Friday, February 10
St. Cloud, Minn.
3:07 p.m.
St. Cloud State
9-18-4, 7-15-3WCHA
5
vs
2
Bemidji State
9-17-3, 5-17-3WCHA
1
2
3
F
Bemidji State
1
0
1
2
St. Cloud State
1
2
2
5
Rookie Brooke Kudirka scored her first career goal in Friday's win over Bemidji State.
Photo by: Maddie MacFarlane
St. Cloud State lights up scoreboard in 5-2 win over Bemidji State
2/10/2017 6:52:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Five Huskies scored goals, including freshman Brooke Kudirka’s career first
ST. CLOUD—Four underclassmen, and five different Huskies overall, found the back of the net as the St. Cloud State women's hockey team (9-18-4, 7-15-3-2 WCHA) put together one of its most complete offensive performances of the season in Friday's 5-2 win over Bemidji State (9-17-3, 5-17-3-1).
The victory extended the fifth place Huskies lead over the seventh place Beavers in the WCHA standings to five points with three regular season games left to play.
The five goals were the most SCSU has scored since its 7-4 victory over No. 7 Colgate on January 6 and the second-most it has tallied, overall, this season. But, it was the quality of the standout offensive performance that most impressed head coach Eric Rud.
"The nice thing is we created offense through talent and making plays, rather than just grinding it out," head coach Eric Rud said. "We continually work on ways to produce offense and that paid off tonight with some very nice goals."
"We have been building to getting wins like this," he added. "You always want to be playing your best hockey this time of year and I think we are tightening in on that."
The vital breakthrough came to start the second period as sophomore forward Hannah Potrykus and freshman forward Janna Haeg scored 2:44 apart in the opening 3:02 of the period. Potrykus notched her seventh of the year 0:18 into the stanza to break what was then a 1-1 deadlock ahead of Haeg's power play marker and eventual game-winner.
"Getting that one right off the hop and then one on the power play—which we don't have many of this year—was big," Rud said.
Bemidji State began to mount a rally in the third period, out-attempting the Huskies, 25-6, and drawing within one with just over eight minutes to play. But sophomore forward Julia Tylke extinguished BSU's comeback hopes with a superb one-on-one effort and her team-leading 11th goal.
"The timing of that was really important. They really started pouring it on and had us pent up," Rud said. "That is when someone has to make a play and Tylke certainly made a great play there with a fantastic individual effort."
Senior forward Payge Pena tacked on a power play empty-netter to seal the three-goal triumph. Freshman forward Brooke Kudirka opened the scoring in the first period with her first career goal—a testament to the Omaha, Neb., native's growing reservoir of confidence.
"I can feel my confidence level rising. I feel more comfortable out there and hopefully I can keep building on it," Kudirka said. "I just wanted to get the puck on net. That is what coach always tells us and I was lucky enough to be able to pop one in."
St. Cloud State and the Beavers close out their two-game set on Saturday, February 11 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Game time is 3:07 p.m. and it cane be seen live on Fox Sports North PLUS. The Huskies will celebrate Senior Day prior to puck drop and will honor their seven-member senior class: Forwards Lauren Hespenheide, Kelsey Saelens and Pena; defensemen Caroline Markstrom, Jenna Redford and Christa Moody; and goaltender Madeleine Dahl.
Youth under 18 and SCSU students with a valid university ID will be admitted for free. Adult tickets can be purchased at scsutickets.com
###
The victory extended the fifth place Huskies lead over the seventh place Beavers in the WCHA standings to five points with three regular season games left to play.
The five goals were the most SCSU has scored since its 7-4 victory over No. 7 Colgate on January 6 and the second-most it has tallied, overall, this season. But, it was the quality of the standout offensive performance that most impressed head coach Eric Rud.
"The nice thing is we created offense through talent and making plays, rather than just grinding it out," head coach Eric Rud said. "We continually work on ways to produce offense and that paid off tonight with some very nice goals."
"We have been building to getting wins like this," he added. "You always want to be playing your best hockey this time of year and I think we are tightening in on that."
The vital breakthrough came to start the second period as sophomore forward Hannah Potrykus and freshman forward Janna Haeg scored 2:44 apart in the opening 3:02 of the period. Potrykus notched her seventh of the year 0:18 into the stanza to break what was then a 1-1 deadlock ahead of Haeg's power play marker and eventual game-winner.
"Getting that one right off the hop and then one on the power play—which we don't have many of this year—was big," Rud said.
Bemidji State began to mount a rally in the third period, out-attempting the Huskies, 25-6, and drawing within one with just over eight minutes to play. But sophomore forward Julia Tylke extinguished BSU's comeback hopes with a superb one-on-one effort and her team-leading 11th goal.
"The timing of that was really important. They really started pouring it on and had us pent up," Rud said. "That is when someone has to make a play and Tylke certainly made a great play there with a fantastic individual effort."
Senior forward Payge Pena tacked on a power play empty-netter to seal the three-goal triumph. Freshman forward Brooke Kudirka opened the scoring in the first period with her first career goal—a testament to the Omaha, Neb., native's growing reservoir of confidence.
"I can feel my confidence level rising. I feel more comfortable out there and hopefully I can keep building on it," Kudirka said. "I just wanted to get the puck on net. That is what coach always tells us and I was lucky enough to be able to pop one in."
St. Cloud State and the Beavers close out their two-game set on Saturday, February 11 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Game time is 3:07 p.m. and it cane be seen live on Fox Sports North PLUS. The Huskies will celebrate Senior Day prior to puck drop and will honor their seven-member senior class: Forwards Lauren Hespenheide, Kelsey Saelens and Pena; defensemen Caroline Markstrom, Jenna Redford and Christa Moody; and goaltender Madeleine Dahl.
Youth under 18 and SCSU students with a valid university ID will be admitted for free. Adult tickets can be purchased at scsutickets.com
###
Team Stats
BSU
SCSU
Shots
36
26
PPG
1
2
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
4
Penalty Mins
6
8
Faceoffs Won
28
24
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
+2
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
1
+/-
+1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
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