Saturday, January 13
St. Cloud, Minn.
3:07 p.m.
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota Whitecaps
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Hockey
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/ Women's Hockey
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Photo by: Maddie MacFarlane
Insider: Alder shines in bid for Swiss Olympic spot
1/11/2018 1:45:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Sophomore goaltender notched a pair of shutouts in international play over break
ST. CLOUD—If winter break was Janine Alder's audition for a second-straight selection to Switzerland's women's hockey Olympic roster, then you have to like St. Cloud State's sophomore goaltender's chances of making it to South Korea next month.
While other SCSU students were getting some much-needed R&R over break, Alder was busy plying her trade overseas in a pair of international tournaments in hopes of playing her way to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.
Alder made a strong case with shutouts against France at a Four Nations Tournament in early December in the Czech Republic and Germany at the 2018 Nations Cup last weekend in Fussen, Germany.
"I feel pretty good and am comfortable in the team and with my teammates," Alder said. "I enjoy playing with them so I hope I put myself in a good position to be on the team."
"I hope they have seen what I have done and what I have been part of over here."
Should the Zurich, Switzerland, native be chosen, she will be the first Olympian in the 20-year history of St. Cloud State's women's hockey program. Alder would also join men's hockey defenseman Will Borgen and alumni Garrett Roe as 2018 Huskies Olympians.
Alder said what impressed the Swiss coaching staff most was how much she has grown as a player just since August, which she credits to her time at SCSU playing in the WCHA on a weekly basis against some of the best in the world. She has picked up right where she left off after earning All-WCHA Rookie Team accolades as a freshman. Alder's .931 save percentage in 11 starts this season ranks No. 3 in the conference and is tied for ninth nationally.
"Her transition from last year to this year has been seamless," head coach Eric Rud said. "Her numbers have stayed consistent and that is a very positive thing. She is very demanding of herself and is dedicated to being the best athlete she can be."
"She has done everything she can do to prepare herself for that Olympic possibility."
For now, though, it is a waiting game, which Alder called "the hardest part" of the last four years. Switzerland is expected to officially announce its roster on January 22, but she is expecting to hear sometime next week whether or not she will be back to defend her country's 2014 bronze medal.
"It would mean a lot to me. I can't fully describe what it would mean," Alder said. "I got the taste of being there in 2014 and I want to be there again."
UP NEXT: St. Cloud State (5-15-2, 3-11-2 WCHA) vs. Minnesota Whitecaps [Exhibition]
Saturday, January 13 | 3:07 p.m. | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud, Minn.)
| SCSU WOMEN'S HOCKEY CENTRAL: Jan. 13, 2018 |
| LIVE STATS: sidearmstats.com/stcloudstate/whockey/ |
| RADIO: None |
| TELEVISION: None |
| VIDEO STREAMING ($): scsuhuskies.com/live |
| GAME NOTES (PDF): — |
ABOUT THE SERIES: SCSU vs. MINNESOTA WHITECAPS:
- SCOUTING THE WHITECAPS: The Whitecaps are an elite women's hockey team made up of post-collegiate players. The program was created in 2004 to give women's hockey players in the Midwest an opportunity to continue their playing careers beyond college. Many Whitecaps have represented their countries on National and Olympic Teams, including five who will represent the United States at the 2018 Winter Games. The team is winless in seven games against WCHA competition this season.
- ALL-TIME SERIES (SCSU leads, 3-1-0): Prior to this season, St. Cloud State met the Whitecaps twice before in its history—a 4-3 win on Sept. 26, 2015 and a 4-2 loss on Oct. 9, 2010, both at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Nine current Huskies played in the 2015 game. Suvi Ollikainen and Hannah Potrykus each scored a goal; Julia Tylke, Alyssa Erickson and Ivy Dynek notched assists; and Taylor Crosby stopped 19 shots in the game's second half to earn the win.
- LAST MEETING (Oct. 13-14, 2017): SCSU and the Whitecaps matched up earlier this season for a two-game set in St. Cloud. The Huskies swept that series with a pair of 2-1 wins. Senior forward Alyssa Erickson notched three points (2-1) in the series, including both goals in the series opener and the primary set up on sophomore forward Hallie Theodosopolous's overtime-winner in the finale. Junior goaltender Taylor Crosby made 35 saves in the opener to preserve that win.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:
- LAST TIME OUT: In its most recent outing, SCSU's late rally fell one goal short in a 2-1 non-conference loss at No. 6 Minnesota. Junior forward Julia Tylke drew the Huskies within one late in the third period but despite the flurry of chances that followed, that was as close as they came. Freshman goaltender Emma Polusny made 27 saves in SCSU's second-straight one-goal setback to the Gophers.
- St. Cloud State opened 2018 with a home sweep of Minnesota State January 5-6. The Huskies erupted for a season-high five goals and Polusny stopped all 23 shots she saw for her third shutout in a 5-0 win in the series opener. Sophomore forward Hallie Theodosopoulos scored the game-winner in Saturday's 3-1 victory as part of a three point (2-1) weekend. Freshman forward Laura Kluge paced the offense with four points (1-3) in the series and sophomore forward Kayla Friesen pitched in three points (2-1).
- WCHA WEEKLY HONORS: Both Kluge and Polusny were honored by the WCHA for their performances against the Mavericks, garnering Rookie and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively. Kluge's four points led all conference skaters and ranked second among NCAA freshmen, as were her three assists. Among goaltenders who started two games, Polusny paced the WCHA and NCAA with two wins, a 0.50 goals-against average, .982 save percentage and a shutout.
- PK PROWESS: With a 4-for-5 effort against the Mavericks and 2-for-2 outing at Minnesota, SCSU's penalty kill has now killed 18 of its opponents' last 19 man advantage opportunities. The Huskies boast an 88.5 percent success rate on the kill, which is second the WCHA and ranks No. 9 in the country.
- POLUSNY PROSPERING: Since her start against Bemidji State on November 22, Polusny paces the conference with a 0.99 goals-against average, a .969 save percentage and three shutouts in six starts. Her 23-save shutout against Minnesota State was her third of the season, which tied the SCSU single season record.
- CREASE CREATURES: St. Cloud State's goaltending duo of sophomore Janine Alder and Polusny has been dynamic over the last five weeks. Since November 10, Polusny and Alder rank No. 1 and No. 3 in the WCHA with save percentages of .969 and .936, respectively. For the season, Polusny and Alder boast save percentages of .938 and .931, which rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the WCHA and No. 6 and No. 10 in the country.
- FAB FROSH: With her pair of multi-point outings against Minnesota State, Kluge now leads the team with 11 assists and 16 points through the first 18 games of her rookie season and is tied for the goals lead with five.
- WELCOME TO SCSU: The Huskies roster includes a total of 12 new faces this season, including nine freshmen—which is tied with Bemidji State for the most in the WCHA and third nationally. SCSU is one of the youngest teams in the country, overall, with 18 freshmen and sophomores—the second-most underclassmen in the nation.
- RETURNING FIREPOWER: St. Cloud State returns 75 percent of its goals and 71 percent of its total offensive production from last season, including its top four goal-scorers and point-getters—Tylke, Friesen, Erickson and Potrykus—and six of its top eight scorers, overall. Despite all of their returning offense, the Huskies have been shutout in nine of 17 games this season.
PRESEASON NOTES:
- WCHA COACHES POLL: After securing its best back-to-back conference finishes in seven years last season, the WCHA coaches picked St. Cloud State to place sixth in the league this year. SCSU finished sixth in 2016-17 with 26 league points and a 7-18-3-2 conference record. The Huskies have equaled or bettered their preseason pegging in each of their first three seasons under head coach Eric Rud.
- TWO DECADES OF HUSKIES HOCKEY: The 2017-18 season marks the 20th in St. Cloud State women's hockey history. In that time, the Huskies have produced one NCAA Div. I All-American (Felicia Nelson, 2010), one Patty Kazmaier top-10 finalist (Felicia Nelson, 2010), 16 All-WCHA selections and 27 WCHA Scholar Athletes. SCSU has won 200 games in its history and has appeared in a pair of WCHA Final Face-Offs (2006, 2008).
- HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA 2018: For the second-straight year, the SCSU women will be featured on Hockey Day Minnesota as the city of St. Cloud hosts the 2018 event. The Huskies will play outdoors at Eastman Park on the shores of Lake George on Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m. against WCHA and in-state rival Minnesota Duluth. The contest will be televised live by Fox Sports North. This year marks the first time an NCAA Div. I women's hockey game will be played outside as part of the State of Hockey's state-wide celebration of the sport. Click here for more information.
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