#1 SCSU Men's Hockey Hosts Omaha at HBNHC

GAME NOTES

THE MATCHUP

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey returns home to host No. 11 Nebraska Omaha at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Friday, Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 13, the Huskies first home NCHC series of the season. Friday's game will start at 7:30 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game will start at 6:00 p.m. CT, with both games televised on Fox 9 + and streamed through NCHC.tv with Jim Rich and Pat Micheletti on the call. On the radio, both games will be available on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM) with Jim Erickson on and Dave Reichel on the call. The Huskies enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in both the USCHO Poll and USA Today / USA Hockey Coaches Poll, while the Mavericks rank No. 11 in both polls.

THE SERIES

The Huskies and Mavericks will take the ice for the 41^st and 42^nd times this weekend, with the Huskies holding a 26-12-2 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. St. Cloud State has won eight of the last 10 games in the series, however, the two teams split two games last season, both played in the NCHC pod in Omaha. The Huskies won, 5-3, on Dec. 6, before Omaha on, 2-0, on Dec. 13. At the HBNHC, St. Cloud State is 16-5-1 against Omaha.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

St. Cloud State earned a road series sweep, its first of the season at Colorado College on Nov. 5-6, winning 3-2 in overtime and 4-1 at the newly opened Ed Robson Arena. In Friday's win, the Huskies came back from being down 2-1 in the third period, as junior forward Jami Krannila scored the game-tying goal on a power play, and the game-winning goal in overtime. On Saturday, the Huskies tallied a pair of goals in the first period and a pair of goals in the third to seal the sweep over the Tigers with a 4-1 victory. Senior forward Micah Miller's first period short-handed goal proved to be the game-winner for the Huskies.

TOUGH SCHEDULE AHEAD IN 2021-22

St. Cloud State's 2021-22 schedule will be one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, as the Huskies will face another ranked opponent in the No. 11-ranked Mavericks this weekend. Omaha will be the fourth opponent the Huskies have faced this season who have been ranked or receiving votes in at least one of the national polls. As it currently stands, the Huskies will face ranked opponents or teams receiving votes in one of the two national polls in 13 of its 17 season series.

STARTING OFF STRONG

St. Cloud State has made it a point to start off strong this season, as the Huskies have outscored their opponents, 13-0, in the first period and 13-6 in the second period this season. Defense has been vital as well, as the Huskies have allowed two or less goals in nine of 10 games this season. Nationally, the Huskies rank second in scoring defense, allowing just 1.40 goals per game.

SPECIAL TEAMS FUELS HUSKIES

One of the many factors to St. Cloud State's early success this season has been their play on special teams, as the Huskies currently lead the nation with a 43.6 percent (17-of-39) success rate on the power play and rank second in power play goals scored with 17. Individually, nine Huskies have scored on the power play this season, led by senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald's four power play goals, a mark which ranks third in the nation.
Senior forward Easton Brodzinski and junior forward Jami Krannila have each scored three goals this season with a man-advantage, checking in at eighth nationally. The Huskies have been no slouches on the penalty kill, either, ranking third in the NCHC and 14th nationally at 87.5 percent (28-of-32). St. Cloud State has scored four short-handed goals this season, and senior forward Micah Miller is the only player in the nation to score two goals being a man-down, as he netted his second "shorty" of the season last Saturday at Colorado College.

HONORING THE CHAMPS

St. Cloud State will honor the 20^th anniversary of the 2000-01 Huskies during the first intermission of Saturday's game. The 2000-01 team recorded a record of 31-9-1 and captured the first WCHA Final Five Championship in program history.

HRENAK LEADS THE WAY

Graduate goalie David Hrenak has been clicking on all cylinders to start the season, as he was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for the month of October. In nine starts, Hrenak has posted a record of 7-2-0 with a goals against average of 1.39 and a save percentage of .944, marks which nationally ranks fourth and seventh, respectively.
The Los Angeles Kings draft pick became the Huskies all-time leader in career wins with his victory over St. Thomas to open the season, the 67th of his career. Among program records, Hrenak ranks first in all-time wins (73), first in shutouts (12), second in saves (2,869), third in goals against average (2.36) and eighth in save percentage (.911). Hrenak was named the NCHC Goalie of the Week on Oct. 11, as he helped lead the Huskies to a road split against No. 1/2 Minnesota State. Hrenak made saves on 50 of 52 shots (96.2 percent) against the Mavericks and led the Huskies to a 3-1 victory on Oct. 9, making 22 saves. The Husky netminder also made 28 saves on Oct. 8 in a 1-0 loss.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER

St. Cloud State has opened the season as an offensive juggernaut, ranking among the top-15 nationally in many categories, including scoring margin (2.4, 2^nd in NCHC, 3^rd in NCAA), points (102, 2^nd in NCHC / 5^th in NCAA), goals per game (3.80, 3^rd in NCHC / 7^th in NCAA) and assists (64, 2^nd in NCHC / 4^th in NCAA). The scoring has been balanced as well, as 11 Huskies have scored five or more points, while 15 have found the back of the net.
Winning faceoffs certainly helps the offense flow, and the Huskies have two of the best in the circle this season. Senior forwards Kevin Fitzgerald and Nolan Walker lead the way for the Huskies, ranking 21^st and 28^th in the nation with 100 and 96 faceoffs win, respectively.

Saint Cloud State University Athletics