Friday, October 18
St. Cloud, Minn.
6 p.m. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Ohio State
Photo by: Jason Soria
No. 11/10 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Begins Home WCHA Schedule Against No. 2 Ohio State
10/17/2024 5:41:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Huskies look to keep momentum going after historic 6-0-0 start open season
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 11/10 St. Cloud State Women's Hockey (6-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) begins its 2024-25 Western Collegiate Hockey Association home schedule this weekend when No. 2 Ohio State (5-2-1, 3-2-1 WCHA) on Friday and Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday with a 1 p.m. CT start on Saturday.
Series Notes
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The games will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (note – a paid subscription is required) with live stats provided by St. Cloud State. Links to each coverage option are available on the SCSU Women's Hockey schedule page.
Game 7 vs. No. 2 Ohio State (HBNHC) – Friday, Oct. 18 / 6 p.m. CT / Livestream ($) / Live Stats
Game 8 vs. No. 2 Ohio State (HBNHC) – Saturday, Oct. 19 / 1 p.m. CT / Livestream ($) / Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU is 32-61-11 all-time against Ohio State. Last season, the Huskies went 1-3 against OSU including a 2-1 win in Columbus. SCSU is 1-4-0 and 1-9-0 in its last five and 10 games against the Buckeyes respectively.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies were ranked No. 11 in the country by the USCHO Poll and No. 10 by the USA Hockey/The
Rink Live Poll. It is the first time SCSU has cracked the top-10 in either poll this season. St. Cloud State is one of five WCHA programs featured in the rankings with one additional club receiving votes.
LAST TIME OUT
The then-No. 11 Huskies (6-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) continued its perfect start to the 2024-25 season with a road sweep of Bemidji State (1-5-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) to begin conference play. SCSU won 1-0 and 2-0 to extend the program record for most wins to start a season (six).
Sophomore forward Alice Sauriol (Sherbrooke, Quebec) scored the game-winning goal in both games while fifth-year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) made 13 saves for her second shutout this season in the first game and freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) made 18 saves and produced her second career shutout in her second career start in game two. Kyrkkö extended her scoreless stretch between the pipes to 120:00 to start her collegiate career. Junior forward Avery Farrell (Rogers, Minn.) scored her first goal of the season in the second game.
SCSU's penalty kill went 3-for-3 over the weekend, continuing its perfect start to the season (18-for-18), while the powerplay went 0-for-3 to move to 5-for-14 (35.7%) on the season.
THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
Seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams are set to play this weekend, with six competing in conference games.
(No. 1 Wisconsin at No. 3/4 Minnesota | (RV) St. Thomas at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth | No. 2 Ohio State at No. 11/10 St. Cloud State | Lindenwood at Bemidji State)
WCHA WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Goaltender of the Week, on Oct. 7, following her standout performance in the series clinching shutout of No. 15/RV Mercyhurst. It was the first weekly award of her career.
Kyrkkö earned a shutout win in her collegiate debut as SCSU defeated No. 15/RV Mercyhurst, 2-0 to complete the series sweep. The freshman saved all 21 shots she faced in the victory to help lead the Huskies to their best start in program history at 4-0.
Senior defender Ella Anick (Hermantown, Minn.) and fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) earned Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors on Sept. 23, following their performances in the Huskies season-opening sweep of Lindenwood. Anick was named the conferences Defender of the Week, while Gentry was tabbed the Forward of the Week.
Anick tallied two assists for two points, three blocked shots and skated to a +4 over that weekend. She led the WCHA in +/- (+4), was tied for the lead in assists (2) and points among defenders (2), was tied for third in points among all players (2) and was tied for fourth in blocked shots (3).
The Hermantown, Minnesota native posted one of seven multi-point performances in the conference and was one of two players with two assists in a game. Anick recorded her eighth career multi-point game and fifth as a Husky. In her 100th collegiate game on Saturday, she tallied two assists in the Huskies season-opener. On Sunday, she led the Huskies in blocks (two) and skated to a career/game-high +4. This is the second time she has been named WCHA Defender of the Week in her career, both coming while playing for SCSU.
Gentry recorded three goals (one PP) and one assist for four points, 18 shots on goal, 22 faceoff wins and skated to a +3 in the first two games. She led the WCHA in goals (3), points (4), shots on goal (18), power play goals (1 - tie). Additionally, Gentry was also tied for second in +/- (+3) and fourth in faceoff wins (22). The fifth year forward was one of only two players in the WCHA with a two goal, one assist performance.
In the second game, Gentry led the game with nine shots on goal and 12 faceoff wins, while scoring the only even strength goal of the game. On Sunday, she posted her first multi-goal and multi-point game of the season and led the game with nine shots on goal and was second in faceoff wins (10). The Alpena, Michigan product won 56.4% of her draws over the weekend. This was the third time she has been named the WCHA Forward of the Week in her career.
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey has named four captains entering the 2024-25 season. Graduate forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) and senior defenders Taylor Larson (Nisswa, Minn.), Dayle Ross (Spirit River Alberta) and Grace Wolfe (Owatonna, Minn.) will each wear the "C" as the Huskies captains. Gentry, Ross and Wolfe each wore an "A" as alternate captains for the first time a season ago. It will be the first time any of the players have worn the "C" as a Husky.
Gentry embarks on her fifth season with the Huskies in 2024-25 after being selected to the U.S. Collegiate Select Team in August for the second consecutive year, helping the United States beat Canada in a three-game series, 2-1. She enjoyed a strong senior season with St. Cloud State last year, skating in 31 games while scoring a team-leading 12 goals and providing six assists for 18 points. The center won 264 draws and put 139 shots on goal, leading the team in both categories. She also led the team with five game-winning goals, recorded the third most points and was fourth in plus-minus (+6). Gentry led all skaters who took at least 45 faceoffs in faceoff percentage (53.4%). She was selected to the All-WCHA Third Team for her efforts. Across 116 games during her four years at SCSU, Gentry has scored 46 goals with 24 assists for 70 points. She is a three-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team.
Larson begins her second season with SCSU after spending two seasons at Bemidji State. She was second in assists (six), second in points (eight) and fourth in goals (two) among the Huskies defenders. She blocked 57 shots last season and has blocked a total of 155 in her collegiate career. Larson is a three-time AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholar, a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, a two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team and a CSC Academic All-District® honoree.
Ross, a fourth-year defender, has skated in 106 games and has blocked 233 shots with five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in her first three seasons with SCSU. Last season, Ross led all Huskies defenders with 73 shots on goal and was second with three goals. She was named a member of the WCHA All-Academic team in 2023-24.
Wolfe begins year four with the Huskies after being limited to just 11 games in 2023-24 due to injury. In limited action, Wolfe was second on the team in plus-minus (+8). Among blueliners, she tied for the lead in goals (three), was tied for second in assists (four) and was tied for third in points (seven). Through three seasons, Wolfe has skated in 81 games with a 5-23-28 line and 156 career blocked shots. She is a two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team and a WCHA Scholar Athlete.
WCHA PRESEASON POLL
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey was picked to finish fifth in the 2024-25 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Monday. Additionally, fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helinski, Finland) received votes to be on the Preseason All-WCHA team. The Huskies are coming off a season in which they finished fifth in the league and established a new program record for conference points.
SCSU received 25 points overall in the coaches' poll and were selected to finish behind Wisconsin (46, five first-place votes), Ohio State (43, two first-place votes), Minnesota (40, one first-place votes) and Minnesota Duluth (31). Rounding out the poll was St. Thomas (17), Minnesota State (15) and Bemidji State (seven).
The Huskies continued to enjoy success on the ice in 2023-24 during their second season under Idalski, establishing a new school record with 40 conference points while nearly matching the program record for wins in a season for the second consecutive season. The Huskies finished fifth in the WCHA for the second consecutive season after finishing outside the top-five in every season since 2015-16. SCSU earned ranked wins over No. 1 Ohio State, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and No. 10 Northeastern and return top goal scorer, fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Aplena, Mich.) along with the pair of elite fifth-year goaltenders, Ahola and Jojo Chobak (Chicago, Ill.).
2024-25 WCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll
(Coaches could not vote for their own team. First-place votes are in parentheses)
Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Wisconsin (5) 46
2. Ohio State (2) 43
3. Minnesota (1) 40
4. Minnesota Duluth 31
5. St. Cloud State 25
6. St. Thomas 17
7. Minnesota State 15
8. Bemidji State 7
GENTS REPRESENTS THE STARS AND STRIPES AGAIN
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry helped lead the U.S. Collegiate Select Team to a 2-1 record in the three-game series against Canada in the 2024 Collegiate Select Series last August at the Canada Games Park in St. Catharines, Ontario.
She was the fifth active Husky to be named to the Collegiate Select Team* – formerly known as the U22 Team – and the first to make the roster in back-to-back years since 2007. In 2023, goaltender Jojo Chobak (Chicago, Ill.) joined Gentry on Team USA. Prior to the duo in 2023, goaltender Emma Polusny was the last Husky to make the team in 2019. Defender Brittni Kuyper made back-to-back U22 squads in 2006 and 2007 while forward Holly Roberts joined Kuyper at the 2007 U22 Series.
St. Cloud State Huskies at the U.S. Collegiate Select Series
Year Name Pos.
2024 EMMA GENTRY F
2023 EMMA GENTRY F
2023 JOJO CHOBAK G
2019 Emma Polusny G
2007 Holly Roberts F
2007 Brittni Kuyper D
2006 Brittni Kuyper D
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.
Series Notes
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
The games will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (note – a paid subscription is required) with live stats provided by St. Cloud State. Links to each coverage option are available on the SCSU Women's Hockey schedule page.
Game 7 vs. No. 2 Ohio State (HBNHC) – Friday, Oct. 18 / 6 p.m. CT / Livestream ($) / Live Stats
Game 8 vs. No. 2 Ohio State (HBNHC) – Saturday, Oct. 19 / 1 p.m. CT / Livestream ($) / Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU is 32-61-11 all-time against Ohio State. Last season, the Huskies went 1-3 against OSU including a 2-1 win in Columbus. SCSU is 1-4-0 and 1-9-0 in its last five and 10 games against the Buckeyes respectively.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies were ranked No. 11 in the country by the USCHO Poll and No. 10 by the USA Hockey/The
Rink Live Poll. It is the first time SCSU has cracked the top-10 in either poll this season. St. Cloud State is one of five WCHA programs featured in the rankings with one additional club receiving votes.
LAST TIME OUT
The then-No. 11 Huskies (6-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) continued its perfect start to the 2024-25 season with a road sweep of Bemidji State (1-5-0, 0-2-0 WCHA) to begin conference play. SCSU won 1-0 and 2-0 to extend the program record for most wins to start a season (six).
Sophomore forward Alice Sauriol (Sherbrooke, Quebec) scored the game-winning goal in both games while fifth-year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) made 13 saves for her second shutout this season in the first game and freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) made 18 saves and produced her second career shutout in her second career start in game two. Kyrkkö extended her scoreless stretch between the pipes to 120:00 to start her collegiate career. Junior forward Avery Farrell (Rogers, Minn.) scored her first goal of the season in the second game.
SCSU's penalty kill went 3-for-3 over the weekend, continuing its perfect start to the season (18-for-18), while the powerplay went 0-for-3 to move to 5-for-14 (35.7%) on the season.
THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
Seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams are set to play this weekend, with six competing in conference games.
(No. 1 Wisconsin at No. 3/4 Minnesota | (RV) St. Thomas at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth | No. 2 Ohio State at No. 11/10 St. Cloud State | Lindenwood at Bemidji State)
WCHA WEEKLY HONORS
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Goaltender of the Week, on Oct. 7, following her standout performance in the series clinching shutout of No. 15/RV Mercyhurst. It was the first weekly award of her career.
Kyrkkö earned a shutout win in her collegiate debut as SCSU defeated No. 15/RV Mercyhurst, 2-0 to complete the series sweep. The freshman saved all 21 shots she faced in the victory to help lead the Huskies to their best start in program history at 4-0.
Senior defender Ella Anick (Hermantown, Minn.) and fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) earned Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly honors on Sept. 23, following their performances in the Huskies season-opening sweep of Lindenwood. Anick was named the conferences Defender of the Week, while Gentry was tabbed the Forward of the Week.
Anick tallied two assists for two points, three blocked shots and skated to a +4 over that weekend. She led the WCHA in +/- (+4), was tied for the lead in assists (2) and points among defenders (2), was tied for third in points among all players (2) and was tied for fourth in blocked shots (3).
The Hermantown, Minnesota native posted one of seven multi-point performances in the conference and was one of two players with two assists in a game. Anick recorded her eighth career multi-point game and fifth as a Husky. In her 100th collegiate game on Saturday, she tallied two assists in the Huskies season-opener. On Sunday, she led the Huskies in blocks (two) and skated to a career/game-high +4. This is the second time she has been named WCHA Defender of the Week in her career, both coming while playing for SCSU.
Gentry recorded three goals (one PP) and one assist for four points, 18 shots on goal, 22 faceoff wins and skated to a +3 in the first two games. She led the WCHA in goals (3), points (4), shots on goal (18), power play goals (1 - tie). Additionally, Gentry was also tied for second in +/- (+3) and fourth in faceoff wins (22). The fifth year forward was one of only two players in the WCHA with a two goal, one assist performance.
In the second game, Gentry led the game with nine shots on goal and 12 faceoff wins, while scoring the only even strength goal of the game. On Sunday, she posted her first multi-goal and multi-point game of the season and led the game with nine shots on goal and was second in faceoff wins (10). The Alpena, Michigan product won 56.4% of her draws over the weekend. This was the third time she has been named the WCHA Forward of the Week in her career.
OH CAPTAINS, OUR CAPTAINS
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey has named four captains entering the 2024-25 season. Graduate forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) and senior defenders Taylor Larson (Nisswa, Minn.), Dayle Ross (Spirit River Alberta) and Grace Wolfe (Owatonna, Minn.) will each wear the "C" as the Huskies captains. Gentry, Ross and Wolfe each wore an "A" as alternate captains for the first time a season ago. It will be the first time any of the players have worn the "C" as a Husky.
Gentry embarks on her fifth season with the Huskies in 2024-25 after being selected to the U.S. Collegiate Select Team in August for the second consecutive year, helping the United States beat Canada in a three-game series, 2-1. She enjoyed a strong senior season with St. Cloud State last year, skating in 31 games while scoring a team-leading 12 goals and providing six assists for 18 points. The center won 264 draws and put 139 shots on goal, leading the team in both categories. She also led the team with five game-winning goals, recorded the third most points and was fourth in plus-minus (+6). Gentry led all skaters who took at least 45 faceoffs in faceoff percentage (53.4%). She was selected to the All-WCHA Third Team for her efforts. Across 116 games during her four years at SCSU, Gentry has scored 46 goals with 24 assists for 70 points. She is a three-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team.
Larson begins her second season with SCSU after spending two seasons at Bemidji State. She was second in assists (six), second in points (eight) and fourth in goals (two) among the Huskies defenders. She blocked 57 shots last season and has blocked a total of 155 in her collegiate career. Larson is a three-time AHCA/Krampade All-American Scholar, a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, a two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team and a CSC Academic All-District® honoree.
Ross, a fourth-year defender, has skated in 106 games and has blocked 233 shots with five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in her first three seasons with SCSU. Last season, Ross led all Huskies defenders with 73 shots on goal and was second with three goals. She was named a member of the WCHA All-Academic team in 2023-24.
Wolfe begins year four with the Huskies after being limited to just 11 games in 2023-24 due to injury. In limited action, Wolfe was second on the team in plus-minus (+8). Among blueliners, she tied for the lead in goals (three), was tied for second in assists (four) and was tied for third in points (seven). Through three seasons, Wolfe has skated in 81 games with a 5-23-28 line and 156 career blocked shots. She is a two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic team and a WCHA Scholar Athlete.
WCHA PRESEASON POLL
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey was picked to finish fifth in the 2024-25 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Monday. Additionally, fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helinski, Finland) received votes to be on the Preseason All-WCHA team. The Huskies are coming off a season in which they finished fifth in the league and established a new program record for conference points.
SCSU received 25 points overall in the coaches' poll and were selected to finish behind Wisconsin (46, five first-place votes), Ohio State (43, two first-place votes), Minnesota (40, one first-place votes) and Minnesota Duluth (31). Rounding out the poll was St. Thomas (17), Minnesota State (15) and Bemidji State (seven).
The Huskies continued to enjoy success on the ice in 2023-24 during their second season under Idalski, establishing a new school record with 40 conference points while nearly matching the program record for wins in a season for the second consecutive season. The Huskies finished fifth in the WCHA for the second consecutive season after finishing outside the top-five in every season since 2015-16. SCSU earned ranked wins over No. 1 Ohio State, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and No. 10 Northeastern and return top goal scorer, fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Aplena, Mich.) along with the pair of elite fifth-year goaltenders, Ahola and Jojo Chobak (Chicago, Ill.).
2024-25 WCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll
(Coaches could not vote for their own team. First-place votes are in parentheses)
Rank Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. Wisconsin (5) 46
2. Ohio State (2) 43
3. Minnesota (1) 40
4. Minnesota Duluth 31
5. St. Cloud State 25
6. St. Thomas 17
7. Minnesota State 15
8. Bemidji State 7
GENTS REPRESENTS THE STARS AND STRIPES AGAIN
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry helped lead the U.S. Collegiate Select Team to a 2-1 record in the three-game series against Canada in the 2024 Collegiate Select Series last August at the Canada Games Park in St. Catharines, Ontario.
She was the fifth active Husky to be named to the Collegiate Select Team* – formerly known as the U22 Team – and the first to make the roster in back-to-back years since 2007. In 2023, goaltender Jojo Chobak (Chicago, Ill.) joined Gentry on Team USA. Prior to the duo in 2023, goaltender Emma Polusny was the last Husky to make the team in 2019. Defender Brittni Kuyper made back-to-back U22 squads in 2006 and 2007 while forward Holly Roberts joined Kuyper at the 2007 U22 Series.
St. Cloud State Huskies at the U.S. Collegiate Select Series
Year Name Pos.
2024 EMMA GENTRY F
2023 EMMA GENTRY F
2023 JOJO CHOBAK G
2019 Emma Polusny G
2007 Holly Roberts F
2007 Brittni Kuyper D
2006 Brittni Kuyper D
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.
Players Mentioned
Goaltender
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Defender
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Goaltender
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Forward
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Forward
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Defender
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Defender
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Forward
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Defender
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