by Noah Grant/Sports Director/@noahgrant_23

OMAHA, Neb. – The St. Cloud State men’s hockey team finished in a 2-2 tie with the Omaha Mavericks on Friday before falling in the shootout, as the Mavericks earned the extra conference point. 

Will Sharpe scored his first collegiate goal and Finn McLaughlin tied the game in the third period for the Huskies (3-4-1, 1-1-1 NCHC). Yan Shostak made 31 saves across regulation and overtime and stopped four of five shootout shots in net. 

Gavin Hodnett also tallied his first NCAA goal for Omaha (2-4-1, 0-2-1 NCHC) and Ryan McCleary scored his first of the season. Freshman goaltender William Lacelle made a career-high 42 saves and stopped all five Huskies shootout attempts. 

SCSU got off to a strong start, earning a power play just 14 seconds into the game. The Huskies put six shots on goal during the man advantage, peppering the goal of Lacelle. 

It was the sixth shot that snuck through off the stick of Sharpe. The freshman defender threw a shot on net from a sharp angle that snuck past Lacelle at 1:49. Jake Southgate and McLaughlin picked up the assists. 

The Huskies continued their early pressure, at one point outshooting the Mavericks 13-2 but couldn’t find a way to extend their lead. 

Omaha evened the score at 11:36 of the first period as Hodnett slipped a shot through the five-hole of Shostak. Trevor Wong and Logan Wormald added assists on the goal. 

The second period saw a strong Mavericks push and they would get the only goal of the frame from McCleary at 12:31. The defender showed patience at the point, waiting out a Huskies defender before ripping a wrist shot home for the 2-1 Omaha lead. 

McLaughlin answered back in the third period at 8:26, again on the power play. Hayden Paupanekis tried to take a shot from right outside the crease but lost possession of the puck, which slid straight to McLaughlin. His quick shot went off the post and in to even the score. 

Neither team could find a go-ahead goal in regulation and the teams headed to overtime. Shostak had to make a couple huge saves to send the game to the shootout, including two partial breakaway saves. 

In the shootout, Logan Wormald was the hero in the fifth round, beating Shostak low blocker to earn the extra NCHC point for the Mavericks. 

The teams will wrap up the series on Saturday from Baxter Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m.