The United States rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Slovakia 6-5 in a World Junior Championships Group A game at Grand Casino Arena Monday night and improve to 3-0 in preliminary round play.

Despite surrendering the contest’s first two goals during the opening period, the Americans rallied for a 4-4 tie after two stanzas, then took a 6-4 lead before Slovakia’s final goal with two minutes remaining.

“Crazy game but give our guys credit,” said U.S. coach Bob Motzko, whose team played without top defender Cole Hutson, injured two days earlier, and veteran forward Max Plante, hurt Monday. Motzko noted that Hutson remains day-to-day, while there was no update on Plante’s injury.

United States goalie Caleb Heil (30), right, celebrates with teammates after an IIHF World Junior Hockey championship game against Slovakia, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

James Hagens had two goals; Will Zellers had his third winning goal in as many games and added an assist. A.J. Spellacy and Brendan McMorrow each had a goal and an assist and Ryker Lee also tallied. Goaltender Caleb Heil made 14 saves.

The game featured shots off the post, a slew of missed breakaways, angry scrums and the type of skilled, wide-open hockey that had an announced crowd of 13,984 groaning, cheering, booing and applauding through the night.

“That’s a good team over there but we knew we were better,” Zellers said. “We gave them good, early chances off turnovers and some unlucky penalties. We had to stick with our plan.”

A crucial, early sequence during a bonkers second period occurred with the U.S. shorthanded and staring at the possibility of trailing by three goals fewer than two minutes after the first intermission.

Thirty seconds later, McMorrow sprinted onto a loose puck near his team’s blue line, then whipped a pass from the left side to the Slovakians’ far post, where a lunging Spellacy tipped it inside the iron. Asked what makes McMorrow such a stellar penalty killer, Motzko was succinct.

“Speed, tenacity,” the coach said. “He knows his job. Think of what (the situation) would have been if we’d gone down, 3-0.”

Said Zellers: “We knew the crowd was ready to pop, so when we got that first one it was electric. We knew we had the momentum back. It’s so much fun to play those close, back-and-forth games.”

Although the U.S. trailed 3-1 after also surrendering a shorthanded goal five minutes later, they used the momentum generated by their first tally to knot the score at 3-3 on goals by McMorrow and Lee.

Slovakia moved ahead at 4-3 on a power-play goal five minutes before the second intermission. That lead did not last, as Hagans created another deadlock just 44 seconds before the break, scoring from between the circles to forge a 4-4 tie after two stanzas of play.

“That was huge,” Motzko said. “We said after the first (period) that if we could score next, we’d get the crowd going and get some life in the building,” Motzko said.

United States forward James Hagens (10) celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey championship game against Slovakia, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

There was plenty of life in Grand Casino Arena as Hagens gave the U.S. its first lead of the game just 18 seconds into the third period, scoring as he slid towards the left post after a shot from the blue line caromed off traffic in front of Slovakia goalie Michal Pradel.

“Coach told us after the second period to take a deep breath, we’re right in this game and we’re going to be in a lot of these situations going further,” said Hagens, a Boston College student and Boston Bruins draft pick. “Be comfortable and make the next play, don’t try to do anything out of the ordinary.”

Zellers added an insurance goal with 15 minutes remaining. Tic-tac-toe passing resulted in a cross-crease feed that went in off Zellers’ skate, but a review revealed no distinct kicking motion to disqualify it. The tally put the U.S. up 6-4. It also proved crucial as Slovakia managed the game’s 11th goal that brought the score to it’s eventual final count of 6-5.

Motzko said he obviously didn’t enjoy the Americans giving up five goals, but that run-and-gun hockey sometimes occurs.

“I don’t like it but you have to bury it and move on,” he said. “I think we’ve scored our way out of a couple of games and that’s a little concerning for me.”

The U.S. moves on to face Sweden, another undefeated team, on New Year’s Eve in the countries’ final game before the knockout round begins with Friday quarterfinals. The semifinals are Sunday and the championship and third-place games are a day later.

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When Mallory Heyer announced weeks before the season opener she would be leaving Minnesota’s program, some of the power forward’s responsibilities landed in the hands of Amaya Battle.

Battle, a senior wing who spent her first two seasons as the point guard, was going to have to rebound more. It wasn’t too much of an issue for the Hopkins product; she had always been a strong rebounder for a guard.

Indiana’s Nevaeh Caffey, left, can’t get to Minnesota’s Amaya Battle before she releases a jump shot in the Gophers’ 71-48 victory Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Bloomington, Ind. Battle scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. (Meghan Bielich / Gophers Athletics)

Thirteen games later, Battle leads the Gophers in rebounding (7.8 per game) and assists (3.9). She can score a little, too.

Battle led all scorers with 20 points and added eight boards on Monday as Minnesota routed Indiana, 71-48, in Bloomington, Ind. It was the Gophers’ first victory at Assembly Hall since 2019.

“It’s hard to do this against a team that’s really good at home, to do that on the road, in a really tough environment,” coach Dawn Plitzuweit said on the team’s postgame radio broadcast.

Battle was a major reason. She was only credited with one assist, but that’s not indicative of her effect on the offense with three offensive boards, and the transitions she started with rebounds on the other end.

“I’ve always liked rebounding, even when I was younger,” the Hopkins graduate said on KFAN’s postgame show. “It’s not just this year. I’ve always loved to go and rebound it, especially on defense; then I get out and push it. Or under the boards, and I can kick it out and find another shooter.

“I just like grabbing the ball out of the air.”

Tori McKinney scored 17 points, and Sophie Hart finished with a game-high 12 rebounds and nine points for the Gophers, who improved to 10-3 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota scored the first 17 points of the third quarter as the Gophers turned a small halftime lead into a 23-point advantage. They trailed by seven in the first quarter, and held a 34-28 lead at halftime before they throttled the Hoosiers (11-3, 0-2) defensively in the second half.

Battle scored eight points — and two steals and a rebound — during the Gophers’ 17-0 third-quarter run. For the game, Minnesota scored 21 points off 21 Indiana turnovers. Battle finished with three steals, and McKinney and Mara Braun had two apiece.

Battle’s 20 points were a season high for the four-year starter.

“She leads us in assists and in rebounding; that’s hard to do,” Plitzuweit said. “To have eight rebounds, and do so much for us defensively in terms of matchups and switches and guarding the point guard. We rely a great, great deal on her. I thought she performed at a really high level.”

The Gophers’ next game is Jan. 5 at No. 6 Michigan (10-1).

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By SARA CLINE and JACK BROOK

NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — A National Guard deployment in New Orleans authorized by President Donald Trump will begin Tuesday as part of a heavy security presence for New Year’s celebrations a year after an attack on revelers on Bourbon Street killed 14 people, officials said Monday.

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The deployment in New Orleans follows high-profile National Guard missions the Trump administration launched in other cities this year, including in Washington and Memphis, Tennessee. But the sight of National Guard troops is not unusual in New Orleans, where troops earlier this year also helped bolster security for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.

“It’s no different than what we’ve seen in the past,” New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper said.

The Guard is not the only federal law enforcement agency in the city. Since the start of the month, federal agents have been carrying out an immigration crackdown that has led to the arrest of at least several hundred people.

Harper stressed that the National Guard will not be engaging in immigration enforcement.

“This is for visibility and just really to keep our citizens safe,” Harper said. “It’s just another tool in the toolbox and another layer of security.”

The Guard is expected be confined to the French Quarter area popular with tourists and won’t be engaging in assisting in immigration enforcement, Harper said. Guardsmen will operate similar to earlier this year when they patrolled the area around Bourbon Street following the vehicle-ramming attack on Jan. 1.

The 350 Guard members will stay through Carnival season, when residents and tourists descend on the Big Easy to partake in costumed celebrations and massive parades before ending with Mardi Gras in mid-February.

Louisiana National Guard spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins said in a written statement that the Guard will support local, state, and federal law enforcement “to enhance capabilities, stabilize the environment, assist in reducing crime, and restoring public trust.”

An opened gate is seen at the Bourbon Street corner in New Orleans on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, the site of a Jan. 1, 2025, fatal vehicle ramming attack which led the city to bolster its safety measures in the area. (AP Photo/Jack Brook)

In total, more than 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officials will be deployed in New Orleans to close off Bourbon Street to vehicular traffic, patrol the area, conduct bag searches and redirect traffic, city officials said during a news conference Monday.

The extra aid for New Orleans has received the support of some Democrats, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell saying she is “welcoming of those added resources.”

The increased law enforcement presence comes a year after Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove around a police blockade in the early hours of Jan. 1 and raced down Bourbon Street, plowing into people celebrating New Year’s Day. The attacker, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran who had proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group on social media, was fatally shot by police after crashing. After an expansive search, law enforcement located multiple bombs in coolers placed around the French Quarter. None of the explosive devices detonated.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, 100 National Guard members were sent to the city.

In September, Gov. Jeff Landry asked Trump to send 1,000 troops to Louisiana cities, citing concerns about crime. Democrats pushed back, specifically leaders in New Orleans who said a deployment was unwarranted. They argued that the city has actually seen a dramatic decrease in violent crime rates in recent years.

Cline reported from Baton Rouge.

By ALEXA ST. JOHN

Climate change worsened by human behavior made 2025 one of the three hottest years on record, scientists said.

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It was also the first time that the three-year temperature average broke through the threshold set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times. Experts say that keeping the Earth below that limit could save lives and prevent catastrophic environmental destruction around the globe.

The analysis from World Weather Attribution researchers, released Tuesday in Europe, came after a year when people around the world were slammed by the dangerous extremes brought on by a warming planet.

Temperatures remained high despite the presence of a La Nina, the occasional natural cooling of Pacific Ocean waters that influences weather worldwide. Researchers cited the continued burning of fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — that send planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

“If we don’t stop burning fossil fuels very, very, quickly, very soon, it will be very hard to keep that goal” of warming, Friederike Otto, co-founder of World Weather Attribution and an Imperial College London climate scientist, told The Associated Press. “The science is increasingly clear.”

Extremes in 2025

Extreme weather events kill thousands of people and cost billions of dollars in damage annually.

WWA scientists identified 157 extreme weather events as most severe in 2025, meaning they met criteria such as causing more than 100 deaths, affecting more than half an area’s population or having a state of emergency declared. Of those, they closely analyzed 22.

That included dangerous heat waves, which the WWA said were the world’s deadliest extreme weather events in 2025. The researchers said some of the heat waves they studied in 2025 were 10 times more likely than they would have been a decade ago due to climate change.

FILE – Tourists use umbrellas to shelter against the sun outside Hagia Sophia mosque during a hot summer day in Istanbul Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

“The heat waves we have observed this year are quite common events in our climate today, but they would have been almost impossible to occur without human-induced climate change,” Otto said. “It makes a huge difference.”

Meanwhile, prolonged drought contributed to wildfires that scorched Greece and Turkey. Torrential rains and flooding in Mexico killed dozens of people and left many more missing. Super Typhoon Fung-wong slammed the Philippines, forcing more than a million people to evacuate. Monsoon rains battered India with floods and landslides.

FILE – People traverse a flooded street in Poza Rica, Veracruz state, Mexico, Oct. 15, 2025, after torrential rain. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez, File)

The WWA said the increasingly frequent and severe extremes threatened the ability of millions of people across the globe to respond and adapt to those events with enough warning, time and resources, what the scientists call “limits of adaptation.” The report pointed to Hurricane Melissa as an example: The storm intensified so quickly that it made forecasting and planning more difficult, and pummeled Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti so severely that it left the small island nations unable to respond to and handle its extreme losses and damage.

Global climate negotiations sputter out

This year’s United Nations climate talks in Brazil in November ended without any explicit plan to transition away from fossil fuels, and though more money was pledged to help countries adapt to climate change, they will take more time to do it.

Officials, scientists, and analysts have conceded that Earth’s warming will overshoot 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), though some say reversing that trend remains possible.

Yet different nations are seeing varying levels of progress.

FILE – Debris surrounds damaged homes along the Black River, Jamaica, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

China is rapidly deploying renewable energies including solar and wind power — but it is also continuing to invest in coal. Though increasingly frequent extreme weather has spurred calls for climate action across Europe, some nations say that limits economic growth. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Trump administration has steered the nation away from clean-energy policy in favor of measures that support coal, oil and gas.

“The geopolitical weather is very cloudy this year with a lot of policymakers very clearly making policies for the interest of the fossil fuel industry rather than for the populations of their countries,” Otto said. “And we have a huge amount of mis- and disinformation that people have to deal with.”

FILE – Local residents and volunteers work together to battle an encroaching wildfire in Larouco, northwestern Spain, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar, File)

Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a senior researcher at the Columbia University Climate School who wasn’t involved in the WWA work, said places are seeing disasters they aren’t used to, extreme events are intensifying faster and they are becoming more complex. That requires earlier warnings and new approaches to response and recovery, he said.

“On a global scale, progress is being made,” he added, “but we must do more.”

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.