5th ranked Minnetonka hosts 6th ranked Wayzata in a key Lake Conference match-up at the Pagel Activity Center in Minnetonka. Watch Minnesota Score’s live and recorded video broadcast by clicking the link below:

 http://www.highschoolcube.com/event/wayzata-minnetonka-high-school-hockey-305270

Minneapolis/St. Paul – Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love was examined today by hand specialist Dr. Andy Weiland of the Hospital of Special Surgery in New York for further evaluation of the fracture of the third and fourth metacarpal in his right hand. The evaluation revealed that surgery will not be required on his hand and confirmed that his expected return will be in 6-8 weeks.

The following is a statement from Wolves Kevin Love regarding his injury:

“Yesterday, I had a post-practice commitment and decided to work out at my home with my personal trainer before heading to Target Center. While doing various pushups, including knuckle pushups, which are part of my regular workout routine, I hurt my hand. I immediately knew something was wrong and called head athletic trainer Gregg Farnam.

“Although I’m disappointed that this injury happened, I will work extremely hard to stay in shape and return to the court as quickly as possible. We have added a lot of depth to our roster this season, and I have complete confidence in my teammates and coaching staff that they will step up and we will be successful during this time. I’m looking forward to supporting our team and helping out any way I can until I get back on the court.”

The 2012 US Open Racquetball Championships conclude tomorrow afternoon at Lifetime Fitness in Target Center with the men’s and women’s finals. On the men’s side, No.1 ranked, 7-time champion Kane Waselenchuk looks to continue his stranglehold on the International Racquetball Tour against No. 2 Rocky Carson, a 5-time finalist and 2007 champion.

Carson, a native Californian and avid surfer who exudes a laid back, carefree attitude off the court - he says his goal is to play racquetball as long as possible and never get a “real job” - is known for his intense, physical style on it. While he’s been unable to unseat Waselenchuk, who hasn’t lost a fully played match in nearly 3 years, the 33-year-old has shown no signs of giving up the fight.

I spoke to Carson moments after he finished off No. 6 Chris Crowther 11-1, 11-4, 11-4 in the semifinals.

DZ: You’ve make it though to the finals, how do you feel?

ROCKY: I feel strong. I played well today. I am really happy with the way I played. I was able to make it somewhat of a quick match. I executed well and my arm felt pretty fresh. It’s a good feeling.

DZ: Does No. 5 feel different than the first four?

ROCKY: The first one is always (special) - the first time you get on the big stage - when you do that it’s always gigantic. It’s an honor to be there, but it’s not what I came for - I came to be the last one standing, so I still have some more work to do.

DZ: You had a 25-1 record against Crowther coming in, do you have to guard against overconfidence?

ROCKY: You know what, I try not to think about it when I play anybody. I try to think about the aspects of the game that I need to capitalize on when I am on the court rather than the record I have against the guy I play. If I don’t concentrate on those aspects, it’s not going to help my record.

DZ: Do you look a film, is that typical (of players on the tour)?

ROCKY: I think a lot of guys do. When I am at home, I don’t like to think much about work. As much as I love my job, I like to be away from it at times as well.

DZ: Do you have different strategies against different opponents or is it just about your game?

ROCKY: There are definitely some guys that I have to approach differently with serves and certain shots, but my game and the way I play once I get into a rally - it usually favors me. So I have to put a lot of pressure on my opponents and keep them from killing the ball. If I can do that, you are playing my game now.

DZ: What do you have planned for the rest of the day now?

ROCKY: I’m going to eat and probably relax, sit back and enjoy some matches. This is some fun racquetball to watch. I enjoy it as a player, but as a fan of the sport - this is good stuff.

DZ: Do you have trouble sleeping before a big match like (the final)?

ROCKY: I used to. My job is to execute my fundamentals. If I do that, good results usually come with it. My focus is on the little things, not the outcome for the most part.

DZ: Kane still has to play his match against (No 4. Alvaro) Beltran, but if past records are any indication, he’ll be playing tomorrow. Do you expect anything new from him? Do you have anything new in store (for him)?

ROCKY: I expect him to come out like he always does, ready to play hard, fired up. He loves this stage as well as I do and I want to come out and put some pressure on him,\ from the beginning, all the way to the end. If I can do that, I’ve got a really good chance of winning the tournament.

DZ: What do you plan on doing after the tournament?

ROCKY: Go home and spend some time with my family. Hopefully we’ve got some surf at home and we’ll get some time in the water.

DZ: If you weren’t play racquetball right now, what do you think you’d be doing?

ROCKY: Oh man, I love this sport. It’s given me so much and I think it’s going to give me things in my future as well, but you just never know. My dad owned clubs, that’s kind of how I got into this sport - lifted weights and played racquetball as well. What I am looking at is that I would like to be around that atmosphere most of my life. I love the active lifestyle.

DZ: You are No. 2 on this tour obviously, how much do players pay attention to rankings?

ROCKY: I look at it about once a year maybe. My job is to get on the court and win. If I execute that, the rankings take care of themselves. A lot of other guys worry about it a lot more, but my job is to execute my shots when I am on the court. If I can do that, my ranking usually stays up there pretty high.

DZ: It sounds like your overall philosophy is kind of to “keep it simple”.

ROCKY: Live in the moment, you know. If I worry about all the things I can’t do much about, then I am going to do is worry. Stay in the moment…one thing I learned on this tour from being on it a long time is that if I worry about my next shot instead of my outcome, it’s a lot easier.

(Photo by Freddy Ramirez: RestrungMag.com)

For the third consecutive year, the US Open Racquetball Championships are taking place this week in Lifetime Fitness at Target Center. On the men’s side, the sport’s marquee name and most dominant player Kane Waselenchuk is gunning for his 5th straight – and 8th overall – title.

Waselenchuk finished last year’s Open on a 122-match winning streak that would eventually reach 137 before he was forced to retire from the final of the Cactus Salon NYC Pro/Am in January with a back injury. After being sidelined for all of February, the 30-year-old rejoined the International Racquetball Tour and resumed his winning ways.

I caught up with the World No. 1 following his first round thrashing of Mauricio Zelada.

DZ: When you play these early round matches, first and foremost you want to win, but what else to do you want to accomplish?

KANE: You just want to get into a groove. We only get to play on this court once or twice a year. It’s a very different court; we don’t really play on courts like this. So, just kind of getting into groove and picking your spots and finding out the little quirks in the court and that kind of stuff. I felt really good, really comfortable, more comfortable than I felt in past years in my first match. I’m excited.

DZ: What makes this tournament more special than the other ones on the tour?

KANE: The venue, of course. The venue is amazing – Lifetime Fitness – a great facility. You get the who’s who in racquetball here from all over the world – not just the United States – all over the world.

DZ: The (137 match winning) streak kind of ended when you retired from a match (in January). Where is your health right now, how do you feel?

KANE: My health is good. I am ready to play, ready to go. It’s the most ready I’ve been in a long time.

DZ: Do you still look at yourself as unbeaten…because you really didn’t lose that match?

KANE: The streak just happened to happen if that makes sense. The streak was just part of the process of getting No. 7. Whether I would have won or lost, the main goal was year end No. 1 and I got my year end No. 1. The streak was nice and everything, but I didn’t play all these years to have a streak.

DZ: One of the guys you play (and beat) in a lot of the finals is Rocky Carson, the No. 2 ranked player. Do you ever think about things from his perspective…can you sympathize with him at all?

KANE: All I can control is myself and I am sure it’s frustrating for him and I know he trains really hard and I’ve come out on top a lot. I don’t really think about it. Like I said, I can only control myself. You get on the court and anything can happen.

DZ: What’s your relationship with him like?

KANE: It’s good. We are very respectful to each other and I respect his game and I am sure he respects my game. We’ve been playing for a long, long time. I wouldn’t say we are close friends, but we are friends. I understand it would be hard to be friends with someone that wins against you a lot. He’s a great athlete and a great ambassador.

DZ: What young players do you see coming up who could eventually take your titles?

KANE: I don’t really know, it’s so hard to tell especially with these young guys. I kind of came out of nowhere, no one knew about me and we’ll just have to see. It’s a very, very tough question to answer really.

DZ: You turned 30 after the US Open last year and are coming up on 31…how much longer do you want to keep doing this and what do you see yourself doing when you are done as a player?

KANE: I feel like I have a lot of racquetball in me. I don’t feel like I am 30-years-old which is a good thing. I will go as long as my body will allow me to go and as long as I can make a strong push for No. 1. After racquetball, I would like to stay in the sport. Racquetball has been very, very good to me and my family, so I’d like to stick around and do whatever I can do whether it’s just show my face every once and awhile or whatever. I am not really thinking about that right now because I am so in it right now.

DZ: I noticed you have the Rafa (Nadal) Nike coat on right now, do you follow tennis?

KANE: I do…I have to say that (Roger) Federer is probably my favorite. Tennis is a great sport and we want to get up there where tennis is.

DZ: Do you play much?

KANE: No, not really - once and awhile.

(Photo courtesy of Jeff Oliver)

As if the first game score wasn’t surprising enough, game 2 would shock even more. Behind a stellar performance by the other Brimsek finalist Michael Bitzer, the Spuds took down a heavily favored and star studded Eagan Wildcat squad 4-0. Logan Ness had 2 goals and an assist and Bryant Christian added a goal and 2 assists respectively. Next up for Moorhead, the Hill Murray Pioneers, who destroyed the Spuds 6-1 on February 18th.