The #2 St. Cloud State University men's hockey team (5-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) will open its 2017-18 NCHC season with a pair of home games against #8 Minnesota Duluth (4-2-2, 0-0-0 NCHC) at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (cap. 5,371/200x100).  The game on Friday, Nov. 3 will begin at 7:37 p.m. and the game on Saturday, Nov. 4 will begin at 4:07 p.m.  Great tickets are still available for both games and you can purchase them at scsutickets.com or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX.
 TIME CHANGE: Of note, the SCSU-UMD game on Saturday, Nov. 4 will start at 4:07 p.m.  The game airs live on Fox Sports North Plus.
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SCSU Sports Chat with Mick Hatten - Jon Lizotte Interview:
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IN THE POLLS:  The Huskies received a #2 ranking in the 2017-18 USA TODAY/USA Hockey Division I poll on Oct. 30.  SCSU also gained a #2 ranking in the USCHO.com poll this week.  UMD comes into town with a #8 ranking in the USCHO.com poll and #8 in the USA TODAY/USA Today poll. St. Cloud State was picked as the #2 team in the 2017-18 preseason NCHC poll.  Of note, the Huskies received votes in the final USCHO.com poll of 2016-17.
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Jimmy SchuldtPLAYER OF THE MONTH: Jimmy Schuldt was named the NCHC Player of the Month for October 2017.  Schuldt had a phenomenal start to his junior campaign, tallying 10 points on four goals and six assists in five games, while leading the Huskies to a 5-0-0 start and a No. 2 national ranking. Despite being a defenseman, Schuldt tied for the NCAA lead among all skaters in October with 2.00 points per game, while also ranking sixth during the month with 1.20 assists per game, both of which led all NCHC skaters. The team captain tallied at least one point in all five games in October, including four multi-point games, while posting a +8 plus-minus, which led the entire NCAA during the month.
 MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY: The SCSU vs. CC game on Nov. 17 at the HBNHC has been designated as Military Appreciation Day.  All active military and veterans along with a guest will be admitted FREE to the game that night.  Contact the SCSU Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-SCSUTIX for complete details on this event.  Â
 OFF WEEK:  The Huskies enjoyed a bye week on Oct. 27-28, and they will return to action on Nov. 3-4 with a pair of home dates against #8 Minnesota Duluth.  These games will mark the start of the NCHC season for both SCSU and UMD.
 WINNING WAYS: Both SCSU and UMD bring five game unbeaten streaks into this weekend's series.
 NCAA LEADER: SCSU ranks second in the country on offense with a scoring average of 4.60 points per game.  In comparison, SCSU averaged 2.9 goals per game in 2016-17.  On defense, SCSU ranks seventh in the nation with an average of 2.00 goals allowed per game.  SCSU has outscored its opponents 23-10 this season.
 POINT PRODUCTION: Junior team captain and defenseman Jimmy Schuldt leads the nation in scoring at 2.00 points per game.  Teammate Ryan Poehling, a first round draft pick of Montreal in 2017, ranks 16th in the nation with a scoring average of 1.60 ppg.  The pair also rank 6th in the nation with 1.20 assists per game.
 ADVANTAGE SCSU: The Huskies have shown a marked improvement on the power play in 2017-18.  SCSU currently ranks 10th among DI teams with a power play ratio of 29.2 percent.  In 2016-17, SCSU's power play rate was 20.1 percent.
 NICE GUYS: The trend continues for SCSU in the penalty department.  A perennial leader among the nation's least penalized teams, SCSU currently ranks second in the country for fewest penalty minutes per game in 2017-18 at an average of 7.6 PIM per game this winter.  SCSU lead all DI teams in 2016-17 for least penalty minutes in a game at 8.9 PIM per game.
 LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies most recently scored a 5-2 and 3-1 series sweep against Boston College on Oct. 20-21 at the HBNHC.  This marked the first time that BC has played games in St. Cloud, Minn. and it also improved the all-time series record against the Eagles to 2-1 for SCSU.
 HOME COOKING: The games against UMD will wrap-up a six-game homestand for the Huskies.  SCSU played its first game of the year on the road at Minnesota State and has since played all of its games in 2017-18 in the friendly confines of the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
 STRONG START: The last time that the Huskies have opened a season with five wins was during the 2013-14 campaign, when they went 5-0-1 before suffering a loss against Miami.  SCSU's longest win streak to start a season was a 9-0-0 stretch to open the 2001-02 season.
 TEAM NOTEBOOK: SCSU goalie Jeff Smith ranks 10th among DI netminders with a 1.67 goals against average and seventh with a .943 save rate...Jimmy Schuldt and Ryan Poehling both own five-game scoring streaks headed into the weekend's series against UMD...
Rookie Kevin Fitzgerald scored his first collegiate goal against Boston College on Oct. 20.  Rookie teammate Blake Lizotte also scored his first collegiate points with two assists in that game vs. BC...SCSU junior Mikey Eyssimont, who led the Huskies in scoring in 2016-17, charted his first goal of the season on Oct. 21 vs. Boston College. Eyssimont now has 29 goals and 67 points during his career at SCSU.
 DOG FIGHT: In play against UMD, the Huskies own a 64-49-9 series lead dating back to 1946-47.  SCSU is 61-45-8 during the Division I era of the season.  In the last five games of this series, UMD owns a 4-1-0 edge and a 6-3-1 lead in the last 10 games of the series.  Last year, SCSU lost a pair of 5-3 decisions against UMD at the HBNHC on Nov. 4-5, 2016.  At Amsoil Arena, SCSU scored a 2-1 win on Jan. 13, 2017 and a 4-3 OT loss on Jan. 14, 2017.  In play on neutral ice, the Huskies lost a close 2-1 OT match against the Bulldogs in the title game of the North Star Cup at the Xcel Energy Center in 2016-17.
 FROZEN FACEOFF:  Never too soon to make plans for the 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Mar. 16-17.  Visit nchchockey.com for details.Â
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES IN 2017-18 ON THE RADIO:  SCSU fans will be able to listen to the games on 96.7 FM The River (www.river967.com) with Jim Erickson and Dave Reichel on the call.  Fans can also listen to the games on KVSC FM 88.1 (www.kvsc.org)
 WATCH THE HUSKIES:  Fans can watch SCSU games in 2017-18 on the web through NCHC.tv.  Check out the options for this PPV service by visiting NCHC.tv/scsu
 HUSKIES ON TV:  Fans can watch the game on Oct. 20 on the SCSU Sports Network (Charter Cable 426/823) and the game on Oct. 21 will air on Fox Sports North Plus and Fox College Sports.  Check your local listings for these network channels on cable and dish.
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