St. Cloud State Responds; Defeats Miami 2-1

After falling to the Miami Redhawks 2-0, the St. Cloud State Huskies responded with a narrow 2-1 victory at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

After denying 31 shots and earning his second shutout of the season on Friday night, Ryan McKay received the go ahead from coach Enrico Blasi to mind the Redhawk's net. Ryan Faragher received the same nod after making 29 saves in the previous night's action.

Miami's Max Cook struck first in the final two minutes of the first period to give the Redhawks the narrow lead, but it couldn't have happened without a perfect pass from Sean Kuraly.

St. Cloud State's Garret Milan tied the game just a minute and a half into the second period, burying a Ryan Papa's initial shot backhandedly. This goal tied the game and gave SCSU the momentum to push forward.

David Morley notched the game winning goal for the Huskies midway through the 3rd period, turning around and sniping McKay after receiving a quick pass from Jimmy Murray who was behind the net.

It was a low scoring weekend for two teams with very talented offensive units. Goaltending was fun to watch for both sides, but the fact that zero goals were scored while on the man advantage is scary, and one of the main things St. Cloud Coach Bob Motzko didn't like after Friday night's game. I would expect the Huskies to find their power play groove with a little time and practice, but with their 6-1-1 record, it's hard to complain about too much anyway.

Scoring Summary

1st Period - MU (18:03) Max Cook from Sean Kuraly and Alex Wideman

2nd period - SCSU (1:34) Garrett Milan from Ryan Papa and Joe Rehkamp

3rd Period - SCSU (10:52) David Morley from Jimmy Murray and Jarrod Rabey

Notes

• The biggest note between the whole series was the fact that neither team's power play managed to score a goal. Miami failed to convert on five opportunities, while St. Cloud State let eight chances slip by. Unacceptable.
• Miami's Ryan McKay finished the series with 64 saves; St. Cloud State's Ryan Faragher with 59. Both displayed fabulous performances.
• Miami's Alex Wideman and Sean Kuraly, a San Jose prospect, both led the series between the two teams with two points each. Both Wideman and Kuraly had two assists.
• St. Cloud State still remains at the top of the NCHC for win percentage with .812, but their power play raises huge questions going forward. At just 9.4%, the only team lower in the NCHC is Colorado College, who is currently battling a 5.3% power play. The Huskies do have the least amount of losses, as Friday night's loss was their first, and are tied with Minnesota Duluth for scoring defense at just 1.88 goals against per game. Glass half full?
• Miami leads the NCHC in scoring offense, averaging 3.7 goals per game, as well as power play percentage, which stands at 27.3%.

Next weekend, St. Cloud State travels south to play a series against the WCHA's Alabama Huntsville Chargers (0-8-0), while Miami hosts the Big Ten's Wisconsin Badgers (3-2-1).

Enjoy,

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Matt Christians covers Minnesota Duluth and the NCHC for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can also give him a follow on Twitter -> Follow @matt_christians