DALLAS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Loui Eriksson delivered a hat trick Thursday and the Dallas Stars broke the game open in the second period to defeat Anaheim 5-3.
ST. PAUL, Minn., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Alexander Frolov produced two goals Thursday, one of them coming during a three-score opening period that sent Los Angeles roaring past Minnesota 5-2.
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Brandon Dubinsky scored the go-ahead goal with 8:11 to play in the third period Thursday, giving the New York Rangers a 2-1 victory over Carolina.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Nick Collison made two free throws with 4.5 seconds remaining Thursday, giving the Oklahoma City Thunder its fifth straight win -- 87-86 over Utah.
ATLANTA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Freshman Ryan Williams ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns Thursday, carrying No. 12 Virginia Tech past Tennessee 37-14 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
ST. LOUIS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Christian Ehrhoff scored 2:24 into overtime Thursday and the Vancouver Canucks overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat St. Louis 4-3.
Navy caps a big day for service academies ... Memphis suffers rare home loss ... Montreal closes out successful road trip ... Rockets fight off Mavericks rally ... Sports news from United Press International.
GLENDALE, Ariz., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Ryan Clowe scored the only shootout goal in the sixth round Thursday, lifting the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 victory over Phoenix.
OTTAWA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Ryan Shannon delivered the winning shootout goal Thursday, lifting the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders.
DETROIT, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Ville Leino put Detroit in front with 3:52 remaining Thursday and Darren Helm scored two shorthanded goals, giving the Red Wings a 4-2 win over Colorado.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- David Legwand scored just 28 seconds into overtime Thursday to give the Nashville Predators a 2-1 decision over Columbus.
HOUSTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Aaron Brooks hit six shots from long range among his 30 points Thursday and Houston fought off a Dallas rally to down the Mavericks 97-94.
TEMPE, Ariz., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Austen Arnaud accounted for two touchdowns late in the second period Thursday and Iowa State held on to down Minnesota 14-13 in the Insight Bowl.
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Shelvin Mack scored 14 points Thursday and No. 23 Butler broke the game open early in the second half en route to a 72-49 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay.
SUNRISE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Goals by Marc-Andre Bergeron and Benoit Pouliot early in the third period Thursday vaulted Montreal to a 5-4 win over Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Deividas Dulkys scored 19 points Thursday, leading No. 25 Florida State in an 81-34 cakewalk against Alabama A&M for its sixth straight victory.
DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Nolan Smith made four 3-pointers Thursday and No. 7 Duke shot 60 percent from the field in rolling over Pennsylvania 114-55.
MEMPHIS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Wayne Chism's 15 points and nine rebounds Thursday led 14th-ranked Tennessee to a 66-59 win over Memphis, ending the Tigers' 23-game home winning streak.
HOUSTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Quarterback Ricky Dobbs accounted for four touchdowns Thursday, leading Navy to a 35-13 decision over Missouri at the Texas Bowl in Houston.
EL PASO, Texas, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Landry Jones threw three touchdown passes to Ryan Broyles Thursday, leading Oklahoma to a 31-27 win over Stanford at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Derrick Rose's 22 points, four rebounds and four assists Thursday led the Chicago Bulls to a 98-87 win over the Detroit Pistons, their third straight victory.
MADISON, Wis., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Trevon Hughes's 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists Thursday led Wisconsin to a surprisingly easy 65-43 decision against 15th-ranked Ohio State.
Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego, California watches confetti rain down as she wins the two-day Scripps National Spelling Bee championship, May 31, 2012, in National Harbor, Maryland. Nandipati successfully spelled the word .* guetapens *, meaning to lure or ambush. UPI/Mike Theiler
