(RV) St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey Earns First NCHC Win of 2026-27, Splits Series with (RV) Arizona State

Saturday, October 31

St. Cloud, Minn.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

3-4-0, 1-1-0

Arizona State

5-3-0, 1-1-0

Team	1	2	3	F
(RV) Arizona State	1	0	0	1
(RV) St. Cloud State	2	0	0	2

Box Score (PDF)Highlights

post-goal celly vs. Arizona State 10-31-26

Photo by: Kayden Kircher

11/1/2026 1:53:00 AM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

Huskies score twice in first five minutes, hold on for 2-1 win

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – (RV) St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (3-4-0, 1-1-0 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) used a pair of early goals to defeat (RV) Arizona State, 2-1, and earn its first conference win of the new season on Saturday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Sophomore goaltender Yan Shostak (Minsk, Belarus) was incredible in net, making 42 saves, while freshman forward Hayden Paupanekis (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and junior forward William Ahlrik (Tidaholm, Sweden) scored the SCSU goals.

The Huskies couldn't have asked for a better start, netting the game's first goal just 14 seconds after the opening puck drop. After ASU got a 2-on-1 rush seven seconds into the first period, SCSU forced a turnover and freshman forward Carson Pilgrim (Warroad, Minn.) made a nice cross-ice pass to senior forward Jake Southgate (North Battleford, Saskatchewan) who took the puck from the Sun Devil blue line to the goal line and fired a centering pass to Paupanekis who was crashing the net and tipped the puck past the netminder.

SCSU scored its second goal in the first five minutes of action when it sent traffic to the front of the net. Senior forward Charlie Lurie (Minnetonka, Minn.) set up freshman forward Garrett Frazer (Haymarket, Va.) for a one-timer from the point and Ahlrik was able to redirect the shot and put the puck into the back of the net.

The Sun Devils (5-3-0, 1-1-0 NCHC) scored in the final minute of the first period, cutting SCSU's lead in half heading into the second period. ASU scored its own quick goal to start a period, finding the back of the net just 18 seconds into the second, but the Huskies successfully challenged the goal for offsides, and the score reverted to 2-1 SCSU.

ASU dominated shots on goal in the final two period of play, outshooting the Huskies 27-18, but were unable to take advantage, as the Huskies came away with the 2-1 win and series split.

TOP HUSKIES

Shostak made 42 saves (.977 save percentage) and was named the game's No. 1 star
Paupanekis scored a goal, went 13-7 on faceoffs and skated to a +1 mark
Ahlrik scored a goal and went 11-8 on the dot

NOTES

SCSU moved to 6-3 all-time against Arizona State and 3-3 against the Sun Devils in St. Cloud.
The Huskies led the game in saves (42-25) and faceoff wins (41-36), while ASU led in shots on goal (43-27) and blocked shots (12-9).
SCSU went 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. This season, the Huskies are 4-for-25 (16.0%) on the PP and 20-for-25 (80.0%) on the PK.
Shostak recorded his second 40+ save performance of the season, all coming in the last three games. He now has four 40+ save games in his career.
Paupanekis scored his second goal in his first six games in a Huskies sweater. He won double-digit faceoffs for the second straight game and skated to a +1 mark for the first time in his young career.
Ahlrik netted his second goal in his seventh game with SCSU. He won 10+ draws for the fifth time this season and owns a 54.4% faceoff percentage on the year.
Frazer's assist was his first career point in just his second-ever game.
Southgate's assist was his 55^th career point.
Sophomore forward Nolan Roed (White Bear Lake, Minn.) won 11 draws, his seventh straight game with double-digit faceoff wins to start the season.

HIGHLIGHTS

UP NEXT
SCSU continues NCHC play next weekend on the road at Omaha. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT on both Friday and Saturday from Baxter Arena.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Tickets for the 2026-27 season are available at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.