Walker leads men's hockey to 8-2 win over Miami

Saturday, January 23

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:07 p.m.

St. Cloud State

11-6-0

Miami University (OH)

4-10-2

Miami (OH)

St. Cloud State

Nolan Walker scores on a power play for the Huskies in the first period of Saturday's game against Miami.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/23/2021 10:40:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, MINN. - In 2019-20, No. 6 St. Cloud State University men's hockey forward Nolan Walker (Anchorage, Alaska / Culver Academy) scored just two goals and tallied 10 assists to finish the season with 12 total points.

In one night, he doubled his goal totals from 2019-20. The junior scored four goals and tallied an assist in Saturday's National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) game against Miami (OH) University, helping the Huskies close the weekend with an impressive 8-2 win over the RedHawks.

After a quiet first period, St. Cloud State quickly put two pucks in the back of the net less than two minutes apart. The first was courtesy of Jared Cockrell (Kents Hill, Maine / Brooks), who scored his second career goal in a Huskies uniform at 5:22 to give the Huskies a 1-0 advantage. Less than two minutes later, Walker scored goal No. 1 of the evening, blasting a power play shot past the supposed impenetrable Ludvig Persson to boost St. Cloud State's lead to 2-0 at 7:12 in the first period.

The Huskies made it through the first period unscathed on the defensive end, thanks in large part to the stellar play of one David Hrenak (Povazksa Bystrica, Slovakia / Green Bay). The senior net minder made 15 saves in the open period of play, preserving the 2-0 lead for St. Cloud State. Miami, though, was eventually able to sneak one past Hrenak in the second period, scoring on a power play to cut the Huskies lead to 2-1 with 10:04 remaining in the second.

Fifty-nine seconds later, the RedHawks tied it up, as their top line once again beat Hrenak to even the score at 2-2. That seemed to be the kick in the pants St. Cloud State needed, as the team scored three goals in two minutes and 44 seconds to take a commanding 5-2 lead over Miami. Goals number three and four helped Walker complete the first hat trick of his career, while Sam Hentges (New Brighton, Minn. / Tri-City) extended the lead to 5-2 with his first goal since December 18, 2020.

From that moment on, the Huskies offense was relentless, as they tacked on three more goals in the third period to secure their 8-2 lead. Veeti Miettinen (Espoo, Finland / Kiekko-Espoo U20) scored his second goal of the weekend, bringing his two-day point total to four points, and Walker added yet another goal to bring his evening total to four. Chase Brand (Nevis, Minn. / Madison) added just a little extra insurance at 16:35, as his goal clinched the 8-2 lead over the RedHawks.

Of note, many historic things happened Thursday night, including Walker's four-goal night. Not only was it a career high for the junior, but it also tied the NCHC record for goals scored in a single game, a record also held by teammate Zach Okabe (Okoyoks, Alberta / Grande Prairie), who achieved the mark in December 2019. Additionally, Walker's offensive explosion marked just the third time a single player has scored four games in an NCHC game and is the fifth time a player in the NCHC has achieved the feat.

Multiple players recorded multiple points in the game, but none was better than Walker. The junior tallied five points on four goals and an assist, making it the best offensive game of his career at St. Cloud State. Line mate Micah Miller (Grand Rapids, Minn. / Sioux City) finished the game with four assists and four points, having assisted on three of Walker's four goals, while Okabe, Nick Perbix (Elk River, Minn. / Omaha) and Miettinen finished the night with two points a piece.

Hrenak was additionally nothing short of outstanding, as he made 31 saves and surrendered just two goals in 60 minutes on the ice.

With the win, the Huskies overall record improves to 11-6-0, and they are now 11-6-0 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State will return to action on Friday, February 5 when the team hosts Western Michigan University at 7:37 p.m. in St. Cloud, Minnesota.