Minnesota generally gets colder and darker come November. But for a Minnesota Wild team that stumbled out of the gates in its first dozen games, flipping the calendar to the eleventh month seems to have provided some vital daylight.

On the first night of November, the Wild turned in a much-needed start-to-finish effort and got rewarded, beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 to snap a five-game losing skid.

Clinging to a one-goal lead in the third period, the Wild got a clincher from an unlikely source, when third liner Vinnie Hinostoza snapped a rising shot off the glove of Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. It was Hinostroza’s first goal of the season, and gave them some vital breathing room.

Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists, while Marco Rossi, Jonas Brodin and Ryan Hartman also scored as Minnesota won for the first time since Oct. 20.

Drew O’Connor scored his first two goals of the season for Vancouver, but Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson had 26 saves in the win as Minnesota improved to 4-6-3 on the season and 2-3-2 at home.

Minnesota’s power play, which opened the day ranked fourth, statistically, in the NHL, got two chances in the first period. They failed to get a shot on the first man-advantage, but cashed in on their second chance.

After a set-up pass from Joel Eriksson Ek found him behind the Vancouver defenders, Tarasenko streaked across the top of the crease and tucked a backhand shot past Demko. It was Tarasenko’s second goal since joining the Wild via a trade with Detroit over the summer.

Almost as important, for a Wild penalty kill that entered the evening statistically last in the NHL, they negated the only penalty taken by the home team in the first period, icing the puck three times.

Vancouver began the middle frame with a strong push, recording seven of the period’s first eight shots and tying the score on Drew O’Connor’s first goal of the season. Gustavsson made the save on a wide-angle shot by Mackenzie MacEachern, only to have the rebound bounce right to the stick of O’Connor, who was crashing the net.

Tarasenko played the set-up role as the Wild regained the lead later in the second. His shot from the blue line made it through a crowd in front of Demko, and the goalie knocked it down, but was unable to stop Rossi’s crack at the rebound.

After Hinostroza provided a two-goal lead, Brodin’s shot from along the goal line found an imperceptible gap between the post and Demko’s blocker to put Minnesota up 4-1. O’Connor scored off a faceoff to the left of Gustavsson a short time later to keep things close.

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Demko finished with 22 saves for the Canucks, who fell to 6-7-0 under first-year coach Adam Foote. The coach brought his goalie to the bench with four minutes to go in favor of an extra attacker, only to see Hartman fire the puck from the far goal line into the empty net.

The Wild and Canucks will meet two more times this season – Dec. 6 in Vancouver and April 2 in St. Paul.

The Wild’s six-game homestand concludes on Tuesday with the Nashville Predators’ first visit of the season. It is a 7 p.m. start at Grand Casino Arena.

An Isanti County man charged with hiding a Forest Lake teen in a tent in rural Pine County, Minn., for months was sentenced to four years in prison Friday.

Shawn Patrick Bellach (Courtesy of the Pine County Sheriff’s Office)

Shawn Patrick Bellach, 39, of Dalbo, Minn., pleaded guilty in August to felony charges of kidnapping and second-degree criminal sexual conduct and was sentenced in the 10th Judicial District Court, which includes Pine County. Each count includes a sentence of four years, which will be served concurrently. Bellach was credited for 25 days served.

One count each of soliciting a child to engage in sexual conduct, deprivation of custodial or parental rights, and second-degree criminal sexual conduct were dismissed as part of a plea agreement Bellach reached with the prosecution in August. Bellach is required to register as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.

Bellach was arrested in July 2023 after the teen girl, who was then 14, was found living in a tent north of Grasston, Minn., late that month. She had been missing since May after leaving her house on a bicycle with an attached trailer, taking her cat and $3,000 in baby-sitting money.

The girl’s mother told the Pioneer Press in June that the girl left a note saying she was going to be “traveling around the United States with her boyfriend.”

Bellach knew the girl’s mother and agreed to help the girl run away to a home belonging to friends of his in Grasston, according to the complaint. The friends agreed to let the girl stay in a tent on the property temporarily after Bellach told them that the girl was abused at home, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, a search of the girl’s cellphone showed videos of Bellach and the girl living together in the tent. In one video, Bellach asks the girl what it is like “dating someone who is 20 years older than her.”

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Julius Randle scored 30 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Charlotte Hornets 122-105 on Saturday night, their first victory since All-Star Anthony Edwards was sidelined with an injury.

Without Edwards, who has a right hamstring strain, Minnesota had lost home games to Denver and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid added 18 points each, Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 14 points for Minnesota.

Miles Bridges had 30 points and LaMelo Ball had 18 points, seven rebounds and eight assists to lead Charlotte, which has lost its last three games.

Charlotte led 56-50 at halftime before Minnesota dominated the third quarter 36-18 to take and 86-74 lead into the final quarter. The Timberwolves’ strong play extended into the fourth quarter as they eventually built a 20-point lead.

Minnesota made 17 of 36 3-pointers (47.2%) , getting conversions from DiVincenzo (5 of 12), Randle (3 of 6), Rei (3 of 5), McDaniels (2 of 2), Johnny Juzang (1 of 1) and Bones Hyland (1 of 3).

The Hornets were 13 of 45 (28.9%)from 3-point range.

This was the first game since the Hornets announced they had exercised their fourth-year team option on guard Brandon Miller and third-year team option on forward Tidjane Salaun.

Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has appeared in 103 career games, but missed 65 games last year after needing right wrist surgery and missed his fourth straight game Saturday with a left shoulder injury.

Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham was playing in his second career game near his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina, 60 miles northwest of Charlotte. He had four points and three assists in 15 minutes.

It was a commanding victory for Wayzata senior Maddie Gullickson as she finished in 16 minutes, 54.3 seconds Saturday afternoon at the Class 3A girls state cross country championship on the University of Minnesota campus.

The result never seemed to be in question as Gullickson sprinted across the finish line 37.1 seconds before Forest Lake’s Anna VanAcker, who came in second. Gullickson unleashed her pent-up joy as she completed the race, smiling with her arms raised over her head.

Forest Lake’s Anna VanAcker runs during the Class 3A girls cross country race of the State Tournament at Les Bolstad Golf Course in Minneapolis, Saturday, Nov. 01, 2025. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)

Burnsville’s Carley LaMotte finished in third, eight seconds back of VanAcker, while Mounds View’s Linnea Ousdigian placed sixth.

Gullickson said the emotion came not only from winning the state championship but from beating a benchmark she set for herself.

“My big goal this season was to break 17 [minutes], so that was so cool to be able to do it here,” Gullickson said.
”Just knowing how much adversity I’ve faced in the work that I’ve put in the season comes to show in moments like this.”

But just like a cross-country course, the road to this achievement was an uphill battle with challenging twists and turns. Gullickson had to battle through adversity stemming from her previous track campaign.

Gullickson said she had to push through a stress fracture in her foot and a recent nagging illness.

“I raced with it for like, half the track season, and then we finally went and got it checked out,” Gullickson said. “I’ve been facing a sickness the past few weeks, so I’ve been on the come up from that.

Even with the happiness that overcomes one when winning a state championship, Gullickson was quick to praise her teammates when asked about her accomplishment.

“Yeah, it’s awesome, I mean, I’ve won state championships in track, but just like coming out here for cross is just a whole other thing because I have my whole team here with me,” Gullickson said. “I’m not just racing for my success, but I’m racing for my team’s success.”

Her motivation comes from striving for team success, but also in response to a personal setback a season ago.

Gullickson finished as runner-up to then-Forest Lake senior and now Gophers freshman Norah Hushagen last year. She said coming up short motivated her heading into her senior campaign.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything, because it just motivated me even more this year,” Gullickson said. “It just makes the success so much more … knowing that I put in so much work to get here.”

The North Carolina State commit also spearheaded the Trojans’ fourth straight team title.

Class 2A

Simley freshman Annaleigh Schwab finished in second in the individual race with a time of 18 minutes, 22 seconds – 19 seconds behind St. Francis senior Keira Friedrich. Minneapolis Southwest won the team title.

Class A

St. John’s Prep’s Margaret Duffy won the girls championship. Nova Classical freshman Isabel Pass finished fourth.

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