No. 8 St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Upends No. 2 Minnesota State, 3-2

Friday, October 21

St. Cloud, Minn.

7:30 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

5-0-0

Minnesota State Mankato

3-2-0

Minnesota St.

St. Cloud St.

No. 8 St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Upends No. 2 Minnesota State, 3-2

10/22/2022 1:38:00 AM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

Okabe, Cruikshank and Kupka score to lead the Huskies to 5-0-0 start

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 8 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (5-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) scored early in the third period and held on for a 3-2 win over No. 2 Minnesota State (3-2-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) on Friday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Senior forward Kyler Kupka's (Camrose, Alberta) power play goal 35 seconds into the final period was the difference maker for the Huskies.

TURNING POINT

After Minnesota State gained its first lead of the game halfway through the second period, St. Cloud State was searching to regain momentum before the second intermission. The Huskies received that spark from one of its three transfers, as senior forward Grant Cruikshank (Delafield, Wis.) scored off an impressive pass from senior forward Zach Okabe (Okotoks, Alberta) to tie the score at 2-2.

Less than a minute later, Minnesota State was called for a tripping penalty and the Huskies would go on the power play. St. Cloud State didn't capitalize before the end of the second period, but Kupka was able to find the back of the net 35 seconds into the start of the third period to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead. Despite being outshot in the period, 11-6, St. Cloud State would hold on for the victory.

TOP HUSKIES

Okabe earned the First Star of the game after he scored the game's first goal and assisted on Cruikshank's goal.
Kupka was the second star after scoring the game-winning goal, his second consecutive game-winner, and added an assist.
Cruikshank scored a goal in his fourth consecutive game and was named the third star.
Senior goalie Jaxon Castor (Phoenix, Ariz.) made 30 saves and earned the victory, improving to 3-0-0 on the season.

NOTES

St. Cloud State's 5-0-0 start to the season is tied for its third best start to a season in Division-I program history (since 1987-88), trailing only its starts in 2001-02 (9-0-0) and 2017-18 (7-0-0) while matching its start from 2018-19 (5-0-0).
Kupka's game-winner was a power play goal, as the Huskies continued its mark of scoring with a man advantage in each game of the season. St. Cloud State's success rate on the power play remains at 33.3 percent (7-of-21).
The Huskies improve to 5-0-0 when scoring on the power play and 21-7-2 since the start of last season.
Kupka recorded his second consecutive and sixth career multi-point game with a goal and assist. It marked his 10^th career goal, 23^rd career assist, as well as his 32^nd and 33^rd career points.
For the second consecutive game, Kupka tallied a power play goal and the game-winning goal.
Okabe scored his second goal of the season and 26^th of his career. He added his 38^th career assist for his 64^th career point later in the game.
Cruikshank scored for the fourth consecutive game, his 41^st career goal, and added an assist, his 26^th career assist and 67^th career point.
Castor made 30 saves in the game, just the fourth time in his career he has made 30 or more saves.
Senior defenseman Dylan Anhorn (Calgary, Alberta) recorded an assist in the game, extending his team-leading mark to six. Anhorn has recorded a point in every game this season and leads the Huskies with eight points.
Junior forward Veeti Miettinen (Espoo, Finland) and senior defenseman Spencer Meier (Sartell, Minn.) each recorded assists in the game.

UP NEXT

St. Cloud State and Minnesota State will finish off its series on Saturday, Oct. 22. Puck drop for the Brooks Center is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT on Fox 9 + and KNSI.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2022-23 season are available at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.