INSIDER: Friesen adjusting well to college game

Freshman year is the starting point of a daunting journey up a steep learning curve for college hockey players. Once your thrown into the sport's fire, it's a continuous learning and adjustment process and some settle in faster than others.

For St. Cloud State women's hockey rookie forward Kayla Friesen, the growth has been apparent over the last month. She leads the Huskies with three goals and four points in their last six contests and recorded her first career multi-point game last Saturday win over Ohio State.

"Coming in, I was nervous and didn't have the confidence," Friesen said. "But my teammates have helped me settle down and I hope it continues to improve."

Friesen's progression this season has been "steady" according to head coach Eric Rud.

"You can see she is more comfortable every week," he said, "which has helped her start to produce more offense."

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native started the year on the wing to help acclimate her to the pace of the college game, but was quickly moved to her natural position at center, where she is thriving. She has been trusted to play significant minutes against opponents' top lines, which include some of the best players in the world, and her play has also warranted increased time on the power play.

The Huskies have faith in Friesen in any situation, which is uncommon for a freshman and a testament to her strong hockey sense and awareness on the ice.

"She naturally moves to the right spot, whether it's offensively or defensively," Rud said.

The former Team Canada U-18 player sparked SCSU to its 4-1 win against the Buckeyes last weekend, opening the scoring and helping to set up senior defender Caroline Markstrom's eventual game-winning goal. Friesen and Rud both expect more offensive performances like that as she continues to acclimate her game to the NCAA level.

"Creating offense is what the team wants from me and what I need to step up and do more often," Friesen said.

Rud said he envisions Friesen become an all-around force and playmaker for the Huskies.

"That's the player she wants to be and the player we want her to become," Rud said. "There is nothing we have seen so far that says she can't be that player."

UP NEXT: St. Cloud State (4-7-1, 3-6-1-1 WCHA) at Bemidji State (4-7-1, 2-7-1-0) — Friday, November 18, 3:07 p.m.; Saturday, November 19, 3:07 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

SCOUTING THE BEAVERS: Bemidji State comes into this weekend winless (0-5-1) in its last six WCHA contests and has been shutout in three of those games. The highlight of the Beavers' season was a 2-0 win over No. Minnesota on October 8 in Bemidji. Sophomore forward Emily Bergland leads the team with four goals and nine points on the season and is tied for the team lead with five assists. Senior goaltender Brittni Mowat has started 10 of BSU's 12 games on the year and has a 3-6-1 record with a 2.30 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Huskies trail the all-time series between the two schools, 32-35-9 (.480). SCSU was 0-3-1 against the Beavers last season, including 0-2-0 in Bemidji. St. Cloud State's last win in the series was a 3-0 decision on Dec. 13, 2014 in St. Cloud. Its last win in Bemidji was a 3-1 triumph on Jan. 10, 2014.

Molly Illikainen led SCSU with four points (2 2) in four games against BSU last season. Among current players, both senior forward Kelsey Saelens (1 1) and junior defender Brittney Anderson (1 1) each notched two points for the Huskies in the season series.

LAST TIME OUT: St. Cloud State split with Ohio State at home, Nov. 11-12. The Huskies fell, 3-0, on Friday before bouncing back with a 4-1 win in the series finale. Four different players scored in Saturday's game and nine notched at least one point. Leading the way was freshman forward Kayla Friesen, who opened the scoring and helped set up senior defenseman Caroline Markstrom's eventual game-winner. Junior forward Alyssa Erickson and sophomore forward Julia Tylke also scored for the Huskies and freshman goaltender Janine Alder made 23 saves for her fourth win of the season.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:

This weekend starts a stretch of four straight and six of the next eight games away from home for St. Cloud State. The Huskies are 1-2-1 away from home this season.
SWISS SENSATION: Through nine starts this season, Alder has shown poise beyond her years. The Zurich, Switzerland native boasts a .939 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average, which leads all rookie goaltenders nationwide and rank fourth and fourth and fifth, respectively, in the WCHA. She is 4-4-1 on the season, has been the goalie of record for each of the Huskies' wins and has posted four 30-plus save performances.
SILKY TYLKE: Sophomore forward Julia Tylke leads the Huskies with seven goals and nine points. The Delafield, Wis., native is among the top 22 goal scorers in the country and is tied for fifth among WCHA players in goal scoring. 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.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: 19 Huskies have registered a point this season, including five freshman. Friesen leads all first year players with four points (3 1). The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has three goals in SCSU's last six games, which leads the team during that span. She is also tied for the team lead with four points in that stretch with senior forward, and linemate, Payge Pena.
EXCEPTIONAL ERICKSON: Junior forward Alyssa Erickson has three goals and five points in SCSU's last seven games, including the game-winning tally in the 2-0 win at Minnesota State on Oct. 22. The Mission, B.C., native is tied for second on the team with five points.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Senior forward Lauren Hespenheide has five points (0 5) in 12 games this season, which is tied for second on the team. The Huskies' captain had a career day against Merrimack on Sept. 29, tallying three assists and has already surpassed her single season career high in assists (five).
HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA: The WCHA and Fox Sports North announced on Oct. 13 that St. Cloud State and Minnesota State's game on January 21 will be featured on Hockey Day Minnesota. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports North Plus from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center beginning at 3 p.m. This is the first time in Hockey Day Minnesota's 10-year history that an NCAA women's game will be broadcast as part of the festivities.