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After strong playoffs, future is bright for Wild

By WTOP Staff

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Throughout this up-and-down season, the Minnesota Wild lagged behind the leaders of the Central Division.

With an extended test against two powers in the playoffs, though, the Wild clearly passed.

Despite a devastating overtime defeat in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, the Wild proved they can play with and beat the top teams they’ll be competing with for further progress in the future.

“That’s as close to a dynasty as you can have right now and they’re still building on it,” coach Mike Yeo said in complimenting the Blackhawks, “but that said, we thought we were going to win.”

The Wild needed seven games to beat Colorado in the first round, but the Avalanche had home-ice advantage and had to stave off defeat twice by pulling their goalie and scoring in the final 75 seconds of regulation to win in overtime.

The Blackhawks posed a greater challenge, but the Wild had a 163-138 shots-on-goal advantage for the series and had that high-octane offense led by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews sputtering in front of the roaring Xcel Energy Center crowd during Games 3 and 4. Unlike last year won only one first-round game against the Blackhawks, the Wild had a legitimate chance to advance.

Asked about his team’s ability to find a variety of ways to win critical games like that clincher, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was only one sentence and 20 words into his response when he changed the subject to the Wild.

“That’s going to be a good hockey team over there, and I commend them on the way they played tonight,” Quenneville said. “We were fortunate to win, the way they played this whole series.”

So while Chicago, Colorado and St. Louis will remain stiff opposition in the coming years, the Wild served notice they belong, too. General manager Chuck Fletcher’s moves have begun to bear success, starting with the hiring of a young head coach in Mike Yeo and staying with him throughout some rough stretches. Yeo’s expiring contract is expected to be renewed.

Signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were easy decisions once they picked the Wild, but Fletcher also acquired the star of Game 7 of the first round Nino Niederreiter for Cal Clutterbuck, signed Matt Cooke for some veteran ferocity, re-signed leading scorer Jason Pominville and watched his staff’s draft picks like Mikael Granlund, Jonas Brodin and Erik Haula settle in to key roles.

“I think Chuck’s done a really good job of kind of changing the culture here. We expect to win now. We put that pressure on ourselves,” Suter said. “The young guys, they show up every night. Everyone shows up every night.”

With a strong defensive system as the Wild displayed throughout the playoffs, an elite goalie is less important. Still, determining a stable, dependable tandem in the net will be of utmost importance to Fletcher this summer. Niklas Backstrom, who signed a $10.25 million, three-year contract but posted a career-worst 3.02 goals against average while playing only 21 games, will turn 37 next season coming off his latest midsection surgery.

Josh Harding’s future remains murky as he tries to play with multiple sclerosis and deal with the medication required to address the condition. Darcy Kuemper, forced into duty, showed promise with a strong January and February but was injured in late March and again in the playoffs. He’ll be a restricted free agent.

Then there’s Bryzgalov, who was acquired for a mere fourth-round draft pick at the trade deadline as insurance and helped the Wild wrap up their wild card spot with a 7-1-3 record in 12 games down the stretch.

Bryzgalov struggled in the first two games of both playoff series, but over the last four games against the Blackhawks he gave up only six goals, several of which he could hardly be blamed for.

“I’m really proud of him, what he brought to our group,” Yeo said. “You know we all heard stories about Bryz, and all I can say is this guy was an unbelievable teammate and came into some really tough situations, and he was incredibly bought in to our team.”

Bryzgalov will be an unrestricted free agent, but he said he’d like to return to what he called the best organization he’s been in.

“I’ve been so happy here, but obviously I wish we can accomplish more,” Bryzgalov said, adding: “I like it here. I feel here like home.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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