St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Heads to No. 10 Minnesota Duluth for NCHC Quarterfinals

Friday, March 6

Amsoil Arena | Duluth, Minn.

7:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Minnesota Duluth

Photo by: Bill Prout

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey Heads to No. 10 Minnesota Duluth for NCHC Quarterfinals

3/5/2026 12:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Game Notes

Huskies and Bulldogs to meet in NCHC First Round for third time in last five seasons

THE MATCHUP

St. Cloud State Men's Hockey begins postseason play with an NCHC Quarterfinals series with No. 10 Minnesota Duluth at AMSOIL Arena this weekend. The best-of-three series will begin on Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT before 6:00 p.m. CT puck drops on Saturday and Sunday if necessary on NCHC.tv. On the radio, Husky Productions alum Nick Maxson and SCSU Hall of Famer Dave Reichel will have the call over the airwaves on KNSI (1450 AM / 99.3 FM).
SCSU spent last weekend, the final week of the NCHC regular season on a bye and last played at No. 3 North Dakota, playing to a tie a shootout win and the regulation loss to close the regular season. UMD closed the regular season with a 4-1 loss and 2-2 tie (shootout win) against Colorado College at AMSOIL Arena last weekend.

NATIONAL POLLS / POST-SEASON OUTLOOK

The regular season is complete, and the Huskies will be looking to win the NCHC Tournament to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Huskies are currently receiving votes in the USCHO poll but not the USA Hockey/AHCA poll. Minnesota Duluth is ranked No. 10 in both polls. In the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI), which replaces the Pairwise and is the official system for selecting and seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament, SCSU sits at No. 25 (16-17-1, 0-3 OT) and will need to most likely win the NCHC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota Duluth is sitting comfortably at No. 10 in the NPI and a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament with a 20-13-1 (3-4 OT) record.

SERIES HISTORY

St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth will meet in the NCHC Quarterfinals for the third time, all coming in the last five seasons. Both previous NCHC first round series were played in St. Cloud, with the Bulldogs sweeping the Huskies in 2022 (5-2, 4-3 OT) before the Huskies outlasted the Bulldogs in three games in 2023 (3-1, 1-5, 3-1) en route to the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship. The two teams have met three times in the semifinals or championship of the NCHC Tournament, with SCSU beating UMD 3-1 in the 2016 championship and 3-2 in the 2021 semifinal while UMD beat SCSU 3-2 in an instant classic 2019 title game.
In the all-time series, SCSU holds a 85-71-11 advantage, but will be looking to turn its luck around in Duluth. The Huskies have dropped eight consecutive games at AMSOIL Arena, with its last win coming on March 5, 2022, a 2-0 win behind a 34-save shutout from David Hrenak in the 2021-22 regular season finale. The Bulldogs took three of four in the season series, winning 4-0 and 3-2 (OT) up in Duluth on Nov. 7-8 before the two teams split in St. Cloud on Jan. 16-17. SCSU won 6-0 on Friday, which was the Huskies' largest margin of victory against the Bulldogs since an 8-2 win in Duluth on Feb. 11, 2011 before UMD came back and won 5-3 on Saturday.

ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST

Junior forward Tyson Gross is flying under the radar but is starting to gain national attention as a legitimate top-10 candidate for the Hobey Baker Award, annually awarded to the nation's top collegiate player. Entering the 2026 NCHC Frozen Faceoff, Gross has produced 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points with seven power play goals, three game-winning goals, two shorthanded goals and an NCAA-leading 464 faceoff wins. The Husky captain is a Hobey Baker nominee and a finalist for the NCHC Player, Forward and Defensive Forward of the Year awards, was the NCHC goal-scoring champion with 16 goals in conference play and finished second in the points race with 28 points. His 41 points are the most by a Husky since 2018-19 (Patrick Newell, 46) while his 1.21 points per game is the best by a Husky since 2015-16 (Kale Kossila, 1.32). ).
In addition to leading the NCAA in faceoff wins, Gross also ranks fifth nationally in faceoff percentage (.593), 10th in power play goals (seven), 11th in points (41), 17th in goals (18), 20th in assists (23). He ranks among the NCHC's top-10 in each of those categories. Gross has scored a goal in 14 of 34 games while scoring a point in 25 of 34 games. He's scored two goals in four games, 2+ assists in six games and 2+ points in 12 games. In the faceoff dot, he's won 10 or more faceoffs in 30 of 34 games, 15+ faceoff wins in 15 games and 20+ wins in two games.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST SERIES

SCSU closed the regular season with a two-point weekend up in Grand Forks against No. 3 North Dakota, winning a shootout in a 4-4 tie on Friday before falling 6-4 on Saturday (Feb. 20-21). Seeking their first win at the Ralph since 2019, the Huskies had a 4-2 leading heading into the third period on Friday before the Fighting Hawks scored twice, including an extra attacker goal, to force overtime. On Saturday, UND scored three goals in the first eight minutes of the game, leaving SCSU chasing for the rest of the game. SCSU would tie the score at 3-3 and 4-4, but UND scored two third period goals for the second consecutive night to take the game, 6-4.

NOTES FROM LAST SERIES:

GAME 1 - 4-4 OT tie, shootout win at North Dakota (2-20-26)
- SCSU moves to 7-8-1 on Fridays, 6-6-1 on the road, 4-14-1 when its opponent scores first, 2-6-1 when tied after first period, 11-2-1 when leading after two periods, 8-6-1 when outshooting its opponent.
- Sophomore forward Austin Burnevik scored his 18th and 19th goals of the season to record his fourth two-goal game of the season and sixth of his career. Burnevik's 19 goals are the most by a Husky since Veeti Miettinen had 20 in 2023-24.
- Junior foward Tyson Gross had two assists to reach 41 points on the season, as he becomes the 55th skater in program history to reach 40 points in a season and first since Jami Krannila had 40 points (21-19—40) in 2022-23. His 41 points are the most since Patrick Newell had 46 points (12-25—46) in 2018-19.
- Gross has scored a point in 25 of 33 games this season and 2+ points in 12 games. He also went 13-10 in the faceoff dot, marking the 29th time in 33 games this season he has won 10 or more faceoffs.
- Senior forward Adam Ingram scored for the second time in as many games and for the second time this season with his first period score. The Husky senior also added an assist on Gardner's goal for his first two-point game of the season and 13th of his career.
- Junior forward Daimon Gardner scored his second goal of the season and eighth of his career with his second period goal. It marked his first score since a goal in a 6-0 win over Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 16.
- Freshman goaltender Yan Shostak made 21 saves in the game, marking the 14th time this season he has made 20+ saves in a game.
- Junior forward Verner Miettinen recorded his eighth assist of the season with the secondary assist on Gardner's goal.
GAME 2 - 6-4 loss at North Dakota (2-21-26)
- With the loss, SCSU moves to 50-86-20 all-time against North Dakota and 19-44-10 against the Fighting Hawks in Grand Forks.
- SCSU moves to 9-8-0 on Saturdays, 6-7-1 on the road, 12-3-0 when scoring first, 3-12-0 when its opponent leads after the first period, 3-1-0 when tied after the second period and 3-5-0 in two-goal games.
- The Huskies killed off four of five penalties to improve to 76.3 percent (71-of-93) on the penalty kill this season. In its last eight games, SCSU is 88.2 percent (15-of-17) on the kill.
- Sophomore forward Gavyn Thoreson scored his ninth and 10th goals of the season for his second career two-goal game while adding an assist for his second career three-point game. Thoreson also scored two goals at Miami on Nov. 21 and recorded three points against Colorado College on Feb. 13.
- Senior forward Adam Ingram scored a goal for the third consecutive game, marking his first career three-game goal streak. Ingram also added an assist for his second consecutive game with two points.
- Freshman defenseman Tanner Henricks scored his third goal of the season with his first period score.
- Freshman forward Noah Urness notched his ninth assist of the season with the primary assist on Thoreson's first goal.
- Junior forward Tyson Gross went 12-7 in the faceoff dot, marking the 30th time in 34 games this season he has won 10 or more faceoffs.

GROSS THE FINALIST

Junior forward Tyson Gross was named a finalist for three NCHC end-of-season awards, earning top-three recognition for the NCHC Player of the Year, Forward of the Year and Defensive Forward of the Year awards
Gross has produced a potential All-America campaign, scoring 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points with seven power play goals, three game-winning goals and two shorthanded goals. The Hobey Baker nominee was named the NCHC Forward of the Week on Feb. 10, leads the NCAA in faceoff wins with 464, was the NCHC goal-scoring champion with 16 goals in conference play and finished second in the points race with 28 points. Gross' 41 points are the most by a Husky since 2018-19 (Patrick Newell, 46) while his 1.21 points per game is the best by a Husky since 2015-16 (Kale Kossila, 1.32).
In addition to leading the NCAA in faceoff wins, Gross also ranks fifth nationally in faceoff percentage (.593), 10th in power play goals (seven), 11th in points (41), 17th in goals (18), 20th in assists (23). He ranks among the NCHC's top-10 in each of those categories. Gross has scored a goal in 14 of 34 games while scoring a point in 25 of 34 games. He's scored two goals in four games, 2+ assists in six games and 2+ points in 12 games. In the faceoff dot, he's won 10 or more faceoffs in 30 of 34 games, 15+ faceoff wins in 15 games and 20+ wins in two games.
He's one of two players in the nation to have multiple streaks of 8+ games with a point. He was named the NCHC Forward of the Week after a four-goal, five-point performance in a series sweep over Arizona State (Feb. 6-7), scoring both game-winning goals with a shorthanded goal in both games. Since 2002-03, he is just the second in program history to have two instances of 2+ goals in back-to-back games, joining Garrett Roe (Jan. 11-12, 2008 & Feb. 25-26, 2011). and the only Husky to have scored shorthanded goals in back-to-back games.
When he scored his 20^th point with an assist against North Dakota on Dec. 6, Gross became the 23rd player in program history to begin their SCSU career with three consecutive 20-point seasons.
In the Feb. 13 win vs. CC, Gross recorded his 50th career assist, becoming the 60th Husky in D-I history to reach that mark and first Zach Okabe and Veeti Miettinen reached 50 career assists in the 2022-23 season (both finished career in 2023-24).

LEAGUE PLAY LEADERS

SCSU's big three - junior forwards Tyson Gross and Barrett Hall and sophomore forward Austin Burnevik have only elevated their production in conference play, ranking among the league's leaders in several offensive categories.
Gross is making his bid for an All-NCHC First Team selection and finished the regular season as the NCHC goal-scoring champion with 16 goals while ranking second in points (28). He also led the conference in faceoff wins (325) while ranking second in game-winning goals (three), second in power play goals (five) and fifth in faceoff percentage (.563).
Burnevik ranks fifth in assists (15) and eighth in points (23) while Hall ranks ninth in game-winning goals (two), 19th in points (19), 17th in assists (12) and 20th in goals (seven).
Additionally, sophomore forward Gavyn Thoreson ranks 10th in goals (10) and senior defenseman Mason Reiners ranks 19th in plus/minus (+9).

TERRIFIC TRIO

Junior forward Tyson Gross (41 points / 1.21 ppg), sophomore forward Austin Burnevik (37 points / 1.09 ppg) and junior forward Barrett Hall (28 points / 0.82 ppg) have led the way offensively for the Huskies through 34 games, all averaging more than or nearly a point per game.
SCSU's top line have teamed up for the goal, primary and secondary assist on eight goals this season, while two of the three have contributed to 26 goals, totaling 34 of SCSU's 108 goals this season. The Hobey Baker Award nominee trio has combined for 47 goals and 59 assists for 106 points and 36.8 percent of SCSU's 288 points.
SCSU has not had three players average 1.00+ ppg over a full season since 2018-19 when Patrick Newell (1.17 ppg), Blake Lizotte (1.08 ppg) and Robby Jackson (1.05 ppg) all reached the mark. Gross' current mark of 1.23 ppg is the best mark by a Husky since Kale Kossila posted 1.32 points per game in 2015-16 (54 points in 41 games).
In 38 seasons of Division-I hockey, SCSU has had three or more players average 1.00+ ppg in 14 seasons and just four times since 2003-04.

STATEMENT WINS

St. Cloud State is 4-10-1 against ranked teams this season, but its four wins have been statement wins that have come against top-10 ranked opponents and will look real good on its resume once postseason play comes around.
First, SCSU beat the defending National Champions and then-No. 3 Western Michigan, 5-1, on Nov. 1 to snap a five-game losing streak to the Broncos. The win was SCSU's first over a top-three ranked opponent since Jan. 7, 2023 when the Huskies beat No. 3/1 Minnesota, 3-0, in St. Cloud.
SCSU then erased a two-goal deficit to beat No. 6/5 Denver, 4-3, on Dec. 13. The Huskies win was the Pioneers first loss in regulation in conference play this season. The Huskies overcame a two-goal deficit and won for the first time since winning 3-2 in overtime over Minnesota Duluth on March 7, 2025. The last time SCSU overcame a two-goal deficit and won in regulation was Dec. 3, 2022, when the Huskies trailed North Dakota 3-0 before winning 6-3.
SCSU beat then-No. 6 Minnesota Duluth with a 6-0 shutout on Jan. 16. The 6-0 win is SCSU's first shutout win over UMD since a 2-0 win at Duluth on March 5, 2022, and its largest margin of victory against the Bulldogs since an 8-2 win in Duluth on Feb. 11, 2011.
Finally, SCSU beat then-No. 9 Denver, erasing its second two-goal deficit of the season in a 4-2 road win over the Pioneers on Jan. 23.

NO STOPPING BURNEY

After becoming the first freshman in program history to lead the team in both goals and points in 2024-25, sophomore forward Austin Burnevik is picking up right where he left off a season ago. The rising sophomore ranks among the nation's best among goal scorers, ranking in the top-15 in goals and power play goals
Burnevik has recorded a point in 24 of 34 games this season, and has scored at least one goal in 15 games.
Burnevik scored a goal in five consecutive games between Oct. 18 and Nov. 1, the longest streak since Veeti Miettinen scored in six straight games between Oct. 20 – Nov. 11, 2023.
Burnevik opened the season with a nine-game point streak, the second-longest streak in the nation this season. He also scored in the last two games of last season to move his point streak to 11 games, the longest point streak by a Husky since Jonny Brodzinski had an 13-game point streak from Dec. 12, 2012 - Feb. 2, 2012. Since 2002-03, only six Husky skaters have recorded seven point streaks of 10+ games. Burnevik is joined by Garrett Roe (14, 2007-08), Jonny Brodzinski (13, 2012-13), Drew LeBlanc (13, 2012-13), Ryan Lasch (11, 2007-08; 10, 2007-08) and Tyson Gross (10, 2025-26).
In SCSU's 39-year D-I history, Burnevik is just the 11th skater to begin his collegiate career with back-to-back seasons with 25+ points, and the first since Mikey Eyssimont (2015-18).