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The Helena Bighorns won their 37th game in 41 tries on Friday night as they beat the Bozeman Icedogs 7-3 in NorPac Hockey League action. The Bighorns found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first period and were tied at 3-all after the 2nd. But the local six put in 4 unanswered goals in the 3rd to win it going away 7-3. Taylor Laneville led the Bighorns attack as he scored a pair of goals and had 2 assists and also had the go ahead goal just :59 seconds into the 3rd period that put the Horns up 4-3. Alec Goplen led the Icedogs as he scored all 3 goals for a hat trick in a losing effort. The Bighorns hit the road on Saturday night for a game against the Yellowstone Quake.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC

[  11:52 PM, Fri Feb 5  ] Back to top

The Helena High girl's basketball team won a big Western "AA" game with the Sentinel Spartans on Thursday night 53-51 in overtime. The Bengals were led in scoring by Taylor Kanthack with 16 points and Monica Grimsrud with 15 as they improved to 6-1 in conference play. It was the first loss for the Spartans in conference play as they fell to 4-1.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC

[  12:08 AM, Fri Feb 5  ] Back to top

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Chris Petersen announced a 2010 Boise State recruiting class light on numbers but heavy with talent at marquee positions like quarterback, receiver and tight end.
The Broncos announced 10 players on National Signing Day Wednesday as part of a recruiting class that focused solely on western states like California and Oregon.
It also includes two recruits from Idaho and the top prep player from Montana. Matt Miller, a six-foot, three-inch wide receiver from Helena, is the Montana's 2009 Gatorade Player of the year
after catching 50 passes for 828 yards and 19 touchdowns.
The Broncos also landed quarterback Grant Hedrick, the 2009 Oregon High School State Player of the Year.
The small recruiting class is tied to the number of scholarships available and is smallest in Petersen's five years as the Broncos head coach.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:08 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

The Capital High girls basketball team jumped out early and never looked back as they beat the Big Sky Eagles 48-36 in Western "AA" basketball. Junior post player Maggie Rickman led the way with 19 points and Jordan Johnston added 14 points and 14 rebounds for Bill Pilgeram's squad. Katie Showers led the Eagles with 10 points.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC
[  12:01 AM, Fri Feb 5  ] Back to top

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Carroll College football coach Mike Van Diest has announced the signing of former Florence linebacker Josh
Ziegger.
Ziegger attended Montana State last fall, but did not play football. He has enrolled at Carroll for the spring semester and will join the Saints for spring drills.
Ziegger earned all-state honors as a senior and played in the Class B all-star game last summer.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:02 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

The Helena High girl's basketball team traveled to Missoula on Tuesday night and lost to the Big Sky Eagles 46-37 in "AA" action. The Eagles took a 3-point lead into the 4th quarter and then outscored the Bengals 15-9 in the final frame to win it by 9. Sarah Lidstrom led the winners with 13 points and sophomore Elle Tinkle added 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Bengals were led by junior Monica Grimsrud with 11 points and 7 boards. Helena High will be back home on Thursday night whn they host the Sentinel Spartans at 7:30PM.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC

[  12:03 AM, Wed Feb 3  ] Back to top

The Carroll College women's basketball team played an inspired second half as they beat MSU-Northern 65-52 in Frontier Conference Women's basketball. The two teams were tied at 28-all at the half.. Senior Elly Bruursema and sophomore Alysha Green triggered a second half attack to win it. Bruursema led the Saints with 21 points and Green had 10. The Skylights were led by Zivile Gaizutyte with 18 points. Both teams are now 2-4 in Frontier Conference play. The Saints host University of Great Falls on Saturday night at 6PM.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC
[  12:12 AM, Fri Jan 29  ] Back to top

The Carroll College Fighting Saints fell to the MSU-Northern Lights on Thursday night in overtime 66-59 in Frontier Conference men's basketball. The Saints Casey Rogers drained a 3-pointer in regulation to tie the game at 54-all and send it into O.T. Northern outscored the Hilltoppers 12-5 in the overtime to win it. Eric Tisby led the Lights with 15 points. The Saints were led by Andy Garland with 13 points and Chris Medina with 11. The win improved Northern's reocrd to 5-1 in conference play while Carroll fell to 2-4. The Saints host the University of Great Falls on Saturday night at 8PM in Helena.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC

[  12:01 AM, Fri Jan 29  ] Back to top

In football news Billings Outlaws head coach Heron O'Neal has announced the signing of former Montana State linebacker Bobby Daly and former Carroll College wide receiver Travis Browne. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Daly, is a former Capital High star, finished his Bobcat career in 2008 and then played for the Central Valley Coyotes of the ArenaFootball2 League last year. Daly was a 3-time all-Big Sky Conference selection and was named to the Walter Camp FCS All-America team after his junior season in 2007. Daly led the Big Sky in tackles as a sophomore and junior, and finished 5th nationally with 136 tackles and 15 1/2 tackles for loss as a junior. Travis Browne is 5-11, 185-pound Stevensville native, who led Carroll in receiving in 2008, catching 67 passes for 1,028 and 11 touchdowns. He was a two-time All-Frontier Conference selection and earned NAIA All-America honors as a senior. Both were signed at the Outlaws' open tryout camp last weekend. The Outlaws will open training camp on February 14th. The team's indoor football league season opener is Sunday, Feb. 28th at 4 p.m. vs. the Kent, Washington Predators at Metrapark.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC
[  11:42 PM, Tue Jan 26  ] Back to top

The Carroll College Women's basketball team never got untracked as they lost a lopsided game to the Westminster Griffins 80-51 down in Salt Lake City in Frontier Conference action. Keshia Catten led 4 Westy player in double figures with 27 points as they improved to 5-0 in conference play and 16-4 overall. Senior guard Elly Bruursema was the only Saints player in double figures with 11 points. The Saints fell to 1-3 in conference play and 10-9 overall.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC
[  12:13 AM, Fri Jan 22  ] Back to top

The Carroll College Fighting Saints lost a heartbreaker on Thursday night 62-58 to Westminster College down in Salt Lake City. The Saints couldn't overcome a 26 point effort from the Griffins Blair Prowse. The Saints were led by Andy Garland with 15 points and 15 rebounds and Chris Medina with 13 points. Westminster improved their record to 14-5 overall and 4-1 in Frontier Conference play while Carroll fell to 8-10 overall and 1-3 in the Frontier.

Al Marks Beartooth NBC
[  12:04 AM, Fri Jan 22  ] Back to top

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- The Great Falls city commission has voted to put nearly $346,000 toward $1.46 million in renovations at Centene Stadium.
Officials with the Great Falls Baseball Club need to raise an additional $1.1 million through a stock sale to perform the renovations at the baseball stadium.
Planned improvements include landscaping, field boxes, renovated concession areas, family friendly areas along the right-field line and asbestos removal.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:06 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) -- University of Great Falls interim athletics director Arunas Duda says men's soccer coach Tim Brooks has resigned to accept the same job at Spring Hill College in
Mobile, Ala.
Former UGF athletics director Jim Hall is also at Spring Hill.
Brooks was named UGF's first men's soccer coach in May 2007. In three seasons, he led the Argos to a 24-16-1 record, including a 15-5 mark this past season and a runner-up finish at the 2009 NAIA
Unaffiliated/Independent Conference Tournament.
Duda says a search for a new men's soccer coach will begin immediately.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  2:56 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) -- The Montana State men's basketball team will host San Jose State on Feb. 20 in the 2010 BracketBusters event.
ESPN created the BracketBusters games eight years ago to match NCAA Tournament hopefuls against each other. This year's edition features 11 nationally televised games selected from a pool of 49 games.
This is the sixth season the Big Sky Conference is competing in the BracketBusters event. Last season, Portland State beat Boise State 93-81 while Montana State lost 78-71 in overtime to UC Santa
Barbara.
------
Information from: Great Falls Tribune,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:05 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- Missoula Sentinel and Missoula YMCA swim team member Kasey Robinson has signed a letter of intent to swim at the University of Wyoming.
Wyoming swimming and diving coach Tom Johnson announced the signing.
Robinson has finished in the top two in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles at the high school state championship meets the past three years.
She holds the USA Swimming Montana state records in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650-yard races for girls ages 17-19, and she placed in the two top in numerous events at the Western Zone Senior
Championships in Hawaii this past summer.
Johnson says Robinson will add depth in the distance events for the Cowgirls.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:04 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

WHITEFISH, Mont. (AP) -- Montana State-Northern's Zivile Gaizutyte has been named the Frontier Conference women's basketball
player of the week.
For the week, the 6-foot-2 junior forward from Vilnius, Lithuania, averaged 22 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Northern beat Rocky Mountain College 73-69 but lost to Carroll College
65-52.
Gaizutyte scored the game-winning basket against Rocky.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  3:00 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

WHITEFISH, Mont. (AP) -- Montana State-Northern's Zivile Gaizutyte has been named the Frontier Conference women's basketball player of the week.
For the week, the 6-foot-2 junior forward from Vilnius, Lithuania, averaged 22 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Northern beat Rocky Mountain College 73-69 but lost to Carroll College
65-52.
Gaizutyte scored the game-winning basket against Rocky.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  2:59 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

WHITEFISH, Mont. (AP) -- Montana Western guard Brandon Brown has been named the Frontier Conference men's basketball player of the
week.
The 5-foot-10 sophomore from Tacoma, Wash., scored 20 points in an 86-77 win over Montana Tech on Saturday. He hit 57 percent of his field goals and 77 percent of his free throws, and was
recognized for making baskets and plays at crucial times in the Bulldogs' win.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  2:58 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The Big Sky Conference has named University of Montana guard Anthony Johnson the league's men's basketball player of the week.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3 senior from Tacoma, Wash., averaged 23.5 points, four rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals in leading the Grizzlies to road wins over Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona.
Johnson had 19 points, four rebounds and four assists as UM ended Northern Colorado's 12-game home winning streak with a 64-62 win over the Bears on Thursday.
He scored 25 of his season-high 28 points in the second half of Montana's 84-64 win at Northern Arizona on Saturday.
This is the third player of the week honor for Johnson this season and the seventh of his career.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  2:57 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top

HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- Former Montana State football coach Mike Kramer has been named the football operations assistant at Washington State.
WSU sports information director Bill Stevens says Kramer was hired last month. Stevens said Monday that Kramer does not have any coaching duties, but helps with the day-to-day operations of the
football program.
Kramer coached at Montana State for seven seasons, posting a 40-43 record, before being fired in May 2007. He led the Bobcats to three Big Sky Conference titles and three playoff appearances.
Kramer was the head coach at Eastern Washington from 1994-98, where current Washington State coach Paul Wulff was his offensive coordinator.
Kramer filed a lawsuit against MSU and a trial is scheduled for Aug. 16 in Helena to determine if MSU officials libeled or slandered him after he was fired, damaging his reputation and his ability to get another coaching job.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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[  2:55 PM, Thu Feb 4  ] Back to top