
Photo by: Jason Soria
No. 11 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Heads to Mankato for Series against (RV) Mavericks
2/6/2025 2:12:00 PM | Women's Hockey
SCSU and MSU to play on Friday, Saturday at Mayo Clinic HSEC
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 11 St. Cloud State Women's Hockey (13-10-5, 8-10-4 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) travels to Mankato and the Mayo Clinic HSEC for a road series against (RV) Minnesota State (11-16-1, 5-16-1 WCHA) this weekend on Friday and Saturday. Puck drop on Friday is slated for 3 p.m., while Saturday's game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Series Notes
FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Both games will be streamed on B1G+ (note – a paid subscription is required) with radio coverage on 97.5 FM RadioX. KVSC talent Brian Moos (play-by-play) and Sam Roering (color) will be on the call. Live stats will be provided by Minnesota State. Links to each coverage option are available on the SCSU Women's Hockey schedule page.
Game 29 @ (RV) Minnesota State (Mayo Clinic HSEC – Mankato) – Friday, Feb. 7 / 3 p.m. CT / Livestream ($ - B1G+) / Live Stats / Audio (97.5 FM RadioX)
Game 30 @ (RV) Minnesota State (Mayo Clinic HSEC – Mankato) – Saturday, Feb. 8 / 2 p.m. CT / Livestream ($ - B1G+) / Live Stats / Radio (97.5 FM RadioX)
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU leads the all-time series against Minnesota State, 53-43-13, inlcuding an 6-4-0 record in the team's last 10 matchups. The Huskies own a 22-21-6 record when playing MSU in Mankato. Earlier this season, SCSU went 1-1-0 against the Mavericks on Nov. 15-16 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, losing the first game 4-1 before winning the series finale, 3-2 in overtime.
The then-No. 8 SCSU penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4 in the series, but the power play was held scoreless (0-for-3) and the Huskies won just 43.2% of the faceoffs over the two games. Junior forward Avery Farrell (Rogers, Minn.), senior defender Dayle Ross (Spirit River, Alberta) and sophomore forward Alice Sauriol (Sherbrooke, Quebec) each tallied two points for the Huskies. Farrell netted two goals, while Ross and Sauriol each tallied two assists.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies are ranked No. 11 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live Polls. St. Cloud State is one of five WCHA programs featured in the rankings with two additional clubs receiving votes. Minnesota State enters the series recieving votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the then-No. 11/10 Huskies went 1-1-0 against (RV) St. Thomas (8-18-2, 5-16-1 WCHA), winning 5-2 on Friday in St. Cloud and losing 2-1 in overtime in Mendota Heights on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) led the Huskies with a four-point weekend (three goals/one assist) and fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) broke the school record for goaltender wins on Friday.
On Saturday, the Huskies scored 5+ goals for the first time since their season-opening series at Lindenwood on September 22 and tied its season high of 14 points in a game. Their nine assists and +20 +/- marked new season highs.
THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
Friday, Feb. 7
No. 11 St. Cloud State at (RV) Minnesota State* - 3 PM CT
(RV) St. Thomas at No. 2 Ohio State* - 5 PM CT
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State* - 6 PM CT
Saturday, Feb. 8
(RV) St. Thomas at No. 2 Ohio State* - NOON CT
No. 11 St. Cloud State at (RV) Minnesota State* - 2 PM CT
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 1 Wisconsin* - 2 PM CT
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State* - 3 PM CT
Saturday, Feb. 9
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 1 Wisconsin* - NOON CT
*WCHA Game
SANNI TIME
Fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) earned her eighth win of the season and 35th of her career to become the all-time leader in goaltender wins, passing Laura Gieselman (1999-2003). Ahola also owns career ranks of No. 1 in shutouts (10), No. 3 in goals against average (2.61), No. 4 in save percentage (.917) and No. 5 in saves (2,220).
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) joined the program's top-10 list for played games on Saturday (144) and needs to play in just two more games to crack the top-5. She is is 35 shots away from becoming the programs all-time leader and five points away from joining that top-10 list.
Head coach Brian Idalski is two wins away from 50 during his SCSU tenure.
WCHA WEEKLY HONORS
Sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) was the named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Forward of the Week, as announced by the league office on Feb. 3, following her four-point performance in St. Cloud State's home-and-home split against (RV) St. Thomas. It was her first weekly award of the season and the second of her career (Rookie of the Week – Sept. 25, 2023).
The sophomore forward tied for the lead in goals (three), points (four), goals/game (1.50) and points/game (2.00) and was sixth in both faceoff wins (22) and faceoff wins/game (11.00) among WCHA skaters. She posted one of five 3+ point performances and was one of three players to have a 2+ goal, three-point game. Sundelin recorded one of four 15+ faceoff win games in the WCHA.
In Friday's 5-2 home win over (RV) St. Thomas, she tallied three points (two goals and one assist). It was her first career three-point game and first career multi-goal game. She is just the second Husky to score two goals in a game this season. In Saturday's overtime loss to UST, Sundelin scored the Huskies lone goal and her third of the weekend while winning a team-high 15 faceoffs. With the goal, she took sole possession of the team lead for goals this season (eight).
St. Cloud State has won each of the WCHA weekly awards at least once this season and Sundelin is the second to be named Forward of the Week. Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named the Goaltender of the Week twice (Oct. 7 & Oct. 28) and the Rookie of the Week once (Oct. 21), while fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) and senior defender Ella Anick (Hermantown, Minn.) were named the conference Forward and Defender of the Week respectively on Sept. 23 after SCSU's season-opening sweep of Lindenwood.
It was the second time Anick had been named WCHA Defender of the Week in her career, both coming while playing for SCSU. It was Gentry's third career time being named the WCHA Forward of the Week.
HCA WOMEN'S GOALIE OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
Fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) and freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) have been named to the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Women's Goalie of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the organization on Jan. 14. The HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I Hockey. Ahola was also named to the watch last last season.
Ahola and Kyrkkö are two of seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) players on the 33-member watch list. The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 17 from the United States, nine from Canada and seven from Europe (two from Finland, two from Sweden and one each from Austria, Denmark and Slovenia).
The initial "Watch List" of outstanding goalies is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.10 or lower or a save percentage of .920 or higher. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.
HUSKIES AT THE SIX NATIONS TOURNAMENT
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey had six current players and one alumna compete for their respective country's national team at the 2024 Six Nations Tournament that took place from Dec. 11-15 in Tampere, Finland.
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) represented the Stars and Stripes of the United States on the U.S. Collegiate Women's Select Team while fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland), freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland), sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) and freshman defender Siiri Yrjölä (Vantaa, Finland) were joined by 2023 SCSU alumna Jenniina Nylund (Pietarsaari, Finland) on the Finnish National Team and redshirt sophomore forward Laura Zimmermann (Ringgenberg, Switzerland) played for the Swiss National Team .
The Six Nations Tournament was the third competition on the annual Women's Euro Hockey Tour (WEHT) and in addition to Switzerland, included Canada, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the U.S.
The six participating countries were split into two groups. Group A included the United States, Finland and Switzerland, while Group B featured Canada, Czechia and Sweden. The United States beat Finland 4-0 and Switzerland 6-2 to win the group while Finland beat the Swiss 4-0 to take second place in the group and advanced to the semifinals. Sundelin scored in the 4-0 shutout of Switzerland. Finland dropped its semifinal game to Canada, 3-0 and its third-place game to Sweden, 2-1. The U.S. took down Sweden 5-0 in the semifinals and Canada 5-3 in the championship.
FIRST HUSKY ON A PWHL OPENING DAY ROSTER
Former St. Cloud State Women's Hockey forward Klára Hymlárová (Opava, Czech Rebublic) made history for the program on Nov. 29 when she was named to the opening day roster for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) following the team's preseason minicamp. She became the first alumna to make an opening day roster for a PWHL team.
On June 10, Hymlárová was selected by then-PWHL Minnesota in the 3rd round (15th overall) of the league's draft, becoming the first Husky to be selected since the inauguration of the PWHL Draft in 2023.
The Frost won the first annual Walter Cup Championship in 2023-24 and return 16 members from that team. The final 10 players that make up the 26-player roster are PWHL rookies, including Hymlárová. The Frost opened their season with a 4-3 overtime loss against the New York Sirens on Sunday. Hymlárová skated to a +1 mark in her professional debut.
A two-time alternate captain, Hymlárová ended her five-year Huskies career in 2023-24 with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points over 142 collegiate games. She compiled four Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly awards in her career including one Forward of the Week nod in 2023-24 after being named Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 Ice Breaker in which she led the Huskies to the title with a natural hat trick in the Championship Game, and three Rookie of the Week selections in 2019-20. She also earned WCHA Rookie of the Month honors in December 2019 and was named to the 2019-20 WCHA All-Rookie Team.
HCA NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month, as announced by the organization on Nov. 1, following her impressive stretch in the net during the month of October.
WCHA ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Rookie of the Month, by the league office on Oct. 30, following her impressive stretch between the pipes during the month of October.
Throughout October, she earned her first three WCHA weekly honors of the season and of her career. She was named Goaltender of the Week on Oct. 7 and Oct. 28 and was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 21.
The freshman netminder led the WCHA in goals against average (0.97) and save percentage (.962) during the month while posting an impressive undefeated record of 3-0-2. She began her career with two consecutive shutouts and only two of the five goals she conceded in the month were full strength goals.
Kyrkkö also ranked No. 2 in shutouts (2), No. 2 in shutouts/game (0.4), No. 3 in total saves (126), tied for No. 3 in goaltender wins (3) and No. 5 in saves/game (25.2) among all conference goaltenders during the month.
The Nokia, Finland native tallied a career high 45 saves in SCSU's tie/shootout win over No. 2 Ohio State. Her 45 saves were the most in a single game by a conference goaltender during the month.
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
Both games will be streamed on B1G+ (note – a paid subscription is required) with radio coverage on 97.5 FM RadioX. KVSC talent Brian Moos (play-by-play) and Sam Roering (color) will be on the call. Live stats will be provided by Minnesota State. Links to each coverage option are available on the SCSU Women's Hockey schedule page.
Game 29 @ (RV) Minnesota State (Mayo Clinic HSEC – Mankato) – Friday, Feb. 7 / 3 p.m. CT / Livestream ($ - B1G+) / Live Stats / Audio (97.5 FM RadioX)
Game 30 @ (RV) Minnesota State (Mayo Clinic HSEC – Mankato) – Saturday, Feb. 8 / 2 p.m. CT / Livestream ($ - B1G+) / Live Stats / Radio (97.5 FM RadioX)
SERIES HISTORY
SCSU leads the all-time series against Minnesota State, 53-43-13, inlcuding an 6-4-0 record in the team's last 10 matchups. The Huskies own a 22-21-6 record when playing MSU in Mankato. Earlier this season, SCSU went 1-1-0 against the Mavericks on Nov. 15-16 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, losing the first game 4-1 before winning the series finale, 3-2 in overtime.
The then-No. 8 SCSU penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4 in the series, but the power play was held scoreless (0-for-3) and the Huskies won just 43.2% of the faceoffs over the two games. Junior forward Avery Farrell (Rogers, Minn.), senior defender Dayle Ross (Spirit River, Alberta) and sophomore forward Alice Sauriol (Sherbrooke, Quebec) each tallied two points for the Huskies. Farrell netted two goals, while Ross and Sauriol each tallied two assists.
LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies are ranked No. 11 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live Polls. St. Cloud State is one of five WCHA programs featured in the rankings with two additional clubs receiving votes. Minnesota State enters the series recieving votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the then-No. 11/10 Huskies went 1-1-0 against (RV) St. Thomas (8-18-2, 5-16-1 WCHA), winning 5-2 on Friday in St. Cloud and losing 2-1 in overtime in Mendota Heights on Saturday.
Sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) led the Huskies with a four-point weekend (three goals/one assist) and fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) broke the school record for goaltender wins on Friday.
On Saturday, the Huskies scored 5+ goals for the first time since their season-opening series at Lindenwood on September 22 and tied its season high of 14 points in a game. Their nine assists and +20 +/- marked new season highs.
THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
Friday, Feb. 7
No. 11 St. Cloud State at (RV) Minnesota State* - 3 PM CT
(RV) St. Thomas at No. 2 Ohio State* - 5 PM CT
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State* - 6 PM CT
Saturday, Feb. 8
(RV) St. Thomas at No. 2 Ohio State* - NOON CT
No. 11 St. Cloud State at (RV) Minnesota State* - 2 PM CT
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 1 Wisconsin* - 2 PM CT
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State* - 3 PM CT
Saturday, Feb. 9
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 1 Wisconsin* - NOON CT
*WCHA Game
SANNI TIME
Fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) earned her eighth win of the season and 35th of her career to become the all-time leader in goaltender wins, passing Laura Gieselman (1999-2003). Ahola also owns career ranks of No. 1 in shutouts (10), No. 3 in goals against average (2.61), No. 4 in save percentage (.917) and No. 5 in saves (2,220).
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) joined the program's top-10 list for played games on Saturday (144) and needs to play in just two more games to crack the top-5. She is is 35 shots away from becoming the programs all-time leader and five points away from joining that top-10 list.
Head coach Brian Idalski is two wins away from 50 during his SCSU tenure.
WCHA WEEKLY HONORS
Sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) was the named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Forward of the Week, as announced by the league office on Feb. 3, following her four-point performance in St. Cloud State's home-and-home split against (RV) St. Thomas. It was her first weekly award of the season and the second of her career (Rookie of the Week – Sept. 25, 2023).
The sophomore forward tied for the lead in goals (three), points (four), goals/game (1.50) and points/game (2.00) and was sixth in both faceoff wins (22) and faceoff wins/game (11.00) among WCHA skaters. She posted one of five 3+ point performances and was one of three players to have a 2+ goal, three-point game. Sundelin recorded one of four 15+ faceoff win games in the WCHA.
In Friday's 5-2 home win over (RV) St. Thomas, she tallied three points (two goals and one assist). It was her first career three-point game and first career multi-goal game. She is just the second Husky to score two goals in a game this season. In Saturday's overtime loss to UST, Sundelin scored the Huskies lone goal and her third of the weekend while winning a team-high 15 faceoffs. With the goal, she took sole possession of the team lead for goals this season (eight).
St. Cloud State has won each of the WCHA weekly awards at least once this season and Sundelin is the second to be named Forward of the Week. Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named the Goaltender of the Week twice (Oct. 7 & Oct. 28) and the Rookie of the Week once (Oct. 21), while fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) and senior defender Ella Anick (Hermantown, Minn.) were named the conference Forward and Defender of the Week respectively on Sept. 23 after SCSU's season-opening sweep of Lindenwood.
It was the second time Anick had been named WCHA Defender of the Week in her career, both coming while playing for SCSU. It was Gentry's third career time being named the WCHA Forward of the Week.
HCA WOMEN'S GOALIE OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
Fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland) and freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) have been named to the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) Women's Goalie of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the organization on Jan. 14. The HCA National Women's Goalie of the Year Award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I Hockey. Ahola was also named to the watch last last season.
Ahola and Kyrkkö are two of seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) players on the 33-member watch list. The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 17 from the United States, nine from Canada and seven from Europe (two from Finland, two from Sweden and one each from Austria, Denmark and Slovenia).
The initial "Watch List" of outstanding goalies is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.10 or lower or a save percentage of .920 or higher. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.
HUSKIES AT THE SIX NATIONS TOURNAMENT
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey had six current players and one alumna compete for their respective country's national team at the 2024 Six Nations Tournament that took place from Dec. 11-15 in Tampere, Finland.
Fifth year forward Emma Gentry (Alpena, Mich.) represented the Stars and Stripes of the United States on the U.S. Collegiate Women's Select Team while fifth year goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki, Finland), freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland), sophomore forward Sofianna Sundelin (Ulvila, Finland) and freshman defender Siiri Yrjölä (Vantaa, Finland) were joined by 2023 SCSU alumna Jenniina Nylund (Pietarsaari, Finland) on the Finnish National Team and redshirt sophomore forward Laura Zimmermann (Ringgenberg, Switzerland) played for the Swiss National Team .
The Six Nations Tournament was the third competition on the annual Women's Euro Hockey Tour (WEHT) and in addition to Switzerland, included Canada, Czechia, Finland, Sweden and the U.S.
The six participating countries were split into two groups. Group A included the United States, Finland and Switzerland, while Group B featured Canada, Czechia and Sweden. The United States beat Finland 4-0 and Switzerland 6-2 to win the group while Finland beat the Swiss 4-0 to take second place in the group and advanced to the semifinals. Sundelin scored in the 4-0 shutout of Switzerland. Finland dropped its semifinal game to Canada, 3-0 and its third-place game to Sweden, 2-1. The U.S. took down Sweden 5-0 in the semifinals and Canada 5-3 in the championship.
FIRST HUSKY ON A PWHL OPENING DAY ROSTER
Former St. Cloud State Women's Hockey forward Klára Hymlárová (Opava, Czech Rebublic) made history for the program on Nov. 29 when she was named to the opening day roster for the Minnesota Frost of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) following the team's preseason minicamp. She became the first alumna to make an opening day roster for a PWHL team.
On June 10, Hymlárová was selected by then-PWHL Minnesota in the 3rd round (15th overall) of the league's draft, becoming the first Husky to be selected since the inauguration of the PWHL Draft in 2023.
The Frost won the first annual Walter Cup Championship in 2023-24 and return 16 members from that team. The final 10 players that make up the 26-player roster are PWHL rookies, including Hymlárová. The Frost opened their season with a 4-3 overtime loss against the New York Sirens on Sunday. Hymlárová skated to a +1 mark in her professional debut.
A two-time alternate captain, Hymlárová ended her five-year Huskies career in 2023-24 with 36 goals and 53 assists for 89 points over 142 collegiate games. She compiled four Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekly awards in her career including one Forward of the Week nod in 2023-24 after being named Most Outstanding Player at the 2023 Ice Breaker in which she led the Huskies to the title with a natural hat trick in the Championship Game, and three Rookie of the Week selections in 2019-20. She also earned WCHA Rookie of the Month honors in December 2019 and was named to the 2019-20 WCHA All-Rookie Team.
HCA NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) National Rookie of the Month, as announced by the organization on Nov. 1, following her impressive stretch in the net during the month of October.
WCHA ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
Freshman goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Rookie of the Month, by the league office on Oct. 30, following her impressive stretch between the pipes during the month of October.
Throughout October, she earned her first three WCHA weekly honors of the season and of her career. She was named Goaltender of the Week on Oct. 7 and Oct. 28 and was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 21.
The freshman netminder led the WCHA in goals against average (0.97) and save percentage (.962) during the month while posting an impressive undefeated record of 3-0-2. She began her career with two consecutive shutouts and only two of the five goals she conceded in the month were full strength goals.
Kyrkkö also ranked No. 2 in shutouts (2), No. 2 in shutouts/game (0.4), No. 3 in total saves (126), tied for No. 3 in goaltender wins (3) and No. 5 in saves/game (25.2) among all conference goaltenders during the month.
The Nokia, Finland native tallied a career high 45 saves in SCSU's tie/shootout win over No. 2 Ohio State. Her 45 saves were the most in a single game by a conference goaltender during the month.
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
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Monday, July 21
Women's Hockey Postgame Press Conference 1-31-25
Saturday, February 01
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey Postgame Press Conference 1-18-25
Sunday, January 19
SCSU Women's Hockey Postgame Press Conference 1-17-25
Saturday, January 18