said. “I worked hard for it, though.”

Johnson scored a 9.575 on vault in the first rotation, jumping out in front in the all-around competition. It wound up being the seventh-best vault score of the meet.

After a 9.350 on the uneven bars, the fifth-best score of the meet in the event, Johnson produced some magic with a 9.700 on balance beam in the fifth rotation.

Johnson, in the seventh rotation, claimed the floor exercise lead, thanks to a score of 9.750, overtaking New Prague sophomore Hailey Proshek’s 9.700.

The moment the judges produced her score for her floor routine, Johnson said it sank in that she was in contention for an individual title.

“I’m still shocked about it,” Johnson said after collecting all five of her medals (the top eight finishers for each event received a medal). “It’s crazy.”

Johnson received personal-best scores for her floor routine and balance beam. She said her relationship with her coaching staff allowed her to get to this moment.

“They were very supportive,” Johnson said. “They were willing to work with me. I wanted to work with them. I’m thankful for them as well.”

The North/Tartan coaching staff is made up of head coach Leah Ingram, along with assistant coaches Megan Weber, DMoe Ingram and Makayla Briggs.

Schwellenbach second

East Ridge senior Laney Schwellenbach was the final gymnast to go on the balance beam, needing a 9.450 to claim the all-around crown. A fall in the middle of her routine cost her a chance at the title, but she still finished second with a 38.400 overall score.

In the individual events, Schwellenbach finished runner-up with a 9.625 on uneven bars and a 9.850 on vault. She also finished in third place with a 9.675 on floor.