Insider: St. Cloud State defense seeking to join offensive fray

ST. CLOUD—Elite hockey teams are ones that have the ability to be dangerous from anywhere on the ice. For the St. Cloud State women to transform into that type of attack, their defenders will have to play an integral role.

Head coach Eric Rud's system encourages the Huskies' blue liners to jump up into and help carry the offensive play—something they worked on frequently earlier in the year.

"We're constantly looking for new ways to create offense," Rud said. "When we have full possession of the puck, we encourage our defense be aggressive and make plays."

This has meant adjusting to a new style of play for some of the team's defenders. Rud admitted they are not exactly where he wants them to be yet, offensively, but that the in-zone offense from the blue line has "definitely" improved.

That development is beginning to manifest itself on the score sheet. The SCSU defense has had a hand in seven of the team's last 16 goals and 42 percent of its tallies, overall, this season. It has combined for four goals and 23 points in 26 games, led by senior Caroline Markstrom (3 2) and junior Brittney Anderson (1 6).

After totaling one point in her first three seasons, Markstrom has an offensive revelation as a senior. With three goals and five points, she has already set career highs in goals, assists and points and her three markers pace all team rear guards.

"This year we have seen her become increasingly confident," Rud said of Markstrom. "She has always had a hard shot and now that she has a little more poise you're seeing that good shot get through, which has helped us."

Anderson, who notched a team-leading 16 assists in 2015-16, is the Huskies' premier defensive playmaker. Since returning from injury on November 18 at Bemidji State she has registered five assists in 14 games.

"She is our top offensive defenseman," Rud said of Anderson. "When she was out it hurt our power play and our offensive production in general."

The next step in the blue line's evolution is finding consistency. Rud wants to see his defenders make a greater impact with their shots—especially in terms of their precision.

"We are still getting a lot of shots blocked and we're not getting them through," he said. "We want to get our shots off a little quicker and with increased accuracy."

UP NEXT: ST. CLOUD STATE (6-16-2, 4-13-1-1 WCHA) vs. No. 4 MINNESOTA (17-5-3, 13-4-3-2 WCHA) — Friday, January 27, 7:07 p.m.; Saturday, January 28, 3:07 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

SCOUTING THE GOPHERS: No. 4 Minnesota is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games and 1-2-1 in its last four. The Gophers are coming off a four-point weekend against Ohio State in which they won, 2-1, and tied, 1-1, with a shootout loss. They sit in second place in the WCHA with 44 points from 20 games—just one point ahead of third place Minnesota Duluth. Minnesota boasts three of the league's top scorers, led by junior forward Kelly Pannek, who leads the conference and country, with 49 points (14 35) this season. Senior forward Dani Cameranesi leads the WCHA, and ranks No. 3 nationally, with 18 goals. Junior goaltender Sidney Peters has started 23 of her team's 25 games and ranks eighth in the WCHA with a .901 save percentage.

The series is the Huskies' eighth against a nationally ranked opponent this season. SCSU is 2-11-1 against nationally ranked teams.

ALL-TIME SERIES: SCSU is 3-72-2 all-time against the Gophers and are currently mired in a 32-game winless streak against their in-state rivals that dates back to the 2009-10 season. The Huskies' last win over Minnesota came on Feb. 13, 2010—a 6-3 triumph.

LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies snatched five of six points from Minnesota State at home with a 2-1 win and 3-3 tie paired with a 3-2 shootout win. Senior defenseman Caroline Markstrom and junior forward Alyssa Erickson staked SCSU to an early lead in the opener before the defense and freshman goaltender Janine Alder held on late for the one-goal win. The Huskies stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the finale courtesy of Erickson, freshman forward Janna Haeg and Friesen, but surrendered three unanswered goals to the Mavericks and settled for a tie. Senior forward Lauren Hespenheide was the hero in the shootout, scoring the winner in the sixth round. Markstrom's goal last Friday against MSU snapped the Huskies' season-long 193:24 scoring drought. SCSU's five-goal weekend was its most in conference play since also notching five November 18-19 at Bemidji State.

KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:

FANTASTIC FRIESEN: Friesen continued her strong rookie campaign with three points (1 2) against Minnesota State and now boasts 11 points (5 6) on the season which is tied for third on the Huskies. Her five goals and 11 points are tied for third and seventh, respectively, among all league freshman. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native led all conference freshman in points last weekend to earn her first career WCHA Rookie of the Week honor. Her three-point series was Friesen's best in league play and equaled for her best weekend of the season, matching her three-point (1 2) output November 25-26 at the Windjammer Classic in Burlington, Vt.

SWISS SENSATION: Alder is setting the standard for rookie net minders at St. Cloud State. The Zurich, Switzerland native boasts a 2.44 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage and three shutouts this season. Her three clean sheets are the most-ever for a freshman and are tied for the most in a single season in program history. If the season ended today, she would be tied for the best single season save percentage and the second-best single season goals-against average. Her .926 save percentage also ranks 11th, nationally.

EXCEPTIONAL ERICKSON: Erickson has goals in each of her last two games and three in her last six. She ranks second on the team with eight goals and is tied for third with 11 points this season. Good things happen when she scores. The Huskies are 5-2-1 this season when the Mission, British Colombia native scores a goal or records a point.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: The Huskies continue to push new boundaries, offensively. With 26 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, this season with two goals and eight points, collectively, in its last nine games. Leading the way are Markstrom, who has three goals and five points in her last 15 contests, and junior Brittany Anderson, who has five assists in 14 games since returning from injury on November 18 at Bemidji State.

MAGNIFICENT MARKSTROM: Markstrom is enjoying a career year in her final season. The Kovland, Sweden native's three goals, two assists and five points are all single-season career highs. Her three markers lead all team blue liners.

SILKY TYLKE: Despite missing the last three games due to injury, sophomore forward Julia Tylke continues to pace SCSU with nine goals, eight assists and 17 points this season. The Delafield, Wis., native is tied for 10th in the WCHA in goals and tied for 15th in points. In her absence, the rest of the Huskies stepped up against Minnesota State to fill in the offensive gap. Four different players scored against the Mavericks and seven recorded one point or more in the series.

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.).

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