.png)
Friday, November 11
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
No. 4 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Hosts No. 17 Western Michigan in NCHC Play
11/10/2022 4:31:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Huskies and Broncos play No. 11-12 at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center
NO. 4Â ST. CLOUD STATE vs. NO. 17 WESTERN MICHIGAN |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
TV |
RADIO |
STATS |
GAME NOTES |
| #17 Western Michigan | St. Cloud, Minn. | Friday, Nov. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Fox 9 + /Â NCHC.tv | KNSI | Stats | SCSU Notes |
| #17 Western Michigan | St. Cloud, Minn. | Saturday, Nov. 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Fox 9 + /Â NCHC.tv | KNSI | Stats | WMU Notes |
THE MATCHUP
- No. 4 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey is set to face No. 17 Western Michigan to open the home conference portion of its schedule this weekend as the Huskies host the Broncos on Nov. 11-12 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday and 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday. Both games will be televised on Fox 9 + and streamed on NCHC.tv with Jim Rich and former Husky captain Geno Parrish on the call, while Husky Hockey veterans Jim Erickson and Dave Reichel will have the radio call on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM). Last weekend, the Huskies earned a hard fought split on the road, beating No. 2 Denver, 4-3, in overtime on Friday before falling 3-2 on Saturday. Western Michigan swept Miami at home to open conference play, led by NCHC Forward of the Week Jason Polin, who had back-to-back hat tricks in the victories.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Huskies and Broncos will meet for the 37th and 38th times this weekend, with the Huskies holding a 19-12-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two programs. Western Michigan holds a significant advantage in the last 10 games in the series as they hold a 6-3-1 advantage since Dec. 2020. Last season, the two teams played series in both building. Western Michigan swept St. Cloud State at Kalamazoo, 6-2 and 4-0 on Nov. 19-20, 2021. In St. Cloud on Feb. 11-12, the two teams tied, 5-5, before the Huskies won 4-1.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES
- Last weekend, St. Cloud State and Denver squared off in a top-five showdown at Magness Arena in Denver. Both games were tightly contested and full of action, as the two teams split the series. In game one, the Huskies came back from down a goal twice to win 4-3 in overtime. Senior forward Zach Okabe scored an extra attacker goal to tie the score at 3-3 before junior forward Veeti Miettinen scored the game-winner in overtime to clinch the victory. The win snapped a eight-game losing streak for the Huskies at Magness Arena, as their last victory came on Dec. 12, 2015 (6-2 win). On Saturday, the Pioneers scored two goals in the game's first three minutes, and the Huskies were chasing after that point, as they couldn't quite overcome the early deficit, falling 3-2.
TOUGH TO SCORE ON
- Through the first 10 games of the season, the Huskies are starting to make their mark as one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, ranking among the nation's top-20 in numerous defensive categories. The leading stat in this area is St. Cloud State's scoring defense at 1.89, which leads the NCHC and ranks fourth in the nation. In addition to scoring defense, the Huskies rank third in shorthanded goals (three), sixth in save percentage (.928), eighth in scoring margin (1.40) and 13th in penalty kill percentage (.868).
- A big piece to the puzzle defensively for the Huskies has been the play between the pipes, as senior goalie Jaxon Castor and junior goalie Dominic Basse have played outstanding while splitting the time between the net. Both boast a 4-1-0 record and rank in the top-20 nationally among goaltenders in goals against average and save percentage. Basse, the reigning NCHC and HCA Goaltender of the Month, ranks seventh in GAA (1.61) and eighth in S% (.937), while Castor ranks 10th in GAA (1.79) and 17th in S% (.927).
TWO OF THE GAME'S BEST IN ACTION AT THE HERB
- St. Cloud State and Western Michigan will dress two of the best goal scorers in the country this weekend, as WMU's Jason Polin and SCSU's Grant Cruikshank take the ice. Polin ranks third in the nation with none goals scored while Cruikshank ranks fifth with eight scores. Polin had back-to-back hat tricks against Miami to earn NCHC Forward of the Week honors, while Cruikshank has had a goal in seven of 10 games this season.
CRUIKSHANK'S OFFENSIVE EMERGENCE
- St. Cloud State senior forward Grant Cruikshank has been an offensive juggernaut for the Huskies through the first 10 games of the season, as he leads the team in goals (eight) and points (13), while ranking sixth in assists (five). Among national leaders, the fifth-year senior transfer ranks fifth in goals (eight) and 14th in points (13). He earned NCHC Forward of the Week honors after leading SCSU to a sweep of No. 2 Minnesota State by recording five points (three goals / two assists) in SCSU's sweep over No. 2 Minnesota State.
- Cruikshank's hot start to the season - eight goals in 10 games - is the best start by a Husky since Ryan Lasch scored eight goals in the first 10 games of the 2007-08 season.
- Cruikshank played a big part in the Huskies 4-3 overtime win over Denver on Nov. 4, as he scored a third period goal to make the score 2-2, then assisted on junior forward Veeti Miettinen's game-winning goal in overtime.
- In SCSU's win over Minnesota State on Oct. 21 (3-2), Cruikshank helped lead a comeback, scoring the game-tying goal late in the second period before assisting on the game-winning goal early in the third period. In the Oct. 22 victory (4-3), Cruikshank scored the game's first goal, a shorthanded goal, assisted on the team's second goal, then scored the game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining in the game. It was his first goal of either kind as a Husky, and fourth of either kind overall in his career.
- The fifth-year senior scored six goals in five consecutive games between Oct. 2 and Oct. 22, a scoring stretch not seen by an SCSU skater since Judd Peterson did so from Oct. 15-29, 2016. He was the first Husky to score six goals in the first six games of a season since Matt Hendricks and Nate DiCasmirro both did so to open the 2001-02 season. Since 2001-02, Cruikshank is one of 10 Huskies to record a 5-game or more goal streak, and the first since Veeti Miettinen did so in the 2020-21 season.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Hockey
G
/ Men's Hockey
F
/ Men's Hockey
F
/ Men's Hockey
F
/ Men's HockeyPostgame Press Conference | SCSU vs. Bemidji State (10/11/2025)
Sunday, October 12
Postgame Press Conference | SCSU vs. St. Thomas (10/4/2025)
Sunday, October 05
Postgame Press Conference | SCSU vs. Augustana (10/3/2025)
Saturday, October 04
Men's Hockey Postgame Press Conference 3-8-25
Sunday, March 09
