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Friday, January 13
St. Cloud, Minn.
7:30 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Colorado College
No. 3/4 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Hosts Colorado College
1/12/2023 10:42:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Huskies to hold An Evening with Matt Cullen on Saturday
NO. 3/4Â ST. CLOUD STATE vs. (RV) COLORADO COLLEGE |
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OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
TV / STREAM |
RADIO |
STATS |
GAME NOTES |
| (RV) Colorado College | St. Cloud, Minn. | Friday, Jan. 13 | 7:30 p.m. | Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv | KNSI | Stats | SCSU Notes |
| (RV) Colorado College | St. Cloud, Minn. | Friday, Jan. 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv | KNSI | Stats | CC Notes |
THE MATCHUP
- No. 3/4 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey returns home to host Colorado College for its first conference series of the second half of the season. Game one of the series is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, while game two is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
- Both games will be televised on Fox 9 + and streamed on NCHC.tv with Jim Rich and Geno Parrish on the call, while Husky Hockey veteran Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Dave Reichel will have the radio call on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM). The Huskies check in at No. 3 in the DCU / USCHO Poll and No. 4 in the USA Hockey / USA Today Coaches Poll, while the Tigers are receiving votes in DCU / USCHO Poll.
SERIES HISTORY
- Old WCHA foes, St. Cloud State and Colorado College will meet for the 123rd and 124th times this weekend in St. Cloud. St. Cloud State leads the current series between the two schools, 63-50-9, and has dominated the series over the last decade, posting a 30-5-3 mark since the 2012-13 season. The Huskies are currently on a nine-game winning streak and 11-game unbeaten streak against Colorado College, with the Tigers last winning on Nov. 16, 2019 (5-2) at the Brooks Center. The two teams also played to a tie (2-2) on Feb. 8, 2020 in Colorado Springs.
- Earlier this season, St. Cloud State swept a series at Ed Robson Arena, winning 3-1 and 5-0 on Nov. 18-19, as senior forward Grant Cruikshank and junior goalie Dominic Basse each shined in their return trips to CC. In the Tigers last trip to St. Cloud, the Huskies swept Colorado College on the final home series of the 2021-22 season, winning 4-1 and 6-2 on Feb. 25-26. All-time in St. Cloud, the Huskies are 23-23-6 against Colorado College.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES
- In its last time out, St. Cloud State split a home-and-home series with then-No. 3/1 Minnesota, winning 3-0 at the Brooks Center on Saturday before falling 2-1 in overtime on Sunday in Minneapolis. In Saturday's series-opening victory, senior goalie Jaxon Castor made 23 saves in his first career shutout, and the Huskies first shutout against the Gophers since 2001. Senior forward Aidan Spellacy scored the game-winning goal in the third period before senior forward Kyler Kupka and senior forward Grant Cruikshank scored goals late to seal the win. On Sunday, senior forward Chase Brand scored in the third period to tie the score 1-1, but the Gophers were able to score with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to take the win.
AN EVENING WITH MATT CULLEN
- St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will host An Evening with Matt Cullen on Jan. 14, as the program will retire his No. 9 prior to and honor the three-time Stanley Cup champion during the Huskies game against Colorado College at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. A pregame ceremony is slated for 5:00 p.m. CT, with doors to open early at 4:30 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to join the Husky program in the lower bowl for the ceremony before returning to the ticketed seats afterwards.
- Cullen (No. 9) is the second Husky to have his number retired, following fellow 2006 U.S. Olympian Bret Hedican (No. 24).
- The Moorhead, Minn., native spent two seasons with the Huskies, earning WCHA Rookie Team honors in 1995-96 and Second Team honors in 1996-97. He led the team in assists and points (12-29-41 in 1995-96 & 15-30-45 in 1996-97) in both seasons in the red and black, and currently ranks 50th all-time on the Division-I all-time scoring list with 86 points (27-59-86). His career point total (86) is the most among any Husky who played two seasons. His sophomore campaign (1996-97) still ranks as one of the tops all-time in SCSU history, as his marks of five game-winning goals, three shorthanded goals and 30 assists rank fourth, fifth and ninth, respectively on the all-time single season record list.
- Cullen was one of three Huskies to represent the United States at the 2006 Olympics, as he was joined by Hedican and Mark Parrish. At the national level, Cullen was named a six-time National Junior Team or National Team selection (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004) and helped the United States capture bronze at the 2004 World Championships.
- Cullen is one of 21 players in NHL history to play in over 1,500 games, as his 21-year professional career spanned three decades, eight teams and three Stanley Cup championships. Cullen hoisted the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. In 1,516 career games, Cullen registered 266 goals and 465 assists for 731 points.
- Off the ice, Cullen founded the "Cullen's Children's Foundation", also known as "Cully's Kids", in 2003. The foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children's healthcare needs with an emphasis in cancer. He remains active in his hometown of Moorhead, and recently purchased the Fargo Force of the USHL in 2020.
HISTORIC FIRST HALF
- Through 20 games, St. Cloud State has had one of its best 20-games starts to a season in D-I program history (since 1987-88). The Huskies' 15 wins through 20 games is its third-most ever, trailing only its 17-1-2 mark in 2001-02 and 16-4-0 mark in 2015-16 while matching its 15-3-2 mark in 2018-19. St. Cloud State's .750 win percentage is its fourth best mark through 20 games, trailing its .900 (17-2-1) mark in 2001-02, .800 (15-3-2) mark in 2018-19 and .800 (16-4-0) in 2015-16. After beginning the season ranked No. 13 in both of the top-20 polls, the Huskies jumped to near the top of both bolls, ranking as high as No. 2 and checking in at No. 3/4 ahead of this weekend's series.
TOUGH TO SCORE ON
- Through 20 games, St. Cloud State has made its mark as one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, ranking among the nation's top-15 in numerous defensive categories. Nationally, the Huskies lead the NCAA in save percentage (.925) while ranking second in shorthanded goals (six), scoring margin (1.5) and scoring defense (1.55).
- 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. Both have goals-against average and save percentages that rank in the top-20 nationally.
- The penalty kill has been superb as well this season, checking in at 80.2 percent (65-81) on the season. Prior to letting in three power play goals on a five-minute major and four total against Miami on Dec. 10, St. Cloud State's penalty kill percentage ranked among the top-15 in the nation. In 20 games this season, Husky opponents have failed to score on the power play in 10 games.
MORE ON THE GOALIE TANDEM
- Easily the most asked question heading into the season for St. Cloud State was who would start between the pipes. Through 20 games, senior goalie Jaxon Castor and junior goalie Dominic Basse have both played excellent in net for the Huskies and were both named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List on Jan. 12, an award annually given to the top goaltender in NCAA D-I.
- Castor was the first one to get back-to-back starts, in SCSU's most recent series, and is 8-3-0 with a 1.90 goals against average and .927 save percentage, marks which ranks eighth and fourth, respectively, nationally. Castor was named the NCHC Goalie of the Week following the Gophers series where he recorded his first career shutout after making 51 saves with a 0.96 GAA and .962 S%. He's logged 1514:24 of ice time between the pipes in his career, and holds a 2.50 GAA and .905 S%.
- Basse, the October NCHC and HCA Goaltender of the Month and a 2019 sixth-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, joined the Huskies after two seasons with Colorado College. He is 7-2-0 on the season with a 1.79 GAA and .930 S%, including a pair of shutouts. His 1.79 GAA and .930 S% both rank fourth and third, nationally. With the Tigers, Basse produced a 10-26-3 mark with a 3.21 GAA and .891 S% in 41 games and 39 starts.
- If Castor and Basse continue their strong play during the second half of the season, their numbers will rank among the best in single season records in program history. On the goals-against-average list, Basse currently ranks first all-time at 1.79 while Castor's 1.90 mark ranks second. On the save percentage list, Basse's .930 ranks second, while Castor's .927 mark ranks fifth.
- The pair are replacing five-year starter David Hrenak, who set numerous program marks in 146 games played from 2017-22, including wins (82) and shutouts (14) while ranking second in saves (3,370).
POWER PLAY THREAT
- With a man advantage, the Huskies have converted on 23.5 percent (19-of-81) of its chances, which ranks fifth in the NCHC and 18th nationally, while its 19 power play goals ranks 16th nationally.
- Individually, senior forward Kyler Kupka leads the way with four power play goals, while senior forward Grant Cruikshank, senior forward Veeti Miettinen and senior forward Zach Okabe have scored three goals with the man advantage. Senior defenseman Dylan Anhorn has nine power play assists and one power play goal to lead the team with 10 power play points.
- Last season, the Huskies led the nation in power play percentage, a mark they lead by a wide margin. The Huskies PP unit finished at 31.3 percent (45-of-144), with the next closest team sitting at 27.4 percent (Minnesota State, 45-of-164). The team set a program record with its mark, besting its previous mark of 31.1 percent (73-of-235) in 2001-02, and set an NCHC record, besting Western Michigan's 2020-21 mark of 30.3 percent (23-of-76).
- Since the start of 2021-22, St. Cloud State is 26-9-2 when scoring on the power play, including a 10-2-0 mark this season.
Players Mentioned
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