No. 15/14 Huskies Square off Against No. 5/4 Pioneers for in Final Home Regular Season Series

*No. 15 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 5/4 DENVER*
*OPPONENT*	*LOCATION*	*DAY*	*TIME (CT)*	*TV / STREAM*	*RADIO*	*STATS*	*GAME NOTES*
Denver	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center	Friday, March 1	7:30 p.m.	Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv	KNSI	Stats	SCSU Notes
Denver	Herb Brooks National Hockey Center	Saturday, March 2	6:00 p.m.	Fox 9 + / NCHC.tv	KNSI	Stats	DU Notes

WEEKEND PREVIEW

RINKSIDE

THE MATCHUP

No. 15/13 St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will play at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center for the final time in the regular season when the Huskies host No. 5/4 Denver for an ever-important series in the end of the season on March 1-2. The series begins Friday with a 7:30 p.m. CT puck drop followed by a 6:00 p.m. CT start on Saturday on Fox 9 + and NCHC.tv with Jim Rich, Geno Parrish and Anna Behning on the call. Over the radio, the voice of the Huskies Jim Erickson and former Husky captain Dave Reichel will have the call over the airwaves on KNSI.
Once again, the six NCHC points on the line will be crucial with only two weeks of the regular season to go as both teams are jostling for home ice advantage in the NCHC Quarterfinals and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies enter the weekend in second place in the NCHC with 40 points and No. 11 in the pairwise, while Denver is third in the NCHC with 36 points and No. 6 in the pairwise. In the national polls, St. Cloud State is ranked No. 15 in the USCHO poll and No. 13 in the USA Today / The Rink Live Top-20 poll, while the Pioneers are ranked No. 5 in the USCHO poll and No. 4 in the USA Today / The Rink Live poll.

SERIES HISTORY

Ever since St. Cloud State moved to Division-I ahead of the 1987-88 season, the Huskies and Pioneers have had a long-standing rivalry, meeting 116 times since November 1988. The all-time series is a close one between the two programs, as Denver holds a slight advantage at 56-53-7. The two teams met earlier this season in Denver with the Pios earning a 5-1 victory on Friday before a 4-4 tie and shootout win for the Huskies on Saturday at Magness Arena.
Last season, the Huskies and Pioneers split a series in Denver, with the Huskies winning 4-3 in overtime on Nov. 4 before a 3-2 Denver win on Nov. 5. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak at Magness Arena for the Huskies, who had not beaten Denver on the road since the 2015-16 season. When the two teams met in St. Cloud, the Huskies swept the No. 3-ranked Pioneers, 7-3 and 2-0 on Jan. 20-21, leading to the Huskies elevation to No. 1 in the nation following the sweep. The Huskies are 25-21-4 all-time against Denver in games played in St. Cloud.

A LOOK BACK AT THE LAST SERIES

St. Cloud State earned a hard fought four points against then-No. 13/12 ranked Western Michigan last weekend at the Brooks Center, falling 4-3 in overtime before recording a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Despite being outshot 34-22 in Friday's game, the Huskies held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period. But Western Michigan responded with a pair of goals in the final frame and the game-winner two minutes into overtime to take the series opener. SCSU appeared to had score a goal to take the lead late in the third period with less than two minutes remaining, but NCHC officials ruled there was not enough evidence to overturn a no-goal call on the ice. On Saturday, the game was scoreless for two periods before senior forward Veeti Miettinen broke through with his team-leading 14th goal of the season 17 seconds into the final period. Fifth-year forward Kyler Kupka and senior forward Joe Molenaar added empty net goals late to seal the win, while freshman goaltender Isak Posch recorded his first career shutout with 19 saves.

CLUTCH VEETI

After logged his 12th career game-winning goal in a 3-0 win on Feb. 24, senior forward Veeti Miettinen is one game-winning score away from matching a program record for the Huskies. The clutch Husky is one GWG away from moving into a five-way tie for first place with 13 game-winning goals, a record he would share with Joe Jensen (2002-06), Ryan Lasch (2006-10), David Morley (2012-16) and Easton Brodzinski (2017-22).
SENIOR NIGHT: Following Saturday's contest, St. Cloud State will honor its three seniors with a Senior Night ceremony to thank them for their time as a Husky. The program will honor goaltender Dominic Basse, senior forward Veeti Miettinen and senior forward Joe Molenaar. Make sure to stick around on Saturday to send these Huskies off with a round of applause.

GAME NOTES FROM LAST SERIES:

GAME 1 - 4-3 OT loss to Western Michigan (2-23-24 in St. Cloud, Minn.)
- SCSU was 1-of-3 on the power play to improve to 22.5 percent (23-of-102) on the man advantage this season.
- Fifth-year forward Zach Okabe netted his ninth goal of the season and 51st career goal with his second period score. He becomes the 24th skater in program history to reach the 50-goal mark. He has now scored in eight of the last 12 games dating back to Dec. 31 vs. BSU.
- Fifth-year forward Kyler Kupka scored his 12th goal of the season and 30th of his career.
- Sophomore forward Ethan AuCoin had his fourth goal of the season and fifth of his career.
- Sophomore forward Adam Ingram set new career-highs in assists (16) and points (24) with his first period.
- Junior defenseman Jack Peart's eighth assist on the season was his 44th career assist, the 17th-most of SCSU blue liners all-time.
- Junior forward Mason Salqust and junior defenseman Josh Luedtke had single assists in the game.
- Salquist and Peart both played in their 100th career games.
GAME 2 - 3-0 win over Western Michigan (2-24-24 in St. Cloud, Minn.)
- With the win, St. Cloud State improved to 23-14-5 all-time against Western Michigan and 13-7-2 against the Broncos in St. Cloud.
- SCSU improved to 13-6-3 when scoring first and 11-2-1 when its opponent fails to score on the power play.
- Senior forward Veeti Miettinen recorded his 14th goal and 12th assist of the season for his 26th point, the second-best mark of his career, trailing only his 36 points in 2022-23. His 109 career points rank 31st all-time in SCSU history.
- Miettinen's game-winning goal was the 12th of his career, moving him to fifth all-time in program history as he pulls even with Joe Motzko (1999-03) and Nic Dowd (2010-14). One more game-winning score would put Miettinen in a five-way tie for first place all-time.
- Freshman goaltender Isak Posch recorded his first career shutout and now boasts a 1.79 GAA and .936 S% in 402.79 minutes played.
- Posch is the first freshman goaltender to record a shutout since David Hrenak blanked Miami on Feb. 10, 2018.
- Senior forward Joe Molenaar scored for the first time since Nov. 17 (16 games) with his eighth goal of the season.
- Fifth-year forward Kyler Kupka added his 13th goal of the season, 31st career goal and 80th career point.
- Freshman forward Verner Miettinen had two assists, marking the third time this season he has recorded two or more assists and his fourth multi-point game.
- Fifth-year defenseman Dylan Anhorn and junior forward Mason Salquist added single assists in the game.

DISCIPLINED HUSKIES

St. Cloud State enters the weekend with 268 penalty minutes on the season, the third-fewest minutes in the NCHC and the sixth-fewest in the NCAA this season.
In its last four games, the Huskies have a combined five penalties for 10 penalty minutes. SCSU has committed three or fewer penalties in 12 games this season, including no penalties against North Dakota on (Jan. 20) and Western Michigan (Feb. 23).
Prior to Jan. 20, it had been eight years since the last time SCSU did not commit a penalty in a game (Jan. 2, 2016 vs. Arizona State). The last time SCSU had two games in one season where they did not commit a penalty was 2012-13 when the Huskies didn't commit any penalties in back-to-back games on Feb. 1-2, 2013.

ANHORN HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME

Fifth-year defenseman Dylan Anhorn is starting to heat up at the right time of the season, and took home the NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors following SCSU's series sweep against Miami.
In his last 11 games, Anhorn has produced three goals and eight assists for 11 points and a +10 mark of the ice.
Anhorn scored both game-winning goals (2-0-2) while producing a +1 mark on the ice in SCSU's sweep over Miami. Anhorn's second-period one-timer gave the Huskies a 3-1 lead and ended up being the game-winner in Friday's 5-2 victory. On Saturday, he found the back of the net at the 10:16 mark of the third period to lift SCSU to a 3-1 win.
The Hobey Baker candidate has picked up right where he left off a season ago, as his 27 points rank third among NCHC blue-liners and 13th in the NCAA while his 21 assists rank third in the NCHC and 16th in the NCAA. Anhorn leads the Huskies in points (27), assists (21) and plus/minus (+18).

POSCH GETS STARTING NOD, EARNS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK HONORS

Following his first back-to-back start of the season, freshman goaltender Isak Posch was named NCHC Rookie of the Week. Posch helped lift the Huskies to a four-point weekend against No. 13/12 Western Michigan by making 49 saves and recording his first career shutout.
Posch was crucial in the Huskies four-point weekend against the Broncos, making 49 saves with a 2.01 GAA and .925 S%. The freshman netminder made 19 saves in a 3-0 shutout on Saturday, marking his first career shutout. He became the first Husky freshman goaltender to record a shutout since David Hrenak blanked Miami on Feb. 10, 2018. Posch also made 30 saves in SCSU's overtime loss on Friday, marking the third time this season he has made at least 30 stops in a game.
On the season, Posch is now 3-1-2 with a 1.79 GAA and .936 S% in six starts and seven appearances.

OKABE'S HOT STRETCH

Fifth-year forward Zach Okabe has come on strong over the last two months, as he has found the back of the net in eight of the last 13 games. The goal-scoring stretch comes after not finding the back of the net for 16 straight games between Oct. 8 and Dec. 29. For the season, Okabe now has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points with three power play goals and one game-winning goal.
Okabe became the 38th member of St. Cloud State's 100-point club with a pair of assists against Minnesota Duluth on Nov. 18. For his career, the fifth-year Husky has 51 goals and 65 assists for 116 points with 17 power play goals and 10 game-winning goals. His 116 points ranks 24th on the Division-I all-time scoring list.
Okabe is one of 13 Huskies to record multiple hat tricks in their SCSU career, the only one to record two natural hat tricks, and currently ranks 11th in career game-winning goals with 10.
Okabe netted his 50th career goal against Miami on Feb. 10 to become the 24th skater in program history to reach the 50-goal mark. His 51 career goals ranks 21st all-time in program history.
Okabe's 20-point season makes him the 14th Husky – and second this season after Miettinen – to record 20 or more points in four consecutive seasons (2020-21 – 2023-24: 22, 28, 36, 20).

MIETTINEN TAKES NEXT STEP, REACHES 100-POINT MILESTONE

Senior forward Veeti Miettinen has taken the next step in his game, recording 14 goals and 26 points with a +8 mark on the ice this season. Miettinen leads the Huskies in goals (14) and ranks third in points (26) while ranking 11th and 19th in the NCHC in those categories, respectively.
The Husky forward scored in six consecutive games between Oct. 20 and Nov. 11, the longest scoring streak by a Husky since Ryan Lasch produced the same mark in the 2007-08 season (Oct. 27 - Nov. 23, 2007).
Miettinen scored his 10th goal against Michigan on Nov. 25 to become just the ninth Husky to record four consecutive seasons with 10 or more goals. He joins Chris Scheid (1987-91), Tim Hanus (1988-92), Jeff Saterdalen (1988-92), Dave Paradise (1993-97), Jason Goulet (1995-99), Ryan Lasch (2006-10), Garrett Roe (2007-11) and Easton Brodzinski (five seasons, 2017-22) as the only Huskies to score 10+ goals in four seasons.
Miettinen has powered the Huskies power play unit through the first half of the season, scoring six of the team's 23 goals on the man advantage. The Husky senior's six power play goals ranks sixth in the NCHC and 27th nationally.
For his career, Miettinen has 47 goals and 62 assists for 109 points. His 12 career game-winning goals rank fifth all-time in program history, as he sits a three-way tie with Joe Motzko (1999-03) and Nic Dowd (2010-14). He can tie a program record with his next game-winning score, match the mark of 13 set by Joe Jensen (2002-06), Ryan Lasch (2006-10), David Morley (2012-16) and Easton Brodzinski (2017-22).

POTENTIAL KEYS TO VICTORY

Nearing the end of the 2023-24 campaign, SCSU's keys to a victory are ever apparent. St. Cloud State's ability to put away teams and scoring early has been impressive so far, as the Huskies are 11-2-1 on the season when leading after two periods and 13-6-3 when scoring first.
Additionally, the Huskies are 11-6-1 when scoring on the power play, 11-2-1 when its opponent fails to score on the power play and 10-5-3 when out-shooting its opponent.
The Huskies have also a slight edge in one goal games, recording a mark on 6-4-0 in one goal contests.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Following in your older brother's foot steps can be hard, but freshman forward Verner Miettinen has quickly made a name for himself in his first season with the Huskies. He currently leads all Husky freshmen and ranks sixth on the team in points with 18. Miettinen has scored four goals and 14 assists for 18 points with a +4 mark on the ice, two power play goals and two game-winning goals.
Miettinen recorded three assists against Omaha on Jan. 26, marking the first three-assist game by a Huksy freshman since Adam Ingram hit the same mark at Omaha on Feb. 24, 2023.
The Husky freshman has recorded two game-winning goals this season, finding the back of the net to give the Huskies victories over Miami on Nov. 3 and in overtime at Colorado College on Feb. 2.
Miettinen's debut campaign is right up there with the best all-time in program history as his 14 assists rank ninth and his 18 points 13th among all Husky freshmen.

RACE FOR HOME ICE & THE PENROSE

St. Cloud State is in the thick of the race for home ice advantage in the NCHC Quarterfinals and the Spencer Penrose Cup, given annually to the top team in the regular season. SCSU currently sits in second place with 40 points (11-5-4), only three points behind North Dakota's 43 points (13-6-1). Close behind in third place is Denver (12-6-2) with 36 points and Colorado College (12-7-1) in fourth place with 34 points.
SCSU jumped out to an early lead in the chase for the Penrose, as the Huskies went unbeaten through eight conference games. The Huskies 7-0-1 start to conference play was 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 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.

No. 15/14 Huskies Square off Against No. 5/4 Pioneers for in Final Home Regular Season Series

No. 15 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 5/4 DENVER

OPPONENT

LOCATION

DAY

TIME (CT)

TV / STREAM

RADIO

STATS

GAME NOTES

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dylan Anhorn

Ethan AuCoin

Dominic Basse

Adam Ingram

Kyler Kupka

Josh Luedtke

Veeti Miettinen

Verner Miettinen

Joe Molenaar

Zach Okabe

Jack Peart

Isak Posch

Mason Salquist

Saint Cloud State University Athletics

No. 15/14 Huskies Square off Against No. 5/4 Pioneers for in Final Home Regular Season Series

No. 15 ST. CLOUD STATE vs. No. 5/4 DENVER

OPPONENT

LOCATION

DAY

TIME (CT)

TV / STREAM

RADIO

STATS

GAME NOTES

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dylan Anhorn

Ethan AuCoin

Dominic Basse

Adam Ingram

Kyler Kupka

Josh Luedtke

Veeti Miettinen

Verner Miettinen

Joe Molenaar

Zach Okabe

Jack Peart

Isak Posch

Mason Salquist

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