Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from The Associated Press

 

UNDATED (AP) — Villanova, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, is No. 1 in the final Associated Press college basketball poll of the season. The Wildcats (31-3) were a runaway choice Monday, receiving 59 first-place votes from the 65-member media panel. Gonzaga (32-1), which received the other six first-place votes, and Kansas, two No. 1 seeds for the tournament, were second and third.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brad Marchand relishes being the villain, especially in the city where he hoisted the Stanley Cup. The Bruins forward scored a hat trick in the third period, including the winning goal with under eight minutes left, and Boston beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Monday night.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A third dog associated with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has died. Race officials report a 3-year-old male named Groovey has died after being hit by a car in Anchorage. The dog had been dropped from the team of Kotzebue musher John Baker and returned to Anchorage. Officials say the dog was released in good condition Saturday to a dog handler. But later Saturday, Groovey got loose and was reported missing. His body was found Sunday after apparently being hit by a car in east Anchorage.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A man who seemed headed for the winning spot in a Fairbanks sled dog race ended up in second place after his sled was struck by a snowmachine during the final stretch. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports the incident happened during the Annamaet Limited North American Championships. Kourosh Partow of Chugiak had been leading the eight-dog mushing class for the first two days of the event when he was struck by a snowmachine driver during the 12-mile final heat. Partow and his sled dogs were not injured and the sled was not damaged. But Patrow ended up finishing second in the heat and second overall behind Dawn Brown of Salcha.

 

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