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Saturday, January 7
St. Cloud, Minn.
6:00 P.M. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Minnesota
No. 4 St. Cloud State and No. 3/1 Minnesota Square off in Rivalry Weekend Tilt
1/5/2023 2:21:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Top-5 series will start in St. Cloud Saturday, finish in Minneapolis Sunday
NO. 4Â ST. CLOUD STATE vs. NO. 3/1 MINNESOTA |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
DAY |
TIME (CT) |
TV |
RADIO |
STATS |
GAME NOTES |
| No. 3/1 Minnesota | St. Cloud, Minn. | Saturday, Jan. 7 | 6:00 p.m. | CBS Sports Network | KNSI | Stats | SCSU Notes |
| No. 3/1 Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | Sunday, Jan. 8 | 3:00 p.m. | Bally Sports North | KNSI | Stats | UMN Notes |
THE MATCHUP
- One of collegiate hockey's biggest rivalries returns this weekend as in-state foes St. Cloud State and Minnesota get ready for a top-five series to kick off the second half of the season. Game one of the series is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, while game two of the series moves to 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis on Sunday for a 3:00 p.m. CT puck drop. CBS Sports Network will carry the broadcast for Saturday's contest while Bally Sports North will televise the Sunday game. On the radio, Husky Hockey veteran Jim Erickson and former captain Dave Reichel will have the call on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM). The Huskies check in at No. 4 in both the DCU / USCHO Poll and the USA Hockey / USA Today Coaches Poll after a 14-4-0 start to its season, while the Gophers are ranked No. 3 in DCU / USCHO Poll and No. 1 in the USA Hockey / USA Today Coaches Poll.
SERIES HISTORY
- The long storied history of St. Cloud State / Minnesota will write another chapter this weekend, as the Huskies and Gophers will meet for the 105th and 106th times. Minnesota holds the advantage in the all-time series, 57-35-12, however, the Huskies have won six of the last 10, including five straight between Nov. 27, 2015 and Jan. 6, 2018. Last season, the teams split road victories in a home-and-home series, with the Huskies squeaking out a 2-1 win at Mariucci on Oct. 15 before the Gophers stole one in overtime, 4-3, at the Brooks Center on Oct. 16.
- Plenty of connections still lay within the two programs, as Gopher Head Coach Bob Motzko coached the Huskies for 13 seasons from 2005-18, leading the program to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, four conference championships and its first ever NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 2013. Gopher forward Bryce Brodzinski is the younger brother of former Huskies Jonny and Easton Brodzinski. On the Husky side, senior forward Grant Cruikshank spent the 2021-22 season with the Gophers, helping the team advance to the NCAA Frozen Four while recording 15 points (seven goals / eight assists) with a +8 mark on the ice.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES
- In its last time out, St. Cloud State split a road series at Miami, winning 7-3 on Dec. 9 before falling 5-0 on Dec. 10. The Huskies' victory in game won extended its win streak to six, its second six-game win streak of the season, marking the first time it has recorded multiple six-game win streaks since 2018-19. The Huskies scored five or more goals in each game between Nov. 19 and Dec. 9, marking the first time it scored five or more goals in a four-game stretch since Nov. 17-Dec. 2, 2017. In the second game, Miami was able to capitalize on a five-minute major, scoring three times during the penalty to move past the Huskies, 5-0. It marked the first time in 31 games that St. Cloud State was shutout, dating back to a 2-0 setback on Feb. 5, 2022 against Denver.
HISTORIC FIRST HALF
- St. Cloud State's 14 victories in the first half of the season marked just the fourth time in D-I program history (since 1987-88) the Huskies have recorded 14 or more wins in the first 18 games of the season. The 14 wins are the second-most through 18 games, trailing only its 15-2-1 mark in 2001-02 while matching its win totals from 2015-16 (14-4-0) and 2018-19 (14-2-2). St. Cloud State's .778 win percentage is its fourth best mark through 18 games, trailing its .861 (15-2-1) mark in 2001-02, .833 (14-2-2) mark in 2018-19 and .806 (13-2-3) mark in 2017-18. 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. 4 in both polls ahead of this weekend's series.
TOUGH TO SCORE ON
- At the unofficial halfway mark of the season, 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 rank second in save percentage (.920) and shorthanded goals (six), third scoring margin (1.61) and fifth in scoring defense (2.06).
- 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 time between the net. Both have posted a 7-2-0 record with 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 80.0 percent (60-75) 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 18 games this season, Husky opponents have failed to score on the power play in nine 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 18 games, senior goalie Jaxon Castor and junior goalie Dominic Basse have put up near identical numbers in nine starts each.
- Castor has got the nod in the first game of every series this season, and is 7-2-0 with a 2.12 goals against average and .919 save percentage, marks which ranks 13th and 21st, respectively, nationally. Prior to this season, Castor played in 20 games and made 12 starts for the Huskies in three seasons, posting a mark of 6-8-0 with one shutout. He's logged 1389:54 of ice time between the pipes in his career, and holds a 2.64 GAA and .900 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 and has started the second game of each series. 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 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 2.12 mark ranks fifth. On the save percentage list, Basse's .930 ranks second, while Castor's .919 mark ranks seventh.
- 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 25.7 percent (19-of-74) of its chances, which ranks third in the NCHC and eighth nationally, while its 19 power play goals ranks 12th 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.
HUSKY TRIO COMPETES AT THE WORLD JUNIORS
- St. Cloud State had a program record three current or future Huskies compete at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships. Sophomore defenseman Jack Peart competed in his second World Juniors tournament for Team USA, while future Huskies Verner Miettinen and Martins Lavins (both have signed National Letters of Intent) competed for Finland and Latvia, respectively.
- Peart, the 11th Husky to make the USA National Junior Team and the third to play in two World Junior Championships, helped Team USA advance to the semifinals with three assists while averaging around 18 minutes of ice time. For the Huskies this season, Peart has produced 15 points (two goals / 13 assists) with a +10 mark while playing in all 18 games for the Huskies. Among team leaders, he ranks third in assists (13), sixth in plus/minus (+10) and sixth in points (15). Among NCHC blue liners, Peart ranks fifth in points with 15. He had one of his best weekends of the season against North Dakota, as he produces five points (2-3-5) with a +5 mark on the ice in a series sweep against the Fighting Hawks.
- Miettinen became the second Husky to play for Finland and the World Junior Championships, following Mika Ilvonen in 2015. He had one assist in five games at the 2023 World Junior Championships. In his first season with the Fargo Force (USHL), Miettinen has recorded 14 points (seven goals / seven assists) in 20 games. His five power play goals lead the Force and rank fourth in the USHL, while his seven goals rank fourth among Force skaters. Prior to his time with Fargo, Miettinen played for Finland's U16, U17, U18 and U20 teams, as well as two seasons with the Kiekki-Espoo U20 team (2020-22), where he netted 41 points (18 goals / 21 assists) in 54 games.
- Lavins represented Latvia at the World Juniors, where he had three assists in six games. In his second season with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders (USHL), Lavins has scored 11 points (four goals / seven assists) with two power play goals in 18 games. In 2021-22, Lavins recorded 15 points (four goals / 11 assists) in 50 games while helping Cedar Rapids advance to the playoffs. Lavins skated with Latvia at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he helped his home country advance to the quarterfinals. He has also skated with the Latvia U17, U18 and U20 teams.
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