Insider: Huskies playing with renewed belief

Last season, as the St. Cloud State women's hockey team bussed to Grand Forks, N.D., for its WCHA First Round Playoff series, head coach Eric Rud saw a noticeable change in his team's demeanor.

In previous years, that same trip felt like a drive towards the end of the season, but this time that defeated attitude was nowhere to be found.

"The girls felt like they were on a mission to win," Rud said. "We felt like we could compete with anyone and we had not felt that before."

While it didn't get the result it wanted, that shift in St. Cloud State's mindset will have a much longer lasting impact on the program.

The Huskies' newfound confidence was born from a seven-game unbeaten streak from mid-November to early-December and manifested as a 13-win season—the program's highest total since the 2009-10 season. Building a winning tradition takes baby steps, but Rud said last year was a huge jump in the right direction for SCSU.

"The attitudes, and where we are as a program, mentally, are very strong," he said. "We see signs every day that we are moving down the right path."

"The excitement of our players to come to the rink every day and show up on the weekends is certainly there."

The eight Huskies seniors—led by captains Lauren Hespenheide, Christa Moody and Jenna Redford—were all on board as St. Cloud State righted its ship a year ago. Now, they are leading the way to ensure that culture change takes root.

"Our seniors carry themselves well," Rud said. "They do a great job, day in and day out, of leading the program."

The example set by the seniors is especially important for SCSU's seven freshmen. That group is coming into a team that now expects to win games, which has not always necessarily been the case.

"They don't know any different. All they know is how our seniors act," Rud said of his rookie class. "They are showing they are jumping on board with the senior leadership."

This season's freshmen will bestow that expectation down on the classes that come after them and so on. As St. Cloud State's winning mindset and confidence grows each year, the Huskies will continue to blossom on the ice.

UP NEXT: St. Cloud State (1-3-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) vs. No. 6/7 North Dakota (1-0-1, 0-0-0)—Friday, October 7, 6:07 p.m.; Saturday, October 8, 3:07 p.m.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS: North Dakota opened its season with a non-conference win and tie against Hockey East's Mercyhurst. Four different players scored for the Fighthing Hawks and senior defenseman Gracen Hirschy led all players with three points (1 2) in the series. UND's special teams played a big factor, with a combined percentage of 63 percent (17-for-27)—including two power play goals in its 3-1 win in the opener. Freshman forward Ryleigh Houston scored the eventual game-winner last Friday and was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week (Sept. 30-Oct. 1).

North Dakota went 18-12-5 last season, including 13-10-5 in WCHA play to finish fourth with 46 points. UND advanced to its sixth straight Final Face-Off, but fell to Minnesota, 2-0, in the semifinals. The Fighting Hawks were unbeaten in five of six games (1-4-1) last year against St. Cloud State, including the playoffs. Junior defender Brittney Anderson led the Huskies with four points (1 3) in the six games against North Dakota.

This weekend will be St. Cloud State's third and fourth games already this season against a top 10-ranked opponent. The Huskies were swept, 6-0 and 4-2, by No. 1 Wisconsin in their season-opening series, Sept. 23-24.

LAST MEETING (Feb. 26-27, 2016): St. Cloud State travelled to Grand Forks, N.D. for a WCHA First Round Playoffs match-up and was swept by North Dakota, falling 6-1 on back-to-back nights.Defenseman Brittney Anderson and foward Vanessa Spataro scored the only two goals on the weekend for the Huskies, who were out-shot, 63-39, in the series. The top line of Meghan Dufault, Becca Kohler and Amy Menke scored nine of UND's 12 goals in the series.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:

STREAKS ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN: St. Cloud State is seeking to snap a 12-game (0-11-1) winless streak at home against North Dakota that dates back to the 2010-11 season. The last Huskies win at home against UND came on Oct. 31, 2009, 3-2.
SILKY TYLKE: Sophomore forward Julia Tylke has accounted for four of the seven goals SCSU has scored this season. The Delafield, Wis., native has four goals in her last three games, including a two-score effort in the Huskies' 4-2 win over Merrimack on Sept. 30. Dating back to last season, Tylke has five goals and eight points in her last eight games.Tylke, a 2015-16 All-WCHA Rookie Team honoree, is St. Cloud State's top returning scorer, having registered nine goals and 24 points a season ago—the most for an SCSU rookie since the 2006-07 season, when Holly Roberts and Caitlin Hogan scored 35 (18 17) and 29 (12 17) points, respectively.
SERIES OF FIRSTS: Five players scored their first point in a Husky uniform last Friday against Merrimack: Freshman forwards Brooke Kudirka and Janna Haeg, rookie defender Rachel Herzog and freshman goaltender Janine Alder each tallied an assist and sophomore forward Jordan Stewart scored her first career goal, which proved to be the game-winner. Alder allso recorded her first career win in goal, stopping 24 shots.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Senior forward Lauren Hespenheide has averaged a point-per-game through four games this season. The Huskies' captain had a career day against Merrimack on Sept. 29, tallying three assists and has already equaled her career high in assists (four).
CROSBY'S CREASE: Sophomore goaltender Taylor Crosby has started two of SCSU's four games this season and boasts a .932 save percentage. Her 52-save outing against Wisconsin on Sept. 24 tied for the sixth-highest single game total in Huskies history