Wisconsin women's hockey headed back to Frozen Four
The Wisconsin women's hockey team is headed back to the Frozen Four.
The Badgers cruised to a 3-0 win over Providence College on Tuesday to earn their 13th trip to the final weekend of the season since 2005.
https://twitter.com/BadgerWHockey/status/1371922118250741764?s=20
Brette Pettet got the scoring going for Wisconsin, finding the back of the net in the first period. It would stay 1-0 until the third when Sophie Shirley scored twice, including an empty netter late in the period. Britta Curl had a pair of assists in the win.
Wisconsin goalie Kennedy Blair didn't face a single shot in the first period and at one point the Badgers had out-shot the Friars 18-0. Blair ended up stopping all 12 shots she faced to get the win.
The second-seeded Badgers now advance to the national semifinals that will be held Thursday in Erie, Penn. UW will face the winner of Tuesday night's matchup between third-seeded Ohio State and sixth-seeded Boston College. The other semifinal will feature top-seeded Northeastern and fifth-seeded Minnesota-Duluth.
Brewers: Travis Shaw added to 40-man roster, set to compete at 3rd base
(AP) Travis Shaw’s second stint with the Milwaukee Brewers is off to an encouraging start.
The Brewers announced Tuesday they have added Shaw to their 40-man roster, making him one of the leading candidates for playing time at third base.
Shaw, who played for Milwaukee from 2017-19 and spent last season with Toronto, signed a minor league deal last month. The contract included terms stating he could request his release if the Brewers didn’t notify him by Monday whether they intended to put him on the 40-man roster.
“It’s pretty much everything I expected, pretty much everything they told me going into the process so nothing changes,” Shaw said Tuesday from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “Nothing is surprising. It’s all in a good spot.”
Shaw, who turns 31 on April 16, has a one-year contract paying him $1.5 million while in the majors and $250,000 in the minors. He can earn up to $1.5 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $50,000 each for 250, 275 and 300, $75,000 apiece for 325, 350 and 375, $125,000 for 400, $250,000 for 450 and $300,000 each for 475 and 502.
The Brewers made room for Shaw on the 40-man roster by placing utilityman Mark Mathias on the 60-day injured list with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that doesn’t necessarily mean Mathias will miss the entire season.
CB Tramon Williams announces his retirement
A key member of the Green Bay Packers defense for a decade is calling it a career.
Tramon Williams, who spent the first eight years of his career with the franchise and returned for two more later in his career, announced his retirement Tuesday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/HighRizer22/status/1371891735979253766?s=20
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2006, Williams turned himself into a Pro Bowl cornerback by 2010. He finished his career with 34 interceptions, including 30 with Green Bay, but it was his play in the run to the Super Bowl XLV title that many fans will remember.
Williams sealed the Packers win over Philadelphia in the Wild Card round with an interception in the end zone. He added two more picks in the upset over top-seeded Atlanta the following week, including taking one back for a touchdown just before halftime. Then, on the final defensive play of the Super Bowl, he ended Pittsburgh's hopes of a comeback by knocking a pass away from the intended receiver.
https://twitter.com/HighRizer22/status/1371892541109440513
Williams left the Packers following the 2014 season, spending two years in Cleveland and another year in Arizona before returning to Green Bay in 2018. He started 23 games and helped a young defensive backfield mature as the Packers went 13-3 and made it to the NFC title game in 2019.
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1371911740607373316
After playing six games for Baltimore in 2020, he was cut following the Ravens loss in the playoffs. The Packers signed him to the practice squad and he was active for the NFC Championship game against Tampa Bay but did not see any action in the loss.
In addition to his 34 interceptions, Williams had 153 passes defended, six forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries and one punt return for a score.
Tony Granato, Cole Caufield among the Badgers to earn Big Ten honors
The Wisconsin men's hockey team has performed at high level much of the season and several members of the squad were honored for their efforts Tuesday afternoon.
Tony Granato was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the second time in his tenure with the Badgers. He led UW to its first Big Ten regular season title and will be on the bench Tuesday night as his team plays for the conference tournament title against Minnesota.
https://twitter.com/BadgerMHockey/status/1371884733248987137
The Badgers are in that position in large part due to Cole Caufield, who became the first Wisconsin player to be named Big Ten Player of the Year and the eighth conference POY overall. The sophomore scored two of his NCAA-leading 27 goals in the semifinal win over Penn State on Monday. Caufield also leads the country in total points and is considered among the favorites to take home the Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the top player in the country.
https://twitter.com/WisconsinOnBTN/status/1371884342100774916
Caufield was also a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection, while fellow forward Dylan Holloway was also on the first team. Linus Weissbach was a second-team pick, while Ty Pelton-Byce and Ty Emberson were named honorable mention. Goalie Cameron Rowe made the All-Freshman team.
PODCAST: Inconsistently Consistent
Packers Free Agency (0:00)
North Carolina-Wisconsin Matchup (9:22)
Badgers Inconsistent Play (26:16)
Brewers Spring Update & Travis Shaw Returns (37:25)
Wisconsin hockey headed to Big Ten title game after OT win
The Wisconsin hockey team will play for the Big Ten Tournament title.
The top-seeded Badgers got a goal from sophomore Cole Caufield at the 6:50 mark of the first overtime to get by fifth-seeded Penn State 4-3 on Monday afternoon.
https://twitter.com/BadgerMHockey/status/1371601176202944512
Wisconsin trailed by one goal two different times in the third period. Ty Emberson found the back of the net for a fourth time this year midway through the period to tie the game. The Nittany Lions answered back just two minutes later, retaking the lead when Tim Doherty scored his second goal of the game. But Caufield evened the game up with about five minutes left, beating Penn State goalie Oskar Autio.
Caufield now has an NCAA-leading 27 goals, while Linus Weissbach picked up his 28th assist of the season.
Wisconsin goalie Robbie Beydoun got the win by stopping 43 of the 46 shots he faced.
The Badgers, who won the Big Ten regular season title, will face Michigan or Minnesota in the championship game, as they try to win their second tournament title.
Packers: Corey Linsley will reportedly sign with the Chargers
Corey Linsley has found a new home.
Green Bay's longtime center will reportedly sign with the Los Angeles Chargers when free agency officially opens Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/13715635547179827363
Linsley will reconnect with former teammate Bryan Bulaga, who signed with the Chargers last offseason.
A fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Linsley had been a starter since his rookie season. He manned the middle of the Packers line in 110 games, including all four of their NFC Championship Game losses. This past season he earned All-Pro honors for the first time in his career and was the highest-graded center by Pro Football Focus.
The Packers likely have an idea of who will be starting at center in 2021, though nothing is guaranteed. Among the options is third-year pro Elgton Jenkins. He was a center in college and started multiple games there when Linsley missed time due to injury. Lucas Patrick and 2020 sixth-round pick Jake Hanson could also be possibilities. The Packers are also reportedly among the teams interested in Minnesota guard/center Brett Jones.
https://twitter.com/christomasson/status/1371503110548512770
RB Jamaal Williams says goodbye to Green Bay
Jamaal Williams has said his goodbye to Green Bay.
Following the re-signing of backfield mate Aaron Jones over the weekend, the former fourth-round pick announced he would not be returning to the Packers and would hit the open market in free agency.
https://twitter.com/ScottGrodsky/status/1371542821707132929
Williams and Jones came into the league together in 2017 and teamed up to give the Packers a productive one-two punch, especially the last two seasons. Jones had more than 3,000 total yards and 31 touchdowns, while Williams posted 1,454 total yards and nine scores.
With Williams out of the picture, 2020 second-round pick AJ Dillon will take on an increased role after rushing for 242 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
The Swing: March 15th, 2021.
On a special March Madness episode of The Swing, Zach and Jesse are joined by the Wisconsin State Journal's Jim Polzin and college basketball analytics guru Bart Torvik to help breakdown the bracket, what's gone wrong for Wisconsin this year and what we can expect against North Carolina on Friday.
PODCAST: Time to Dance
Wisconsin Basketball & March Madness (0:00)
Sports Director Zach Heilprin (20:08)
Packers Sign Aaron Jones (31:11)
Brewers Upside (47:40)
