Huskies Return to Xcel Energy Center for NCHC Frozen Faceoff

*No. 7 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 17/16 NORTH DAKOTA*
*OPPONENT*	*LOCATION*	*DAY*	*TIME (CT)*	*TV / STREAM*	*RADIO*	*STATS*	*GAME NOTES*
North Dakota	Xcel Energy Center	Friday, March 17	7:30 p.m.	CBS Sports Network	KNSI	Stats	SCSU Notes \| UND Notes

THE MATCHUP

No. 7 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will make the short trek south to St. Paul, Minn., to face off against No. 17 North Dakota in the 2023 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff on Friday, March 17 at the Xcel Energy Center. Puck drop for the semifinal tilt is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network with Alex Heinert, Dave Starman and Shireen Starman on the call. On the radio, Husky Hockey veteran Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Dave Reichel will have the call on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM). The Huskies enter the weekend ranked No. 7 in the Pairwise ranking, the DCU / USCHO Poll and the USA Hockey / USA Today Coaches Poll, while North Dakota re-enters the top-20 in all three rankings at No. 18 in the Pairwise ranking, No. 17 in the DCU / USCHO Poll and No. 16 in the USA Hockey / USA Today Coaches Poll.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday's NCHC Frozen Faceoff will be the 145^th meeting between the Huskies and Fighting Hawks, with all but one series happening since the 1989-90 season. The Fighting Hawks lead the overall series 80-48-16, and are 8-4-0 against the Huskies all-time on neutral ice. SCSU is 2-1 all-time against the Fighting Hawks at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, winning semifinal contests in 2015 and 2018 before falling in the NCHC Championship Game in 2021.
Earlier this season, the Huskies swept UND in a series at the Brooks Center (Dec. 2-3), scoring six unanswered goals in both games of the series. It was St. Cloud State's first sweep against North Dakota since Nov. 1-2, 2013 (3-2 & 3-1 in Grand Forks) and its first at home since Nov. 2-3, 2001 (8-4 & 6-1). The Huskies 13 goals were also the most it has scored in a series against UND since that same 2001 series. When the Huskies traveled up to Grand Forks, the Fighting Hawks scored with an extra attacker and again in overtime to win 4-3 on Feb. 17 before the Huskies pulled out a shootout win in a 2-2 tie on Feb. 18.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

Last weekend, St. Cloud State beat Minnesota Duluth in a best-of-three NCHC Quarterfinals series at the Brooks Center. The Huskies won games one and three by a score of 3-1, while the Bulldogs took game two 5-1. Senior forward Micah Miller provided the offensive spark of the Huskies in game one, recording his first career multi-goal game to lead SCSU to victory. In game three, a pair of Husky freshmen led the charge, as defenseman Cooper Wylie and freshman forward Adam Ingram scored 14 seconds a part to erase an early Bulldog lead. Graduate forward Grant Cruikshank scored the final tally to make the score 3-1 and send the Huskies back to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

HUSKY SUCCESS AT FROZEN FACEOFF

In the 10th season of NCHC hockey and ninth NCHC Tournament, St. Cloud State will make its sixth appearance in the NCHC semifinals with its matchup against North Dakota. In each season SCSU has made the Frozen Faceoff, the Huskies have advanced to the NCHC Championship game five times, earning title game appearances in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021. In 2016, the Huskies won the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship, beating Minnesota Duluth, 3-1, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

ALL-NCHC HUSKIES

St. Cloud State was well represented in the postseason award announcements from the NCHC, which were announced following the conclusion of the regular season. Senior forward Jami Krannila led the way for the Huskies, being named to the All-NCHC First Team while being named a finalist for the Player of the Year, Forward of the Year and the Defensive Forward of the Year awards. Sophomore defenseman Jack Peart found his way to conference recognition for the first time, earning Second Team honors while also being named a finalist for the Offensive Defenseman of the Year. Senior forward Zach Okabe and senior defenseman Dylan Anhorn earned All-NCHC Honorable Mention honors, while senior forward Micah Miller was named a finalist for the Defensive Forward of the Year and senior defenseman Spencer Meier was named a finalist for the Sportsmanship Award.
Since the conference's inception in 2013-14, St. Cloud State have now earned 56 all-conference honors, while its four honorees are the most since having eight in 2018-19. All four Huskies earned All-NCHC honors for the first time, while Anhorn earned all-conference honors for the second time after being named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team in 2019-20. Krannila is the 11th Husky to be named to the First Team, while Peart's Second Team nod is the 12th in program history.
Krannila has made the most of his senior campaign, leading the Huskies offense in points while being named a Hobey Baker nominee, the NCHC January Player of the Month and reaching the 100-point club. Through 37 games this season, Krannila has produced career-best marks of 19 goals, 18 assists and 37 points with an outstanding +19 mark on the ice. Among national leaders, Krannila ranks 20th in goals (19), 16th in power play goals (seven), 27th in points (37) and 30th in plus/minus (+19). In the NCHC, Krannila ranks sixth in points (37) and seventh in goals (19) while leading the league in goals (17) and ranking second in points (29) in conference only games. For his career, Krannila has produced 104 points (50 goals / 54 assists) with a +27 mark on the ice, 14 power play goals and six game-winning goals in 139 games played.
Peart earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career with his second team recognition. He has continued to elevate his game in his second season on the ice for the Huskies, producing 23 points (two goals / 21 assists) with a +13 mark in the ice and 36 blocks. Peart has played especially well in conference play, leading all NCHC blue liners in assists (18) while ranking second in points (20). The Minnesota Wild draft pick has been crucial on the power play this season, leading the team with 11 assists on the man advantage.
In his first season in with the Huskies, Anhorn was nothing short of spectacular before suffering a season-ending injury on Jan. 21. The Calgary, Alberta native led all NCAA blue liners with 25 points (five goals / 20 assists) at the time of his injury and produced a +15 mark on the ice. He played a key role on special teams for SCSU, quarterbacking the top power play unit and adding key minutes on the penalty kill unit. His 12 points on the power play (one goal / 11 assists) still rank third on the team. Despite missing the final 11 games of the regular season, Anhorn still ranks among the team's leaders in numerous statistical categories, including third in assists (20), fourth in plus/minus (+15) and fifth in points (25). For his career, Anhorn has played in 86 games, registering 61 points (18 goals / 43 assists) with four power play goals and a +18 mark on the ice. His 20 assists, 25 points and +15 mark this season are all career highs.
Okabe has had a banner season in his fourth campaign donning the black and red, setting career highs in points (32), goals (16), plus/minus (+13) and game-winning goals (four). His play in conference play contributed to the Huskies clinching home ice for the fourth time in the last five seasons, as he ranks second in game-winning goals (three), fifth in points (25) and eighth in goals (12) in conference games only. Among team leaders, Okabe's 32 points rank second while his 16 goals rank third.

NCHC INDIVIDUAL AWARD FINALISTS

St. Cloud State had four student-athletes named finalists for five NCHC year-end awards. After being named to the All-NCHC First Team, senior forward Jami Krannila was named a finalist for a team-high three awards, as he is up for the Player of the Year, Forward of the Year and the Defensive Forward of the Year. Sophomore defenseman Jack Peart was named a finalist for the Offensive Defenseman of the Year, while senior forward Micah Miller is a finalist for the Defensive Forward of the Year and senior defenseman Spencer Meier is a finalist for the Sportsmanship Award.
The winners of the year-end awards will be announced at the NCHC Awards Celebration, which will take place on the eve of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, Thursday, March 16 in St. Paul, Minn.
SCSU has had prior winners in each category it was named a finalist in for 2022-23. Earning Player of the Year honors was Ethan Prow in 2015-16 and Jimmy Schuldt in 2018-19, while Patrick Newell was named Forward of the Year in 2018-19. In addition to player of the year, Prow was named the Offensive Defenseman of the Year in 2015-16, while Nic Dowd took home Defensive Forward of the Year honors in 2013-14. Three Huskies have received the Sportsmanship Award, as Nick Oliver (2014-15), Patrick Newell (2018-19) and Kevin Fitzgerald (2020-21) all took home the honor.
For the second straight season, Miller has been a vital member of the SCSU defensive game plan, as he is known as a game-stopper for the opposing team's top forwards and routinely plays a high amount of penalty kill minutes. The Huskies have ranked in the nation's top-10 in scoring defense for the large majority of the season and its eight shorthanded goals rank second in the NCAA. Miller's shorthanded goal on Nov. 11 against Western Michigan was the fifth of this career, a mark which ranks seventh all-time in program history. Last season, Miller led all skaters in the NCAA with four shorthanded goals. In 167 career games, a mark which ranks fourth all-time in program history, Miller has recorded 69 points (29 goals / 40 assists) with a +34 mark on the ice and five shorthanded goals.
The second-ever three-time captain in program history, Meier has made quite the mark on the Husky program in his time in St. Cloud. His impact extends much farther than his play on the ice, as he an established figure in his hometown community of central Minnesota (St. Cloud / Sartell). Meier volunteers his time to skate with youth hockey programs whenever his schedule allows, and routinely skates with the Minnesota Wild special hockey program on Sundays. Meier continuously shows his support for other Husky teams at their sporting events and is always the first one willing to interact with fans. This past summer, Meier had near 100 young hockey players attend his own hockey camp in his hometown of Sartell.
On the ice, Meier has played in 167 career games, registering 62 points (17 goals / 45 assists) with a +9 mark on the ice, 12 power play goals and 158 blocks. In the classroom, Meier graduated with a degree in Business Finance in May 2022 and is currently taking classes towards an Elementary Education degree while maintaining a 3.4 GPA. He has earned five Academic All-NCHC honors, earning the distinction every year of his tenure with the Huskies (2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23).

FASTEST TO 100

Head Coach Brett Larson earned his 100th career victory in St. Cloud State's 6-2 win over Omaha on Feb. 24, becoming the fastest to 100 wins in program history. Larson reach the mark in 172 games, surpassing Bob Motzko (276-192-49, 2005-18), who reached win 100 in his 191st game and Craig Dahl (338-309-52, 1987-2005), who reached the milestone in game 241. Only one Husky coach reached 100 wins prior to becoming a D-I program, as Charlie Basch (181-193-7, 1968-84) reached his 100th win in his 215th game.
Larson has continued to elevate the SCSU program while at the helm, as he has guided the Huskies to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 2021 and an NCHC Penrose championship in 2019. He is the only SCSU coach to lead the program to NCAA Tournaments in the first three seasons a tournament has been played (no tournament in 2020 due to pandemic).

SCSU'S TRIO OF GOAL SCORERS

St. Cloud State has been led by a trio of elite goal scorers this season, as senior forward Grant Cruikshank (21 goals), senior forward Jami Krannila (19 goals) and senior forward Zach Okabe (16 goals) all rank in the NCAA's top-40 for goals scored.
Cruikshank's 21 goals rank sixth in the nation this season, are the most by a Husky since Patrick Newell had the same mark in 2018-19, and is the 30th 20-goal season by a Husky in program history.
The last time two Huskies had 20+ goals in a season was 2015-16 (Joey Benik – 23, Patrick Russell), while only one time have three Huskies score 20+ goals in the same season (1989-90).
The trio's top-three combined 56 goals are the most by three Huskies in the same season since 2018-19 when Patrick Newell (21), Robby Jackson (19) and Easton Brodzinski (16) had the same mark. The mark is also the 10th best mark by a trio of Huskies in program history.

EXPERIENCED HUSKIES

St. Cloud State brings a wealth of experience to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, as 11 Huskies have played 100+ games and four have skated in 150+ games. Graduate Defenseman Brendan Bushy leads the way for the Huskies with 174 games played, ranking second in program history and only trailing Easton Brodzinski who played in 176 games from 2017-22.
The 11 Huskies with 100+ games leads the NCHC, leading North Dakota who have eight. Among the 27 athletes on SCSU's roster, 15 have played in at least one NCAA Tournament game, 12 have made NCAA Frozen Four appearances, and 10 played in the 2021 NCAA National Championship game for the Huskies.
Additionally, three Huskies – Bushy, senior defenseman Spencer Meier and senior forward Micah Miller – played in the 2019 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship game and nine played in the 2021 championship game against North Dakota.