Huskies Rout Tommies, 12-2, to Open the 2021-22 Season

Saturday, October 2

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

1-0-0

St. Thomas

0-1-0

St. Thomas (MN)

St. Cloud St.

10/2/2021 11:54:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

St. Cloud State matches program record with 12 goals

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (1-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) opened up the season with a bang, as the Huskies matched a program record with 12 goals in a 12-2 win over St. Thomas (0-1-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) on Saturday evening at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. The Huskies scored early and often in front of an announced crowd of 4,151, as four players netted two goals, and all but two skaters recorded a point on the night.

Scoring twice for St. Cloud State was senior forward Easton Brodzinski (Blaine, Minn.), senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald (Hinsdale, Ill.), junior forward Chase Brand (Park Rapids, Minn.) and junior forward Jami Krannila (Nokia, Finland). Fitzgerald led the team in scoring with four points (two goals / two assists), while Brodzinski recorded his 100^th career point in a Husky uniform on Saturday.

With the win, senior goalie David Hrenak (Provazksa Bystrica, Slovakia) became the all-time leader in career wins for goalies in program history with 67 wins, surpassing Brian Leitza (1994-98), who posted a record of 66-56-7.

TURNING POINT

The Huskies scored their first two goals on power plays, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the game's first 10 minutes. Fitzgerald scored the season's first goal with assists from Krannila and senior defenseman Spencer Meier (Sartell, Minn.), while Brodzinski scored the next goal with assists from sophomore forward Veeti Miettinen (Espoo, Finland) and senior defenseman Nick Perbix (Elk River, Minn.). The Huskies took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission after a goal from Krannila later in the period, and never looked back from there.

TOP HUSKIES

Fitzgerald led the team in scoring with four points, scoring in the first and second periods while assisting on goals in the second and third.
Brodzinski scored a pair of goals in his return to the ice, scoring in the first and second periods.
Brand and Krannila also scored twice for the Huskies, while seven recorded at least two assists in the game.

NOTES

The Huskies have now won back-to-back season openers after a 4-3 win over Western Michigan on Dec. 1, 2020 to start last season.
St. Cloud State matched a program record with 12 goals in the game, equaling its mark against Western Ontario (12-3) on Jan. 19, 1992.
It marked Huskies first win over the Tommies since the 1979-80 season, when both programs were D-III members. In that season, the Huskies defeated St. Thomas, 8-7, in OT.
Hrenak became the all-time leader in career wins for Husky goalies with his 67^th career win. Among program records, Hrenak also ranks first in shutouts and second in saves (2,678).
Brodzinski became the 37^th member (35^th with D-I stats only) of St. Cloud State's 100-point club with three points in the game, as he recorded his 56^th and 57^th career goals, and 44^th career assist.
All but two skaters for the Huskies recorded points in the season-opening victory, and 10 recorded at least two points.
The Huskies posted an incredible 7-of-10 success rate on the power play in the game, including both goals from Fitzgerald.

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

UP NEXT

The Huskies are back on the ice against St. Thomas again tomorrow, this time at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Puck drop is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and will be on FloHockey.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2021-22 season are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.