No. 15/14 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Opens New Year with Home Series Against No. 2 Ohio State

Friday, January 9

St. Cloud, Minn.

6 p.m.

St. Cloud State

#2 Ohio State

Photo by: Kayden Kircher

No. 15/14 St. Cloud State Women’s Hockey Opens New Year with Home Series Against No. 2 Ohio State

1/8/2026 4:53:00 PM | Women's Hockey

Series Notes

Huskies open second half of play at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on Friday, Saturday

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – No. 15/14 St. Cloud State Women's Hockey (7-12-1, 3-10-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) opens the second half of its 2025-26 schedule this weekend at home with a series against No. 2 Ohio State (17-3-0, 11-3-0 WCHA). Puck drops from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center are set for 6 p.m. (Friday) and 2 p.m. (Saturday).

SERIES NOTES

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Both games will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (note – a paid subscription is required) with audio coverage on 97.5 FM RadioX (Friday) and the KVSC Sports Stream (Saturday). Nick Maxson will have the call on B1G+, while KVSC talent Noah Grant (play-by-play), Eli Zniewski (color) will be on the audio broadcasts. Live stats will be provided by St. Cloud State. Tickets for the games can be purchased at scsutickets.com.

Game 21 – vs. #2 Ohio State (Herb Brooks National Hockey Center // St. Cloud) – Friday, Jan. 9 / 6 p.m. / Watch ($ - B1G+) / Live stats / Listen (97.5 FM RadioX)
Game 22 – vs. #1 Wisconsin (Herb Brooks National Hockey Center // St. Cloud) – Saturday, Jan. 10 / 2 p.m. / Watch ($ - B1G+) / Live stats / Listen (KVSC Sports Stream)

Links to each coverage option can also be found on the St. Cloud State Women's Hockey game day central or schedule page.

SERIES HISTORY
SCSU trails the all-time series against the Buckeyes, 32-66-12 including a 1-8-1 mark in the team's last 10 matchups. The Huskies are 17-33-4 all-time when playing Ohio State in St. Cloud. Earlier this season, SCSU went 0-2-0 in its series against the Buckeyes, falling 5-1 and 4-2 in Columbus.

LET'S GO POLLING
The Huskies begin the new year ranked No. 15 in the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Poll and No. 14 in the USA Hockey Poll. St. Cloud State is one of six WCHA programs featured in the rankings, with one additional club receiving votes. Ohio State is No. 2 in both polls.

HUSKIES AT MILANO CORTINA 2026
Eight with ties to SCSU Women's Hockey (four current players and four alumnae) have been named to their respective countries Olympic rosters ahead of Milano Cortina 2026, doubling the previous program record (from 2022) for the most current & former players at an Olympics. The 10-team tournament is set for Feb. 5-19 in Milan, Italy.

The largest contingent of Huskies – two current players and two alumnae, will be suiting up for Team Finland. Sophomore goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia) and sophomore defender Siiri Yrjölä (Vantaa) will be joined by goaltender Sanni Ahola (Helsinki), who played for the Huskies from 2020-25 and former alternate captain, forward Jenniina Nylund (Pietarsaari) who wore the red and black from 2018-23. Nylund, the lone Finn with previous Olympic experience, won a Bronze Medal in Beijing in 2022 with Suomi.

Senior forward Svenja Voigt (Cologne) and former alternate captain, forward Laura Kluge (Berlin) who wore a Huskies sweater from 2017-21 have been named to Team Germany and will make their Olympic debuts in Milan.

Redshirt junior forward Laura Zimmermann (Ringgenberg) will play for Team Switzerland and former alternate captain forward Klára Hymlárová (Opava), who skated for the Huskies from 2019-24 was named to Team Czechia. Both skated in Beijing at the 2022 games.

WCHA WEEKLY/MONTHLY HONORS
Freshman forward Maria Mikaelyan (Moscow, Russia) was named Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Rookie of the Month, as announced by the league office on Dec. 31. Mikaelyan tallied four assists/points including her first career three-point game in the Huskies lone series of the month at then-No. 12 Minnesota State December 5-6. It is her first WCHA monthly award of the season, and she became just the fourth player in program history to win WCHA Rookie of the Month honors.

This season, Mikaelyan became the first Husky this season to earn multiple weekly honors from the conference after being named WCHA Rookie of the Week on Oct. 13 and Dec. 8. She also became the first Husky to win multiple Rookie of the Week honors since current Toronto Sceptres forward Emma Gentry '25 did so in the 2020-21 season and the first Husky to win multiple WCHA weekly awards since sophomore forward Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) earned three last season (2x Goaltender, 1x Rookie).

The Huskies have won all four conference weekly honors (forward, defender, goaltender and rookie) at least once for the fourth consecutive season. On Dec. 1, Kyrkkö was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week, while junior forward Alice Sauriol (Sherbrooke, Quebec) was named Forward of the Week on Oct. 20 and sophomore defender Siiri Yrjölä (Vantaa, Finland), was named Defender of the Week on Sept. 22.

WCHA ROOKIE OF THE MONTH AWARD WINNERS
Klára Hymlárová (December 2019)
Olivia Cvar (January 2020)
Emilia Kyrkkö (October 2024)
Maria Mikaelyan (December 2025)

2025-26 WCHA MONTHLY/WEEKLY HONORS
Rookie of the Month

Maria Mikaelyan (1x, December)

Defender of the Week

Siiri Yrjölä (1x, Sept. 22)

Forward of the Week

Alice Sauriol (1x, Oct. 20)

Goaltender of the Week

Emilia Kyrkkö (1x, Dec. 1)

Rookie of the Week

Maria Mikaelyan (2x, Oct. 13 | Dec. 8)

LAST TIME OUT
Then-No. 13/14 SCSU split its games at No. 12 Minnesota State on Dec. 5-6 to close out the first semester. The Huskies shut out the Mavericks, 4-0 in the series opener, before falling 3-2 in the series finale.

Notes from the games
GAME 19 - 4-0 win @ #12 Minnesota State (12-5-25)

SCSU improved to 55-43-14 all-time against Minnesota State and are 7-2-1 record in the 10 games against the Mavericks. The Huskies improved to 24-21-7 all time against MSU in Mankato.
The Huskies moved to 3-5-0 in road games this season and 4-10-1 in games against teams ranked/receiving votes in either the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Poll or the USA Hockey Poll.
The Huskies went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-5 on the power play. For the season, SCSU is 49-for-65 (75.4%) on the penalty kill and 7-for-56 on the power play (12.5%).
The Huskies out-shot MSU 36-28 and won 51.7% of the faceoffs. The Mavericks outblocked the Huskies 7-6.
Sophomore goaltender Emilia Kyrkkö (Nokia, Finland) recorded a 28 save shutout and was named the game's No. 1 star. She posted her third shutout of the season and the sixth of her career in her 25^th career start. It was her fifth win of the season. Kyrkkö lowered her season goals against average to 1.70 and her career GAA to 1.90. She also improved her season save percentage to .946 and her career S% to .933.
Sophomore forward Maria Mikaelyan (Moscow, Russia) provided assists on the final three SCSU goals, was the lone Husky with three or more points and skated to a +3 mark. She was named the game's No. 2 star. She recorded the first 3+ point/assist game of her career and skated to a career-best +3 mark. She now has five assists and 12 points this season.
Senior forward Svenja Voigt (Cologne, Germany) was the only other Husky with multiple points, skated to a +2 mark and was named the game's No. 3 star. She tallied the first multi-point game of her career. Her assist was the 10^th of her career and surpassed five points this season and 15 career points.
Junior forward Payton Holloway's (Tomah, Wis.) goal was her 10^th point of the season.
Junior forward Sofianna Sundelin's (Ulvila, Finland) goal was her team-leading 15^th point of the season and she went 11-and-4 (73.3%) on the faceoff dot. She also tied Mikaelyan for the team lead in goals this season.
Senior forward Avery Farrell (Rogers, Minn skated in her 125^th career game.
Redshirt junior Laura Zimmermann's (Ringgenberg, Switzerland) assist was her 10^th point of the season and the 35^th of her career.
Redshirt sophomore defender Sydney Bryant's (Traverse City, Mich.) assist was her fifth point of the season and her career.
Junior forward Sidney Jackel (Ann Arbor, Mich.) tallied her fifth assist of the season.
Redshirt sophomore defender Marie Moran (Lakeville, Minn.) skated to a career-best +2 mark.

GAME 20 – 3-2 loss @ #12 Minnesota State (12-6-25)

SCSU moved to 55-44-14 all-time against Minnesota State and 6-3-1 in the 10 games against the Mavericks. The Huskies moved to 24-22-7 all time against MSU in Mankato.
The Huskies moved to 3-6-0 in road games this season, 2-3-1 in overtime games and 4-11-1 in games against teams ranked/receiving votes in either the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Poll or the USA Hockey Poll.
The Huskies went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 1-for-2 on the power play. For the season, SCSU is 52-for-68 (76.5%) on the penalty kill and 8-for-58 on the power play (13.8%).
The Mavericks led the game in shots on goal (31-25), blocked shots (7-6) and won 59.6% of the faceoffs.
Farrell scored the first SCSU goal, her first power play goal as a Husky and her second of the series.
Sundelin's goal was the 20^th of her career and second of her weekend. She led the team in blocks, with two and leads the team in goals and points this season, with eight and 16 respectively.
Zimmermann tallied her fifth assist of the season.
Mikaelyan posted one assist – her fourth of the weekend.
Voigt contributed her fifth assist of the season.
Moran was the lone Husky to skate to a positive mark (+1).
Kyrkkö made 28 saves for the third consecutive game.

THIS WEEK IN THE WCHA
Friday, Jan. 9
No. 1 Wisconsin at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth* - 3 PM
Bemidji State at (RV) St. Thomas* - 5 PM
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 15/14 St. Cloud State* - 6 PM
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 12 Minnesota State* - 6 PM - FOX9+

Saturday, Jan. 10
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 15/14 St. Cloud State* - 2 PM
No. 1 Wisconsin at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth* - 2 PM - FOX9+
Bemidji State at (RV) St. Thomas* - 2 PM
No. 12 Minnesota State at No. 3 Minnesota* - 7:30 PM - Big Ten Network

*WCHA Game
** Rankings are USCHO/USA Hockey
***All times in CT

PWHL HUSKIES
Last season, Klára Hymlárová (2019-24) became the first former Husky to be drafted into the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), the first to be named to an opening day roster and the first to play in a PWHL game. This season, Hymlárová was joined by SCSU alumnae Sanni Ahola (2020-25), Emma Gentry (2020-25), Laura Kluge (2017-21) and Dayle Ross (2021-25) on PWHL opening day rosters.

Hymlárová is looking to win back-to-back Walter Cups with the Minnesota Frost, who as a franchise have won the first two league championships. Ahola was the 37^th overall pick by the Ottawa Charge in the 2025 PWHL Draft in June becoming the program's first netminder to be drafted. Gentry became the highest draft pick in program history when she was selected in the second round with the 11^th overall pick by the Toronto Sceptres. Kluge, who became the second former Husky to play in a PWHL game after joining the Sceptres late in the 2024-25 season signed with the Boston Fleet during the offseason. Ross became the program's first blueliner drafted when she was picked No. 25 overall by the New York Sirens.

HUSKIES REPRESENTING THEIR COUNTRIES
Senior forward Svenja Voigt (Cologne, Germany) and aluma Laura Kluge '21 competed for their native Germany at the 2025 Deuschland Cup at the VR-Bank Landshut Arena in Landshut, Germany from Nov. 5-8, while alumnae Klára Hymlárová '24 (Czechia) and Sanni Ahola '25 (Finland) each played in the 2025-26 Women's Euro Hockey Tour's Lidl Hockey Games in Ängelholm, Sweden, from Nov. 5–8.

NURSING STUDENT BY DAY, GOALTENDER BY NIGHT
Graduate goaltender Jojo Chobak's (Chicago, Ill.) journey as the first hockey player to make their way through St. Cloud State University's nursing program was recently featured on #OurSCSU.

WCHA COMMISSIONER'S CORNER
Redshirt junior forward Laura Zimmermann (Ringgenberg, Switzerland) was featured on the most recent installment of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Commissioner's Corner podcast series on Nov. 5. In the series, WCHA Commissioner Michelle McAteer sits down one-on-one with extraordinary student-athletes from across the league to discuss real-life topics, hockey, and everything in between. You can watch the video on the WCHA Hockey YouTube page.

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.