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Friday, February 28
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:37 p.m.
St. Cloud State
13-12-6, 10-9-2NCHC
5
vs
1
University of Denver
20-8-5, 9-8-4NCHC
1
2
3
F
Denver
0
1
0
1
St. Cloud State
1
3
1
5
Nick Poehling goal celebration on Feb. 28 vs. Denver.
SCSU men's hockey stretches unbeaten streak to seven with win over DU
2/28/2020 11:21:00 PM | Men's Hockey
The St. Cloud State University men's hockey team (13-12-6, 10-9-2 NCHC) stretched its current unbeaten streak to seven games thanks to a big 5-1 victory over #6 ranked University of Denver (19-9-5, 9-8-4 NCHC) on Friday, Feb. 28 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.
The victory pushed St. Cloud State over the .500 mark on the season and it moved the Huskies within one point of fourth place Denver in the current NCHC standings. With three league games left in the regular season, SCSU has 33 NCHC points, while Denver is in fourth with 34 points. North Dakota leads the league with 50 points and Minnesota Duluth is in second with 44 points. Omaha is in sixth place with 24 points, while Miami is in seventh with 17 points and Colorado College is in eighth place with 15 points.
The Huskies and Denver will complete its series on Saturday, Feb. 29 with a 6:07 p.m. game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Tickets are available for this important league contest and fans can purchase them online at scsutickets.com or by calling the SCSU Athletic Ticket Office at 877-SCSUTIX (or you can purchase tickets at the gate on game day. All SCSU students get into this game for FREE.
In an offensive showcase for the Huskies, SCSU opened the game's scoring at 9:42 of the first period with an even-strength goal by Jami Krannila that was assisted by Jack Ahcan and Kevin Fitzgerald. This was Krannila's fourth goal of the season and it marked Ahcan's 17th assist of the campaign and Fitzgerald's seventh helper of 2019-20.
Denver rallied with a power play marker by Emillo Peterson at :50 of the second period, which included assists from Ian Mitchel and Liam Finley.
The Huskies quickly regained the lead with the game winning goal charted by Fitzgerald at 2:05 of the second period. Spencer Meier and Jake Wahlin added assists on the play, which was Fitzgerald's fourth goal of the season.
SCSU added its second goal of the second period with a power play goal by Zach Okabe at 5:29. Easton Brodzinski and Nolan Walker both posted assists on the play, which was Okabe's sixth goal of the season and the first power play goal of his collegiate career. Brodzinski's assist was his 14th of the season and it marked Walker's 10th assist of 2019-20.
At 12:57 of the second period, Nick Poehling continued his hot hand with a power play goal that gave SCSU a commanding 4-1 lead. Nick Perbix and Sam Hentges both had assists on the play. The goal was Poehling's eighth of the season and it marked the eighth consecutive game that he has scored a point for the Huskies.
To wrap the game up, Fitzgerald posted his second goal of the evening with an empty net goal at 18:48 of the third period. Perbix and Clark Kuster combined for the assists on the play, which was Fitzgerald's fifth goal of the season. On the evening, Fitzgerald had two goals and one assist and that equals his career single-game high for points and goals.
The game's number one start went to junior netminder David Hrenak, who made 31 saves for the Huskies to earn his 12th victory of the season. Hrenak is undefeated in his last seven starts for the Huskies and currently owns a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save rate.
In the contest, Denver outshot the Huskies 32-28. SCSU was 2-6 on the power play and was 4-of-5 on the penalty kill.
The victory pushed St. Cloud State over the .500 mark on the season and it moved the Huskies within one point of fourth place Denver in the current NCHC standings. With three league games left in the regular season, SCSU has 33 NCHC points, while Denver is in fourth with 34 points. North Dakota leads the league with 50 points and Minnesota Duluth is in second with 44 points. Omaha is in sixth place with 24 points, while Miami is in seventh with 17 points and Colorado College is in eighth place with 15 points.
The Huskies and Denver will complete its series on Saturday, Feb. 29 with a 6:07 p.m. game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Tickets are available for this important league contest and fans can purchase them online at scsutickets.com or by calling the SCSU Athletic Ticket Office at 877-SCSUTIX (or you can purchase tickets at the gate on game day. All SCSU students get into this game for FREE.
In an offensive showcase for the Huskies, SCSU opened the game's scoring at 9:42 of the first period with an even-strength goal by Jami Krannila that was assisted by Jack Ahcan and Kevin Fitzgerald. This was Krannila's fourth goal of the season and it marked Ahcan's 17th assist of the campaign and Fitzgerald's seventh helper of 2019-20.
Huskies draw first blood. It's 1-0! @SCSUHUSKIES_MH pic.twitter.com/4oJGdXpGg1
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
Denver rallied with a power play marker by Emillo Peterson at :50 of the second period, which included assists from Ian Mitchel and Liam Finley.
The Huskies quickly regained the lead with the game winning goal charted by Fitzgerald at 2:05 of the second period. Spencer Meier and Jake Wahlin added assists on the play, which was Fitzgerald's fourth goal of the season.
"Sometimes it's hockey. Sometimes it's art. And this was pure magic!"@SCSUHUSKIES_MH pic.twitter.com/6UR0v6xpft
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
SCSU added its second goal of the second period with a power play goal by Zach Okabe at 5:29. Easton Brodzinski and Nolan Walker both posted assists on the play, which was Okabe's sixth goal of the season and the first power play goal of his collegiate career. Brodzinski's assist was his 14th of the season and it marked Walker's 10th assist of 2019-20.
The freshman buries it! @SCSUHUSKIES_MH leads by a pair. pic.twitter.com/yiQXHuAxqI
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
At 12:57 of the second period, Nick Poehling continued his hot hand with a power play goal that gave SCSU a commanding 4-1 lead. Nick Perbix and Sam Hentges both had assists on the play. The goal was Poehling's eighth of the season and it marked the eighth consecutive game that he has scored a point for the Huskies.
The No. 6 ranked team in the country is officially on upset alert! St. Cloud is rolling! pic.twitter.com/hWlakHpfE7
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
To wrap the game up, Fitzgerald posted his second goal of the evening with an empty net goal at 18:48 of the third period. Perbix and Clark Kuster combined for the assists on the play, which was Fitzgerald's fifth goal of the season. On the evening, Fitzgerald had two goals and one assist and that equals his career single-game high for points and goals.
.@SCSUHUSKIES_MH adds an empty net goal. pic.twitter.com/q2tCgaGyeE
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
The game's number one start went to junior netminder David Hrenak, who made 31 saves for the Huskies to earn his 12th victory of the season. Hrenak is undefeated in his last seven starts for the Huskies and currently owns a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save rate.
In the contest, Denver outshot the Huskies 32-28. SCSU was 2-6 on the power play and was 4-of-5 on the penalty kill.
Team Stats
DEN
SCSU
Shots
32
28
PPG
1
2
SHG
0
0
Penalties
6
5
Penalty Mins
12
10
Faceoffs Won
27
32
Game Leaders
+/-
+3
Goals
2
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
+2
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
2
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
5
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
Players Mentioned
D
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