Brian Moos / Program Director

St. Cloud State entered the weekend sitting just under North Dakota in the race for the NCHC Penrose Cup. They are also a NCAA Tournament bubble team, not common for a team sitting near the top of a conference. On Friday they hosted Western Michigan to start a two-game series. WMU is just above them in the tournament field, and not too far below them in the conference. Every NCHC team, having just six games left on the season, getting a victory would be crucial.

Friday

After a bounce-back weekend against Miami, the Huskies would keep their lineup mostly the same from their last game. This meant Freshman Isak Posch got the start in net for SCSU, coming off a strong showing on February 10. It looked to be a great choice early, as even though WMU would outshoot SCSU in the first period, SCSU would score the lone goal.

After Bronco forward Alex Bump turned a puck over in the Huskies’ end, Adam Ingram turned the puck up ice, initiating a two-on-one with Ethan Aucoin to his right. Ingram would find Aucoin within close distance of the net, but Aucoin fanned on the shot attempt, dragging him to behind the goal line. The Sophomore forward would then throw a seemingly hopeless puck toward the back of Bronco goalie Cameron Rowe. Surprisingly, it rolled into the net. A laugh could be seen through Ethan Aucoin’s cage as the goal horn sounded at the Herb Brooks Center, Huskies led 1-0.

Western Michigan would control the stat sheet after the first, outshooting the Huskies ten to three. St. Cloud State would play a more even period in terms of the stat sheet, but have an even better period in offensive output than the first. The Huskies would score two goals, one on the powerplay off a deflection from Assistant Captain Zach Okabe and one on a terrific play off a faceoff win from Hobey Baker candidate Kyler Kupka. Alex Bump had a goal for the Broncos sandwiched in between the two Husky goals to result in a three-to-one score after two periods.

The Broncos would take it to the Huskies in the third period, spoiling what seemed to be a great start to the weekend. Goals from Bronco Captain Luke Grainger and Graduate Forward Ethan Phillips with three minutes of each would turn the game upside down for the Huskies. The Huskies would make a push toward the end of regulation. A powerplay late in the game allowed the Huskies to apply pressure on the Broncos. As the Broncos gained full strength, Freshman Verner Miettinen was given a golden opportunity at goal. With Cameron Rowe out of position, Miettinen whipped the puck toward the net, surely giving the Huskies the go-ahead goal with less than two minutes to go.

Cameron Rowe snatched the puck before it hit the back of the netting, making one of the most impressive saves in NCHC history. SCSU was not convinced. Verner Miettinen, along with multiple other Huskies contested to referees that the puck crossed the goal line and that Rowe had caught the puck inside the net. What ensued was a controversial ruling after video review. After the call on the ice stood the game finished regulation.

It didn’t take long for the Broncos to break through in overtime. With Alex Bump scoring the winning goal, stealing a game at the Brooks Center. An angered Husky squad would need time to process the final few minutes. However, with the nature of College Hockey, you almost never get the ability to. Same teams, same building, and in less than 24 hours awaited WMU and SCSU.

Saturday

Saturday would see a much lower event game, with two periods breezing by without many whistles and no goals for either side. After an impressive performance in net from Mike Richter candidate Cameron Rowe on Friday, he kept humming along through the first two periods Saturday. After Freshman Goalie Isak Posch put up a solid performance, that was praised by Coach Brett Larson, he stood up to the challenge standing nearly 200 feet away from a top goaltender in the NCAA.

The Huskies would hold the Broncos to just 19 shots on the night, the lowest shot total the Broncos have been held to all season long. With the combination of Posch stopping the pucks he needed to and the SCSU D-Core keeping an explosive office at bay, the Huskies just need one puck to go past Rowe to break the game open.

Who else but Senior Forward Veeti Miettinen? Another Miettinen missile in a long list of heat-seekers throughout his Husky career was able to fool Rowe just enough to find twine. The Huskies would take a one goal lead early in the final frame and not look back.

After a steady push from the Broncos late in the game, along with an extra attacker, the Huskies would help their goal differential on the season. Two empty netters, scored by Kyler Kupka and Joe Molenaar off of great neutral zone play, would give SCSU the eventual final score of three to zero.

With the win the Huskies are just three points, a NCHC regulation win, away from clinching home ice in the NCHC playoffs. The Broncos will have to keep sweating it out against perennial powerhouse Denver and the restored Colorado College. St. Cloud State is also in the thick of a chase for the Penrose Cup, the NCHC regular season championship, as they are just a game behind North Dakota.