This year’s PWHL draft was said to be loaded with top-tier defenders, which was good news for the Minnesota Frost, who were hit hard along the blue line with a pair of key losses due to expansion.

By the time the Frost were on the clock with the sixth pick on Tuesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Ottawa, three defenders already had been selected, But they still were able to add a highly touted player in Quinnipiac captain Kendall Cooper.

A right-handed shot, Cooper has been added in hopes of filling the void created with the loss of Sophie Jaques, who signed a free-agent deal with Vancouver.

Last week, the Frost signed defender Sidney Morin to a two-year free-agent contract, easing the loss of Claire Thompson.

The 30-year-old Morin, a native of Minnetonka, played the past two seasons for Boston.

The Frost used their second-round pick to select St. Lawrence forward Abby Hustler, a 2024 Patty Kazmaier finalist. They added one of Hustler’s St. Lawrence teammates in the third round, selecting versatile forward Anna Segedi.

The Frost added Connecticut defender Ava Rinker in the fourth round.

The 23-year-old Cooper, an Ontario native, played for Canada’s Under 18 team in the world championships. At Quinnipiac, she collected 116 points in 158 career games for the Bobcats.

“I’m going to play any role they need me to play,” Cooper said shortly after being selected. “I try to pride myself on consistency, someone who can be reliable to do the right thing out there.”

The 22-year-old Hustler led St. Lawrence in scoring in three of her four seasons with the Saints. She led her team in scoring this season with 19 goals and 20 assists.

Gophers center Ella Huber went to Boston in the second round as the 10th overall pick. Montreal selected her teammate, Natalie Mlynkova, two picks later.

“It’s a crazy day, because you don’t know where you’re going to be picked or when,” Huber said. “So the no-control thing is pretty crazy, so just having peace with that.”

The New York Sirens had the first overall pick and selected Kristyna Kelsounkova, a high-scoring forward out of Colgate. The Boston Fleet took Clarkson defenseman Haley Winn with the second pick.

New York then traded defender Ella Shelton to the Toronto Sceptres for the third pick and selected Wisconsin forward Casey O’Brien. Defenseman Nicole Gosling went to the Montreal Victoire with the fourth pick.

Chanhassen’s Rory Guilday, a defender from Cornell, was taken by the Ottawa Charge. Vancouver used its first pick to take Finnish forward Michelle Karvinen. Seattle closed out the first round by selecting Ohio State forward Jenna Buglioni.

Briefly

Edina’s Lily Delianedis, who played collegiately at Cornell, was selected by Seattle in the third round.

Gophers forward Peyton Hemp was selected by Ottawa in the fourth round.

Alanna Smith scored a career-high 26 points and tied a career-high with six blocks Tuesday night in Washington.

Jessica Shepard was solid in her first game back after missing four, with 12 points and 15 rebounds. But she and Smith didn’t get enough offensive help.

In scoring their fewest points this season, the Lynx lost 68-64 to the Mystics.

The blame can easily be directed at failing to hold on to the basketball. Minnesota committed 19 turnovers that the Mystics turned into 26 points.

Courtney Williams had 10 of Minnesota’s miscues, including one that Sug Sutton turned into a layup for a 66-64 Mystics lead with 27.2 seconds left.

Williams missed a jumper with 15.2 seconds left and Sonia Citron made two late free throws to seal the win.

Minnesota’s final basket came with 8:48 remaining, missing six shots and making six of 12 free throws the rest of the way. The Lynx scored just nine points in the final 10 minutes, a season-low for a quarter.

“We had chances, we couldn’t get the free throws to get enough separation,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve. “Clearly our defense was good enough. We should be the team that gets the stop, and then gets the possession and then at least gets a shot out of it, and we couldn’t catch the basketball, then turn it over and give them two points. That was frustrating to watch.”

The Lynx (12-2) were playing their second straight game without Napheesa Collier (lower back), the league’s top scorer and the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Shepard had the first four points and Smith scored the next 13 as Minnesota jumped out to a 17-6 lead. A 3-point play by McBride pushed the lead to 14. But, as part of a 23-4 run, the Mystics cut it to two by quarter’s end.

“Rebounding, turnovers, I think were our biggest problems in the first half. And then when push came to shove, probably free throws. But we need to be able to rebound the ball and take care of the ball a lot better,” Smith said.

Washington (7-8) had a 40-39 rebounding advantage.

Minnesota’s starting backcourt of Williams and Kayla McBride was a combined 3 for 20 as the Lynx shot just 37.9%.

“They outplayed, they out-physicaled us, they out-toughed us, they out-wanted us. They took the game. They took it. They were aggressive, they wanted it, and the guard play for us was just not good enough” Reeve said.

Shepard returned after missing four games to play for Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, where she was playing 30-plus minutes per game. In three starts there, she averaged 22.7 ppg and 11.3 rebounds.

Trailing by six with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter, Shepard scored five points in an 11-4 Lynx run — capped by putting back a Bridget Carleton miss a split-second before the third quarter expired — for a 55-54 Lynx lead.

It is the first time in 11 games the Lynx lost this season when leading or tied after three quarters.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited storm-wracked Bemidji on Tuesday morning to witness the destruction that befell the area last weekend.

After driving past the worst-hit spots in the city, Walz stopped to speak about the devastation and the swift recovery process at a home along East Avenue.

“This is an unprecedented storm that hit right in Beltrami (County) and its surrounding areas,” Walz said, “but I saw a lot of other things. I saw neighbors helping neighbors. I saw professionalism of crews that have restored power to almost every single person. I also saw the grace of God and a lot of preparation by the professionals … with no injuries or loss of life.”

Nearly immediately, state legislators were in contact with county and city officials following the storm, he said.

“We were watching as these storms were developing in North Dakota,” Walz said. “I think alerts were going out once that started to happen … our folks were already activated and calling. There were folks within hours up here starting to do this. This is a process that’s in place. These are the professionals. They extend beyond administration.”

Beltrami County officials have said a survey of the storm damage to buildings, trees and power lines found wind speeds may have reached 120 mph when the storms barreled through early Saturday. That’s equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane. The same weather system spawned tornadoes that were blamed for three deaths in eastern North Dakota.

Both Bemidji and Beltrami County have announced separate emergency declarations that were each extended during separate meetings Monday.

This allowed the state to put together a disaster assistance contingency account that will help the area fund some of the recovery process up to a 75% reimbursement. The state currently has $24 million within the fund and it will refill in October to continually aid the county as long as the emergency persists.

It’s unclear whether federal assistance will be forthcoming or, if it is, whether it will be sufficient.

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The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the majority sale of the Timberwolves and Lynx to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez on Tuesday.

The sale is expected to be finalized this week, the NBA announced.

Longtime owners Glen and Becky Taylor issued a public farewell on Monday, and staff moves are already in swing with executives such as chief executive officer Ethan Casson and chief operating officer Ryan Tanke announcing their departures.

Lore and Rodriguez announced that Lore will serve as Governor of the Timberwolves, with Rodriguez operating in an alternate capacity. The roles will be reversed for the Lynx.

Lore and Rodriguez first entered into a purchase agreement with Glen Taylor four years ago. Since then, they’ve had their fingerprints all over the organization, from the hiring of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to cosmetic changes throughout Target Center.

Now, after a tumultuous sale process that went through arbitration after Taylor attempted to retain control, Lore and Rodriguez officially have the reins.

“We are honored to lead the Timberwolves and Lynx into a bold and exciting new era,” Lore said in a statement. “Today marks a momentous milestone for us, and we fully recognize the great responsibility that comes with serving as stewards of these exceptional franchises. We are committed to building an organization that sets the standard for excellence, is universally admired, and rooted in pride that spans generations.”

Rodriguez, who had an illustrious pro baseball career, noted that his has “dedicated my entire life to the world of sports.”

“Not just as a game, but as a powerful force that unites people, uplifts communities, and changes lives,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I’m incredibly honored and energized to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I know what it takes to be a champion, and I’m ready to bring that same commitment and drive to create a winning culture in Minnesota.”

The new majority owners are expected to pursue various options for future arena accommodations for the organization, which has rented Target Center for the past 35 years. This summer, Lore and Rodriguez will oversee an offseason in which Connelly and Co. will walk the line of attempting to improve the Timberwolves’ roster amid its current championship chase while not compiling an astronomic luxury tax bill that could hamper the franchise’s team building for years to come.

Step 1 in that process is Wednesday’s NBA Draft — fittingly, another new beginning.

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