Men's hockey falls 3-1 at Western Michigan

Saturday, January 16

Kalamazoo, MI

6:35 pm CT

St. Cloud State

9-6-0, 9-6-0-2-2-0

Western Michigan University

5-8-3, 5-8-3-0-0-1

St. Cloud State

Western Michigan

Nolan Walker scored the Huskies lone goal in their 3-1 loss at Western Michigan.

1/16/2021 10:38:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

KALAMAZOO, MICH. - The St. Cloud State University men's hockey team suffered its first National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) series sweep of the 2020-21 season. After a slow start, the Huskies suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of Western Michigan University, falling to 9-6-0 on the season with a 9-6-0 mark in NCHC play.

The Broncos wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as they notched the first goal of the game just 1:26 into the first period. Western Michigan struck again early in the second period, as Ethen Frank beat David Hrenak (Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia) to give the Broncos a 2-0 advantage at 5:20 in the second period.

Nolan Walker (Anchorage, Alaska) finally broke St. Cloud State's scoring doubt at 14:14 in the same period, as he sniped one past Alex Aslanidis to cut Western Michigan's lead to 2-1. That seemed to ignite a fire in the Huskies belly, as they controlled play for the remainder of regulation, looking for the equalizer.

St. Cloud State's best chance to tie things up at two came midway through the third period. Junior Sam Hentges streaked past the Broncos defender, leaving him all alone with only Aslanidis blocking his chance at heroics. The forward beat the Western Michigan goalie high, but his shot rang off the post and bounced up rather than down, falling behind the net rather than in, the score remaining at 2-1.

With 1:45 remaining in regulation, head coach Brett Larson pulled Hrenak for an extra skater, but it wasn't enough as Frank scored an empty netter at 19:50 to secure a 3-1 win for the Broncos.

The Huskies out shot Western Michigan 28-17 in the game, with Walker scoring the team's lone goal in the second assist. Senior Jared Cockrell (Kents Hill, Maine) tallied the lone assist on Walker's goal, while Hrenak made 15 saves in net.

With the loss, St. Cloud State's record now stands at 9-6-0, and the team is 9-6-0 in NCHC play. The Huskies will resume play on Friday, January 22 when they host Miami University at 7:37 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.