Gross’ Last Minute Shorthanded Goal Lift Huskies to 4-3 Win over Arizona State

Saturday, February 7

Mullett Arena | Tempe, Ariz.

6:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

15-15-0, 8-12-0

Arizona State

13-16-1, 6-11-1

St. Cloud St.

Arizona St.

Photo by: Bill Prout

Gross’ Last Minute Shorthanded Goal Lift Huskies to 4-3 Win over Arizona State

2/7/2026 11:22:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Box Score

Gross scored twice, Berzins makes 40 saves in SCSU’s first NCHC sweep

TEMPE, Ariz. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (15-15-0, 8-12-0 NCHC) lead on three separate occasions in a back-and-forth, 4-3 win over Arizona State (13-16-1, 6-11-1 NCHC) on Saturday night at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz. Junior forward Tyson Gross (Calgary, Alberta) scored twice for the second consecutive night, including a shorthanded goal with 37 seconds to seal the victory.

Arizona State didn't wait long to strike first in the game, scoring 6:25 into the game on the power play to end SCSU's streak of eight consecutive penalty kills. The Huskies were able to punch back later in the period, scoring at the 13:48 mark of the period when senior defenseman Max Smolinski's (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) shot from the blue line found its way through traffic and into the back of the net.

SCSU then took the lead for the first time in the game on the power play with Gross' first goal of the game at the 13:14 mark of the second period. The Huskies' top trio teamed up again, just as they have done many times this season, with sophomore forward Austin Burnevik (Ham Lake, Minn.) moving the puck and defense to the middle of the ice before feeding junior forward Barrett Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.) at the right dot. Hall got the puck on net, where the ASU netminder originally made the save, but Gross was there to grab the rebound and wrap the puck around the goalie for the score.

The Huskies had to fight off a hungry Sun Devil squad in the third period, beginning with an ASU goal just 21 seconds into the final frame to tie the score at 2-2. SCSU retook the lead at 4:59 when freshman forward Noah Urness (Roseau, Minn.) re-directed a centering pass from freshman forward Nolan Roed (White Bear Lake, Minn.) with his skate to push the score to 3-2. SCSU held the lead for most of the period before the Sun Devils tied the score for a third time when ASU's Carmelo Crandell scored with just under four minutes remaining. ASU seemed to have all the momentum and was in line to take the lead when the Huskies took a penalty with 1:27 remaining, but a mistake from the Sun Devil goalie turned costly. SCSU was able to clear the puck, and Samuel Urban attempted to come out of the crease to play the puck. His pass never made it out of the defensive zone and was intercepted by Gross at the blue line, who skated around Urban and fired a shot past a Sun Devil defender for the game-winning score 37 seconds left.

TOP HUSKIES

Gross scored two goals for the second consecutive game and fourth time this season.
Urness had a goal and assist for his second two-point game of the season.
Sophomore goaltender Patriks Berzins (Talsi, Latvia) made 40 saves and earned his ninth win between the pipes.

NOTES

SCSU improves to 5-2-0 all time against Arizona State and 2-0-0 against the Sun Devils in Tempe, Ariz. SCSU did previously beat Arizona State in Arizona, winning 4-2 in Prescott Valley in the 2016 Desert Hockey Classic.
The Huskies improve to 9-6-0 on Saturdays, 6-6-0 on the road, 3-13-0 when opponent scores first, 2-4-0 when tied after first period, 11-2-0 when leading after two periods and 5-7-0 in one-goal games.
SCSI earned its first NCHC sweep of the season and first since Oct. 24-25 against Alaska Anchorage (5-2, 5-1).
SCSU scored shorthanded goals in back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 21-22, 2022, against Miami. The Huskies' sixth shorthanded goal of the season is its most since scoring eight in 2022-23.
Gross scored his 17^th and 18^th goals of the season with his second career shorthanded goal in the third period. It marks his fourth two-goal game of the season and the sixth of his career. Gross' 37 points are the most by a Husky since Jami Krannila scored 40 (21-19—40) in 2022-23.
The Husky captain's game-winning goal was his third of the season and fourth of his career.
Gross played in his 100^th career game, becoming the 156^th Husky in program history to play in 100 career games for the black and red.
Urness scored his seventh goal of the season and seventh assist for 14 points. It marks his second two-point game of the season (Alaska Anchorage, Oct. 25).
Smolinski scored his sixth goal of the season to set a new career-high, surpassing his previous high of five at RPI in 2024-25.
Berzins made a career-high 40 saves while improving to 9-6-0 on the season with a 2.68 GAA and .916 S%.
Four Huskies - Hall, Roed, Burnevik and sophomore forward Daimon Gardner (Eagle Lake, Ontario) – had single assists in the game.

UP NEXT

SCSU will return home for the final time in the regular season next weekend when the Huskies host Colorado College on Feb. 13-14 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

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 2025-26 season are available at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.