St. Cloud State
25-8-6
University of Denver
22-9-8
No. 1 Huskies fall to No. 4 Denver, 4-1, in Frozen Faceoff title game
3/17/2018 10:28:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Ryan Poehling’s third period goal not enough to spark a St. Cloud State comeback
ST. PAUL—After falling behind early, the No. 1 St. Cloud State men's hockey team (25-8-6, 16-4-4 NCHC) was unable to claw its way back on Saturday in a 4-1 loss to No. 4 Denver (22-9-8, 12-6-6) in the 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game.
Sophomore forward Ryan Poehling scored his 14th goal of the season late in the third period to briefly draw the Huskies within two, 3-1, but the Pioneers had an answer just 72 seconds later to stifle any hopes of an SCSU rally.
The defeat marks the second loss in three all-time tries for the Huskies in the NCHC title game.
"It was a well-played game," head coach Bob Motzko said. "They defended very well after getting a lead early."
"After we made it 3-1 we had a couple of great chances and then they get another fluky one."
.@DU_Hockey captures its second #FrozenFaceoff championship ??
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) March 18, 2018
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Denver made it an uphill battle for the Huskies early, scoring early and late in the first period to build a quick 2-0 lead. The Pioneers opened the scoring just under four and a half minutes into the contest and added another with just five seconds left in the period to double their advantage—a goal that came just seconds after SCSU came up empty on a power play chance and proved to be its back-breaker.
"Momentum is huge in hockey, especially in the playoffs," junior defenseman Jimmy Schuldt said. "To score a goal at the end of a period really helps the morale of a team. If we hang on for five more seconds it could have been a different game."
Denver added a third goal just over two minutes into the middle frame and proceeded to shift into preservation mode.
After the Pioneers' third tally, Motzko opted to relieve freshman goaltender David Hrenak with junior Jeff Smith in hopes of lighting a fire under his team. Though the Huskies did begin to pour on pressure after that, including a 14-9 shots on goal advantage in the third period, DU senior goaltender Tanner Jalliet stood tall on a number of chances and SCSU hampered its ability to really get anything going by taking three penalties in the final stanza.
"We knew they wanted to get a lead early and hold on," Schuldt said. "That's what they want to do and then just play shutdown hockey. It worked for them. We played right into their hands."
After fighting through that adversity, Poehling's goal looked like a potential late spark the Huskies were looking for, but Denver quickly put those hopes to bed.
Despite the title game setback, St. Cloud State will move on to compete in the 2018 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. The Huskies, who will likely be the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, will learn where they will be dancing when the 16-team bracket is unveiled on Sunday, March 18 at 11 a.m., live on ESPNU.
Fans are invited to join SCSU players and coaches at the team's selection show viewing party at Buffalo Wild Wings in St. Cloud. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.
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