No. 13 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Opens 2023-24 Season with Garnet Chargers

Saturday, September 23

St. Cloud, Minn.

3:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Union

Dayle Ross (L) and Klára Hymlárová (R) prepare for a draw during St. Cloud State's win over No. 15 Minnesota State at the HBNHC on Feb. 18, 2023

No. 13 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Opens 2023-24 Season with Garnet Chargers

9/22/2023 9:35:00 AM | Women's Hockey

Series Notes Tickets Watch Live - B1G+ ($)Listen Live - 97.5 FM RadioX Live Stats

Huskies begin campaign with home series against Union on Sep. 23-24

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 13 St. Cloud State Women's Hockey (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) opens the 2023-24 campaign this weekend with a home series against Union (0-0-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) on Saturday and Sunday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday with a 1:00 p.m. start on Sunday.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
The series will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus and 97.5 FM RadioX with live stats provided by St. Cloud State. Links to each coverage option are available on the SCSU Women's Hockey schedule page.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Saturday's opener features a schedule poster giveaway for the first 100 fans while Sunday's finale is a Shut Out Hunger game with a free ticket voucher to a future game in exchange for a canned food donation supporting the Huskies Food Pantry. Tickets to both games of the series are available via scsutickets.com

LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies open the season ranked No. 13 in the country by both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live national polls, landing in the Preseason poll for the first time in program history. St. Cloud State is one of five WCHA programs featured in the preseason rankings with one additional club receiving votes. The Huskies entered both the USCHO and USA Today National Polls in the first week of December last season, placing the team in the national rankings for the first time since 2009 and 2008 respectively. After debuting at No. 14 in both polls, SCSU proceeded to remain ranked in 10 of the next 11 weeks to close the year, closing the season ranked for the first time in program history at No. 12 by the USCHO and No. 13 by USA Today. Prior to 2022-23, SCSU had only appeared in the USA Today rankings five times while appearing in just six USCHO polls – last season, the Huskies were ranked 12 and 11 times respectively.

LAST TIME OUT
The No. 12 Huskies (18-18-1, 11-16-1 WCHA) couldn't overcome a demoralizing second period in game two of the WCHA Quarterfinals at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (25-8-3, 17-8-3 WCHA), falling 5-1 to suffer a sweep at the hands of the Bulldogs to close their 2022-23 season. Entering the second period down 1-0 after a UMD strike late in the first, the Huskies let in three goals – including two with under two minutes to go in the frame – while being outshot 27-7 in the period, allowing 12 shots on goal during a five-minute major called just before the 15:00 mark late in the frame. Playing much of the third with an empty net, the Huskies scored their lone goal on a power play seven minutes into the period as Taylor Lind found the backdoor and punched in a pass from Grace Wolfe. Sanni Ahola made 24 saves on 26 shots while JoJo Chobak stopped 19-of-21 as the two goaltenders both saw time in the crease.

SCOUTING UNION
Union enters the 2023-24 season coming off an 11-22-1 campaign a season ago that saw the newly-minted Garnet Chargers go 4-17-1 in conference play and miss the ECAC Tournament. Picked to finish last in the 2023 ECAC Preseason Poll, Union returns leading scorer Riley Walsh (15-7-22) and starting goaltender Sophie Matsoukas (11-22-1, 3.33 GAA, .906) along with five of their six leading point-getters as the program looks to build off a six-win improvement from the year prior.

IT'S BEEN A MINUTE
The Huskies have played Union just once prior to their upcoming season opener, handling UC 4-1 on October 1, 2011 at the East/West Showcase hosted by Minnesota. Brittany Toor, Alex Nelson, Molli Mott and Jocelyn Zabrick each scored for SCSU while Julie Friend earned the win with 17 saves as the Huskies received a three-point night from Toor and two assists from Lisa Martinson.

STATEMENT MADE
SCSU closed the 2022-23 regular season with a 11-16-1 mark in WCHA play, finishing fifth in the conference standings – their best regular-season finish since earning the same spot in 2015-16. St. Cloud State's 36 conference points were the most the club has ever earned in a single season while the club's 42.9% points percentage was their highest mark since 2009-10 and the program's best in the three-point era.

OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
St. Cloud State has named six captains entering the 2023-24 season. Fifth-year forward Taylor Lind will wear the "C" for a second campaign as the Huskies' captain while fifth-year forward Klára Hymlárová, senior forward Emma Gentry, junior defender Dayle Ross, fifth-year forward Addi Scribner and junior defender Grace Wolfe will wear the "A" as assistant captains. Lind becomes the program's fourth two-year captain, joining Kenzie Wylie (2020-22), Kobi Kawamoto (2001-03) and Tara McNamara (2000-02) as one of just three Huskies to wear the "C" for two seasons. Hymlárová skates with the "A" for a second season while Gentry, Ross, Wolfe and Scribner each wear a letter for the first time in their careers. The Huskies' six captains in 2023-24 are the most in program history, surpassing their previous high of four acting captains carried in 2001-02, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23.

WCHA PRESEASON POLL
The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the 2023-24 WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll as announced by the league office ahead of the season. Senior goaltender Jojo Chobak received votes to the Preseason All-WCHA team while the Huskies landed just six points behind Minnesota Duluth and eight behind Minnesota for fourth and third respectively. The Huskies' fifth-place projected finish is the program's highest since it was picked to finish fourth ahead of the 2009-10 season.

CAPTAIN LIND
Second-year captain Taylor Lind enters her fifth season with the program owning 67 points in 112 collegiate games on 23 goals and 44 assists, fresh off a terrific senior year in which she ranked second in assists and third in points despite missing 11 games midway through the season. Lind served as the Huskies' captain in 2022-23, providing eight goals and 14 assists for a 22-point season. Originally from Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Lind has recorded back-to-back 20-plus point seasons for St. Cloud State. She is just the fourth Husky to wear the "C" in consecutive seasons, Kenzie Wylie (2020-22), Kobi Kawamoto (2001-03) and Tara McNamara (2000-02).

IN IDALSKI WE TRUST
In his first season as head coach of Huskies Women's Hockey, Brian Idalski was named the USCHO National Coach of the Year and Co-WCHA Coach of the Year following his program's historic turnaround and rise to national prominence. Under Idalski's guidance the Huskies tied a program record with 18 wins, going 18-18-1 with an 11-16-1 mark in WCHA play – establishing a new program record with 36 conference points to finish fifth, standing as the Huskies' best conference finish since 2015-16 and marking just the second time the program has earned a top-five conference finish in the last 13 years. The club's 18 wins were the most since SCSU won 18 games in 2007-08 while their 11 conference wins stand as the third-most in program history, one shy of their total from the past three seasons combined and most since 2009-10. St. Cloud State doubled their win total from a season ago and added a 42.9% points percentage, their best mark since 2009-10 – establishing a program record for the three-point era.

HIGH COMPETE HOCKEY
Huskies Hockey established a new culture of high-compete 200-foot hockey last season, beginning in the defensive zone. SCSU led the NCAA and set a new program record with 576 blocked shots while holding opponents to 2.59 goals – their second-best mark ever – and 32.24 shots per game – their best mark since 2015-16. St. Cloud State's goaltenders anchored the rejuvenated defense, recording the program's third-best team save percentage at .920 and second-best goals against average of 2.58. The Huskies posted a program-record six shutouts in 2022-23, punctuating their stingy defensive work.

GOAL GETTERS
In the offensive zone, St. Cloud State scored 87 goals last season – eclipsing 66 for the first time since 2009-10 and standing as the program's most since that same season. The Huskies netted 64 even-strength goals, good for second-most all-time, on a 10.43% shooting percentage that becomes the program's third best mark and highest since 2000-01. For the first time since 2009-10, four Huskies recorded 20-point seasons while two defenders provided double-digit scoring seasons for the first time since 2017-18.

CAREER CAMPAIGNS
Nine Huskies set or matched career-high point totals in 2022-23 while Dayle Ross set a program record with 104 blocks, Jenniina Nylund tied the program's record with five game-winning goals and Jojo Chobak broke the single-season mark with five shutouts. Klára Hymlárová scored 17 goals – eighth-most in Huskies history – and closed the regular season as the NCAA's power play goal leader with eight. Sophomore defenders Dayle Ross and Grace Wolfe took massive steps forward under Idalski's guidance, providing 15 and 18 points respectively while ranking No. 1 and No. 3 all-time in single-season blocks with 104 and 83 respectively. The SCSU goaltending duo of Sanni Ahola and Jojo Chobak thrived in a tandem, each recording save percentages of .923 with GAA marks of 2.50 and 2.46 to help anchor the turnaround.

GENTS AND JOJO TAKE ON LAKE PLACID
Senior goaltender Jojo Chobak and senior forward Emma Gentry helped lead the U.S. Collegiate Select Team to a three-game sweep of Canada in the 2023 Collegiate Select Series this past August at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. The duo became the fourth and fifth active Huskies to be named to the Collegiate Select Team – formerly known as the U22 Team – and first since goaltender Emma Polusny made the team in 2019. Defender Brittni Kuyper made back-to-back U22 squads in 2006 and 2007 while forward Holly Roberts joined her at the 2007 U22 Series.

SHUTDOWN STOPPERS
St. Cloud State can make a real case for owning the best goaltending room in the nation with senior backstops Sanni Ahola and Jojo Chobak returning as a tandem in 2023-24. Ahola continued her rise as one of the top goaltenders in the NCAA, making 20 starts in goal and going 9-11-0. She recorded a .923 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average while posting one shutout. The Helsinki, Finland product ranked No. 19 in the NCAA in save percentage while landing sixth across the WCHA in goals against average. Chobak delivered a phenomenal first season with St. Cloud State in 2022-23, going 9-7-1 across 17 starts and posting a .923 save percentage alongside a 2.46 goals against average. The junior broke the Huskies' single-season shutout record with five clean sheets throughout the season while recording the fifth-lowest GAA in program history. Among her WCHA counterparts, Chobak ranked fourth in save percentage (tied with Ahola) and fifth in goals against average while landing No. 19 and No. 25 respectively nationally.

THIS IS (SOON TO BE) 20
Senior goaltender Jojo Chobak is one win away from recording her 20th collegiate win and 10th of her Huskies career. Incredibly, Chobak's nine wins in her 2022-23 debut season places her just three away from entering the program's top 10 list. With her 9-7-1 junior campaign, Chobak became the first Huskies goaltender to produce a winning record with at least 10 starts since Ashley Nixon went 13-10-8 in 2009-10.

CC HUNTS 50
Graduate forward CC Bowlby - one of the program's six transfer additions this season - enters her final collegiate season just two points away from recording her 50th career point. Bowlby produced 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points over three seasons at Dartmouth. She joins the Huskies following a stellar senior season with the Big Green, leading the club with 10 goals and nine assists for a team-high 19 points. The forward put 82 shots on goal and produced a 12.2% shooting percentage – second-best on the team and best among skaters with at least 20 shots on goal – while scoring twice on the power play and taking just two penalties. Primarily skating as a center, Bowlby won 158 draws on a 49.1% success rate.

BLOCK STARS
As part of their NCAA-leading 576 blocked shots last season, the Huskies enjoyed career years from a host of young defenders in 2022-23. Dayle Ross led the NCAA with a Huskies single-season record 104 blocks, Grace Wolfe landed second in the country with 83 and true freshman Regan Bulger finished fourth nationally with 78 blocks. Wolfe increased her point total by 15 while Ross went from three points as a freshman to 15 as a sophomore, each seeing increased roles and productivity in the offensive zone.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
St. Cloud State will have their hands full implementing an overhauled roster this winter as nine freshmen join six transfers to form a 15-player signing class. Freshmen forwards Grace Delmonico, Greta Henderson, Marie Moran, Alice Sauriol and Sofianna Sundelin; defenders Jaidyn Britt, Sydney Bryant and Kenzee Hope; and goaltender Paige Hoogendam will begin their collegiate careers at St. Cloud State this fall. The Huskies enjoyed terrific success in the transfer portal, bringing on graduate transfer forwards Katie Kaufman (Merrimack), CC Bowlby (Dartmouth) and Maddy Peterson (RPI) along with talented junior defenders Taylor Larson (Bemidji State) and Ella Anick (Bemidji State) and sophomore forward Avery Farrell (Franklin Pierce).

HEROIC HYMLÁ
Klára Hymlárová enters year five in a Huskies sweater with 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points in 106 collegiate games. The longtime top-six fixture tied her career-high with 26 points last season on 17 goals and an assist while ranking third across the NCAA with eight goals on the power play. Hymlárová is well-known on the international circuit as a leader on the Czechia Senior National Team, earning two Bronze medals at the World Championships while appearing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

THE CONFERENCE OF CHAMPIONS CELBRATES 25 YEARS
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association begins its 25th season of play in 2023-24, celebrating a quarter century of unmatched success and immense growth provided to the sport. Truly the "Conference of Champions," the WCHA has long held an undisputable reputation as the best conference in collegiate women's hockey - winning 20 NCAA Championships in its 24 years of competition including the first 13 in its existence. St. Cloud State was among the founding members of the league and has remained in the WCHA since its inception in 1999-00.

HUSKY TIES IN THE ALWAYS-RUGGED WCHA
WCHA Interim Director of Strategic Communications Tom Nelson is a familiar name for St. Cloud State fans, spending nearly a quarter-century serving in the St. Cloud State Athletic Communications office prior to his retirement in 2021. WCHA Interim Commissioner Tracy Dill likewise served a variety of roles including coaching and administration at SCSU.

LIVE STREAMING
Each of St. Cloud State's 34 games are scheduled to be streamed live this season with all home and conference games set for B1G+ - save for a Fox 9+ telecast on November 4 against Wisconsin - while the Mercyhurst series will be covered on FloHockey and the Women's Ice Breaker set for NEC Front Row coverage. KVSC 88.1 FM and sister station 97.5 FM RadioX are the radio home of Huskies Women's Hockey.

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.