Matt Boldy scored his second goal of the game 39 seconds into overtime as the Minnesota Wild rallied, twice, on the road, finding a way to win 4-3 over the Winnipeg Jets in their first game back from the holiday break.

With set-up passes from Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes, Boldy ripped a shot past Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck after Minnesota forced overtime in the final half-minute of regulation with an extra-attacker goal.

Boldy, Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello scored in regulation for the Wild, who got back on the winning track after going losing twice — once in overtime — before Christmas. They got a 23-save effort from Jesper Wallstedt, who is now 11-2-2 this season. His workload included a game-saving stop in the opening minute of overtime.

Boldy now has 24 goals, which is one better than Kaprizov for the team lead.

Outshooting Winnipeg early, the Wild briefly found themselves trailing when Gustav Nyquist split the Minnesota defense and snapped a wrist shot past Wallstedt. The Wild coaches immediately challenged the play for offside and, after a brief review, the goal came off the board when it was determined that Nino Niederreiter had entered the offensive zone prematurely.

Minnesota is now a perfect 4 for 4 on challenges this season.

The reprieve was short-lived. Just a few shifts later, Josh Morrissey’s slap shot from the high slot sailed past the goalie to give Winnipeg the early lead.

Both teams went down a defenseman on the next shift, as Minnesota’s Jake Middleton dropped the gloves with Winnipeg big man Logan Stanley, with both getting a five-minute timeout.

With 91 seconds left in the first, and Boldy under heavy duress from Jets defenseman Luke Schenn at the top of the crease, a Jared Spurgeon shot deflected off Boldy and in, helping the Wild forge a tie after the opening period, despite being outshot 10-5.

Kaprizov tied Boldy for the goals lead in the second period, walking around a Winnipeg defender and popping in a backhand shot to give the Wild their first lead. But the final few minutes of the middle frame were disastrous for Minnesota. First, the Jets tied the game, then Spurgeon left the rink after taking a high stick to the face.

With less than three seconds to play before the second intermission, a lost defensive zone faceoff and a quick wrist shot past Wallstedt sent the Jets to the dressing room with a 3-2 lead.

After Spurgeon returned and the Wild juggled their top two lines to start the third, they got a late power play. They tested the Jets’ net but could not get a third puck over the line until the final half-minute of regulation.

Another Jets penalty and Wallstedt heading to the bench for an extra attacker gave the Wild a 6-on-4 advantage, and Zuccarello forced overtime with his third goal of the season.

Hellebuyck finished with 15 saves for Winnipeg. Minnesota is 2-0-1 now versus the Jets this season. They will play once more in the regular season, with the Jets visiting Grand Casino Arena on Jan. 15.

The Wild’s season-long, seven-game road trip continues Monday night when they visit the Vegas Golden Knights for the first time this season. The game is a 9 p.m. Central start. Minnesota notched a 3-2 overtime win over the Knights in mid-November in St. Paul.

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EDMONTON, Alberta — Taylor Heise scored her first goal of the season 2:57 into overtime Saturday to give the Minnesota Frost a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Goldeneyes as the Professional Women’s Hockey League Takeover Tour hit Edmonton’s Rogers Place.

Heise worked her way into the left faceoff circle before rifling a shot just under the crossbar to give the Frost the win and keep Vancouver winless on the road.

Abby Hustler also scored for Minnesota, with Maddie Rooney making 27 saves.

Izzy Daniel had Vancouver’s lone goal, and Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 33 shots.

With 10,264 mostly partisan Vancouver fans having cheered through 52 minutes of scoreless hockey after two goals in the first three minutes of the game, the Goldeneyes had a golden opportunity with a power play at 15:04 of the third period. Against one of the worst penalty-killing teams in the league, Vancouver failed to generate a single shot on goal.

Gabby Rosenthal drew a delay of game penalty just 52 seconds in and it took Minnesota only 26 seconds to capitalize. Hustler rifled a shot from the slot past Maschmeyer to finish off a series of crisp passes that left her wide open.

The Goldeneyes responded less than two minutes later when Daniel backhanded a rebound past Rooney.

The game was the third of 16 Tour stops for the PWHL this season and the first of two visits to Edmonton with the second game scheduled for April 7, 2026.

The Takeover Tour consists of 16 neutral-site regular-season games played outside the league’s current cities. Saturday’s game was the second Tour stop in Edmonton. Last season, the Ottawa-Toronto game drew a sold-out crowd of 17,518 to Rogers Place.

Up next

Frost: Visit Toronto on Tuesday.

Goldeneyes: Visit New York on Wednesday.

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A security guard who was injured on Christmas Day by a patient at a Wyoming, Minn., emergency room has died, authorities said.

The guard, Andrea Merrell, 43, of North Branch, died as a result of injuries sustained during the Thursday incident at M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, according to a press release from Wyoming Police Chief Neil Bauer on Saturday.

A 35-year-old Chisago City man is being held at the Chisago County Jail in connection with the death, Bauer said.

Police gave the following details about the incident:

At 5:23 p.m. Thursday, the Wyoming Police Department was called to the medical center on reports that a 35-year-old man had assaulted a security guard at the hospital and had run away from the emergency department after being placed on a hold.

Officers found the man in the parking lot, where he was allegedly non-compliant and physically resisted the officers for a prolonged time before he was taken into custody.

The security guard was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for treatment and later died, police said Saturday.

“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the hospital security guard involved in the incident, Andrea Merrell, age 43, of North Branch, Minnesota, has passed away as a result of injuries sustained during the incident,” Bauer said in his statement. “The Wyoming Police Department extends its sincere condolences to Andrea Merrell’s family, loved ones, and colleagues, as well as to the staff of M Health Fairview Lakes Medical Center during this extremely difficult time. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic loss.”

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PHOENIX — Leaders of the Gophers football program discussed one of the biggest hot-button topics over dinner last week at the luxurious Sheraton Grand Resort at Wild Horse Pass.

Before winning the Rate Bowl, 20-17 over New Mexico on Friday, Athletics Director Mark Coyle, head coach P.J. Fleck and general manager Gerrit Chernoff met to look ahead at the opening of the transfer portal on Friday. It was one of many, many discussions they have had on the issue.

“It comes up on Jan. 2. We all know that date. We all know it’s coming really quickly,” Coyle told the Pioneer Press last week.

The bowl game was the 13th and final data point to conclude the Gophers’ batting average wasn’t high enough on incoming players across last year’s two transfer portal windows.

They finished with an 8-5 record this year, but that mark could have been better if they hit on more than a few new players last winter and spring.

Minnesota, and everyone in the nation, will only have a few, short weeks to improve its roster for next season. With no spring window this year, players have until Jan. 16 to enter the portal, with the goal of them committing, signing contracts and enrolling at their new school in time for spring semester in January.

The Gophers will enter Year 2 of revenue-sharing payments to players in June and will be adjusting how to best use approximately $15 million allocated annually to their football roster. To strategize, the U has consulted with the Timberwolves, Vikings and Wild to learn about how Minnesota’s pro teams manage their salary caps, Coyle said.

“They talked about the importance of (how) you have to have good data, because if you miss on somebody, it’s a kick in the shins,” Coyle said. “That is what we have to evaluate in terms of moving forward, having good evaluations on players.”

For 2025, the Gophers were successful with cornerback John Nestor, receiver Javon Tracy and punter Tom Weston. All three of those starters are back next season, too.

The Gophers also had serviceable additions in right tackle Dylan Ray, defensive tackle Rushawn Lawrence and kicker Brady Denaburg. They were seniors this year.

Minnesota had a bigger handful of players who can be given incomplete grades for their time so far with the program because they have eligibility remaining for 2026 and can still develop into quality players.

But the Gophers had more misses in the portal, especially along the defensive line and offensive lines.

“How do we have to vet players even more to find the right fit?” Fleck asked last week. “Gerrit Chernoff and (director of player personnel) Marcus Hendrickson do such a great job of that. They have learned from our past.”

The Gophers brought in more than 20 players last year. This year’s tally is to be determined, but the entire roster will be assessed for needs. The U has had a strong retention rate of current players on the roster, which cuts down on how many new players will be needed.

“It’s not going to be a massive number, because I feel really good about our retention rate,” Fleck said.

Minnesota will continue to look for players with multiple years of eligibility, players with developmental upside and ones who fit in with a program that emphasizes work in the classroom and the community.

The Gophers also don’t have the largest Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) budget, so they can’t wade too deeply into the overall transfer talent pool.

With the addition of revenue sharing, the other bucket of funds for players, missing on a paid-for prospect stings not only the on-field performance, but also the budget. It’s more real now, Coyle says.

“We do a lot of due diligence,” the AD said. “ Are you going to be 100% all the time? Absolutely not. But again, the closer you get to 100%, the better you are going to be long-term.”

The Gophers are believed to have three primary positions of need: defensive line, receiver and offensive line.

The return of D-end Anthony Smith for 2026 is a boost to the position, but veteran tackle help is a must with Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding and Lawrence out of eligibility.

Top receiver Le’Meke Brockington just finished his senior season, and quarterback Drake Lindsey needs more help on the outside. The two-touchdown performance in the Rate Bowl from rising junior Jalen Smith was a good sign, and Tracy will be back. But dynamism to create separation and win contested catches are coveted attributes.

The Gophers’ front five struggled mightily this season. Four of the pieces are back for 2026, but they will likely pursue at least one tackle with the exit of Ray.

Minnesota Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck talks about the 2026 recruiting class during an event at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 3, 2025. (Trenten Gauthier / Gopher Athletics)

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