St. Cloud State
Wisconsin
Players Mentioned
Insider: Torrid trio powering Huskies’ second half surge
1/24/2018 4:56:00 PM | Women's Hockey
St. Cloud State enjoying increased cohesion during strong second half start
ST. CLOUD—Unbeaten in three of its first five games to start the second half, the St. Cloud State women's hockey team (6-15-3, 4-11-2-0 WCHA) is reaping the rewards of the growing chemistry among its plethora of young and new faces.
After taking their lumps in the season's first half, the Huskies are 3-1-1 since the break, averaging just under three goals per game in that time and boast a three-game winning streak in conference play—their longest since Jan. 9-16, 2016. The rapport fueling their strong start to the second half will be put to the test, though, this weekend on the road against WCHA front-runner and consensus No. 1-ranked Wisconsin (24-1-1, 15-0-1-1)
"We are figuring out what our identity is a little bit more and understanding what we're trying to accomplish on the ice," head coach Eric Rud said. "Early in the season that is difficult because there is no familiarity with people's nuances or the way they react on the ice."
"Now, early on here, it looks like we have gelled a little bit with our lines and defensive combinations."
No forward line exemplifies that increased chemistry better than the trio of sophomores Kayla Friesen and Hallie Theodosopoulos and freshman Laura Kluge. Since being united prior to the Huskies second half-opening sweep of Minnesota State, the three have caught fire and combined for nine goals and 18 points in five games led by Theodosopoulos's five goals and Kluge's seven (2-5) points.
Rud said the three players' high collective hockey IQ made it an attractive prospect to put them together—a decision that has paid immediate dividends.
"All three of those players think the game very similarly, in terms of how they work, making plays and getting open," he said. "They are good athletes, but they also play the game very cerebrally."
"Coming out of the break it seemed like a good thing to start with and obviously it worked right away. We hope that that is going to continue."
Besides its impact on the scoreboard, the biggest byproduct of that line's success has been its effect on the rest of the lineup. Establishing the Theodosopoulos-Friesen-Kluge line has not only powered the team's second half surge, but has also settled the rest of the SCSU lineup into place. The Huskies rarely had set lines in the first half, but are now enjoying game-to-game and week-to-week consistency—the benefits of which have been evident.
Rud mentioned being able to move sophomore forward Brooke Kudirka to center, where she is playing valuable minutes and contributing defensively, as one of those advantages.
"By getting one line solidified, it has settled everything else down and put things into place," Rud said. "It has settled everything else down and allowed everyone else to find their place. Having that line fall into place has solidified our entire lineup."
St. Cloud State and Wisconsin will face off at 2:07 p.m. on both Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis. Sunday's series finale will be broadcast live by Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Wisconsin and streamed live at FoxSportsGo.com
UP NEXT: St. Cloud State (5-15-3, 4-11-2-0 WCHA) at No. 1 Wisconsin (24-1-1, 15-0-1-1 WCHA)
Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28 | 2:07 p.m. (both) | LaBahn Arena (Madison, Wis.)
| SCSU WOMEN'S HOCKEY CENTRAL: Jan. 27-28, 2018 |
| LIVE STATS: sidearmstats.com/wisconsin/whockey/ |
| RADIO: iheart.com/live/1009-fm1070-am-7273/ |
| TELEVISION: Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Wisconsin (Saturday) |
| VIDEO STREAMING ($): BTN2Go (Saturday) | Fox Sports Go (Saturday) |
| GAME NOTES (PDF): SCSU at UW |
ABOUT THE SERIES: SCSU vs. WISCONSIN:
- SCOUTING THE BADGERS: For the second time this season, St. Cloud State will face a consensus No. 1-ranked Wisconsin team. The league-leading Badgers are unbeaten in 16 conference games and have lost just once on the season. UW is coming off a pair of hard-fought road games at Bemidji State in which the Beavers took the Badgers to overtime twice. UW boasts the WCHA's best scoring offense (3.58 goals/game) and scoring defense (1.08 goals against/game). Wisconsin is led, offensively, by sophomore forward Abby Roque, who paces the team with 21 assists and 29 points. Senior forward Claudia Kepler leads the team, and is tied for first in the WCHA, with 16 goals. Sophomore goaltender Kristen Campbell has started all 26 games and has a 1.08 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.
- This series will be SCSU's 12th and 13th meetings this season against a ranked opponents. The Huskies are 0-9-2 in those contests this season, including 0-5-2 on the road.
- LAST MEETING (Dec. 8-9, 2017): St. Cloud State and No. 1 Wisconsin last met in early December at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The Huskies were swept in that series in a pair of narrow defeats, 1-0 and 3-0. The losses extended their winless stretch against Wisconsin to 13 games and were the 10th and 11th, and last, times SCSU was shutout this season. The Huskies' goaltenders stood on their heads to keep their team competitive as sophomore Janine Alder and freshman Emma Polusny combined for 72 saves in the series.
- ALL-TIME SERIES: St. Cloud State is 8-72-2 all-time against the Badgers. The Huskies last win in the series came on Feb. 20, 2015 at LaBahn Arena. Senior forward Alyssa Erickson, then a freshman, scored the opening goal in that contest ahead of the game-winner from Payge Pena in a game that featured 52 saves from goaltender Julie Friend.
- Erickson leads the team with two career points (2-0—2) against the Badgers. Senior defender Brittney Anderson (1-0—1) and junior forwards Hannah Potrykus (1-0—1) and Julia Tylke (1-0—1) have also scored against Wisconsin in their careers.
KEY NOTES TO CONSIDER:
- LAST TIME OUT: In its last outings, SCSU notched an unbeaten weekend against Minnesota Duluth—the team directly in front of them in the conference standings. Behind two goals from sophomore forward Hallie Theodosopoulos, including a late game-winner, the Huskies knocked off UMD, 3-2, in the series opener. In the non-conference and outdoor finale, senior defender Brittney Anderson and sophomore goaltender Janine Alder lifted SCSU to a 1-1 tie and dramatic six-round shootout win on Hockey Day Minnesota.
- WCHA WEEKLY HONOR: For leading the Huskies to their unbeaten weekend, Alder was honored as the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week. She led all WCHA net minders with a sterling .966 save percentage on a league-high 59 shots. After making 36 saves last Friday—her eighth 30-plus save outing of the season—she stopped all 21 shots she saw in relief and was unbeaten on six shootout attempts in Saturday's outdoor game.
- ALDER THE OLYMPIAN: In a historic first for the program, Alder was also named to Switzerland's women's hockey roster for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. With her selection, she became the first Olympian in the 20-year history of St. Cloud State's women's hockey program. Alder won a bronze medal with Switzerland at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
- SECOND HALF SURGE: SCSU has returned from winter break with renewed vigor. The Huskies are 3-1-1 so far in the second half and have averaged 2.6 goals per game over that span. That stretch includes their current three-game winning streak in WCHA play, which is their longest since Jan. 9-16, 2016.
- TRIUMPHANT TRIO: The forward trio of Theodosopoulos, sophomore Kayla Friesen and freshman Laura Kluge has been on fire in the second half. The line has combined for nine goals and 18 points in five games, led by Theodosopoulos's five goals and Kluge's seven points (1-6).
- FAB FROSH: Kluge paces the Huskies with 13 assists and 19 points in 21 games as a freshman and is tied for the team lead with six goals. Her points production is already tied for No. 9 in SCSU history for a rookie player and is tied for No. 4 among WCHA first year players.
- DYNAMIC DUO: In Alder and freshman Emma Polusny, the Huskies boast arguably the best goaltending duo in the country. Polusny (.939) and Alder (.935) rank No. 2 and No. 3 in the conference and No. 5 and No. 6 in the country in save percentage, respectively. They have been especially dominant since SCSU's win over Bemidji State on November 22. In that time, Polusny and Alder rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the league with save percentages of .968 and .963. Polusny has also recorded three shutouts this season, which is tied for SCSU's single season record.
- PK PROWESS: With a 7-for-7 performance against UMD, the Huskies' penalty kill has now been successful on 25 of its opponents last 26 power play opportunities. For the season, they boast an 89.7 percent success rate, which leads the WCHA and is tied for No. 4 in the NCAA.
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).
- 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.
