Coach Oliver Era Begins as St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Opens 2026-27 Season at Bemidji State

Saturday, October 3

Sanford Center | Bemidji, Minn.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Bemidji State

Photo by: Kayden Kircher

Coach Oliver Era Begins as St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Opens 2026-27 Season at Bemidji State

10/2/2026 3:46:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Game Notes

New Head Coach Nick Oliver makes his head coaching debut in Saturday contest at Sanford Center in Bemidji

THE MATCHUP

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey will open the 2026-27 season and begin a new era of Husky Hockey this weekend when the Huskies open with a single game against in-state rival Bemidji State on Saturday. The standalone contest will take place at the Sanford Center in Bemidji with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on MidCo Sports + with radio coverage on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM)with voice of the Huskies Jim Erickson and SCSU Hall of Famer Dave Reichel on the call.
The head coaches are at opposite bookends of their respective careers, as Saturday will serve as the collegiate head coaching debut for Nick Oliver, and the final first game of the season for 26-year bench boss Tom Serratore of the Beavers, who announced his retirement effective at the end of the 2026-27 season.
With the ice renovation at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center just finishing, SCSU's home game of the originally planned two-game series was shifted to Wednesday, Dec. 16 at the Brooks Center.

PRE-SEASON OUTLOOK

In a rarity in the series between these two rivals, neither team received votes in either the preseason USCHO or USA Hockey Top-20 polls. SCSU was selected to finish eighth in the NCHC Preseason Media poll, while the Beavers were selected to finish fifth in the CCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll. Bemidji State forward Oliver Peer was also named to the Preseason Coaches' All-CCHA Team and was named the CCHA Preseason Player of the Year.

SERIES HISTORY

Long time in-state foes, the Huskies and the Beavers will meet for the sixth consecutive season as non-conference opponents. The two teams have met 111 times before with SCSU leading the all-time series 58-46-7, including a 9-1-0 mark in the last 10 matchups and a 31-5-4 mark record since 2008.
Last season, the Huskies earned 3-2 and 4-2 wins over the Beavers on Oct. 10-11, 2025. The series began with a 3-2 win on Friday up in Bemidji, with the Huskies scoring three times in the first period, including twice on the power play, while sophomore goaltender Yan Shostak made 25 saves to earn his first collegiate win. In the Saturday victory, sophomore forwards Nolan Roed and Noah Urness both found the back of the net while junior goaltender Patriks Berzins got the not between the pipes and made 32 saves to backstop the Huskies to victory.

NEW ERA OF HUSKY HOCKEY

After being hired as the fourth head coach in the Division-I era of St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, Head Coach Nick Oliver will be making his long awaited coaching debut on Saturday. The former Husky captain begins his third stint in the Granite City after playing in 145 career games over four season in the black and red, serving as team captain his senior season and alternate captain as a junior. He then returned to St. Cloud as an assistant coach from 2018-22, where the Huskies experienced one of the most successful four year runs in program history. He is the only coach or player to be a part of both NCAA Frozen Fours in SCSU history, playing in the 2013 Frozen Four and serving as an assistant on the 2021 team that reached the national championship game.

BUSY SUMMER

Coach Oliver has been busy since his return, as the coaching staff and roster have been near complete rebuilds, with the hiring of two assistant coaches, an assistant to the head coach and the recruitment of 17 newcomers. Clark Kuster serves as the lone returning member of the coaching staff and was joined by former Yale Interim Head Coach Joe Howe and former Husky captain Spencer Meier.
Joining the trio is former Husky forward Daniel Tedesco, who will serve as the Assistant to the Head Coach, a position formerly known as the Director of Operations and Video Coordinator. The coaching staff worked diligently throughout the summer to put together the 2026-27 Huskies, with 11 freshmen and six transfers joining the program. Included in the mix of newcomers are 10 forwards, six defenseman and one goaltender, as well as three NHL draft picks.

MORE ON THE NEW BENCH BOSS

St. Cloud State University Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner announced Nick Oliver as the next men's hockey head coach in April 2026. Oliver returns to his alma mater to become the fourth head coach of the D-I era (since 1987-88) and 19th overall in program history.
A former Husky captain, Oliver ascended the coaching rankings quickly, spending seven seasons in collegiate hockey and four in the United States Hockey League (USHL) while helping his teams reach two NCAA Frozen Fours as an Assistant Coach and a USHL regular season championship as a head coach. He is the only coach or player to be a part of both NCAA Frozen Fours in SCSU history, playing in the 2013 Frozen Four and serving as an assistant on the 2021 team that reached the national championship game. Oliver has played or coached in seven of nine NCAA Tournament wins for the Huskies and six of 17 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history.
Oliver returns to St. Cloud for the third time after spending the past three seasons at Wisconsin under SCSU alum Mike Hastings. The Badgers have reached the NCAA Tournament twice in Oliver's three seasons on the bench, including a trip to the 2026 NCAA Frozen Four and National Championship game, which was the program's first Frozen Four and national title game appearance since 2010. Oliver coached the forward group during his time in Madison with three Badgers earning All-Big Ten honors.
Before returning to the collegiate game, Oliver spent one season (2022-23) as head coach of the Fargo Force of the USHL, leading the organization to 40 victories, a league-best 88 points and the franchise's first Anderson Cup as USHL regular-season champions. Oliver was named USHL Coach of the Year for his efforts and helped lead the Force to the Clark Cup final.
Oliver spent four seasons (2018-22) on the bench for one of the most successful four-year runs of Husky Hockey, helping the Huskies to an 81-44-9 mark, three NCAA Tournaments, a NCHC Spencer Penrose regular season championship and a NCAA Frozen Four appearance. The Huskies first season with Oliver on the bench (2018-19) was one of the most successful in program history, with SCSU posting a 30-6-3 record while winning the NCHC regular season title with a conference record 19 wins and 66 points before earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies then advanced to its second-ever NCAA Frozen Four and first NCAA national championship game appearance in 2021 with Oliver helping behind the bench.
Oliver began his coaching career immediately after his collegiate playing career concluded, spending three seasons with the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede (2015-18) as an assistant coach and director of scouting.
The Roseau, Minn., native played in 145 career games at SCSU from 2011-15, serving as a team captain his senior year and alternate captain as a junior. He earned three Academic All-Conference honors and was named the 2015 NCHC Sportsmanship Award recipient. The Huskies won the WCHA regular season title in 2013, the inaugural NCHC regular season title in 2014, made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (2013-15) and advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in program history in 2013. Oliver was a 2009 NHL draft pick of the Nashville Predators and played for the Fargo Force (USHL) from 2008-11.
Oliver is a 2015 SCSU graduate with a degree in business finance. He and his wife, Alex, have three children, Thomas, Lenna and Grant. His wife Alex (Makaric) played three seasons with the St. Cloud State Women's Hockey team from 2013-16.

SCSU HEAD COACHING DEBUTS

Nick Oliver will look to be the second consecutive head coach to earn a win in his first game as head coach of the Huskies. In the Division-I era, SCSU head coaches are 1-2 in their SCSU debuts. All four head coaches in the D-I era have begun their stints as bench bosses on the road.
Extending back to the entire 92 year history of St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, head coaches are 10-8 in their debuts on the Husky bench.
SCSU Head Coaches First Game History
- Division-I Era (1-2):
  - Craig Dahl, Oct. 3, 1987: 8-4 loss at Lake Superior State
  - Bob Motzko, Oct. 14, 2005: 3-0 loss at #12 Northern Michigan
  - Brett Larson, Oct. 12, 2018: 3-2 win at Alaska
- Division-II/III Era (9-6):
  - Ralph Theisen, 1931-32: 7-1 loss vs. Macalester
  - Ludwig Andolsek, 1932-33: 4-1 win vs. Eden Valley
  - Robert DePaul, 1935-36: 7-0 win vs. Winona
  - Walter Gergin, 1936-37: 4-1 win vs. St. John's
  - Benedict Vandell, 1937-38: 7-2 loss vs. Eveleth
  - George Lynch, 1938-39: 6-1 win vs. St. John's
  - Roland Vandell, 1947-48: 3-0 win vs. St. John's
  - Ray Gasperline, 1950-51: 3-2 win vs. Macalester
  - George Martin, 1952-53: 5-3 loss vs. Minnesota Duluth
  - Brenden McDonald, 1953-54: 6-4 loss vs. St. John's
  - Jim Baxter, 1954-55: 5-4 win vs. Gustavus
  - Jack Wink, 1956-57: 4-1 loss vs. St. Thomas
  - Charlie Basch, Dec. 6, 1968: 5-1 win at Concordia
  - John Perpich, Nov. 17, 1984: 6-5 loss at Concordia College
  - Herb Brooks, Nov. 21, 1986: 5-2 win vs. Gustavus

TOP LINE RETURNS

Although listed as the second or third line for a large majority of the second half of last season, the trio of junior captain Gavyn Thoreson, sophomore forward Nolan Roed and sophomore forward Noah Urness were arguably SCSU's best line for the final stretch of the season. The trio are SCSU's top-three returning scorers from a season ago, with each scoring 18+ points while accounting for 73.9 percent (54-of-73) of SCSU's production from its seven returning skaters.
The group was able to grow together as the season went along, playing together for 14 of 36 games last season, including the last eight, and provided 40.7 percent of their production in the final 10 games of the season.
Thoreson led the way with 20 points (11-9--20) and made the jump from his freshman campaign where he only scored 10 points. Urness notched seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points while leading the team with four game-winning goals. Roed ranked fourth on the team in assists with 13 and added five goals for 18 points in his freshman campaign.

2026-27 LEADERSHIP GROUP

In the 40th season of the Division-I era, senior forward Jack Reimann and junior forward Gavyn Thoreson will be the 40th and 41st Huskies to wear the "C" as captain, while senior forward Jake Southgate will be an alternate captain.
A mainstay in the lineup in his first three seasons, Reimann posted a career-best two goals and six assists for eight points in 35 games in 2025-26. The second-generation Husky scored twice, including the game-winner in a 5-1 win over No. 3 Western Michigan (Nov. 1). He has played both wing and center for the Huskies, posting a career-best 50.0 percent mark (54-54) in the faceoff dot last season. In the classroom, Reimann has been named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference list and has earned the NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award in each of his three seasons. In 95 career games, he has scored four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.
Thoreson is primed for another breakout season in his junior campaign after doubling his scoring output from 10 points (6-4—10) as a freshman to 20 points (11-9—20) as a sophomore in 2025-26. The Andover, Minn., native ended last season especially strong, scoring four goals and four assists for eight points with a +3 mark on the ice over the last six games. He scored twice in a game twice, netting two goals against Miami on Nov. 21 and at North Dakota on Feb. 21. In the classroom, Thoreson has been named to the NCHC Academic All-Conference list and has earned the NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award in each of his two seasons on the ice. In 72 career games, Thoreson has scored 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points with one game-winning goal and one shorthanded goal.
Southgate becomes the fourth Husky in the D-I era to wear a letter in his first season with the program, and just in the second since 1988-89. He joins Brian Cook and Scott Eichstadt, who served as captains in 1987-88, SCSU's first season as a Division-I program, and Seamus Donohue, who wore the "A" in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Southgate comes to St. Cloud for his senior season after spending three seasons at Lindenwood where he netted 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 88 games. The Saskatchewan native served as an alternate captain for the Lions in 2025-26, recording a career-high eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points with two power play goals. He has produced five or more goals and 12 or more points in each of his three collegiate seasons after 16- (7g/9a) and 12-point (5g/7a) performances in his first two seasons.

GOALIE TANDEM IS BACK

In an offseason filled with change, one consistent for the Huskies is the goaltender tandem of sophomore Yan Shostak and junior Patriks Berzins, who started all 36 games for the Huskies last season.
Both showed signs of flashes throughout the season, with Shostak taking one NCHC Rookie of the Week honors in October and NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors in January, while Berzins earned NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors in February.
The two split time almost right down the middle last season, with Shostak taking the slight edge in starts (20-16) and while getting the net for the final five games of the season, including starts in both games of the NCHC Quarterfinals series at Minnesota Duluth.
Berzins boasted the better win-loss record with a 10-7-0 record, 2.81 goals-against-average and .909 save percentage, while Shostak posted a 6-12-1 record with a 3.08 goals-against-average and .897 save percentage. Shostak had the only two shutouts of the season for SCSU, a 21-save performance in a 4-0 win over Vermont and a 42-save shutout in 6-0 win over No. 6 Minnesota Duluth.

NHL HUSKIES

At the start of the NHL season, nine former Huskies earned a spot on opening night rosters. The Huskies' nine alums in the NHL ranks 13th among NCAA programs and fourth among NCHC teams, behing only Denver (12), North Dakota (11) and Minnesota Duluth (10).
Jack Ahcan, Nashville Predators
Will Borgen, Boston Bruins
Nic Dowd, Vegas Golden Knights
Mikey Eyssimont, Boston Bruins
Nick Jensen, Anaheim Ducks
Charlie Lindgren, Washington Capitals
Blake Lizotte, Pittsburgh Penguins
Nick Perbix, Nashville Predators
Ryan Poehling, Anaheim Ducks
In 2025-26, SCSU had 13 alumni play a game in the NHL, a mark tied for ninth-most in the NHL, while four of those players were undrafted players, which was the second-most of any school in the NCAA.

HERB RENOVATION COMPLETE

Updates to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (HBNHC) have been completed on time and under budget, ensuring the facility will be ready for St. Cloud State University Men's and Women's Hockey home games this season.
Both ice sheets have been modified to new dimensions, and the dasher boards and spectator netting were replaced to improve player and guest safety. The ice rink cooling plant was upgraded for the first time since the building opened in 1989.
New LED lighting was installed in both rinks, and other upgrades in temperature controls and HVAC were completed to make the HBNHC more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Elrosa-based general contractor Breitbach Construction Co. led coordination on the $11 million project, while JLG Architects of Minneapolis were in charge of design. Over 16,000 on-site trade hours were required to finish the project.
Over 98 percent of the construction dollars were awarded to Minnesota companies, supporting local businesses, jobs and communities throughout the state.
"We are proud that so many local companies were able to be involved in completing this project," SCSU President Dr. Gregory Tomso said. "They did an excellent job, and we hope this investment from the state can benefit the economic development of our region for years to come."
Upgrades were possible due to Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) funds appropriated by the state legislature. HEAPR money is awarded for maintenance and preservation of existing facilities at the seven universities and 26 colleges in Minnesota State.
A ribbon-cutting was held on Oct. 1 to honor the improvements. State representatives Dan Wolgamott and Bernie Perryman and state senator Aric Putnum each spoke at the event, highlighting the work across political lines to guarantee funding for a project that would be beneficial for the St. Cloud community and region.

COACHING STAFF ADDITIONS

Two new assistant coaches and one support staffer joined Coach Oliver for his first season behind the bench, as he added Joe Howe, Spencer Meier as assistant coaches and Daniel Tedesco as the assistant to the head coach.
Joe Howe:
Howe comes to St. Cloud after five seasons at Yale where he served as an assistant coach from 2021-25 before serving as the interim head coach in 2025-26 following the retirement of Keith Allain. With Howe on staff, goaltender Jack Stark earned 2023-24 All-ECAC Rookie Team honors while David Chen was named the 2026 ECAC Hockey Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year. In total, 97 Bulldogs earned ECAC Hockey All-Academic recognition with the 2025-26 list still to be announced.
While on staff with Yale, Howe was chosen to two USA Hockey coaching staffs, serving as an assistant coach for the 2025 U-18 Men's Select Team and the 2024 U-17 Men's Select Team. He helped the Americans capture gold at both events, winning the 2024 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in Slovakia and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Czechia, which was Team USA's first championship at the event since 2003, and only the second in the tournament's history.
Prior to joining Yale, Howe spent three seasons with Alaska (2018-21), where he worked with all three positions as well as the power play for the Nanooks. Before UAF, he spent three seasons with Denver, serving as the team's volunteer assistant coach and goalie coach (2015-17) before being promoted to Director of Operations (2017-18). Howe helped the Pioneers claim the 2017 NCAA Championship after winning the NCHC regular season title. Denver also made it to the 2016 Frozen Four and won the 2018 NCHC Tournament. While working as the goaltender coach for DU, his netminders improved in goals against average, save percentage, games played and wins from the previous seasons. Howe coached Tanner Jaillet, who was the 2017 Mike Richter Award winner, the NCHC Goalie of the Year and a second-team All-American.
Hailing from Plymouth, Minn., Howe was a standout goaltender with Colorado College from 2009-2013. He appeared in 119 career games with the Tigers and is currently ranked third in career saves at CC. Howe was a three-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team selection before graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematical economics in May 2013. From 2013-15, Howe played professionally in the Central Hockey League (CHL), the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).
Spencer Meier:
Meier returns to SCSU after spending the last two seasons at his alma mater where he helped lead Sartell to back-to-back Central Lakes Conference championships (2025-26) and a 6A section title game appearance in 2026. Since 2022, Meier has hosted an annual summer hockey camp for youth which annually services hundreds of aspiring Central Minnesota hockey players. The Spencer Meier Hockey Camp has morphed into a full-time business, 320 Hockey, which provides high-level training, leagues and resources accessible in central Minnesota.
After his collegiate career, Meier played one season with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL where he scored one goal and five assists for six points in 32 games.
Only the second-ever three-year captain in program history, Meier spent five seasons wearing the black and red from 2018-23 where he scored 17 goals and 45 assists for 62 points in 171 career games. His 171 career games rank fourth all-time in program history while his goals, assists and points all rank in the top-20 among SCSU blue liners. The Huskies advanced to four NCAA Tournaments with Meier on the ice, including three with him as captain. Throughout Meier's collegiate career, SCSU captured the NCHC Penrose Cup in 2018-19, made the NCAA championship game in 2021 and then finally won the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and advanced to an NCAA regional championship game in 2023. The Sartell native was awarded the 2022-23 NCHC Sportsmanship Award, was named a 2022-23 HHA Hockey Humanitarian Award finalist and earned NCHC All-Academic recognition five times.
Prior to SCSU, Meier played for the Fargo Force of the USHL in 2017-18 where he helped lead the Force to the USHL Clark Cup title in 2018. He played four seasons and two-time captain at Sartell (2013-17) where he finished as the all-time leader in assists, and the all-time leading point scorer for defenseman. He was also named a Reed Larson Award finalist and Hobey Baker Character Award winner.
Daniel Tedesco:
Tedesco returns to his alma mater as an Assistant to the Head Coach to begin his coaching career after a successful seven-year professional playing career. For the Huskies, Tedesco will prepare and supervise all video operations, oversee all team travel arrangements, assist in player development and coordinating special events and perform other duties related to elevating the men's hockey program.
Tedesco returns to SCSU after playing seven seasons of professional hockey with numerous teams in the ECHL, SPHL, the Alps Hockey League and the UK's Elite Ice Hockey League. He played 43 games over three seasons in the ECHL, including 19 games with the Bloomington Bison in 2025-26 where he scored four goals and seven assists for 11 points. Tedesco most productive scoring season of professional hockey came in 2022-23 when he scored 80 points (31g/49a) in 53 games for the Guildford Flames of the EIHL. The Vaughan, Ontario native won a silver medal at the 2025 World Championship Division IA while playing for the Italian National Team.
In addition to his playing career, Tedesco worked as a sales representative for SportContract from 2024-25 where he managed client relationships and collaborated with coaches and hockey operations staff to integrate video analysis technology into daily team workflows.
Tedesco scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 98 games and a four-time NCHC Academic All-Conference honoree for the Huskies from 2013-17. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from St. Cloud State University in 2017 and his Master of Business Administration from Lasell University in 2024.