No. 9 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey and No. 16/18 North Dakota Meet for Final NCHC Series of 2024

Friday, December 13

Ralph Engelstad Arena | Grand Forks, N.D.

7:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

North Dakota

No. 9 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey and No. 16/18 North Dakota Meet for Final NCHC Series of 2024

12/12/2024 4:05:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Game Notes

Huskies and Fighting Hawks play for 149th and 150th times this weekend in Grand Forks

THE MATCHUP

No. 9 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will head north to face No. 16/18 North Dakota in its final conference series of the 2024 calender year. The series is set to take place Dec. 13-14 at Ralph Engelstad Arena, with Friday's game slated to start at 7:00 p.m. CT and Saturday's game at 6:00 p.m. CT. Both game's will be televised on MidCo Sports and streamed on NCHC.tv with Alex Heinert and Jim Scanlan on the call, On the radio, the voice of the Huskies Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Dave Reichel will have the call. The Huskies are coming off a series split with Omaha, dropping Friday's nights game 4-3 in overtime before a 5-2 win on Saturday, with the offense coming alive and scoring a season-high in goals. North Dakota is coming off a road sweep of Miami, winning 5-4 and 4-2 in Oxford.

GOING POLLING

After beginning the season at No. 16, St. Cloud State is back in the top-10 for the second consecutive week and third time overall this season, checking in at its highest rank of the season at No. 9 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey / The Rink Live top-20 polls. North Dakota was a top-10 team at the beginning of the season and currently rank at No. 16 in the USCHO poll and No. 18 in the USA Hockey / The Rink Live poll.

SERIES HISTORY

This weekend's series will be the 149th and 150th 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, 81-49-18 and 41-19-9 advantage in games played in Grand Forks. The two teams played just twice last season, with UND winning 5-3 on Jan. 19 before a 3-3 tie a shootout win for the Huskies on Jan. 20.
Junior forward Grant Ahcan scored one of three Husky goals in Saturday's game, while junior forward Adam Ingram scored one of two shootout goals to lift the Huskies to a crucial second point in the conference standings.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

In its last time out, the Huskies split against Omaha but earned four of six conference points, falling 4-3 in overtime on Friday before a 5-2 win on Saturday. Sophomore forward Tyson Gross led the charge offensively, scoring four goals - two in each game - in the series while taking home NCHC Forward of the Week honors. On Friday, SCSU held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period, but a Omaha goal 22 seconds into the third and overtime score gave the Mavericks a 4-3 win as the Huskies fell for the first time this season when leading after two periods (now 8-1-0). On Saturday, the Huskies left no stone unturned, dominating play with three power play goals and four goals overall in the second period to earn a convincing 5-2 win, setting a new season-high goal output. Gross scored two goals once again and was joined on the score sheet by freshman forward Austin Burnevik, senior forward Mason Salquist and senior defenseman Josh Luedtke. Fifth-year senior Gavin Enright made his Husky debut in net, making 27 saves to earn the victory.

NEXT MAN UP

Head Coach Brett Larson announced on Dec. 7 that starting goaltender sophomore Isak Posch will be out 10-12 weeks with a lower body injury sustained prior to SCSU's series against Omaha (Dec. 6). The three-time NCHC Goaltender of the Week and potential Hobey Baker candidate had started every game in net leading up to that point, posting a 9-4-0 mark with a 1.68 goals-against-average, .938 save percentage and two shutouts. Each mark ranked near the top of the NCAA when the injury occurred. Stepping in for the Huskies was redshirt sophomore James Gray and fifth-year senior Gavin Enright, who each made a start in the Omaha series. Enright earned a win in his SCSU debut, making 27 saves in Saturday's 5-2 victory while Gray made 25 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday.

GROSS' BREAK OUT

Sophomore freshman Tyson Gross had a breakout performance against Omaha, scoring four goals and one assist for five points while earning NCHC Forward of the Week honors. Gross scored two goals in each game to record his first two career two-goal games, while becoming the first Husky to have back-to-back two-goal games since Kale Kossila on Dec. 11-12, 2015 (two goals, three goals).

NOTES FROM LAST SERIES:

GAME 1 - 4-3 OT loss vs. Omaha (12-6-24)
- With the loss, SCSU moves to 29-18-4 all-time against Omaha and 17-8-2 against the Mavericks in St. Cloud.
- SCSU moved to 7-3 in one-goal games and 1-2-0 in overtime games.
- The Huskies turned away all three UNO chances on the power play, moving to 90.2 percent (37-of-41) on the season.
- Sophomore forward Tyson Gross recorded his first career multi-goal game with his third and fourth goals of the season. It also marked his 10th and 11th goals of his career.
- Sophomore defenseman Warren Clark recorded his first collegiate goal with his second period score.
- Sophomore forward Verner Miettinen logged his seventh assist of the season while junior forward Ethan AuCoin recorded his first.
- In just his second career start, redshirt sophomore James Gray recorded a career-high 25 saves.
GAME 2 - 5-2 win vs. Omaha (12-7-24)
- With the win, SCSU moves to 30-18-4 all-time against Omaha and 18-8-2 against the Mavericks in St. Cloud.
- SCSU's five goals, three power play goals and 43 shots on goal were all season-highs.
- SCSU's 3-for-3 night on the man advantage raised its power play percentage from 13.2 percent to 19.5 percent (8-of-41).
- SCSU turned away both Maverick power play chances, raising its penalty kill percentage to 90.7 percent (39-of-43).
- Sophomore forward Tyson Gross scored two goals for the second consecutive night, giving him four goals on the weekend and six on the season.
- His four-goal series is the most by a Husky in a series since Nolan Walker had four goals in one game against Miami on Jan. 23, 2021, and is the first back-to-back two-goal game by a Husky since Kale Kossila on Dec. 11-12, 2015, at Denver (two goals, three goals).
- Freshman forward Austin Burnevik continues to rank among the best freshmen in the nation, moving to third in goals with eight and eighth in points with 14. His two-point game was his fourth multi-point game of the season.
- Senior defenseman Josh Luedtke had his first two-point game of the season and sixth of his career with a goal and assist.
- Sophomore forward Adam Ingram recorded the first two points of the season with a pair of assists. It also marked his 12th career multi-point game.
- Fifth-year goaltender Gavin Enright made 27 saves in his Husky debut, marking the 16th time in his career he has made 25 or more saves.

FRESHMAN PHENOM

Freshman forward Austin Burnevik is off to a scorching hot start to his collegiate season, recording a team-best eight goals and six assists for a team-high 14 points through 15 games. The Ham Lake native has scored two goals twice already this season, and has twice been named the NCHC Rookie of the Week.
Among NCAA freshmen, Burnevik's eight goals rank third and are just one off of the NCAA lead at nine, while his 14 points rank eighth. His eight goals through 15 games are the most by a SCSU freshman since 2020-21 NCHC Freshman of the Year Veeti Miettinen had seven.

GROSS NAMED FORWARD OF THE WEEK AFTER FOUR-GOAL WEEKEND

Sophomore forward Tyson Gross was named NCHC Forward of the Week following a five-point weekend in series split with Omaha, scoring four goals and one assist with a +1 mark on the ice and 56.8 percent (21-16) mark in the faceoff dot.
The Husky sophomore recorded the first two, two-goal games of his career over the weekend, scoring two goals in each game of the series. His four-goal series is the most by a Husky in a series since Nolan Walker had four goals in one game against Miami on Jan. 23, 2021, and is the first back-to-back two-goal game by a Husky since Kale Kossila on Dec. 11-12, 2015, at Denver (two goals, three goals). Gross scored and added an assist on the power play to help the Huskies convert 3-of-5 attempts on the man advantage in the series and a perfect 3-for-3 on Saturday. With the 60 percent conversion rate, SCSU's power play percentage increased 13.9 percent to 19.5 percent (8-of-41) on the season. His three-point game on Saturday (2g/1a) marked a career-best performance.
On the season, Gross has six goals and four assist for 10 points with a +3 mark on the ice and .573 mark in the faceoff dot. His six goals are 14th-best in the NCHC.

TRIO OF HUSKIES PREP FOR WORLD JUNIORS

St. Cloud State freshmen Austin Burnevik and Colin Ralph have been selected for the 2025 U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster. The group of 28 players will gather for a training camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., from Dec. 16-17.
After the training camp, the roster will be finalized to 25 players that will represent the United States in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, which will be held Dec. 26, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025, in Ottawa, Ontario. Additionally, head coach Brett Larson returns as an assistant coach for Team USA, who won gold in the 2024 event.
Through 15 games in his freshman campaign, Burnevik leads the Huskies in scoring with eight goals and 14 points and has twice been named the NCHC Rookie of the Week. His eight goals lead all NCHC freshmen and rank third nationally. Among team leaders, he leads the team in goals (eight), points (14), power play goals (three) while ranking second in plus/minus (+4) third in assists (six).
Ralph have been a stalwart on the blue line for the Huskies this season, recording one goal and three assists for four points with 13 blocks while playing in all 15 games. Ralph scored the game-winning goal in SCSU's 3-2 road win over Bemidji State on Oct. 12, while his time-on-ice per game (20:32) ranks second among all Huskies.

PENALTY KILLERS

St. Cloud State has produced an impressive 90.7 percent mark on the penalty kill this season, stopping 39 of 43 power play chances for its opponents this season.
SCSU's mark ranks second in the NCHC and fourth in the NCAA. Bemidji State (Oct. 12), Boston College (Nov. 1), Miami (Nov. 8) and Colorado College (Nov. 22) are the only teams to score on the man advantage this season against the Huskies.
The Huskies are 6-4-0 on the season when holding its opponent scoreless on the power play.
Junior forward Grant Ahcan scored the Huskies lone shorthanded goal of the season in a 3-2 win over Miami on Nov. 8.

FACEOFF KINGS

St. Cloud State's centers have faired well in the faceoff dot early on in the season, helping the Huskies gain possession of the puck and control play. As a team, SCSU has produced a 54.3 percent mark (ranked seventh in NCAA) in the dot (483-406), with each of its top-three faceoff specialist's marks above 56 percent.
Sophomore forward Verner Miettinen has been lights out in the faceoff dot this season, producing an impressive 59.8 percent mark in the circle (137-92). Miettinen set a career-best with 20 wins in the circle against Bemidji State (20-6, Oct. 12), shattering his previous career high mark of 12 set twice, last on March 8, 2024, against Minnesota Duluth.
Sophomore forward Tyson Gross is 57.3 percent in the circle this season (130-97) and had a season-best 14 wins (14-6 against Boston College on Nov. 2.
Senior forward Mason Salquist has won 10 or more faceoffs in a team-leading eight games this season and is currently 56.5 percent (148-114) in the circle. He had a season-best 15 faceoff wins vs. Augustana (Oct. 26) and vs. Omaha (Dec. 7).

WINNING THE TIGHT ONES

SCSU is 7-3 on the season in one-goal games, already drastically improving on its mark of 6-6 in one-goal games from a season ago. The Huskies scored the first goal in six of the eight one-goal wins and earned its first come-from-behind win of the season against Augustana on Oct. 25, coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the second period to earn a 4-3 win.

UNDERCLASSMEN PRODUCING IMMEDIATELY

St. Cloud State's underclassmen have started the season strong and produced immediately, helping the Huskies jump out a 10-5-0 start and No. 9 ranking.
Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 24 of 37 goals scored (64.9 percent) and 62 of 93 points (66.7 percent) this season. SCSU's top-four leading scorers - Austin Burnevik (8-6-14), Barrett Hall (2-11-13), Tyson Gross (6-4-10) and Verner Miettinen (2-7-9) - are first- or second-year players.
Burnevik's eight goals rank third among all freshmen nationally.
Additionally, sophomore goaltender Isak Posch has been in net for 13 games, producing a 9-4-0 mark with a 1.68 GAA, .938 S% and two shutouts. Posch's two shutouts rank fifth in the NCAA this season.