(Photo Prout)
St. Cloud, MN – The Huskies return to the ice to face the CCHA league-leading Bemidji State Beavers in a home-and-home series on December 29th and 31st. The Friday contest will be in Bemidji, with the series finale at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on New Year’s Eve. This is the third consecutive season that the Huskies have squared off against the Beavers and former SCSU assistant Tom Serratore (1993-99), who is in his 23rd season as head coach at Bemidji.
#14 (PWR) SCSU Huskies (9-5-2) vs #37 (PWR) BSU Beavers (8-10-0)
TV: FOX 9 + (Sunday)
Live Broadcast Stream: Fri., FLOHOCKEY.TV | Sun., NCHC.TV
Radio/Stream: KNSI 1450 AM/99.3 FM (St. Cloud) KVSC 88.1 FM (St. Cloud)
Where: Fri., Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN | Sun., Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, MN
When: Fri., Dec.29, 7:00 PM CT /Sun., Dec. 31, 4:00 PM CT
Last Time Out
The Beavers had a Thursday/Friday league series with Bowing Green on December 14/15, sweeping the Falcons by scores of 3-1 and 5-2. Thursday, outshooting the Falcons 46-19, the Beavers took a two-goal lead entering period three only to see BGSU draw to within one with an extra attacker goal with 2:36 remaining in regulation. An empty net goal by Eric Martin inside the last minute of play sealed things for the win. In the rematch, the Beavers again outshot the Falcons by a wide margin, 40-18, and scored three times in period one to roll to a 5-2 win and sweep.
The Huskies last played on December 8/9 vs Omaha and completed a successful road trip with a 4-1 Friday night win and an overtime tie in the series finale. Special teams excelled in the Friday win, killing all five Omaha power play opportunities to earn their seventh consecutive conference win. A power-play goal by Verner Miettinen and Ryan Rosborough’s first career goal was enough for the win.
Isak Posch got his first career collegiate start on Saturday, and he turned aside 31 of 33 shots on goal for a successful outing. In a game of momentum by both squads, Kyler Kupka tied the game in period two with his 7th goal of the season. A scoreless third period led to another scoreless session in overtime. Omaha’s Ty Mueller scored the only shootout goal for the extra league point.
Head to Head
At the NCAA Division One level, SCSU leads the series by the wide margin of 25-5-4. The Huskies are 14-2-2 on home ice and 9-3-2 in Bemidji. The Huskies are 3-1-1 in the last five, 7-1-2 in the last ten, and 13-3-4 in the last twenty. The last meeting was on October 28/29, 2022, with Bemidji prevailing on home ice 3-1 and the Huskies rebounding for a 4-1 win at the HBNHC.
Team Statistics
| Teams | St. Cloud State | Bemidji State |
| Pairwise Record | 9-3-2 (0-2) .681 | 7-6-0 (1-4) .519 |
| Head-to-Head | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 |
| Goals | 46 / 2.88 | 53 / 2.94 |
| Goals Against | 37 / 2.31 | 63 / 3.50 |
| Power Play | 19.7% | 17.5% |
| Penalty Kill | 86.4% | 71.7% |
| Avg. Height / Weight | 6′ 0.67″ / 181.3 lbs. | 5′ 11.68″ / 180.7 lbs. |
| Avg. Age | 22y 2m | 22y 4m |
Lleyton Roed (Photo Prout)
Bemidji State University Beavers Notes
Head Coach: Tom Serratore (23rd Season; 376-354-97 .513)
2022-23: 14-17-5 (T4th CCHA)
CCHA Preseason Ranking: 4th
The Bemidji State Beavers lost a lot of experience and leadership in the departure of Elias Rosen, Ross Armour, Will Zmolek, Mitchell Martan, and Kaden Pickering from last year’s squad. But unlike many teams, the coaching staff did not load up on short-term fixes via the transfer portal to fill holes. With only two graduate-level students on the roster, they are also not relying on fifth-year players. They seem to be doing things old-fashioned with a youth movement and seven freshmen on the 2023-24 roster. Regardless, the team still consists of 14 upperclassmen. It’s working out quite well with the Beavers in first place in the CCHA with a 7-5-0 league record.
Goaltender
The team is built around experience in goal with returnees Mattias Sholl (So.) and junior Gavin Enright. Sholl played 30 games in 2022-23, posted a solid 2.26 GAA and .908 SV%, and would be the anointed starter this season. However, after suffering a lower-body injury vs the University of St. Thomas on October 27th, he missed 11 games until returning to the lineup on December 14th vs Bowling Green. Sholl showed no rust, allowing only three goals all weekend in anchoring a sweep of the Falcons. With Sholl back in the lineup, it gives a substantial boost to the team as they battle for first place.
In Sholl’s absence, the Beavers relied on Enright in goal, and although his numbers are not impressive with a 4-7-0 record, 3.44 GAA, and .862 SV%, he did backstop the Beavers to key wins over St. Thomas, Michigan Tech and Minnesota-State.
Forward
The departure of leading goal-scorers Ross Armour (14-8-22), Michell Martan (8-10-18), and Kaden Pickering (5-9-14) put a big dent in the offense as they contributed close to 30% of the goal-scoring. But the cupboard was not left bare with the return of leading goal scorer and sophomore Lleyton Roed, senior Eric Martin, junior Alexander Lundman, and sophomore Adam Flammang. All are contributing in 2023-24, along with senior Jackson Jutting. Scoring close to three goals per game, offense has not been an issue. An interesting statistic is that all 13 forwards that have appeared in at least 10 games have at least one goal.
Defense
Despite the loss of key defenders Elias Rosen (4-24-28) and Will Zmolek (4-17-21), who were also in the top five in team points, they’ve pieced things together nicely with the return of fifth-year Kyle Looft (5-13-18), currently leading the team in points and the addition of one of the top talents in college hockey in Eric Pohlkamp. Pohlkamp will be a member of this year’s USA World Junior team and will miss this series. Rounding out the unit are defensive-oriented Tony Follmer and Will Magnusen, physical defenseman Mitch Wolfe, and two mobile defensemen in sophomores Vince Corcoran and Logan Acheson.
Coach’s Comments:
“It’s always interesting these first games back after the break,” commented BSU head coach Tom Serratore. “Your legs aren’t quite up to where they were before the break. These games can be very interesting both ways. I’m sure it will be a little ragged at times. We only have two days of practice before the (Friday) game. It’s fun playing an in-state team. The players, fans, and coaches love it. They are fun to play, there is more exposure, and people pay attention.”
Cooper Wylie (Photo Prout)
St. Cloud State University Huskies Notes
Head Coach: Brett Larson (6th season; 115-65-18 .626)
2022-23 Record: 25-13-3 (4th NCHC)
NCHC Preseason Ranking: 3rd
NCAA Appearances as NCHC Team: 9 of 10 seasons
For the Huskies, it’s not a rebuild but a re-load as they look to defend their 2023 Frozen Faceoff Championship and battle for a fifth NCHC league title. With 10 first-year players (including transfers), one-third of the team has turned over. This year’s squad comprises eleven upperclassmen (including three 5th-year players), eight sophomores, and eight freshmen.
Defense
2022-23 Union College transfer Dylan Anhorn made an impression from day one and was one of college hockey’s top point-producing defensemen until an injury derailed his season on January 20th. He committed to a 5th season and was rewarded by being named captain by his teammates. Junior Jack Peart, a Minnesota Wild draft choice, has steadily become one of the league’s top defensemen and was recognized by being selected to the 2023 NCHC pre-season All-League team. This duo is one of college hockey’s most mobile puck movers and offensive defenders.
Juniors Josh Luedtke and Alaska transfer Karl Falk will bring different elements to the lineup. Luedtke is a puck mover who can push the offense up the ice but is adept when inserted on the penalty kill. 6’3″ 205 pound Falk should fill the role Brendan Bushy and Ondrej Trejbal vacated as a strong, big-bodied defensive player who skates well and has a strong shot. Sophomores Cooper Wylie and Mason Reiners were teammates in junior hockey and transitioned nicely to the collegiate game last season. Their experience from last season has them in the top four of the depth charts. Reiners is currently out with an injury.
Three talented first-year players will battle for ice time and push the top six. Youngster Warren Clark just turned 19 and was a 6th-round Tampa Bay Lightning draft choice in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Tynan Ewart is a seasoned 21-year-old junior hockey veteran who logged 114 games in the SJHL and earned the league’s Defenseman of the Year award. Left-shooting 6’5″ 210-pound Kaleb Tiessen adds more depth and size to an already deep defensive. All have earned ice time this season.
Forward
The team returns six top-ten scorers, including fifth-year Zach Okabe, Kyler Kupka, senior Veeti Miettinen, and sophomore Adam Ingram. The Huskies can count on scoring from this group, and all are currently in the top five in points. Okabe has joined the 100 career point club, and Miettinen is currently three points shy. Miettinen is having an outstanding season, scoring in eleven of his last twelve games, including ten goals, and leading the team in points with 14. Kupka has 13 points in his last 13 games. Senior Joe Molenaar is having a career season with seven goals.
The team needs the next wave of experienced forwards to contribute to the offense, including juniors Mason Salquist, Nick Portz (transfer), Ryan Rosborough, and sophomores Jack Rogers, Grant Ahcan, and Ethan Aucoin.
If the above group has difficulty putting the puck in the net, the torch gets passed to talented freshmen, including Tyson Gross, Barrett Hall, Verner Miettinen, and Jack Reimann. All can play center and have been given significant ice time.
Goaltender
In goal, senior Dominic Basse is the starter, has logged nearly 90% of the minutes, and has posted a 2.22 GAA and .913 SV% with three shutouts, tying him for the national lead in that statistic. He’s currently 16th in goals against average. Basse’s game has gotten stronger as the season has progressed, and they’ll need him to be on his game in the second half.
Isak Posch has appeared in two games and has logged nearly 100 minutes of play. He has stopped 45 of 47 shots against Minnesota-State and Omaha for an impressive 1.22 GAA and .957 SV%.
Joe Molenaar (Photo Prout)
Series Prospectus
The Beavers carry a less-than-.500 record into the series but are 7-4-0 on home ice (including two overtime losses). They’ve won three of their last four games at home, outscoring their opponents, Lake Superior State and Bowling Green, by a 15-4 margin. The offense has not been an issue, scoring close to three goals per game. However, keeping the puck out of their net has as they’ve allowed 3.5 goals per game, placing them in the bottom ten in college hockey. The return of Mattias Sholl in goal will certainly help, but the loss of Eric Pohlkamp for the series is significant.
After starting the season 2-4-0 (including two overtime losses), the Huskies have compiled a 7-1-1 record since and are undefeated in league play. The team has created an identity of strong defensive play, reliable goaltending, and four lines of depth. One area that could still use improvement is the power play, which is still lagging under 20% for the season.
Historically, the Huskies have performed well on Bemidji’s home ice and have the advantage in special team play on paper. Road wins are never easy, and the Huskies are 1-3-0 against the CCHA this season. The team must regain their game legs after only two games last month.
Quality goaltending, a good puck possession game, and pressuring the Beaver’s defense will all be keys for the Huskies. If it turns into a special team battle, it should benefit the Huskies.
The Beavers are a formidable opponent on home ice and will be a challenge as the Huskies begin play in the second half of the season.
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