Goals were tough to come by as the Minnesota and St. Thomas women’s hockey teams took to the ice for the finale of their weekend series on Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena

The squads played to an official 1-1 draw in the finale of their weekend series at Ridder Arena Saturday afternoon. The Gophers won a shootout to claim two points, with the Tommies earning a point.

In a defensive struggle, it took nearly the entirety of the first period for the first goal to go on the board. The opening tally went to the hosts, as Jamie Nelson’s power-play score put the Gophers up 1-0 just 18 seconds before the first intermission.

It took a long while for the lamp to be lit again, but Jenessa Gazdik’s even-strength goal at 12:10 of the third period forged a 1-1 tie that carried on through the final dozen minutes of regulation and five more minutes of overtime play.

Both goaltenders stood tall in their respective nets, with the Tommies’ Julia Minotti making 22 saves and Gophers netminder Hannah Clark stopping 26 of the 27 shots she faced.

After each team secured its lone point, the strong goalie play continued into the three-round shootout with both sides seeking the added bonus point for a shootout win. Neither team managed to put one in the goal through their first two attempts, but Sydney Morrow finally cracked the code in the third round with the lone tally of the penalty shot duel to give the third-ranked Gophers added consolation to close out the contest.

It was the first official tie of the season for both teams. Minnesota (24-5-1 overall, 18-5-1 WCHA) remained in third place in the WCHA with 55 points, while St. Thomas (12-17-1, 7-16-1) held onto sixth with 23 points.

The Gophers head out on the road next weekend for a crucial WCHA series at second-ranked Ohio State. By the time the puck drops in Columbus, Ohio next Friday night, the Buckeyes may be the top-ranked team in the country based on their 4-1 win at current No. 1 Wisconsin Saturday evening. The Badgers host Ohio State for their series finale on Sunday afternoon.

St. Thomas’ schedule doesn’t ease up much next weekend as the Tommies head north to take on No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday and Saturday.

Related Articles

Men’s basketball: Gophers and cancer patients form bond in new program

Men’s hockey: Gophers pounded by visiting Buckeyes

Men’s hockey: Tommies down Bowling Green in OT

Meet the Minnesotans competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics

Women’s basketball: Gophers stun No. 10 Iowa

President Donald Trump’s administration can continue to detain immigrants without bond, marking a major legal victory for the federal immigration agenda and countering a slew of recent lower court decisions across the country that argued the practice is illegal.

A panel of judges on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday evening that the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to deny bond hearings to immigrants arrested across the country is consistent with the constitution and federal immigration law.

Specifically, circuit judge Edith H. Jones wrote in the 2-1 majority opinion that the government correctly interpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act by asserting that “unadmitted aliens apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided inside the United States.”

Under past administrations, most noncitizens with no criminal record who were arrested away from the border had an opportunity to request a bond hearing while their cases wound through immigration court. Historically, bond was often granted to those without criminal convictions who were not flight risks, and mandatory detention was limited to recent border crossers.

“That prior Administrations decided to use less than their full enforcement authority under” the law “does not mean they lacked the authority to do more,” Jones wrote.

The plaintiffs in the two separate cases filed last year against the Trump administration were both Mexican nationals who had both lived in the United States for over 10 years and weren’t flight risks, their attorneys argued. Neither man had a criminal record, and both were jailed for months last year before a lower Texas court granted them bond in October.

The Trump White House reversed that policy in favor of mandatory detention in July, reversing almost 30 years of precedent under both Democrat and Republican administrations.

Friday’s ruling also bucks a November district court decision in California, which granted detained immigrants with no criminal history the opportunity to request a bond hearing and had implications for noncitizens held in detention nationwide.

Circuit Judge Dana M. Douglas wrote the lone dissent in Friday’s decision.

The elected congress members who passed the Immigration and Nationality Act “would be surprised to learn it had also required the detention without bond of two million people,” Douglas wrote, adding that many of the people detained are “the spouses, mothers, fathers, and grandparents of American citizens.”

She went on to argue that the federal government was overriding the lawmaking process with DHS’ new immigration detention policy that denies detained immigrants bond.

“Because I would reject the government’s invitation to rubber stamp its proposed legislation by executive fiat, I dissent,” Douglas wrote.

Douglas’ opinion echoed widespread tensions between the Trump administration and federal judges around the country, who have increasingly accused the administration of flouting court orders.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the decision as “a significant blow against activist judges who have been undermining our efforts to make America safe again at every turn.”

“We will continue vindicating President Trump’s law and order agenda in courtrooms across the country,” Bondi wrote on the social media platform X.

Related Articles

Prosecutors began investigating Renee Good’s killing. Washington told them to stop.

Immigrant whose skull was broken in 8 places during ICE arrest in St. Paul says beating was unprovoked

Judge orders Trump administration to bring back 3 families deported to Honduras, other countries

Government must reach agreement on right to counsel for people at Minnesota ICE facility, judge says

Greater Minnesota cities ask lawmakers to invest in ‘the basics’ as hot-button issues loom

Gophers men’s basketball fans should not be surprised on Sunday when point guard Isaac Asuma’s No. 1 jersey has a unfamiliar name across his back for the Big Ten game against Maryland at Williams Arena.

Instead, Asuma’s white home jersey will read “Walker” to shout out his pairing with AJ Walker, a patient at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. That temporary change is an added way to intertwine head coach Niko Medved’s “Ski-U-Mah Strong” initiative between Minnesota players and patient “warriors.”

Minnesota (11-12, 4-8 Big Ten) tips off against the Terrapins (8-14, 1-10) at 1 p.m. at The Barn.

During his tenure at Colorado State, Medved wanted to localize the Coaches vs. Cancer effort from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and started the program six years ago with UCHealth. This carries over a similar effort to his alma mater.

“It’s something I really wanted to take here to our community,” Medved said earlier this week.

Each patient and family members receive exclusive treatment in the days leading up to the Gophers game, including a hangout on Friday, pregame festivities for the national anthem and a tribute at halftime at The Barn.

Each player and patient has developed a connection through letters, video conferences, in-person visits and meet-and-greet at practice.

“We really made it a personal thing,” Medved said of previous years. “The cancer warriors would write letters to our players, describing their journey and what they are going through. I think the players find that really inspiring.”

In the first half dozen years of the program, Medved has seen the deep connection forged for his players.

“The relationships our players have made with families and these people, some of them have been lifelong relationships,” Medved said. “I think it’s a really cool way to use our platform to help impact our community. I’m excited to bring it here to Minnesota.”

On Sunday, the Gophers are looking to build on their first upset of a top 10-ranked team since 2021. After Minnesota knocked off No. 10 Michigan State on Wednesday, the U will look to make it two wins in a row against Maryland.

The Terrapins, under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, are having a tougher debut season than Medved’s squad. Williams is also dealing with injuries, including to former Minnesota and Texas A&M center Pharrell Payne, who has not played due to injury since Dec. 13. The 6-foot-9 post from Park of Cottage Grove averaged 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds in 10 games this season.

Related Articles

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears got ‘carried away’ in loss to Gophers

Men’s basketball: Gophers pull off huge upset of No. 10 Michigan State

Men’s basketball: Gophers underlying positive amid long losing streak

Gophers men hit new low in 77-75 loss to last-place Penn State

Gophers’ Niko Medved calls out lack of ‘respect’ from Badgers

MILAN, Italy — Hilary Knight scored to tie the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey career goal record, and the Americans wore down a Finland opponent that spent much of the week dealing with a stomach virus in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday.

Defender Megan Keller had a goal and two assists, while Alex Carpenter, Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy also scored. Aerin Frankel stopped 11 shots for her first shutout in just her second career Olympic game.

The tournament favorite Americans (2-0) improved to 11-0 in Olympic meetings against Finland, and had just about everything going in their favor on Saturday.

The Finns returned to the ice as a full team for the first time since last being together at practice on Tuesday. That night, four players developed symptoms of a norovirus. Two days later, Finland’s 23-player roster was down to eight forwards and two goalies, prompting Olympic officials to postpone the team’s tournament opener against Canada to Feb. 12.

On Friday, coach Tero Lehtera vowed his team would play the Americans even if it meant having a minimum five forwards and a goalie. After canceling their morning skate on Saturday, the Finns took the ice six hours later with a full 22-player contingent.

Finland came out with speed but showed signs of rustiness while struggling to handle the puck. Petra Nieminen had it slide off her stick on a potential break two minutes in. The Finns eventually wore down in managing nine shots through two periods and 11 overall.

Goalie Sanni Ahola stopped 44 shots overall, and kept the Finns in the game through a first period in which she stopped 14 of 15 shots. Carpenter was the only one that beat her wjth a one-timer from the slot for a power-play goal with 4:48 left in the period.

The U.S. then broke open the game with three goals through the first 9:17 of the second period.

Knight capped the run by being set up to the left of the net. She paused, then spun toward the net and banked a shot in off of Ahola’s blocker.

The goal was Knight’s second of the tournament and 14th in her USA Hockey-record fifth Olympic Games. The 36-year-old tied the U.S. record for goals shared by Natalie Darwitz and Katie King, and Knight’s 29 career points are only three back of matching Jenny Potter on the U.S. list.

Finland didn’t manage its first shot on net in the third period — and 10th overall — until the 11-minute mark, when Sanni Vanhanen’s snapper was gloved by Frankel.

In other Group A play, Canada was scheduled to open the tournament facing Switzerland, which also had a stomach flu scare. The Swiss team skipped the opening ceremony, and spent Friday night in isolation after one player showed symptoms of the norovirus.

The player was cleared on Saturday.

In earlier Group B play, Thea Johansson scored twice and added an assist, and Sweden improved to 2-0 with a 6-1 win over host Italy (1-1).

Related Articles

Women’s hockey: Team USA wins Olympics opener

Frost come up short in second consecutive OT loss to Montreal

Utah Mammoth to host the 2027 NHL Winter Classic against the Colorado Avalanche

World Juniors: U.S. ends tourney in disappointing fashion

World Juniors: U.S. gets scare but holds off Switzerland