Huskies wrangle Mavericks to advance to NCAA Championship

Thursday, April 8

Pittsburgh, PA

5 p.m. EST

St. Cloud State

20-10-0

Minnesota State University - Mankato

22-5-1

St. Cloud St.

Minnesota St.

Spencer Meier scores a power play goal in the first period against Minnesota State.

Photo by: Rich Gagnon

4/8/2021 9:11:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

PITTSBURGH, PA. - What if I told you, back in March 2020, that in April 2021, the St. Cloud State University men's hockey team would be playing in the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Frozen Four in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

What if I told you those same Huskies would upset the No. 6 team in the country to advance to the championship game?

Thursday's playoff hockey game painted a perfect picture of the 2020-21 season for St. Cloud State and college hockey in general: a fast and furious lead for the Huskies, a dramatic momentum switch on two second period goals by Minnesota State University, and a seemingly daunting 4-3 lead by the Mavericks with minutes remaining in regulation. St. Cloud State did what it has done throughout the entirety of 2020-21: rallied, with 10 minutes left in the game to be specific. Thanks to some last minute heroics by Joe Molenaar (Minnetonka, Minn. / Cedar Rapids) and Nolan Walker (Anchorage, Alaska / Sioux Falls) are headed to the NCAA Championship game after defeating Minnesota State 5-4 in Thursday's semifinal.

The Huskies did something in the game that they are, typically, not accustomed to this playoff season. They took an early lead over the Mavericks in the first period of the game, as Spencer Meier (Sartell, Minn. / Sartell) beat Hobey Baker finalist Dryden McKay high on the power play to give St. Cloud State the early 1-0 lead three minutes into the game. Minnesota State, unfortunately, scored on its own power play goal at 16:09 in the period, as Nathan Smith beat senior netminder David Hrenak (Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia / Green Bay) to even the score 1-1.

The score didn't stay tied for very long though, as Kyler Kupka (Camrose, Alberta / Camrose) blasted one back McKay on the back door exactly 10 seconds later, regaining a 2-1 advantage for the Huskies. At 2:40 on the second period, Will Hammer (St. Cloud, Minn. / Cathedral) extended St. Cloud State's lead to 3-1 after forcing turnover in the Mavericks zone.

The two-goal lead proved to be the most dangerous, though, as Minnesota State scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead over the Huskies five minutes into the third period. The rally started with an even strength goal by Walker Dueher at 12:07 before a power play goal by Nathan Smith tied the game at 3-3 with 5:56 remaining in the second period.

The momentum shift was palpable inside PPG Paints Arena, as the Huskies battled to regain control of the game in the remaining five minutes of the second. Despite the team's best attempts, Minnesota State seemingly held all the cards and all the advantages, as the Mavericks outshot St. Cloud State 15-7 in the second period alone. In the third, Minnesota State finally gained its first lead of the evening, as a costly turnover in the neutral zone resulted in the Mavericks' go-ahead goal with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

The youthful Huskies maintained their composure, waiting ever so patiently to tie the game. St. Cloud State's patience paid off at exactly 10:14, and it came from, perhaps, the most unexpected person: Molenaar. After serving as a healthy scratch for the last two weeks, the freshman returned to the line up Thursday afternoon to replace the injured Easton Brodzinski (Blaine, Minn. / Green Bay) and made quite the statement in his first game in nearly a month. After McKay made the initial save on a Hammer shot, Molenaar found the rebound and blasted it into the open night, scoring his first collegiate goal and tying the game 4-4 with roughly 10 minutes remaining in regulation.

The final minutes slowly ticked by, as both Huskies and Mavericks fans waited with baited breath, hoping their team would take a definitive lead. With the final minute called over the loudspeaker, though, it seemed like the first NCAA semifinal was destined for overtime. Then, Walker happened. With roughly 53 seconds left in the game, Seamus Donohue (North Oaks, Minn. / Michigan Tech) wound up for a slapshot from the blue line on a pass from Kupka. The shot seemed errant off his stick, but Walker used the perfect technique to tip it past the diving McKay and secure a 5-4 lead for St. Cloud State.

The final 53 seconds were the longest of the entire game, as Minnesota State pulled McKay in a last ditch effort to send the game to overtime. Hrenak and the Huskies held firm and watched as the clock wound down to 0:00. The horn made the most important announcement of the night: St. Cloud State was headed to the NCAA Championship game thanks to a 5-4 win over the Mavericks.

Meier, Kupka, Hammer and Walker all had multi-point performances, as they each tallied a goal and at least one assist on the evening. Hrenak also had an outstanding night in net for the Huskies, as he made 25 saves on 29 shots. Additionally, the senior won the 66th game of his career, tying Brian Leitza for the school record in career wins.

With the win, St. Cloud State improves to 20-10-0 and advances to the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. The Huskies will face either conference rival Minnesota-Duluth or UMASS in the championship game, which will take place on April 10 at 7 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.