While it was likely the fulfillment of a small dream he’d had at some point, to see his nickname and image emblazoned on a T-shirt, Wild rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt was a little confused about the protocol.

When he got to the team’s locker room before Friday’s showdown with previously red-hot Colorado, every stall in the room had a T-shirt in it featuring the words, “The Wall of St. Paul” and an illustration of Wallstedt doing his signature postgame celebration, which is part fist pump and part thrust with his stick like you might see from a fencer.

Following the Wild’s 3-2 shootout win, which lifted his record to 7-0-2, Wallstedt said he knew the T-shirts existed but was a little surprised to see many of his teammates wearing them before facing the Avalanche.

“I saw it on Instagram or something, I got tagged in it, I think. And I thought it looked sick,” said Wallstedt. “And then I kind of, definitely did not expect it to be in the locker room. Kind of a weird feeling. I got in here and I’m like, I asked (Joel Eriksson Ek), ‘Am I supposed to wear it or is that kind of weird wearing your own shirt?’ Yeah, so I ended up not wearing it.”

The way things are going for Wallstedt, who has solidly inserted himself into the conversation for NHL rookie of the year, he might be a rarity in Minnesota within the next few weeks, as the shirts are sure to be a popular holiday gift for the hard-to-please hockey fan on your list.

“I saw all the T-shirts around, but I’m going to have to get one,” Wild coach John Hynes said after the Colorado game. “I didn’t get one before the game but maybe now.”

Of course, because there are naysayers for just about anything in this modern world where opinions are shared, perhaps a bit too freely, Avalanche radio voice Conor McGahey took exception to Wallstedt’s postgame celebration, as Minnesota handed Colorado its first loss of any kind since Nov. 1.

“He celebrates like he’s won the Stanley Cup,” McGahey said on the team’s radio broadcast on Altitude Sports Radio. “He has not.”

In a later post on X, McGahey opined that Wallstedt’s celebration was a “little much.” Those words drew plenty of opinions for and against that seemed to be split based on whether you live on the east or west side of an imaginary line drawn somewhere roughly near York, Neb.

Wallstedt said he did not know the exact origin of his signature celebration, but fans can expect it to continue as long as he keeps winning.

“I think I’ve kind of seen it probably when I was younger in the NHL or somewhere else,” he said. “I thought it looked cool. I don’t think a lot of other goalies do it right now, so maybe it’s my thing right now.”

Williamson remembered as Team USA alumni gather in St. Paul

Now less than a month before the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship comes to the Twin Cities for the first time since 1982, the Wild celebrated Team USA Night at Grand Casino Arena on Saturday. Fans could buy a special ticket package featuring a replica of defenseman Zeev Buium’s Team USA jersey from last season when he was a part of the gold-medal winning team at the 2025 World Juniors.

Next door to the arena at the Wild’s team offices, dozens of USA Hockey alumni from past Olympics and World Juniors gathered to share stories and help promote the 2026 games, which will be played in St. Paul and Minneapolis starting on Dec. 26.

Lou Nanne welcomed all of the current and former players and acknowledged Murray Williamson, the former Gophers standout who coached Team USA in two Olympics and is widely credited with helping start the first World Junior tournament 50 years ago.

Williamson died on Sept. 15 at age 91. Nanne said Williamson was greatly looking forward to the 2026 tournament and bringing it back to Minnesota. He added that the foundation for the two consecutive gold medals won by the Americans was laid by the alumni in the room on Saturday.

“Today’s players stand on the shoulders of all of you here tonight, and the others you played alongside,” Nanne said. “We want to thank you for being a part of USA Hockey and being here tonight.”

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With the Minnesota Timberwolves leading by three in the final 20 seconds of regulation, Anthony Edwards dribbled out the shot clock, tried to cross up Celtics guard Derrick White and  kicked the ball, picked it up and fired.

Splash.

Edwards finished with 39 points and zero turnovers to power Minnesota to a 119-115 victory at home against Boston on Saturday.

Was that play ugly? You bet. Minnesota doesn’t care at the moment. It had to win one of these games — because disaster nearly struck again.

The Wolves cranked up their defensive pressure in the second half to turn a 10-point halftime deficit into a 12-point lead with fewer than four minutes to play. Two minutes later, Boston tied the game on a Jaylen Brown triple with 98 ticks left on the clock.

It wouldn’t be a Timberwolves’ game if it wasn’t dramatic. Minnesota’s late-game execution has been the cause of ire of late, as the Wolves had booted three straight games they could’ve won.

Minnesota came down on the next possession Saturday and Edwards fired off a contested jumper that hit off the iron. But the loose ball went off Brown’s fingertips, allowing the Wolves to maintain possession.

The Wolves (11-8) dialed up an out-of-bounds play that resulted in an open corner triple for Mike Conley, which he hit, to put Minnesota up for good.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch highlighted the defensive effort that put Minnesota in a position to win Saturday. The Wolves were sluggish on that end in the first half, surrendering 69 points to the hot-shooting Celtics (10-9).

But the screws were tightened over the last 24 minutes. Boston scored just 46 points over the final two quarters and went nearly a full quarter of game time without hitting a triple. Brown had 41 points to pace Boston, but 27 of those came in the first half.

“In the second half, we came to play,” Finch said.

As a result, Minnesota now has its first win of the season over an opponent with a winning record. It can go for its second such victory Sunday against San Antonio at 6 p.m. at Target Center.

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The Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe between the Gophers and Badgers was swayed by a former Hawkeye.

Cornerback John Nestor, who transferred from Iowa to Minnesota this year, had two interceptions and a fumble recovery to help the U win the rivalry game, 17-7, on a snowy and cold Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The Gophers (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten) have won four of five Axe games against Wisconsin for the first time since a strong stretch across 1984-90. The Badgers (4-8, 2-7) endured their second straight losing season in two decades.

Gophers players raced to the Axe in the north end zone as fans threw handfuls of snow in the air in triumph. Some fans stormed the field.

While Nestor led a stingy defense, running back Darius Taylor scored on a 49-yard touchdown run in the first half, and quarterback Drake Lindsey and tight end Jameson Geers combined for a 13-yard TD pass in the third quarter.

The difference between a 6-6 record and 7-5 — while possessing the Axe — felt enormous to Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle before the game.

“It feels like the Grand Canyon, doesn’t it?” Coyle said on the KFAN pregame show. “It just sets the tone for so many things. If you remember last year, we went (to Madison) and got a big win down there.”

The Gophers had a takeaway apiece in the first and third quarters, but nothing to show for it on ensuing offensive drives.

The third turnover was a charm. Nestor’s second interception of the game was returned 68 yards. Then, Lindsey found Geers for a 13-yard touchdown to make it a 17-7 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter.

Nestor’s first interception came at the start of the second half, but Minnesota went three-and-out and punted.

After a gift turnover from the Badgers in the first quarter — a shotgun snap hit in-motion receiver Vinny Anthony II and was recovered by Nestor — Minnesota kicker Brady Denaburg had a 38-yard, field-goal attempt partially blocked.

Two drives later, Denaburg made a 33-yarder to make it 3-0.

Minnesota’s biggest offensive play of the first half came on the next drive. Behind great blocks from right guard Tony Nelson, right tackle Dylan Ray and receiver Jalen Smith, Taylor busted free and had enough speed on a snowy turf to score.

The Gophers led 10-7 at the half, with the Badgers scoring a questionable touchdown with 27 seconds left.

To set the score, Badgers backup quarterback Hunter Simmons threw a 68-yard pass to Vinny Anthony II.

Then on fourth and goal from the 2, quarterback Carter Smith’s pass to Jackson Acker on the side of the end zone was ruled incomplete, but upon review it was determined Acker got at least one foot in bounds when he caught the pass.

However, the review also showed Acker stepping out of bounds before the catch, which would have been illegal touching.

A Big Ten spokesperson said illegal touching was part of the conference’s review process. “Yes, they did,” he wrote in a response to a pool-report question. “It was determined the receiver re-established after the force out.”

Gophers Maverick Baranowski was in coverage, but did not appear to apply forceable contact to Acker.

The contentious call didn’t matter much as the Gophers controlled the rivalry game in the second half.

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Bethel 51, Coe 26

Cooper Drews threw for 250 yards and three scores and ran for 69 yards and three additional touchdowns as the No. 4 Royals rolled in Arden Hills.

Albert Rundell reeled in six grabs for 135 yards and two scores, while David Geebli ran for 98 yards and a touchdown.

The game featured 1,079 yards of total offense, 576 of which came from the Royals. Bethel led 30-7 at the half before No. 24 Coe College (9-3) started to find offensive success.

Phil Conant had two sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries for the Royals (11-0).

Bethel hosts 10th-ranked Wisconsin-Platteville next Saturday at 12 p.m.

St. John’s 49, Monmouth 15

Dylan Wheeler had 10 catches for 144 yards and four touchdowns as St. John’s rolled in Collegeville.

Johnnies quarterback Trey Feeney threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns, while Mahtomedi product Corey Bohmert ran for an additional 61 yards and a score.

Westin Hoyt had an interception and three pass breakups

St. John’s led 25th-ranked Monmouth 21-9 at the break before scoring the first 28 points of the second half.

The seventh-ranked Johnnies have scored 49-plus points in eight of their 11 contests this fall.

Wisconsin-River Falls 58, Chapman 7

Fridley High School alum Kaleb Blaha threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns, while running for 81 yards and another touchdown as the third-ranked Falcons earned their first playoff win in 30 years.

No. 3 Wisconsin-River Falls will host St. John’s at 12 p.m. Saturday.

River Falls’ five team touchdowns were caught by five different receivers.

The Falcons scored on nine of their 12 drives Saturday while amassing 492 yards of offense. The victory marked the sixth time Wisconsin-River Falls has scored 50-plus points this season.

Noah Nusbaum had 12 tackles for the Falcons, while Riley Ashburn, Jared Schultz and Braden Jones all tallied interceptions. The Falcons (10-1) held Chapman to just 2 for 16 on third-down attempts.

Wisconsin and Minnesota schools went a combined 5-1 on Saturday, with only Wisconsin-Whitewater falling to DePauw.

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