Polusny’s career night stymies No. 2/3 Badgers in 1-1 draw

Friday, January 28

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:00 p.m. CST

St. Cloud State

8-13-2, 3-12-2

Wisconsin

18-3-4, 13-3-3

OT 1

OT 2

Wisconsin

St. Cloud St.

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

Polusny’s career night stymies No. 2/3 Badgers in 1-1 draw

1/28/2022 10:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Hockey goaltender Emma Polusny stopped a career-high 54-of-55 shots in an incredible performance as the Huskies tied 1-1 with No. 2/3 Wisconsin on Friday evening. Polusny made 20 saves each in the second and third period, guiding the Huskies through a flurry of Wisconsin offensive chances. Olivia Cvar struck first just 26 seconds into the game, taking a feed from Courtney Hall to the right circle and wristing the puck home over the tender's shoulder. The Badgers would go on to score their lone goal midway through the final frame on a power play. Both teams played to a scoreless OT, then the Badgers earned the additional WCHA point in the shootout.

TURNING POINT

Emma Polusny stood on her head through a flurry of Badger rushes, making 20 saves on 20 shots in the second period. The Huskies' captain made a career-best 54 saves, turning away all three shots in overtime.

TOP HUSKIES

• Emma Polusny stopped a career-high 54 of 55 shots.
• Olivia Cvar scored her sixth goal of the season and blocked three shots, tying with Grace Wolfe and Emma Gentry for the team lead.
• Courtney Hall and Dayle Ross each tallied an assist.
• Addi Scribner led the Huskies with four shots on goal.

NOTES

• The Huskies took a point from Wisconsin for the first time since February 20, 2015.
• Wisconsin led 55-19 on shots.
• SCSU killed four penalties on the night.

QUOTABLES

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

"There's certain games that leave you a little speechless as a coach. That's how I felt going into the locker room at the end of today's game. We have a team that just laid it all out there. They did everything they could to win that game – and to be honest, I thought they deserved a better fate. I believe we should have won that game. I believe we deserved to win it by everything we did. That doesn't take anything away from Wisconsin – I believe they're the best team in the country – we scored early, we really dug in and held on and really played ourselves into a spot where we should have won that game. We're proud coaches, a proud staff, proud of our players and can't wait for tomorrow."

On Emma Polusny's incredible performance… "That was one of the best games that I've seen her play. She was extremely focused, she was competitive, you could hear her yelling from the bench – yelling on the ice to her team, letting her teammates know what was going on, communicating and being the leader that she is. I am not surprised that she had a game like that. Not at all. You see it in her during her career, and I am not surprised that's how she performed tonight."

On the defensive corps… "Leadership. I go back to leadership. You have Taytum Geier, McKenna Wesloh, Kenzie Wylie back there; and then you have the bunch of youngins' playing really well. They're not playing like freshmen. They're getting blocks, making plays and making confident plays. They're making confident plays with the puck, and it's just tremendous to see out of the freshmen. That comes from the leadership supporting them and guiding them throughout the season. These are the games you want to be in. I thought our leaders were fantastic, and our young players, it was a great game for them to be a part of."

Speaking to the program's progress… "Process is a buzzword, but it's what you have to focus on. There are outcomes that you look for, but it's the process. You have to be focusing on it day in and day out, and that what we've done here as a program. How can we get better, help the players to get better, and how are we getting better every day? This is a group that's truly committed to that. That goes to leadership, and believing that, wanting more and believing that we're capable of more. The thing is, it's one point, but we believe that we could have gotten three. Obviously it's an exceptional game and we'll have to take that one point; however, we believe whole-heartedly that we could have won that game. That's where this program is going."

On keys for Saturday's finale… "Repeat. A lot of the same. A game like that takes a lot out of you physically, but sometimes more importantly both emotionally and mentally it takes a lot out of you. It's going to be important for us to refocus – refocus, get some good sleep, get some good recovery. It's a quick turnaround against a team like this. You have to really focus on that. We'll be looking to do that, we'll be looking for a few areas to brush up on, but we can't wait for tomorrow."

UP NEXT

The Huskies close out their series with Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CT at the HBNHC. Coverage can be found on B1G+ and 97.5 FM RadioX with links available on the St. Cloud State Women's Hockey schedule page.

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.