No. 6 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Set for Road Series at No. 13 North Dakota

Friday, January 28

Grand Forks, N.D.

7:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

North Dakota

No. 6 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Set for Road Series at No. 13 North Dakota

1/27/2022 10:43:00 AM | Men's Hockey

Huskies and Fighting Hawks will play Friday and Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena

GAME NOTES

THE MATCHUP

No. 6/6 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey heads out on the road in conference play for the first time in over two months this weekend, as the Huskies travel north to Grand Forks, N.D., to face No. 13/13 North Dakota on Friday, Jan. 28 and Saturday, Jan. 29. Puck drop for Friday's series opener is set for 7:00 p.m. CT, while Saturday's contest is slated to start at 6:00 p.m. CT at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Both games will be broadcast on MidCo Sports Network and available streaming on NCHC.tv with David Brown on the call.
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. 6 in both the USCHO Poll and the USA Today / USA Hockey Coaches Poll, while the Fighting Hawks rank No. 13 in both polls.

SERIES HISTORY

This weekend's series will be the 140th and 141st meeting between the Huskies and Fighting Hawks, with all but one series happening since the 1989-90 season. The Fighting Hawks lead the overall series 78-46-15, and are 39-19-7 against the Huskies all-time in Grand Forks.
The two teams split a series in St. Cloud earlier this season, with the Huskies winning 8-1 on Dec. 3 and the Fighting Hawks returning the favor in a 5-3 win on Dec. 4. The 8-1 win for St. Cloud State was the Huskies largest margin of victory over North Dakota since joining Division-I, surpassing is 9-2 win on Jan. 20, 1995, and the first time North Dakota has lost by seven goals since Feb. 1998.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

In its last time out, St. Cloud State swept Miami (OH), 11-1 and 8-0, at home and set an NCHC record for most goals in a series with 19. The Huskies' 11 goals scored and 10-point margin of victory on Jan. 21 matched NCHC records for a conference game, matching its own mark in an 11-1 win over Western Michigan on Nov. 14, 2015.
St. Cloud State's 11 goals is the just the 12th time in the D-I era (since 1987-88) the Huskies have scored 10+ goals, and just the second time they have scored 10+ goals multiple times in a season, after scoring a program-best 12 goals in its season-opening 12-2 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 2. The last time St. Cloud State had multiple occurrences of 10+ goals was in the 1988-89 season, beating Brown 11-3 on Dec. 23, 1988 and Michigan-Dearborn 11-2 on Jan. 15, 1989. The Huskies scored eight goals on Jan. 22 to set a new conference record for most goals in a series (19), riding 14 saves from graduate goalie David Hrenak, who recorded his 13th career shutout.

POWER PLAY FUELS THE HUSKIES

One of the many factors to St. Cloud State's success through the first half of the season has been their nation-leading efforts on the power play. The Huskies currently lead the nation in power-play percentage at 38.6 percent (32-of-83) and power play goals with 32. St. Cloud State will have the single-season school records in its sights in the second half of the season, as the current records stand at 31.1 percent (73-of-235) on the power play in 2001-02 and 52 power play goals in 1990-91.
Individually, 11 Huskies have scored on the power play this season, led by junior forward Zach Okabe's six power play goals, a mark which ranks third in the NCHC and eighth in the nation. Senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald ranks 11th in the nation with five power play goals, while senior forward Easton Brodzinski and junior forward Jami Krannila have each scored four power play goals this season, checking in at 20^th nationally. On the season, St. Cloud State is 13-2-0 when scoring on the power play.

HOBEY BAKER NOMINEES

St. Cloud State had three representatives - senior forward Easton Brodzinski, senior forward Kevin Fitzgerald and senior defenseman Nick Perbix - were named nominees for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player. A fan vote to determine the finalists will take place between now and March 6, with the top-10 finalist voting slated to begin March 17. The trio will look to become the sixth Husky to be named a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, joining Mark Hartigan (2002), Bobby Goepfert (2007), Ryan Lasch (2008), Drew LeBlanc (2013) and Nic Dowd (2014). LeBlanc is the only Husky to ever win the Hobey Baker Award, doing so in 2013.
Back for his fifth season, Brodzinski has led the charge for the Huskies offense once again in 2021-22. He leads the team in goals (11) and has continued to etch his name all over the St. Cloud State record book. He recorded his first career hat trick against North Dakota (Dec. 4) and how ranks 21st all-time in program history with 118 points. The fifth-year senior also ranks fourth in game-winning goals (12), sixth in power play goals (25) and sixth in career goals (66).
Fitzgerald is making the most of his final collegiate season, as he currently leads the Huskies in goals (11) and points (25), while ranking second in assists (14). Just 20 games into the season, Fitzgerald has recorded career-highs in points (25), goals (11), assists (14) and power play goals (five).
Perbix leads the Huskies in assists with 14 and is second in points with 20. Perbix matched single-game program records for assists (five) and points (six) in an 11-1 rout over Miami on Jan. 21. His 18 assists on the season are a career-high, while his 20 points are just three away from a career-best.

PERBIX COMING ON STRONG

Senior defenseman Nick Perbix has come on strong since the start of December, scoring 15 points in his last six games.
Perbix set numerous school records with his six-point game against Miami (OH) on Jan. 21, matching the mark for points scored (six), assists (five), points by a defenseman (six) and assists by a defenseman (five). Perbix is the first Husky to hit those marks since:
- 6 points – numerous times, last by Tony Gruba vs. Minnesota State Mankato, Feb. 13, 1993
- 5 assists – numerous times, last by Brandon Sampair vs. Minnesota, March 18, 2000
- 6 points by a defenseman – Bret Hedican vs. Guelph, Jan. 5, 1991
- 5 assists by a defenseman – Bret Hedican vs. Guelph, Jan. 5, 1991
Perbix recorded a then-career-high four assists in the Huskies 8-1 win over North Dakota on Dec. 3. It marked the first time a Husky recorded four assists since senior forward Micah Miller did so against Miami on Jan. 23, 2021and the first time a defenseman has recorded four assists since Jack Ahcan had four against Alaska Fairbanks on Oct. 13, 2018.
On the season, Perbix currently ranks first on the team in assists with 18 and second in points with 20.
Perbix was named NCHC Defenseman of the Week on Dec. 6 following his performance against the Fighting Hawks and again on Jan. 24 after an eight-point performance in a historic series sweep against Miami.

GREAT WITH A MAN-DOWN

The Huskies have been superb on the penalty kill this season, ranking first in the NCHC and ninth nationally at 87.7 percent (64-of-73). St. Cloud State leads the nation with eight short-handed goals on this season, while senior forward Micah Miller is the only player in the nation to score three goals with a man-down.
The Huskies scored two short-handed goals against Miami on Jan. 21, including a second period goal from Kupka while down two men. Dating back to at least the 2001-02 season (first season of readily available game-by-game box scores), St. Cloud State has never scored a 5-on-3 shorthanded goal.
It marks the second time this season St. Cloud State has scored two short-handed goals, after also doing so against St. Thomas in its season-opening 12-2 victory on Oct. 2.
The Huskies eight short-handed goals are the most they have scored in a season since 2009-10 when they have 10.
The single-season program records will be in sight on the penalty kill as well, as the current records stand at 87.3 percent (124-of-142) on the penalty kill in 2007-08 and 14 short-handed goals in 1993-94.

OLYMPIC BOUND HUSKIES

St. Cloud State will be well represented in the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, as a program-record five Huskies (current or former) will make the trip to Beijing in search for gold. Current Huskies Sam Hentges and Nick Perbix were named to the U.S. Olympic Team on Jan. 13, while head coach Brett Larson was named an Assistant Coach for Team USA on Jan. 6. In addition to that trio, St. Cloud State alumni Patrick Russell (2014-16) and Oliver Lauridsen (2008-11) were named to the Denmark National Team on Jan. 19.

LARSON GETS CALL TO REPRESENT COUNTRY

St. Cloud State Head Coach Brett Larson was named an assistant coach for the 2022 United States Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team and will make his Olympic debut at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Larson is the third St. Cloud State Coach to join the bench for Team USA, joining Herb Brooks (Head Coach – 1980 Lake Placid, Head Coach – 2002 Salt Lake City) and John Harrington (Assistant Coach – 1984 Sarajevo). He is the first to do so while currently coaching the Huskies, as Brooks was head coach of the Huskies for the 1986-87 season, while Harrington was an associate head coach from 1990-93. It will be Larson's third time on the bench for Team USA after serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Junior Team in the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and the head coach for the U.S. Junior Select Team that won the 2012 World Junior A Challenge.
Larson is in his fourth year on the bench for St. Cloud State, where he has led the Huskies to a 77-38-9 record with two NCAA Tournament appearances in his first three seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 2020-21. The Huskies are currently ranked sixth nationally with a record of 14-6-0 and four wins over ranked teams through 20 games. In 2020-21, he guided the Huskies to a 20-11-0 record, a runner-up finish in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and an at-large bid the NCAA Northeast Regional. In the national tournament, the Huskies advanced to the Frozen Four for just the second time in program history and finished as the runner-up in its first-ever trip to the Division I National Championship game. In his first season as head coach of the Huskies, Larson was named the 2018-19 NCHC Coach of the year after leading St. Cloud State to a 30-6-3 record and a Penrose Cup.

HENTGES AND PERBIX ARE OLYMPIC BOUND

St. Cloud State senior forward Sam Hentges and senior defenseman Nick Perbix were named to the 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Hentges, a seventh-round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2018 (210th overall), has been a four-year point-producer for the Huskies, recording 74 points with 31 goals and 43 assists in 103 games. He contributed immediately upon arriving in St. Cloud, as he recorded 20 points (10g/10a) and a +14 mark in his freshman campaign (2018-19). In just his sixth collegiate game, Hentges recorded the 62nd hat trick in program history in a 7-0 win over Boston College on Oct. 25, 2018. The New Brighton, Minn., native followed up his debut performance with a career-high 24-point season in 2019-20, as he scored seven goals and had 10 assists.
Through nine games in 2021-22, Hentges has scored 13 points (6g/7a), including a two-goal performance at Bemidji State on Dec. 31, 2021, his first game back after missing nine games due to injury. He has scored multiple points in six games this season, including in each of his last five games.
Perbix, a sixth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017 (169th overall), has been one of the nation's top blue liners since joining the Huskies. In his 2018-19 All-NCHC Rookie Team campaign, Perbix helped lead the Huskies to a Penrose Cup, playing in 39 games while recording five goals, 15 assists, 52 blocks and a +24 mark. He earned Second Team All-NCHC and Third Team All-USCHO honors in 2020-21 after appearing in 31 games with seven goals and a team-leading 16 assists for 23 points. Among NCAA defenseman, he finished fourth in points (23) and goals (seven). He was a three-time NCHC Defenseman of the Week in the regular season and garnered NCHC Frozen Four All-Tournament Team and NCAA Northeast Region All-Tournament Team honors in his junior campaign.
In 2021-22, Perbix has scored two goals and 18 assists for 20 points with a +7 mark and 25 blocks. His 18 assists rank first on the Huskies and fifth among defenseman nationally. The senior defenseman recorded single-game program record marks for assists (five) and points (six) in an 11-1 rout of Miami on Jan. 21.

FORMER HUSKIES REPRESENT DENMARK

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey alumni Patrick Russell (2014-16) and Oliver Lauridsen (2008-11) have been named to the Denmark Olympic Team in the nation's Olympic debut.
Russell, a forward, scored 66 points – 30 goals, 33 assists – in two seasons for the Huskies from 2014-16, helping St. Cloud State to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship in 2016. Russell was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team in 2014-15 and currently ranks second in program history in game-winning goals in one season, scoring six in 2015-16. He was also a two-time NCHC All-Academic Team honoree, earning the distinction in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Following his time in St. Cloud, Russell played 59 games for the Edmonton Oilers from 2018-21, scoring seven points, all assists. He also played on the Denmark National Team from 2017-19 and the Junior National Team in 2011 and 2013.
Lauridsen, a defenseman, scored 22 points – seven goals, 15 assists – in three seasons for the Huskies from 2008-11. He was given the William Radovich Award in 2010, given annually to the team's most improved player, and was a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete recipient, earning the honor in 2010 and 2011.

HRENAK LEADS THE WAY

Graduate goalie David Hrenak has been clicking on all cylinders to start the season, as he was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List, announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) on Jan. 20.
In 17 starts this season, Hrenak has posted a record of 12-5-0 with a goals against average of 1.76 and a save percentage of .928, marks which nationally ranks seventh and 10th, respectively. In the Huskies 4-1 victory over Bemidji State on Dec. 31, Hrenak became just the second goalie in program history to record 3,000 career saves, joining St. Cloud State's all-time saves leader Brian Leitza, who made 3,500 saves from 1994-98.
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 (Oct. 2), the 67th of his career. Among program records, Hrenak ranks first in all-time wins (78), first in shutouts (13), second in saves (3,040), third in goals against average (2.35) and seventh in save percentage (.911).
Hrenak was named the NCHC Goalie of the Week on Oct. 11 and the October Goalie of the Month on Nov. 2. For his weekly honor, 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.

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.
In the Huskies season-opening win over St. Thomas (Oct. 2), 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. The Blaine, Minn., native now has 118 career points, good for 21st-best in program history.
They fifth-year senior also ranks fourth in game-winning goals with 12, sixth in power play goals with 25 and third in games played with 159.

FITZY'S CAREER YEAR

Graduate forward Kevin Fitzgerald is making the most of his final collegiate season of hockey, as he currently leads the team in goals (11) and points (25), while ranking second in assists (14) and power play goals (five). The alternate captain has also posted an impressive mark of +14 on the season.
Just 20 games into the season, Fitzgerald has recorded career-highs in points (25), goals (11), assists (14) and power play goals (five).
Fitzgerald was named a nominee for both the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's top collegiate hockey player, and the Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to the top citizen in collegiate hockey.

PEART SETTLES IN FOR FRESHMAN CAMPAIGN

St. Cloud State freshman defenseman Jack Peart more than proved he belonged in his first semester of collegiate hockey.
Peart has totaled 14 points (two goals / 12 assists) and posted a +4 mark 15 games into his true freshman campaign with the Huskies. In his collegiate debut against St. Thomas (Oct. 2), Peart recorded two assists in the Huskies' 12-2 rout. He was named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Week on Oct. 18 after scoring his first career goal and adding an assist in a split against No. 4 Minnesota (Oct. 15-16). Peart scored his second goal of the season against Omaha (Nov. 13), and had four assists in the series against North Dakota (Dec. 3-4), including a career-high three in an 8-1 rout on Dec. 3.
The Husky freshman has scored points in seven of the last eight games after missing four games between Oct. 23 and Nov. 12 due to an injury.

STARTING OFF STRONG

St. Cloud State has made it a point to start off strong this season, as the Huskies have outscored their opponents, 30-5, in the first period. Good things happening the to Huskies when they lead early, as they are 12-2-0 when leading after the first period and 13-0-0 when leading after two periods.