Huskies swept 3-1 by Minnesota State to close first half

Saturday, December 11

Mankato, Minn.

3:00 p.m. CST

St. Cloud State

6-11-1, 2-11-1

Minnesota State

9-9-0, 5-9-0

St. Cloud St.

Minnesota St.

Photo by: Thomas Breach

12/11/2021 6:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Hockey lost a hotly contested series finale 3-1 at the hands of Minnesota State on Saturday evening, letting in an empty-net goal with under a second to play in the third. Allie Cornelius scored the lone goal for SCSU, collecting a loose puck just to the left of the crease and throwing it past the Mavericks tender six minutes into the second period. The goal cut the Huskies' deficit to one as the Mavericks scored midway through the first and added a power play goal three minutes into the middle frame. Sanni Ahola made 30 saves in goal to round out an impressive weekend.

TURNING POINT

Minnesota State took advantage of their first power play of the game, scoring less than a minute into the advantage in the second period.

TOP HUSKIES

• Allie Cornelius scored her second goal of the season and put two shots on.
• Sanni Ahola stopped 30-of-32 shots in another strong performance.
• Emma Gentry blocked a career-high three shots and put three shots on goal to lead the Huskies in both marks.

NOTES

• Minnesota State led 33-25 on shots
• The Huskies outblocked MSU 17-9.
• SCSU went 0-for-4 on the power play.

QUOTABLES

St. Cloud State Women's Hockey Head Coach Steve Macdonald

"We played better today as a whole, as a team. Our details, our systems and our habits were better. It's still not the result that we expect and want out of the weekend. We did play better, but that's not good enough in this league. We have to put together a much more consistent effort in those details and our habits over the course of a weekend in order to come up with points in our league. Although we did play better, we expect more and we know this group is capable of more."

On the team's response to adversity… "Every team is going to face adversity. Mankato faced it against us the first time we played them, with their starting goaltender getting hurt. Everyone faces adversity, and I thought we responded well in terms of people stepping up and playing in some roles and spots they haven't been in. That's what you need. That's why you have a roster of 25 ladies that want to compete together and play together. We were happy with how our team responded in that respect, but we still need to win those games. We need to find a way. When you hold a team to two goals, those are games that you need to find a way to win."

On importance of the break ahead… "First off, enjoying time with family. We have some players who are a long way from home, so they'll be hopping on planes, trains and automobiles to get home and see family and friends. It's always important to make sure they immerse themselves in that. Resting their bodies and making sure we're taking time to take care of our bodies for when we get back on the 27th after Christmas. You enjoy the time, take care of the body and the mind. We'll be ready to go in Pittsburgh."

UP NEXT

The Huskies will be idle for the Holiday break before returning to action with the Battle at the Burgh on January 1-2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Huskies will play Penn State on New Year's Day then take on either Boston University or Syracuse the following day.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.