Ahola Blanks Mercyhurst as No. 12/13 Huskies Women’s Hockey Earns Road Split

Saturday, October 7

Erie, Pa.

1:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

3-1-0

Mercyhurst

3-3-0

St. Cloud St.

Mercyhurst

Photo by: Kaitlyn Zuehl

Ahola Blanks Mercyhurst as No. 12/13 Huskies Women’s Hockey Earns Road Split

10/7/2023 6:45:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Box Score

Senior goaltender records 28 saves in second consecutive shutout win, Gentry scores game’s lone goal

ERIE, Pa. – Senior goaltender Sanni Ahola recorded a 28 save shutout as No. 12/13 St. Cloud State Women's Hockey (3-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) blanked Mercyhurst (3-3-0, 0-0-0 CHA) 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, Pennsylvania to earn a series split.

Ahola earned her second consecutive shutout to open the year, turning away all 28 shots she faced including 17 in a frenetic second period. The Huskies netminder turned away a handful of odd-man rushes and played the puck well, earning her defense changes by being aggressive on the puck beyond the crease.

Senior forward Emma Gentry scored the game's lone goal late in the opening period as St. Cloud State drew a pair of Mercyhurst penalties, earning a 5-on-3 advantage. Gentry peppered the Laker goaltender with chances at the high point as the Huskies moved the puck around the circles to space out the defense, creating a lane for the assistant captain to rifle in her third goal of the season.

St. Cloud State's penalty kill turned away Laker power plays in the second and third as the defense rallied around Ahola. The SCSU tender stopped 17 shots in the second period as the Huskies struggled to possess the puck on the long change, adding eight more saves in the final frame. Junior defender Taylor Larson led the Huskies with three blocks on the defensive end.

QUOTABLES – St. Cloud State head coach Brian Idalski

"It's nice to get a win on the road. Early in the year you have to lean how to manage those things, so it was nice for us to bounce back and do what we needed to do."

"I thought Sanni played really well – there were a couple of chances where she bailed us out with timely saves in big moments. I also thought she did a great job of playing the puck, helping our breakout and D-corps. A good all-around performance for her."

"The PK was a little bit tighter – I thought we did a nice job with that. Trusting each other, being in the right spots. I liked the adjustments Jinelle and Billy made power-play wise. We got some better looks and some better puck movements – it's important for our special teams to help pull us through games like these."

"We still have a lot of work to do. A lot of the stuff structure-wise isn't automatic, especially for our young kids and newer players. We need more reps, games under our belt, practice and film to help hammer home the details of our game. Conference play is another level obviously, it's going to be good to get home and get some more action under our belts."

NOTABLES

Sanni Ahola earned her second shutout of the season and fifth of her career with 28 saves
Emma Gentry scored her third goal of the season and first power play goal while adding five shots on goal
Grace Wolfe tallied her third assist of the season
Alice Sauriol recorded her first collegiate point with an assist
Taylor Larson led SCSU with three blocked shots
SCSU led 37-28 on shots
The Huskies went 1-for-7 on the power play while going 2-for-2 on the kill

UP NEXT
The Huskies return home next weekend to open conference play with Bemidji State at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on October 13 and 14. Friday's puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. CT with a 3:00 p.m. CT start scheduled for Saturday. The series will be broadcast on B1G+ with live stats provided by St. Cloud State.

Information regarding single game and season tickets can be found at scsutickets.com. 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.