Huskies come up short in 5-3 loss to North Dakota

Tuesday, March 16

Grand Forks, N.D.

7:37 p.m.

St. Cloud State

17-10-0

University of North Dakota

21-5-1

St. Cloud St.

North Dakota

NCAA Men's Hockey 2021: NCHC Frozen Faceoff

Zach Okabe celebrates his goal in the first period against North Dakota.

Photo by: Russell Hons

3/17/2021 12:05:00 AM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The playoffs were kind to the St. Cloud State University men's hockey team. Were being the key word. Magic seemingly flowed through the Huskies veins in their first two National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff games, as they rallied to beat Colorado College 2-1 in the quarterfinals before upending rival Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 in the semis.

Unfortunately, the hockey gods and puck luck seemingly abandoned St. Cloud State Tuesday evening. Despite an early lead against the No. 2 team in the nation, the Huskies came up just short in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship, as St. Cloud State fell to the University of North Dakota 5-3 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The Huskies wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as Zach Okabe's (Okatos, Alberta / Grande Prairie) back door sneak attack slipped past Adam Scheel at 2:08 in the first period, giving St. Cloud State the early 1-0 lead. It was clear from the frenzied energy, though, that wouldn't be the only goal scored during the championship game, though it was the Fighting Hawks that scored next. Despite outstanding play from David Hrenak (Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia / Green Bay) throughout the first period, Reise Gaber managed to sneak one past the senior netminder, resulting in a 1-1 tie with 7:20 remaining in the first period.

A tied game after one just wasn't good enough for the Huskies, as they went on the offensive and eventually regained the lead. After months and months of waiting, Seamus Donohue (North Oaks, Minn. / Michigan Tech) finally scored his first goal in a St. Cloud State uniform, as he sniped one past Scheel to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead at 2:56 in the first period.

It looked like Donohue's goal would be the game-winner, as the 2-1 score held through the remainder of the first and the entirety of the second. Hrenak was superb in net for St. Cloud State, as he batted away every taunt flown his way, making 12 saves in the first period and seven in the second, some from point blank range, to preserve the Huskies 2-1 lead.

Sadly, a five minute lull spelled doom for St. Cloud State in the third period. With Hrenak's brilliance fully on display, it felt like the Huskies were destined to take down the Fighting Hawks on their home ice. It was not meant to be, as North Dakota scored three goals, two on two separate power plays, to take a 4-2 lead over St. Cloud State with 15 remaining in the game.

With the crowd and momentum seemingly on the Fighting Hawks side, the Huskies preserved and looked like they were in the midst of yet another playoff comeback. This time, it was Sam Hentges (New Brighton, Minn. / Tri-City) who delivered the heroics, as he cut the North Dakota lead to 4-3 at 7:10 in the third period. The tension then rebuilt like a knife, the Fighting Hawks fans and players no longer confident their team would win the coveted Frozen Faceoff title. The Huskies took advantage, peppered Scheel with shot after shot, but none found their way across the goal line as the game continued to get more and more physical as time wore on.

Eventually, with roughly two minutes remaining in the game, Brett Larson pulled Hrenak from net for the extra skater. Again, St. Cloud State put together strong scoring changes, put were unable to put a puck on net in the dwindling seconds. Instead, the Huskies were forced to watch as Jordan Kawaguchi scored an empty netter, securing the 5-3 win for North Dakota.

Ondrej Trejbal (Hamy nas Sazavoul Czech Republic / 2. ZÁKLADNÍ ŠKOLA) was the lone multi-point scorer for the Huskies Tuesday evening, as he tallied assists on both Okabe's goal in the first and Hentges' goal in the third. Okabe and Jami Krannila (Nokia, Finland / Sioux Falls) both tallied their 20th point of the season in the first period, as Krannila assisted on Okabe's goal two minutes into the game. Donohue extended his point streak to five games with his goal in the second, and the line of Chase Brand (Nevis, Minn. / Madison), Kevin Fitzgerald (Hinsdale, Ill. / Aberdeen) and Hentges scored their third multi-point game together thanks to the third period goal.

Hrenak made 30 saves on 34 shots Tuesday evening, including 13 in the first period alone. St. Cloud Stat was additionally called for five penalties, including three in third period, while North Dakota was sent to the sin bin three times.

With the loss, the Huskies overall record now stands at 17-10-0. St. Cloud State must now wait until Sunday to learn its fate and see whether or not the team receives an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Selection Show is set to air this upcoming Sunday, March 21 at 7 p.m. EST on ESPNU.