Posch, Huskies Shut Out No. 10/9 Michigan 4-0

Saturday, October 19

Yost Ice Arena | Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

4-1-0

Michigan

3-2-1

St. Cloud St.

Michigan

Photo by: Bill Prout

10/19/2024 9:43:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

Huskies earn first-ever win over Michigan in series split

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 13 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (4-1-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) completely flipped the script from the game prior, earning a 4-0 victory over No. 10/9 Michigan (3-2-1, 0-0-0 B1G) on Saturday evening at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sophomore goaltender Isak Posch (Umea, Sweden) was outstanding between the pipes for the Huskies, stopping all 24 Wolverine shots to earn his second shutout of the season.

The win was SCSU's first-ever win over Michigan and first in Ann Arbor.

SCSU had power play chances early in the game, including a five-minute major 7:48 into the first period after Michgan's Kienan Draper was called for a high sticking. The Huskies capitalized just 39 seconds into the penalty, as sophomore forward Tyson Gross (Calgary, Alberta) ripped a one-timer from the right dot, beating the Michigan goalie for the score. He was set up nicely on the play with a primary assist from sophomore forward Verner Miettinen (Espoo, Finland) and freshman forward Austin Burnevik (Ham Lake, Minn.)

After Gross' score, both teams were held scoreless for the next 27 minutes, as both goalies were impressive. Posch helped turn away six shots on two Husky penalties in the first and second period.

The Huskies didn't wait long to tack on insurance in the third period, as freshman forward Gavyn Thoreson (Andover, Minn.) picked a big spot to score his first career goal. Thoreson was able to escape the defense following a faceoff victory from Gross and a feed from sophomore forward Daimon Gardner (Eagle Lake, Ontario). Alone in the slot, Thoreson let a shot rip to beat the Michigan goaltender nearside for the score and a 2-0 lead just 25 seconds into the final frame. Late in the period, junior forward Grant Ahcan (Savage, Minn.) added an empty-net goal and sophomore forward Barrett Hall (Apple, Valley, Minn.) tacked on a power play goal to finish the scoring at 4-0.

TOP HUSKIES

Posch stopped all 24 shots he saw and recorded his second shutout of the season.
Gross earned his first career game-winning goal and added an assist for two points.
Senior forward Mason Salquist (Grand Forks, N.D.) earned the third star of the game with an assist and a 11-5 mark in the faceoff dot.

NOTES

With the win, SCSU improves to 1-4-1 all-time against Michigan and 1-2-0 in Ann Arbor.
SCSU turned away both Michigan power play chances in the game, improving to 3-1-0 on the season when keeping its opponent scoreless on the man advantage. SCSU improved to 93.8 percent (15-of-16) on the penalty kill this season.
Posch earned his second shutout of the season and third of his career with 24 saves. On the season, he improved to 4-1-0 with a 1.42 GAA and .952 S%.
Gross scored his first goal of the season and recorded his first career game-winning goal. He added an assist on Thoreson's goal to record his seventh career multi-point game.
Thoreson scored his first career goal and first career point with his third period score.
Ahcan scored his first goal of the season and sixth of his career with his third period goal.
Hall's power play goal late in the third period marked his 10^th career goal.
Miettinen and Burnevik recorded assists on Gross' goal, moving their assist totals to four and three on the season, respectively. Miettinen leads the team in assists while Burnevik ranks second.
Gardner recorded his first point as a Husky, recording the primary assist on Thoreson's goal.
Salquist and junior forward Jack Rogers (East Northport, N.Y.) each recorded an assist on Hall's goal, their first points of the season.

UP NEXT

St. Cloud State returns home and begins a six-game homestand next weekend, beginning with a Homecoming weekend series against Augustana on Oct. 25-26 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The game's will feature an earlier start than normal, with Friday's puck drop scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday's start at 5:00 p.m. CT.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2024-25 season are available at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.