New Year, New Huskies: SCSU offense erupts in 7-4 win over No. 7 Colgate

Friday, January 6

St. Cloud, Minn.

7:07 p.m.

St. Cloud State

6-14-1, 4-11-1WCHA

Colgate

15-3-2, 6-2-1ECAC

Colgate

St. Cloud State

Photo by: Maddie MacFarlane

New Year, New Huskies: SCSU offense erupts in 7-4 win over No. 7 Colgate

1/6/2017 10:37:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Box Score

Huskies score season-high seven goals in upset win over nationally ranked Raiders

By: Ryan Evans

ST. CLOUD—The new year opened with a bang for the St. Cloud State women's hockey team (6-14-1, 4-11-1-1 WCHA), as the Huskies scored three unanswered goals in the third period en route to a 7-4 upset of No. 7 Colgate (15-3-2, 6-2-1 ECAC) Friday to open 2017.

SCSU's season-high seven goals helped snap its season-long six-game winless skid and were the most the program has scored since also netting seven in a 7-2 win over Lindenwood on Nov. 10, 2012. Those contributions came from the entire lineup, as five players notched a goal and 11 different Huskies recorded a point.

"There was a sense of urgency tonight that we hadn't yet seen out of our group," head coach Eric Rud said. "With only so many weekends left, they realized that it is time to go."

Rud said he felt his team coming on around the weekend at Bemidji State in mid November, but injuries a dearth of "puck luck" derailed that momentum. Friday's win, which he called the best offensive performance he's seen in two and a half years behind the SCSU bench, validated that belief.

"It's not a surprise for our staff to see us come out and put together a game like that," Rud said. "We feel we are a team that is capable of playing some very good hockey."

St. Cloud State used its three-week break to get healthy and the two most notable injured Huskies—sophomore forward Hannah Potrykus and freshman forward Janna Haeg—each played integral roles in their returns to the lineup

Haeg scored the eventual game-winning goal in the third period to break a 4-4 tie and, after "willing herself" back from injury, according to Rud, Potrykus notched a hat trick and four points in her first game since November 19.

"It felt great to be back on the ice and back with the team," Potrykus said. "I had some built up tension from the injury and just wanted to get back out there."

Backed by a goal from senior Lauren Hespenheide and two from Potrykus, SCSU rallied back from three one-goal deficits—1-0, 2-1 and 4-3—in the first 40 minutes and was knotted, 4-4, after two periods courtesy of senior forward Payge Pena's game-tying goal late in the middle frame. Haeg's marker broke the deadlock midway through the third ahead of tallies from senior Alyssa Erickson and Potrykus's third, which salted the game away.

SCSU's potent second line of Potrykus, Erickson and sophomore forward Julia Tylke combined for four goals and nine points in the win.

"This changes our momentum completely," Potrykus said. "Coming into the New Year, to get a win right off of the bat is huge for us as a team and we can build off of this."

Freshman goaltender Janine Alder recorded her sixth win of the season, stopping all 17 shots she saw in 29:05 of action after relieving sophomore Taylor Crosby just over halfway through the contest.

The win over the No. 7-ranked Raiders is St. Cloud State's second of the season over a nationally ranked opponent. The Huskies previous such victory was a 3-2 triumph over then-No. 7 North Dakota on Oct. 8.

The Huskies will close their two-game non-conference set against Colgate on Saturday, January 7 at 3:07 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on game day. St. Cloud State students with a valid student ID and all youth hockey players will receive free admission.

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