Insider: St. Cloud State beginning to build momentum

Around the time the St. Cloud State women's hockey team (6-14-2, 4-11-1-1 WCHA) played at Bemidji State in mid November, head coach Eric Rud saw his team coming on and starting to play some very good hockey.

The Huskies came out of that series winners of two of their last three games, had averaged three goals per game over that span and were getting contributions throughout the lineup.

"We were pretty dialed in to our game at that point," Rud said.

But then the injuries began to pile up and SCSU skidded to the end of the first half on the back of a six-game losing streak.

St. Cloud State has yet to see its team at full strength for a meaningful stretch. Key players like junior defenseman Brittney Anderson, sophomore forward Hannah Potrykus, freshman forward Janna Haeg and sophomore goaltender Taylor Crosby have all missed significant time at different points of the year.

"It would be nice to be healthy for a stretch here and find out the type of team we can turn in to," Rud said.

The Huskies may have got a glimpse of their promise last weekend against then-No. 7 Colgate. With its full lineup in tact, SCSU went unbeaten against the Raiders and erupted for a season high seven goals in its series-opening 7-4 win.

Leading the way was Potrykus, who netted a hat trick and four points in her first game since November 19 against the Beavers. Albeit with 49 days in between, the Brighton, Mich., native now has five goals in her last three contests—an offensive outburst her coaches knew she was capable of.

"From the first day she showed up on campus (as a freshman), we saw that she had goal-scoring ability and touch," Rud said of Potrykus. "She has good hockey sense and awareness around the net."

"She's had a pretty good run and you could see that coming for her."

When the Huskies have been beaten this season, they have often beat themselves by committing mistakes to hurt their own game, rather than opponents overpowering them. With a full arsenal at their disposal, they minimized those situations against the Raiders and earned positive ends as a result.

St. Cloud State got a look at what it is capable of against Colgate and now can discover just how deep its potential runs.

"Our story is still to be written," Rud said.

UP NEXT: St. Cloud State (6-14-2, 4-11-1-1 WCHA) at No. 1 Wisconsin (18-2-1, 13-2-1-1 WCHA) — Friday, January 13, 7 p.m. (LaBahn Arena); Saturday, January 14, 4 p.m. (Kohl Center)

HOW TO FOLLOW:

TV: Fox Sports North (Saturday)
Watch Live (Friday)
Watch Live (Saturday)
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

SCOUTING THE BADGERS: Wisconsin enters this series as the consensus No. 1-ranked team in the country, a spot they have held every week this season. The Badgers sit atop the WCHA standings with 41 points—just one ahead of second place Minnesota. Their only two losses this season are to the Gophers and Minnesota Duluth, both of whom are ranked in the top five. UW boasts the nation's top offense (3.95 goals/game) and stingiest defense (1.00 goals against/game), led by senior forward Sarah Nurse and senior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens. Nurse leads the Badgers with 15 goals and 25 points and Desbiens paces the nation in goals-against average (0.750), save percentage (.957) and shutouts (eight).

ALL-TIME SERIES: St. Cloud State is 8-68-2 all-time against the Badgers. Its last win in Madison came recently, though—a 2-1 triumph on Feb. 20, 2015. Nine current Huskies played in that game, including goal-scorers senior forward Payge Pena and junior forward Alyssa Erickson.

The series against the Badgers will be the seventh for the Huskies this season against a ranked opponent and the fourth-straight. SCSU is 2-9-1 against nationally ranked teams this season.

LAST TIME OUT: In its last outings, St. Cloud State went unbeaten against No. 7 Colgate to start the second half of its season. The Huskies upset the Raiders, 7-4, in the opener, powered by a hat trick and four points from Potrykus and a perfect 17-save relief performance from freshman goaltender Janine Alder. Alder then backstopped SCSU to a scoreless tie, 0-0, in the finale with a career high 40 saves and her third shutout of the season.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:

WCHA HONORS: For leading the Huskies to an unbeaten weekend against then-No. 7 Colgate, sophomore forward Hannah Potrykus and freshman goaltender Janine Alder were honored as WCHA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively. It marked the first time multiple SCSU players won WCHA awards in the same week since Julia Gilbert and Julie Friend were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, on Nov. 14, 2012.
SWISS SENSATION: Alder continues to set the standard for rookie net minders at SCSU. She is the only freshman goalie in program history to boast multiple shutouts in a single season and now has three on the year. She ranks second among first year goalies, nationally, with 2.25 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
SILKY TYLKE: Sophomore forward Julia Tylke registered a career-high three assists in last Friday's win over Colgate, including on freshman forward Janna Haeg's game-winning goal, to push her team points lead to 17. The Delafield, Wis., native leads the team in goals (9), assists (8) and points (17). She is tied for ninth in the conference in goals and sits at 11th in points. She has one goal and five points (1+4) in her last four 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.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN: Freshman forward Kayla Friesen continued her strong rookie campaign with an assist on the game-tying goal in Friday's win over Colgate. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has four goals and eight points this season, the latter of which is tied for ninth in the WCHA among freshman.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: The Huskies continue to push new boundaries, offensively. With just 22 games played, 11 players have already established new career highs in one or more of goals, assists and points in a single season.
OFFENSE IS THE BEST DEFENSE: The SCSU blue line has stepped up, offensively, recently with two goals and 14 points, collectively, in its last 11 games. A defender has had a hand in 11 of the team's last 24 goals. Leading the way are senior Caroline Markstrom, who has two goals and four points in her last 11 contests, and junior Brittany Anderson, who has four assists in 10 games since returning from injury on November 18 at Bemidji State. Markstrom is enjoying a career year in her final season. The Kovland, Sweden native's two goals, two assists and four points are all single-season career highs. Her two markers lead all team blue liners.
HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA: 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. Tickets are available at scsutickets.com.
CLASS of 2021: Eight players have signed National Letters of Intent to play for this Huskies this fall: forwards Emma Bigham (Minnetonka, Minn.), Laura Kluge (Berlin, Germany), Aubrey Pritchett (Orange, Calif.) and Megan Roe (Woodhaven, Mich.); defensemen Hannah Bates (Trenton, Mich.), Tatum Coats (Lakewood, Calif.) and Kenzie Wylie (Ham Lake, Minn.); and goaltender Emma Polusny (Mound, Minn.).