No. 2 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Heads to Western Michigan for Next Series

Friday, November 19

Kalamazoo, Mich.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Western Michigan

11/18/2021 11:56:00 AM | Men's Hockey

Huskies and Broncos play Nov. 19-20 in Kalamazoo, Mich.

THE MATCHUP

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey hits the road for another National Collegiate Hockey Conference matchup against No. 13 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. CT at the Lawson Arena on NCHC.tc. 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. 2 in both the USCHO Poll and USA Today / USA Hockey Coaches Poll, while the Broncos rank No. 13 in both polls.

THE SERIES

The Huskies and Broncos will meet for the 33^rd and 34^th times this weekend, with the Huskies holding a 18-10-4 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. Western Michigan holds a slight advantage in the last 10 games in the series, winning six, including four out of six matchups in 2020-21. To start the season, the two teams split a pair of matchups in the NCHC pod, with the Huskies winning 4-3 on Dec. 1, 2020 before the Broncos won 2-1 on Dec. 9, 2020. Then, the Huskies traveled to Kalamazoo on Jan. 15-16, 2021, where the Broncos swept the Huskies, 6-2 and 3-1. Finally, the Huskies and Broncos split a series in St. Cloud on Feb. 5-6, 2021, with the Huskies winning game one 5-1 before the Broncos won, 5-4, in overtime.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

St. Cloud State split a home series with No. 11 Omaha in its last time out, winning 5-1 on Friday (Nov. 12) before falling 3-2 in overtime on Saturday (Nov. 13) at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. In Friday's victory, sophomore forward Veeti Miettinen and senior forward Easton Brodzinski each found the back of the net twice to lead the Huskies to a 5-1 win. On Saturday, the Huskies controlled the pace of the game for much of the contest, outshooting the Mavericks, 45-29, but fell in overtime, 3-2. St. Cloud State managed to score a short-handed goal, its fifth of the season, with just over five minutes remaining in the game to force overtime, earn an NCHC point, and win the weekend, 4-2, in NCHC points.

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. 13-ranked Broncos this weekend. Western Michigan will be the fifth opponent the Huskies have faced this season who has 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, 16-0, in the first period. Defense has been vital as well, as the Huskies have allowed two or less goals in 10 of 12 games this season. Nationally, the Huskies rank second in scoring defense, allowing just 1.50 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 19 power play goals and rank second in power-play percentage with a 35.2 percent (19-of-54) success rate.
Individually, 10 Huskies have scored on the power play this season, led by senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald's four power play goals, a mark which ranks fifth in the nation. Senior forward Easton Brodzinski, junior forward Jami Krannila and junior forward Zach Okabe have each scored three goals this season with a man-advantage, checking in at 12^th nationally.
The Huskies have been superb on the penalty kill as well, ranking third in the NCHC and 16^th nationally at 85.4 percent (35-of-41). St. Cloud State has scored five short-handed goals this season, and senior forward Micah Miller is the one of four players in the nation to score two goals being a man-down, as he netted his second "shorty" of the season on Nov. 6 at Colorado College.

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 11 starts, Hrenak has posted a record of 8-3-0 with a goals against average of 1.50 and a save percentage of .939, marks which nationally ranks seventh and eighth, 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 (74), first in shutouts (12), second in saves (2,913), 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 (2.25, 1^st in NCHC, 1^st in NCAA), points (121, 2^nd in NCHC / 5^th in NCAA), goals per game (3.75, 4^th in NCHC / 9^th in NCAA) and assists (76, 3^rd in NCHC / 6^th in NCAA). The scoring has been balanced as well, as 15 Huskies have scored five or more points, while 16 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 20^th and 24^th in the nation with 120 and 115 faceoffs win, respectively.

BRODZY'S MARK IN THE RECORD BOOK

Senior forward Easton Brodzinski is etching his name all over the St. Cloud State record book in his final season as a Husky.
With a pair of goals against Omaha on Nov. 12, Brodzinski scored his 60^th and 61^st career goals to move to ninth-place all-time in program history in goals scored. It also marked the second time this season and the seventh time in his career he has scored multiple goals.
They fifth-year senior also ranks fourth in game-winning goals with 12 and seventh in power play goals with 24.
In the Huskies season-opener, Brodzinski became the 37^th member of St. Cloud State's 100-point club (35^th with D-I stats only) with a pair of goals in a 12-2 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 2.
Brodzinski has led the Huskies in scoring in each of the last two seasons, including 13 goals in 2020-21 before his season was cut short due to a leg injury. As a senior, Brodzinski tallied 18 points thanks to his 13 goals and five assists, including game-winners against Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth and Boston. The forward recorded five multi-point games, three against nationally ranked opponents, and ranked second on the team in power play goals (4).
He was named to the NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team in Albany after scoring two goals against Boston (March 27), including the game-winner.