SCSU men's hockey back home for weekend series against Denver

The St. Cloud State University men's hockey team (10-11-1, 5-8-1 NCHC) will continue its 2016-17 season on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 with games against #1/2 Denver (15-5-4, 7-2-3 NCHC). The game on Jan. 20 will begin at 7:37 p.m. and the game on Jan. 21 will begin at 7:07 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Great tickets are available for both of these key NCHC showdowns at the HBNHC. Special offer on both night features free youth ticket (grades 12 and under) with the purchase of an adult ticket at the gate on game day.

TICKETS: www.scsutickets.com or 1-877-SCSUTIX
WATCH: SCSU Sports Network (Charter Cable 426/823 & Comcast Cable 999)
LISTEN: REV 96.7 FM or KVSC FM 88.1
LIVE STATS: SCSU Live Stats
VIDEO STREAM: NCHC.tv/scsu
TEAM NOTES: SCSU Notes (PDF)

SCSU MEN'S HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES:

YOUTH NIGHTS: The games on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 have been designated as Youth Nights. All youth (grades 12 and under) can get into the game for free when accompanied by an adult who purchases a ticket at the gate during the games against Denver. For more information on this special offer, please call the SCSU Athletic Ticket office at 320-308-2137 during business hours on Jan. 19 or Jan. 20.

SKATE WITH THE HUSKIES: The annual Skate with the Huskies event takes place after the SCSU-DU game on Jan. 21. Fans are invited to bring their skates (or use skates from the SCSU skate rental) and hit the ice with the members of the SCSU hockey team after the game on Jan. 21. Players will be available for autographs and photos. Skate with the Huskies is free and open to the public

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES THIS WEEKEND: Listen to the games this weekend on REV 96.7 FM (www.rev967.com) with Jim Erickson and Dave Reichel on the call. Fans can also listen to the games live on KVSC FM 88.1 (www.kvsc.org). Fans can watch the games live on the SCSU Sports Network, which is available on Charter Cable Channel 426/823 and also now on in the Cities on Comcast Cable at channel 999.

IN THE POLLS: The Huskies received votes in the USCHO.com poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey poll this week.

NORTH STAR CUP PRE-GAME: St. Cloud State men's hockey fans! If you are going to the Huskies' games at the North Star Cup on January 27-28 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, stop by The Liffey across the street and gather with other St. Cloud State alumni and Huskies fans! The pre-game social on Friday, Jan. 27 will get underway at 2 p.m. - prior to the start of the SCSU game against Bemidji State at 4 p.m. Food and beverage will be available for purchase at The Liffey. SCSU fans are invited to come back to The Liffey on Saturday, Jan. 28 before the Huskies play again in the North Star Cup. Game times on Jan. 28 are at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the SCSU game time will be determined by the results of the games on Jan. 27. The other teams competiting at the North Star Cup this season include Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota. The Liffey (theliffey.com) is located at 175 W. 7th Street, St. Paul, MN 55102.

LAST WEEK: SCSU posted a 2-1 victory at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13 and completed the weekend at Amsoil Arena with a 4-3 OT loss against the Bulldogs. Jack Ahcan scored both goals in the win over UMD, while goalie Jeff Smith gained the victory with a career game-high 41 saves in the game. In the loss against UMD, SCSU trailed 3-0 in the second period before the Huskies came back with three consecutive goals by Blake Winiecki, Patrick Newell and Jimmy Schuldt.

AWARDING PERFORMANCE: SCSU freshman defender Jack Ahcan was named the NCHC Defenseman and Rookie of the Week for games played on Jan. 9-15. Ahcan had two goals, one assist, eight shots and five blocks in SCSU's games at nationally ranked Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13-14. On the plus/minus, Ahcan was +3 in the weekend split at UMD. On the season, Ahcan now has five goals, 11 assists and 16 points for SCSU. He has three game winners this season and ranks ninth among DI players for most points per game by a defenseman at 0.89 points per game. He also ranks 12th among DI freshmen for points per game.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: In the 2017 NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings, SCSU's Ryan Poehling was ranked 14th overall and Jack Ahcan was ranked 124th.

SMITH WITH THE SAVE: Of note, Smith's 41 saves were the most charted by a SCSU goalie since Charlie Lindgren had 45 against Omaha in a 2-1 win in OT on March 13, 2015. In terms of a regulation game, Smith's 41 saves were the most in regulation time since Ryan Faragher had 42 saves against Michigan Tech on March 1, 2013 (5-3 win).

SCSU NOTEWORTHY:- Sophomore forward Mikey Eyssimont hit the 20-point plateau with an assist on Jan. 14. He currently leads the team with 20 points and is tied for the team's goal lead with 10 goals. He also has 10 assists and leads the team this year with four power play goals...Blake Winiecki's goal on Jan. 14 was his 10th of the season, which puts him into a tie for first on the team this season along with Eyssimont. Both Winiecki and Eyssimont have 53 points apiece in their careers at SCSU. Winiecki has 27 goals in his career and 26 assists, while Eyssimont has 24 goals and 29 assists as a Husky.

TAKING THE LEAD: Patrick Newell's assist on Blake Winiecki's goal on Jan. 14 was his team-leading 15th of the season for the Huskies...Will Borgen leads SCSU this season on the plus/minus at +6... Mikey Eyssimont paces SCSU with 85 shots on goal this season... SCSU tied a season game-high with 19 blocks apiece on Jan. 13 and Jan. 14. On the season, Jimmy Schuldt leads the Huskies with 48 blocks.

YOUNG GUNS: SCSU's freshmen class has charted five game winning goals this season and the group is led by Jack Ahcan with three game winners.

CLEAN ACT: SCSU is the second least penalized team in the nation with an average of 10.0 penalty minutes per games this season.

STRONG SCHEDULE: Here is an interesting fact...SCSU's strength of schedule this season in the Men's Division I Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) ranks 4th among NCAA DI teams. How strong is the NCHC? Well, the top six teams in the current RPI strength of schedule rankings are all from the NCHC (#1 UMD, #2 Denver, #3 UND, #4 SCSU, #5 Western Mich. and #6 Miami). Colorado College's SOS is ranked 8th and Omaha's is 12th.

A FEW MORE RANDOM NOTES: The 42 shots allowed by the Huskies on Jan. 13 at UMD were the most allowed by the Huskies in a game this season. SCSU went on to win that contest 2-1...SCSU will play #1/2 ranked Denver this weekend. SCSU is 5-8-1 in action against top 20 ranked team this season.

NORTH STAR CUP: SCSU will play Bemidji State at 4 p.m. in the first round of the North Star Cup at the Xcel Energy Center on Jan. 27 in St. Paul. In the other first round match-up, Minnesota will play UMD at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27. The consolation (4 pm) and championship games take place on Jan. 28 (7 pm) at the Xcel.