First Place Up for Grabs Between No. 13/12 St. Cloud State and No. 6/7 North Dakota

*No. 13/12 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 6/7 NORTH DAKOTA*
*OPPONENT*	*LOCATION*	*DAY*	*TIME (CT)*	*TV / STREAM*	*RADIO*	*STATS*	*GAME NOTES*
#6/7 North Dakota	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center	Friday, Jan. 19	7:30 p.m.	Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv	KNSI	Stats	SCSU Notes
#6/7 North Dakota	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center	Saturday, Jan. 20	6:00 p.m.	Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv	KNSI	Stats	UND Notes

WEEKEND PREVIEW

ICESIDE WITH MICK HATTEN

ICESIDE WITH TAYLOR BUDGE

THE MATCHUP

No. 13/12 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will look to fend off No. 6/7 North Dakota in a top-25 series at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center this weekend, as the top-two teams in the NCHC standings meet for the only time in the regular season in 2023-24. The Huskies enter the weekend with 24 points and an 7-1-2 mark in the NCHC, while the Fighting Hawks are closing in with 22 points and a 6-4-0 record in conference play. Friday's tilt at the Brooks Center will take place at 7:30 p.m. CT, while Saturday's game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. CT start with both games being aired on Fox 9 + and NCHC.tv with Jim Rich, Geno Parrish and Anna Behning on the call. On the radio, Husky Hockey veteran Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Dave Reichel will have the call over the airwaves on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM).
Make sure to tune in to NCHC.tv exclusively 30 minutes before puck drop to watch a special Husky Faceoff pre-game show, produced by the award-winning Husky Productions and shown only on NCHC.tv. Pregame host Ryan McNamara will have everything you need to be ready for this weekend's series, and will be broadcasting live from iceside at a newly finish permanent set for HP.
St. Cloud State enters the weekend ranked No. 13 in the USCHO Top-20 Poll and No. 12 in the USA Today / The Rink Live poll while North Dakota checks in at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY

This weekend's series will be the 146th and 147th all-time meetings between the Huskies and Fighting Hawks, with all but one series happening since the 1989-90 season. The Fighting Hawks lead the overall series, 80-49-16 and hold a slight advantage, 30-26-0, in games played in St. Cloud. Last season, the two teams met five times, with SCSU winning three of those games, including a 3-2 overtime thriller in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals to end UND's 2022-23 campaign. Fifth-year forward Zach Okabe scored the game-winning goal in the extra fame to send the Huskies to the NCHC championship game and ultimately its second NCHC Frozen Faceoff crown.
The last time the two teams met at the Brooks Center (Dec. 2-3, 2022), the Huskies swept UND, 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 THE LAST SERIES

SCSU held onto its first place spot in the NCHC standings with a two-point weekend on the road at No. 6 Denver, rebounding from a 5-1 setback on Friday to win a shootout in a 4-4 tie on Saturday. Sophomore forward Ethan AuCoin made the most of his opportunity on the ice as he found the back of the net in both contests, while fifth-year forward Kyler Kupka and fifth-year defenseman Dylan Anhorn both recorded a pair of assists in Saturday's game. Freshman goaltender Isak Posch shined in his start in net on Saturday, recording 33 saves while allowing just one even-strength goal to earn the first star in the contest.

MIETTINEN SEEKS 100

Senior forward Veeti Miettinen will join the 100-point club with his next point, as he currently has 44 goals and 56 assists for 99 points. When he reaches the 100-point mark, he will become the 39th member of SCSU's 100-point club and the second this season after fifth-year forward Zach Okabe joined the club on Nov. 18. Miettinen's 11 career game-winning goals rank seventh all-time in program history, as he sits a four-way tie with Tim Hanus (1988-92), Garrett Roe (2007-11) and Joey Benik (2012-16).

POTENTIAL KEYS TO VICTORY

Just over halfway through the 2023-24 campaign, SCSU's keys to a victory are starting to become apparent. St. Cloud State's ability to put away teams and scoring early has been impressive so far, as the Huskies a perfect 9-0-0 on the season when leading after two periods and 9-4-1 when scoring first. Additionally, the Huskies are 8-2-1 when scoring on the power play, 9-2-1 when its opponent fails to score on the power play and 8-3-1 when out-shooting its opponent.

GAME NOTES FROM LAST SERIES:

GAME 1 - 5-1 loss to Denver (1-12-24 in Denver, Colo.)
- Sophomore forward Ethan AuCoin scored a goal in his second straight game, marking the first two-game goal streak of his career.
- Freshman forward Tyson Gross registered his sixth assist of the season, recording a point for the second consecutive game.
- Senior goaltender Dominic Basse made 32 saves in the game, marking the second time this season and the 14th time in his career he has made at least 30 saves.
GAME 2 - 4-4 tie & shootout win over Denver (1-13-24 in Denver, Colo.)
- With the tie, SCSU is now 53-56-7 all-time against Denver and 25-34-3 in Denver.
- The Huskies' earned two points and remain in first place in the NCHC standings with 24 points, two ahead of next week's opponent No. 4 North Dakota.
- Fershman goaltender Isak Posch logged a season-best 33 saves and earned the tie to move to 1-0-2 on the season.
- Veeti Miettinen scored his third goal and recorded his sixth assist to post his first career multi-point game.
- Playing in just his fifth game of the season, Ethan AuCoin scored a goal in the Huskies third consecutive game, upping his season tally to three goals.
- Zach Okabe scored his third goal of the season and 45th of his career with his first period score.
- Josh Luedtke scored his second goal of the season and seventh of his career with his first period tally.
- Dylan Anhorn registered two assists in the game to bring his season total to 15. It marks the third time this season and 13th time in his career he has had at least two assists in a game.
- Kyler Kupka had a pair of secondary assists in the game to match a season-high of two assists. It marks the second time this season and seventh time in his career he has logged two or more assists.
- Tyson Gross registered his seventh assist of the season and extended his point streak to three consecutive games.
- Jack Peart had his fifth assist with a primary assist on Okabe's score.

RACE FOR THE PENROSE

St. Cloud State has jumped out to an early lead in the chase for the NCHC Spencer Penrose Cup, as the Huskies when unbeaten through eight conference games and currently sit in first place with 24 points and a 7-1-2 mark.
The Huskies 7-0-1 start to conference play is its best eight-game start to conference season in program history, surpassing its mark of 7-1-0 in the 2001-02 WCHA season.
SCSU's 24 points is two points ahead of second-place No. 6/7 North Dakota's 22 points (6-4-0) and seven points clear of No. 6 Denver (6-3-1) and No. 10 Western Michigan's 14 points (5-5-0), who are currently tied for third.
In the 10-year history of the NCHC, the average point total of the regular season conference champion has been 55 points. To reach that mark, SCSU would need to average 2.21 points per game in its final 14 conference games. SCSU has captured the Penrose three times as a member of the NCHC, winning the title in 2013-14 (48 points), 2017-18 (53 points) and 2018-19 (62 points). SCSU's 62 points and 19 victories in 2018-19 still stands as a league-record point and victory total for a regular season conference champion.

MOLENAAR RECOGNIZED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OFF THE ICE

Senior forward Joe Molenaar has been named 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award nominees, announced by the foundation on Jan. 17. The Minnetonka native is a part of a 15-player class to be nominated for the prestigious award.
The Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is celebrating its 29th season, is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
Molenaar, named an assistant captain ahead of the 2023-24 season, is having a career year in his fourth season with the Huskies. In his more-expanded offensive role, Molenaar has scored a career-best seven goals and 10 points in 20 games. He has produced a +11 mark in the ice and recorded his first career hat trick in a 6-0 win over Miami on Nov. 4, earning NCHC Forward of the Week honors following his performance. He also provided the game-winning goals in wins over Miami (Nov. 4) and Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 17).
Molenaar has been a vital member of the Huskies success over his four seasons, as he has helped lead the Huskies to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2021-23), an NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship in 2023 and an NCAA Frozen Four and National Championship game appearance in 2021.
Molenaar's impact extends much farther than his play on the ice, as he an established figure in the St. Cloud and Twin Cities communities. He volunteers his time back with Special Olympics, Breath of Hope, the Miracle League and an adaptive golf league.
With the Special Olympics, Molenaar routinely plays floor hockey on Wednesdays and ice hockey on Sundays with the St. Cloud group throughout the season. With the Breath of Hope, Molenaar has attended events and raised money for 11 years to benefit the organization that raises awareness for cystic fibrosis. Molenaar has always been very active with the Miracle League, an adaptive baseball league in the Twin Cities, and an adaptive golf league at Braemar Golf Course in Edina.

BASSE STRONG IN NET

Senior goaltender Dominic Basse has solidified his spot as the mainstay in net for the Huskies through the first half of the season, as he has started 17 of 20 games this season. He has produced an 10-6-1 mark with a 2.31 goals-against average and .911 save percentage with three shutouts.
The Husky netminder was added to the Mike Richter Watch List on Jan. 12, as announced by the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA). Basse is one of 32 goaltenders to be named to the watch list annually awarded to the nation's top goaltender.
Basse is one of six to produce three or more shutouts this season, as he joins Ryan Bischel (Notre Dame), Freddie Halyk (Denver), Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin), Ludvig Persson (North Dakota) and TJ Semptimphelter (Arizona State).
The senior netminder has improved his career numbers drastically since transferring into St. Cloud. In two seasons with Colorado College, he produced a 3.21 GAA and .891 S%, but after 36 games with the Huskies, his career marks now stand at 2.78 GAA and .900 S%.
In SCSU games alone, Basse has produced a mark of 21-11-3 with 2.32 GAA and .911 S%. Among career records, his 2.23 GAA ranks third in program history while his .911 S% ranks seventh.

PENALTY KILLERS

The Huskies have been especially strong on the penalty kill this season, killing off 62-of-75 penalties for a mark of 82.7 percent, which ranks second in the NCHC and ranks 21st in the NCAA. A huge key to the Huskies quick start in conference play has been its ability to kill off penalties, as the Huskies are an impressive 81.1 percent (30-of-37) on kills in conference play.
SCSU is 9-2-1 and 5-0-1 in NCHC play when their opponent fails to score on the man advantage.
The Huskies killed off 13 consecutive penalties between Oct. 21 against Alaska and Nov. 17 against Minnesota Duluth and then killed off 19 of 20 penalties between Nov. 24 against Michigan and Dec. 31 against Bemidji State.
Senior forward Veeti Miettinen scored the Huskies first shorthanded goal of the season against Michigan (Nov. 25), helping spark a three-goal comeback to earn a tie and shootout win against the No. 14-ranked Wolverines.

First Place Up for Grabs Between No. 13/12 St. Cloud State and No. 6/7 North Dakota

No. 13/12 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 6/7 NORTH DAKOTA

OPPONENT

LOCATION

DAY

TIME (CT)

TV / STREAM

RADIO

STATS

GAME NOTES

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dylan Anhorn

Ethan AuCoin

Dominic Basse

Tyson Gross

Kyler Kupka

Josh Luedtke

Veeti Miettinen

Joe Molenaar

Zach Okabe

Jack Peart

Isak Posch

Saint Cloud State University Athletics

First Place Up for Grabs Between No. 13/12 St. Cloud State and No. 6/7 North Dakota

No. 13/12 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 6/7 NORTH DAKOTA

OPPONENT

LOCATION

DAY

TIME (CT)

TV / STREAM

RADIO

STATS

GAME NOTES

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dylan Anhorn

Ethan AuCoin

Dominic Basse

Tyson Gross

Kyler Kupka

Josh Luedtke

Veeti Miettinen

Joe Molenaar

Zach Okabe

Jack Peart

Isak Posch

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