#2 Huskies open NCAA West Region play on March 26 in St. Paul

NCAA PLAYOFF TIME: The #2 St. Cloud State University men's hockey team (31-8-1, 17-6-1 NCHC) will meet up with #18 Ferris State (19-14-6) in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's hockey West Regional tournament. The game will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, Minn. In the second game of the day at the regional, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center, #7 Denver (23-9-6) will play #11/12 Boston University (21-12-5). Of note, SCSU is the number one seed in the regional, while Ferris State is the #4 seed. Denver is the #2 seed and Boston University is seeded #3 in the regional. Overall, SCSU is the tournament's #2 seed behind #1 seed Quinnipiac.

SCSU MEN'S HOCKEY WEEKLY NOTES (PDF)

2016 NCAA MEN'S HOCKEY BRACKET (PDF)

TICKETS FOR UPCOMING NCAA PLAYOFF GAMES: Fans can purchase tickets in advance for the 2016 NCAA Division I West Regional by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Fans can also stop by the Xcel Energy Center box office and purchase tickets in person. The Xcel Energy Center is located at 199 West Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul, MN 55102

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES THIS WEEKEND: The SCSU games will be aired live on 99.9 MORE FM (www.999morefm.com) with Dan Terhaar and Dave Reichel making the call from the Target Center. KVSC FM 88.1 (www.kvsc.org) will also broadcast the games lives this weekend...follow the live in-game blog from the HBNHC with SC Times writer Mick Hatten and Tim "Mr. Blog" Wright.

WATCH THE HUSKIES: Fans can watch the game on March 26 online at ESPNNews or on the WatchESPN app. Of note, the game between Denver and Boston University and the regional championship game will be televised live on ESPNU. SCSU graduate and noted sports media personality Clay Matvick will provide play-by-play coverage for games at the West Regional.

PRE-GAME SOCIAL: Attention all SCSU fans! There will be a pre-game social beginning at 11:30 a.m. on March 26 at the Liffey Pub in St. Paul. The Liffey is located at 175 7th St W, in St Paul, MN 55102. The pre-game social is presented by the SCSU Alumni Association and all fans and SCSU alumni are invited to come out to get a pre-game drink and bite to eat at the Liffey.

POLL POSITION: SCSU was ranked #2 in the USCHO.com and #2 in the USA Today/USA Hockey DI national polls this week....SCSU has been ranked among the nation's top 20 teams in every poll so far this season.

NCAA NOTES: This is SCSU's 12th NCAA tournament bid since 1989 and fourth consecutive NCAA tournament bid since 2013. The Huskies have advancd to the regional championship game four times since 2010 and they

won the NCAA Midwest Regional title in 2013 and also advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four in Pittsburgh that season. SCSU finished as the runner-up at the NCAA West Regional in 2014 and 2015.

AT THE DANCE: The Huskies own a 5-12 overall record in NCAA tournament competition but SCSU has a 5-4 NCAA tournament record since 2010. In NCAA tournament gams played at the Xcel Energy Center, SCSU is 2-2. In 2010, SCSU posted a 4-3 double OT victory over Northern Michigan and lost a 5-3 match against Wisconsin in the West Region title game that season at the X. In 2014, the Huskies charted a 4-3 OT win over Notre Dame in the West Region and then lost a 4-0 match against Minnesota in the title game in St. Paul.

MATCHING UP WITH FERRIS: The Huskies own a 3-3-2 series record against Ferris State. This marks the first time SCSU and Ferris State have played each other in NCAA competition... • The SCSU-Ferris State series began with a 5-3 loss to the Bulldogs on Dec. 18, 1987 in St. Cloud. The last time SCSU played Ferris was a weekend split (2-1 win and 6-3 loss) on Oct. 11-12, 2002. SCSU is 2-2-1 in the last five outings against Ferris.

THE OTHER TEAMS: In play against the other two NCAA regional foes, SCSU is 0-1 against Boston University and 41-45-5 in the all-time series against Denver. The lone meeting in NCAA tournament play against any of the 2016 West Region opponents was a March 25, 2000 date against Boston University. The Huskies lost a 5-3 match at the NCAA East Regional in 2000 at Albany, N.Y. SCSU has never played DU or Ferris in NCAA tournament postseason play.

17783 — 2016 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Champions!

EPIC WEEKEND: The #4/5 St. Cloud State University men's hockey team (31-8-1) capped a historic weekend at the Target Center in Minneapolis by capturing its first NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship with a 3-1 victory over #16 Minnesota Duluth (18-15-5) on Saturday, March 19...The victory marked SCSU's first post-season conference tournament championship since the Huskies won the WCHA Broadmoor Trophy in 2001. The victory also helped the Huskies equal a team record for most wins in a season with 31. SCSU also hit the 31 win plateau during the 2000-01 season.

OUR MVP: SCSU's Eyssimont was named to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament team and was also named the NCHC Frozen Faceoff MVP. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Ethan Prow and Charlie Lindgren. This marks the second time this season that Eyssimont was named the tournament MVP for the Huskies. He was also named the MVP at the North Star Cup back in January.

AT THE X: The Huskies are no stranger to the Xcel Energy Center. On Jan. 30, the Huskies charted a 5-4 win over Minnesota State and on Jan. 31, SCSU won the North Star Cup with a 5-2 win over Bemidji State.

GREAT GOALIE: Mike Richter Award candidate Charlie Lindgren won his 51st career game as a Husky on March 19. He now owns a 51-28-3 career record over three years of play at SCSU.

PROW ON THE PROWL: Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist Ethan Prow tied a team record tonight for most assists by a defenseman. Prow now has 79 career assists at SCSU, which ties him with Kelly Hultgren (1991-95). Prow has 8g/29a and 37 points this season. He only needs two more points to join SCSU's 100-point club as he now has 19g/79a for 98 career points as a Husky...Fans can visit the Hobey Baker Award Facebook page to vote for Ethan Prow in this year's Vote for Hobey fan ballot.

TOP 10 HOBEY FINALIST: St. Cloud State's Ethan Prow was selected as a top 10 Hobey Baker Award finalist on March 16. Prow was the only player selected for this elite honor from the NCHC and he becomes the sixth SCSU player to be named as a top 10 finalist. The other SCSU players to gain top 10 spots in clude Mark Hartigan in 2002, Bobby Goepfert in 2007, Ryan Lasch in 2008, Drew LeBlanc in 2013 and Nic Dowd in 2014. Dowd and Hartigan were named Hobey Hat Trick top three finalists while Drew LeBlanc won the Hobey Baker Award for SCSU in 2013. The Hobey Baker Award will be presented this year during the 2016 Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.

MIKE RICHTER AWARD: SCSU junior goalie Charlie Lindgren has also been selected as a top five finalist for the Mike Richter Award in 2016. He joins the list along with Kevin Boyle of UMass Lowell, Thatcher Demko of Boston College, Cam Johnson of North Dakota and Alex Lyon of Yale. The Richter Award is presented annually by Let's Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation to the nation's top Division I goaltender. The Richter Award will be presented this year during the 2016 Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla.

TIED THE RECORD: Kalle Kossila posted two assists in the win over UMD. He leads the club with 38 assists and 52 points. Kossila tied a team record for most assists in a single-season with Mark Hartigan (2001-02) and Brandon Sampair (2000-01).

REWRITING THE BOOK: SCSU has tied a team record for most assists in a season with 306 in 2015-16. The Huskies also hit 306 assists during the 2001-02 campaign...Of note, the team record for most goals in a season is 179 (2001-02). SCSU currently has 171 goals this season. The record for fewest goals allowed in a season is 92 (2000-01). The Huskies have allowed 85 goals this season...The SCSU record for fewest penalties in a season is 137 and 304 PIM in 2013-14. SCSU currently has 129 penalties and 288 PIM in 2015-16.

ODDS AND ENDS: Jon Lizotte hit his 10th assist of the year tonight and Jimmy Schuldt now has 15 assists this season...Patrick Russell became the third SCSU player to hit the 40-point plateau tonight. He now has 20 goals and 21 assists this season. He joins Kossila (52) and Joey Benik (46). Of note, Kossila ranks sixth in the team record with 52 points scored this season and he ranks 3rd in the nation now with 38 assists...Charlie Lindgren leads all NCAA goalies with 30 wins this season..,SCSU has outscored its opponents 171-85 this season.

IT'S A MAJOR AWARD: SCSU senior Ethan Prow was named the 2016 NCHC Player of the Year, 2016 NCHC Defenseman of the Year and 2016 Offensive Defenseman of the Year...SCSU junior goalie Charlie Lindgren was named the 2016 NCHC Goaltender of the Year.

NCAA LEADERBOARD: Kalle Kossila ranks third in the nation with 38 assists and fourth with 0.95 assists per game...Ethan Prow leads all DI defenseman with 37 points, 29 assists and 1.03 PPG...The Huskies rank second in the nation with 171 goals and 4.28 goals per game. SCSU ranks 10th on defense among DI teams with 85 goals allowed and 2.12 goals allowed per game. SCSU leads the nation with a 2.15 goals per game scoring margin... SCSU ranks second in the nation for fewest penalty minutes per game. The Huskies average 7.2 penalty penalty minutes per game...SCSU ranks second in the nation on the power play at 28.9 percent (39/135)...SCSU leads all DI teams in the nation this season with 31 victories.

NCHC FROZEN FACEOFF: SCSU won the 2016 NCHC Frozen Faceoff title with a 4-2 victory over Denver in the semifinals on March 18 and a 3-1 win over Minnesota Duluth in the title game on March 19. Both games were played at the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis. This was SCSU's first conference tournament title since winning the WCHA Broadmoor Trophy in 2001 - and the second conference tournament title in team history.

NATIONAL HEADLINERS: Here are some interesting facts courtesy of Nate Ewell and College Hockey, Inc...SCSU's Kalle Kossila ranks second among all active NCAA DI players with 151 career points. Danny O'Regan of Boston University tops the list with 153 career points. SCSU's Joey Benik is sixth on the list with 124 career points during his sterling career in the Granite City...There are 21 100-point scorers in the field. Michigan and St. Cloud State have the most with three each. Four teams have none: Boston College, Ferris State, UMass Lowell and Yale. Five players enter the tournament within 6 points of 100: Ryan Fitzgerald, Boston College (98), Ethan Prow, St. Cloud State (98), Jimmy Murray, St. Cloud State (96), Adam Chapie, UMass Lowell (95), and Matt Grzelcyk, Boston University (94).

A FEW MORE NOTES OF NATE (EWELL): SCSU's Kalle Kossila ranks first among active NCAA players with 103 career assists and he is fourth among active NCAA players with 156 games played in the cardinal and black during his career....SCSU's David Morley ranks 3rd among active NCAA players with 13 career game winning goals.

TOURNAMENT TIME: Joey Benik leads all active NCAA players with eight points scored in seven NCAA tournament games played during his college career at SCSU. Benik has notched 5g/3a in NCAA tournament play since 2013. He was named the Midwest Regional MVP in 2013.