St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Opens NCHC Play at Colorado College

Friday, November 5

Colorado Springs, Colo.

8:30 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Colorado College

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

11/4/2021 8:11:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Huskies and Tigers will play Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT

GAME NOTES

THE MATCHUP

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will open National Collegiate Hockey Conference play with a road series at Colorado College on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6. This weekend's series will be the first NCHC series played at the newly opened Ed Robson Arena on the campus of Colorado College. Friday's game will start at 8:30 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game will start at 7:00 p.m. CT. A live stream of both games will be available on NCHC.tv, while n 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.

THE SERIES

The Huskies will open NCHC play facing off against the Tigers from Colorado College. It will be the 115th and 116th all-time meetings between the two programs, who first started playing each other in 1988-89. The Huskies currently hold a 53-52-9 advantage over the Tigers, including a 6-2-2 mark in the last 10 matchups. Last season, St. Cloud State swept the season series, 3-0, winning first in overtime in the NCHC bubble in Omaha, Neb., on Dec. 18, 2020, before earning a 4-0 win at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Feb. 20, 2021 and 2-1 in the first round of the NCHC Frozen Four in Grand Forks, N.D. on March 12, 2021.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

St. Cloud State earned a home series sweep against Wisconsin on Oct. 22-23, winning 5-1 and 4-1 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. In Friday's win, five different Huskies scored and graduate student David Hrenak made 23 saves to lead St. Cloud State to victory. On Saturday, junior goalie Jaxon Caster stepped in and made 31 saves while four different Huskies scored in a 4-1 win. Once again, special teams played a vital role, as the Huskies were successful on five of nine power plays while stopping all nine Badger power plays.

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 have already faced three opponents 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, 10-0, in the first period and 13-4 in the second period this season. Defense has been vital as well, as the Huskies have allowed two or less goals in seven of eight games this season.

HRENAK NAMED NCHC GOALTENDER OF THE MONTH

Graduate goalie David Hrenak was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Month for the month of October. In seven starts, Hrenak has posted a record of 5-2-0 with a goals against average of 1.37 and a save percentage of .943, marks which nationally ranks sixth and ninth, 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 (71), first in shutouts (12), second in saves (2,814), third in goals against average (2.38) and 10th in save percentage (.910). 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 (2.5, 2^nd in NCHC, 3^rd in NCAA), points (82, 3^rd in NCHC / 8^th in NCAA), goals per game (3.88, 3^rd in NCHC / 8^th in NCAA) and assists (51, 3^rd in NCHC / 9^th in NCAA). The scoring has been balanced as well, as 11 Huskies have scored four or more points, while 15 have found the back of the net.
The Huskies have been highly successful on the power play as well, converting an NCAA-leading 46.9 percent (15-of-32) on the season. The Huskies' 15 power play goals rank second nationally, while Kevin Fitzgerald and Easton Brodzinski have each scored three times on the power play this season, a mark which ranks fifth nationally.
Winning faceoffs certainly helps the offense flow, and the Huskies have two of the best in the circle this season. Nolan Walker and Fitzgerald are tied for the 38^th in the NCAA with 73 faceoffs won each.