Huskies shut out by No. 2/3 Wisconsin in finale

Saturday, January 29

St. Cloud, Minn.

3:00 p.m. CST

St. Cloud State

8-14-2, 3-13-2

Wisconsin

19-3-4, 14-3-3

Team	1	2	3	F
Wisconsin	1	2	1	4
St. Cloud St.	0	0	0	0

Photo by: Kylie Macziewski

1/29/2022 6:05:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Hockey fell 4-0 in a battle with No. 2/3 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, battling the Badgers in a defensive showdown. Wisconsin scored the game's first goal 55 seconds into the opening period, adding two more midway through the second and sealed the win with one more early in the third. Sanni Ahola made 37 saves for the Huskies, while Emma Gentry led with nine shots on goal.

TURNING POINT

The Badgers scored a pair of goals three minutes apart midway through the second period, gaining the momentum swing for a three-goal lead. Tender Kennedy Blair would go on to blank the Huskies with an 18-save shutout.

TOP HUSKIES

• Sanni Ahola made 37 saves on the night.
• Emma Gentry put nine shots on goal, leading all players.

NOTES

• Dayle Ross, Mackenzie Bourgerie, Taytum Geier, Nicole Ness and Olivia Cvar each blocked a pair of shots.
• Wisconsin led 41-18 on shots.
• The Huskies cut the Badgers' shot total by 14 from Friday's opener.

QUOTABLES

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

"There were a lot of pieces to our game today that we liked as a staff. We feel as though we got some offensive chances, and more than some. We got some chances by staying consistent and being aggressive in certain areas of the ice – especially our forecheck, and also our D-zone – creating turnovers, creating loose pucks and being able to create the change of possession, those moments. With a team like Wisconsin, the longer you let them hold onto the puck, the more chances they're going to get. You have to be able to disrupt their possession. There were a few moments during the game where I felt as though we kind of backed in and gave them too much time and space, and that was where they were able to get a little momentum out of that. It's a good lesson for us in terms of learning how to stay consistent and push through those moments."

On defensive adjustments made in the finale to cut Wisconsin's shots by 14… "Our neutral zone, to be honest, was better today. Our structure was better, we had better discipline in that area which then limits their shots off the rush. That cuts about 10 shots right there against a team like Wisconsin. I thought that structure was better. I thought our D were excellent, you look at a Taytum Geier – I think she stopped easily ten shots on her own with just a good stick and good gap, and that's just one of our D. I though our D were really competitive in those areas, getting stick on puck, which limits those chances as well. Special teams as well, taking three less penalties. They're going to get their shots, but you have to limit the quality of them."

On players that have impressed in evolving roles… "I can definitely name more than a few right now. There's more than one or two, but a few that stick out – Claire Hickey is one, she's been playing on different lines during the week and even during the games. Her poise, her control and her experience in playing through. She gets the puck out, diving to get the puck out last night, she has some compete in her. I'm really impressed with where she's at. Courtney Hall getting up there and providing an offensive spark, that's the type of player she is. Freshman Ellie Andersen, she's a player that really competes in small areas and has the hands to make a play. You look at Nicole Ness, who I thought had a great weekend. She's a hard, heavy-handed player that generates shots. They're players that are stepping up into their roles. I could keep going, but we're going to need that. It's going to be by committee, by everybody working together and that's what we talked a lot about this week."

On takeaways from the series looking ahead to a short week… "I'm loving the quick turnaround, to be honest. I can't wait for Tuesday. I know the players are excited about it. There's a lot of lessons to take forward. At this point of the season, they're done practicing, they just want to play games. It's working out great for us in the month of February. The takeaways are just learning how we need to be in terms of being competitive in those areas. Being competitive in our forecheck, disciplined in the neutral zone and aggressive in the D-zone, within our structure. Turning over pucks, and how that leads to chances for. Against Wisconsin today we had poise, we had control, we were making plays and passing back under pressure, breakout and regroup. Those are all positives that we need to carry forward."

UP NEXT

The Huskies host Minnesota-Duluth on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CT at the HBNHC. Coverage can be found on B1G+ 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.