#9 Huskies close Pod with 3-1 win over #7/8 Denver

Sunday, December 20

Omaha, Neb.

4:05 p.m.

St. Cloud State

6-3-0, 6-3-0NCHC

University of Denver

3-6-1, 3-6-1NCHC

Denver

St. Cloud State

Teammates celebrate Kyler Kupka's game-tying goal against Denver in the second period.

Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann/Omaha Athletics

12/20/2020 7:32:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

OMAHA, NEB. - The St. Cloud State University men's hockey team and head coach Brett Larson will leave Omaha, Nebraska with smiles on their faces.

Why? Because the Huskies closed their trip to the NCHC Pod with their most well-rounded and well-played game of the season.

Oh, and that just happened to result in a win over the #7/8 ranked University of Denver Sunday evening.

Thanks to strong play in every facet of the game, St. Cloud State ended its nearly three week trip to the pod with a 3-1 win over nationally ranked Denver.

It was clear scoring would be scarce from the get go as the Huskies and Pioneers skated to a 0-0 tie at the end of the first period, thanks to outstanding play by senior netminder David Hrenak (Povazksa Bystrica, Slovakia / Green Bay). The veteran goalie made an 12 impressive saves during the opening 20 minutes of play and even drew a goalie interference penalty at 11:12 in the first. However, Denver goalie Magnus Chrona was equally as impressive in net, as he stopped 16 St. Cloud State shots in the first period to hold the score at 0-0.

The Pioneers managed to get on the scoreboard first, as freshman standout Carter Savoie beat Hrenak in transition to give Denver a 1-0 lead at 8:35 in the second period. The Huskies, though, were certainly not out for the count, especially with their speed. Four minutes after Savoie scored the first goal of the game, senior forward Jared Cockrell (Kents Hills, Maine / Colgate) deked his defender and fed linemate Kyler Kupka (Camrose, Alberta / Camrose) a perfect pass, allowing St. Cloud State to even the score at 1-1.

From there, the Huskies controlled their destiny, using strong special teams play to eventually take a 2-1 lead in the third period. At 9:37 Denver's Griffin Mendel was called for holding, giving St. Cloud State a man advantage for two minutes. It took the Huskies less than one to score, as Veeti Miettinen (Espoo, Finland / Kiekki-Espoo) powered the puck past Chrona for a 2-1 St. Cloud State lead.

Zach Okabe (Okotoks, Alberta / Grande Prairie) added an insurance empty net goal with 59 seconds on the clock, but in the end, it didn't matter. Not with Hrenak playing one of his best games in the Pod. After an off day Friday, the senior surrendered just one goal on 32 shots, finishing the game with a .969 save percentage and improving his personal record to 4-2-0.

With the win, the #9 Huskies close their trip to the Pod with a 6-3-0 record, including two over the nationally-ranked Pioneers. St. Cloud State will return to action on Friday, January 1 for a tilt against conference rival Minnesota-Duluth in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Due to COVID-19, the St. Cloud State men's hockey schedule is subject to change. To stay up to date, follow the team on social media and look for updates on scsuhuskies.com.