SB Nation College Hockey - #5 Miami Travels to #2 St. Cloud in an NCAA Tourney RematchCollege Hockey's Home on the Blogospherehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49993/wchb-fav.png2013-11-11T06:00:12-08:00http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/rss/stream/48460332013-11-11T06:00:12-08:002013-11-11T06:00:12-08:00St. Cloud State Responds; Defeats Miami 2-1
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<img alt="Photo Credit" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NCjBgF8cdgghep0Q1BkLmRNPnoQ=/1x0:1097x731/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/22908755/mattchristians_scsu-mu-murray.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo Credit | Matt Christians</figcaption>
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<p>St. Cloud State responded on Saturday night, defeating Miami 2-1.</p> <p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h4>Scoring Summary</h4>
<p>1st Period - MU (18:03) Max Cook from Sean Kuraly and Alex Wideman</p>
<p>2nd period - SCSU (1:34) Garrett Milan from Ryan Papa and Joe Rehkamp</p>
<p>3rd Period - SCSU (10:52) David Morley from Jimmy Murray and Jarrod Rabey</p>
<h4>Notes</h4>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><span>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.</span></li>
<li><span>Miami's Ryan McKay finished the series with 64 saves; St. Cloud State's Ryan Faragher with 59. Both displayed fabulous performances.</span></li>
<li><span>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.</span></li>
<li><span>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?</span></li>
<li><span>Miami leads the NCHC in scoring offense, averaging 3.7 goals per game, as well as power play percentage, which stands at 27.3%.</span></li>
</ul>
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<p>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).</p>
<p>Enjoy,</p>
<p>--</p>
<p><i>Give SB Nation College Hockey a follow here -> <a data-show-count="false" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/sbncollegepuck">Follow @sbncollegepuck</a></i></p>
<p><i>Matt Christians covers Minnesota Duluth and the NCHC for SB Nation and College Hockey News. You can also give him a follow on Twitter -> <a href="https://twitter.com/matt_christians" class="twitter-follow-button" data-show-count="false">Follow @matt_christians</a></i></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2013/11/11/5089372/st-cloud-state-responds-defeats-miami-2-1-huskies-redhawks-austin-czarnik-nic-dowd-nchc-hockeyMatt Christians2013-11-08T21:01:12-08:002013-11-08T21:01:12-08:00Miami Beats St. Cloud State 2-0 on Friday Night
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<figcaption>Miami's Ryan McKay made 31 stops for his second shutout of the year | Matt Christians</figcaption>
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<p>The RedHawks gave a superlative defensive effort to pick up a big road win.</p> <p>Miami rode an impressive defensive effort to a 2-0 shutout victory over St. Cloud State on Friday evening. Matt Joyaux's even strength goal at 7:08 of the second period opened the scoring and held up as the game-winner. Riley Barber would add to the lead 8:42 into the second period when he took a face-off win from teammate Austin Czarnik and fired the puck off the post and into the net. The point for each of Miami's dynamic duo kept them tied atop the national scoring chart alongside St. Lawrence's Greg Carey with 15 points on the season.</p>
<p>Miami goalie Ryan McKay was stellar all night, making 31 saves to earn his 4th victory of the season, and second shutout of the year.</p>
<p>A few notes and thoughts from the game:</p>
<p>-Miami's incredible team defense was the star of the show tonight. St. Cloud attempted 72 shots on the net, with only 31 of them making it to McKay. Miami was credited with blocking 17 of them, but it certainly felt like a lot more. More importantly was how beautifully Miami defended after the first shot. When St. Cloud was able to get a shot through to the net, it usually wasn't a high quality chance, but more of a shot intended to draw a rebound. Miami did a tremendous job of locking down on guys in front of the net and keeping them from getting a stick on a second, or third opportunity.</p>
<p>-The other big story on the night was how incredible Miami's top line of Austin Czarnik, Riley Barber, and Jimmy Mullin continue to be. By unofficial count, Czarnik and Barber played 19 shifts at even strength, five on the power play, and five while shorthanded. If you figure they average 45 seconds per shift--and that might be a tad conservative--that puts them at 21:45 of ice time on the night. And Miami got a chance to rest them a little bit late, once they got the two-goal lead.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Czarnik was sub-.500 on face-offs for the night(8 for 19), but won the one that counted when he generated that huge second goal in the third period that proved to be a dagger. Czarnik was dangerous in every aspect of the game. We'll have more on both Czarnik and Barber later next week.</p>
<p>-If there was a turning point in the game, it came early. St. Cloud got off to a fast start, and on the second shift of the game, had their best scoring chance of the night when Andrew Prochno took a feed from behind the net and fired a one-timer that hit the post. If St. Cloud goes up by a goal just over a minute into the game, like they did last spring, it's probably an entirely different game. Instead, the game dragged on without a score until nearly the midway point of the game, making that first goal more and more important. When Miami got that lead, it felt like St. Cloud had to climb a mountain to get back into the game.</p>
<p>-Official attendance was announced at 4533. The building felt mostly full, but there were plenty of empty seats, especially along the ends of the sidelines. There wasn't quite the atmosphere you'd hope for two top ten teams facing off, but there's a lot of other factors to consider. It's still early in the hockey season. There were a lot of local high school football games going on, including one across the street. A lot of people took off for the north for the hunting opener. And any time the home team gets shut out, there's just not going to be a lot of energy in the building. Still, the atmosphere at the National Hockey Center has really declined over the past few years.</p>
<p>- I do think there were some positives for St. Cloud tonight. Despite losing Nick Jensen to the pros over the summer, I think their defense might actually be better this year. There's a lot more depth than they had last year. Kevin Gravel has stepped up and looks like a much more confident player as a senior, while players like Andrew Prochno, Tim Daly, and Ethan Prow have made big strides as well. Ryan Faragher had a strong game as well, even though he was over-shadowed by McKay's excellent performance. Faragher made a couple beautiful saves late in the second period to keep the score at 1-0, and give St. Cloud a chance in the third period.</p>
<p>-That said, I do see some cause for concern with the Huskies on offense. Miami is a team that can make anybody look bad with the way they play defense, but the Husky offense just isn't clicking yet. There's a lot of goal-scorers in their line-up, but they're really missing an elite playmaker like Drew Leblanc to help set up those goal scorers. Kalle Kossila is probably the closest they have that could develop into that role, but right now, he's more of a stickhandler than a passer.</p>
<p>-For you Fancystat fans, St. Cloud held a 51-33 even strength shot attempt advantage, for a 61-39 Corsi number. Some of that is skewed by a 21-10 advantage in the third period when Miami backed off with a two-goal lead, but I'd buy that St. Cloud probably had a 60-40 edge in terms of zone possession. The difference, however, was Miami finding a way to capitalize on the opportunities they had, and doing a tremendous job limiting St. Cloud's advantage with some tremendous shot blocking and defensive play in front of their net.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2013/11/8/5082834/miami-defeats-st-cloud-2-0-on-friday-nightChris Dilks2013-11-08T20:00:02-08:002013-11-08T20:00:02-08:00Miami 2 St. Cloud 0: Final Scoring
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<figcaption>Elsa</figcaption>
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<p>Miami shutout the home Huskies for a 2-0 win.</p> <p>Here's the final scoring from Miami's 2-0 Friday night win over St. Cloud</p>
<p><b>First Period</b></p>
<p>No scoring in the period.</p>
<p>Shots: Miami 14 St. Cloud 8</p>
<p><b>Second Period</b></p>
<p>7:08- Matt Joyaux from Alex Wideman and Sean Kuraly 1-0 Miami</p>
<p><i>Wideman won the puck behind the net and fed it out to a pinching Joyaux from the beat. Joyaux fired a low shot along the ice that beat Faragher through the five hole.</i></p>
<p>Shots:</p>
<p>2nd Period: St. Cloud 10 Miami 10</p>
<p>Total: Miami 24 St. Cloud 19</p>
<p><b>Third Period</b></p>
<p>8:42- Riley Barber from Austin Czarnik 2-0 Miami</p>
<p><i>After a media timeout, Czarnik won a draw straight back to Barber who fired a missile off the cross bar and into the net.</i></p>
<p>Shots:</p>
<p>3rd Period: St. Cloud 12 Miami 6</p>
<p>Total: St. Cloud 32 Miami 30</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2013/11/8/5082830/miami-2-st-cloud-0-friday-night-final-scoringChris Dilks2013-11-08T16:34:21-08:002013-11-08T16:34:21-08:00St. Cloud vs. Miami--Friday Line Charts & Notes
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<figcaption>Elsa</figcaption>
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<p>The line charts and final pre-game notes before St. Cloud and Miami face off at 7:30CST</p> <p>Greetings from the newly and beautifully renovated Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It's like walking into a whole new arena here after some beautiful renovations to the entrance.</p>
<p>The Huskies will face off tonight against Miami for the first time since the two teams met in the Midwest Regional final last spring in Toledo, Ohio. St. Cloud came away with a 4-1 win that afternoon to the advance to the school's first ever Frozen Four. The RedHawks will be looking to take their revenge, and earn the three NCHC league points up for grabs tonight.</p>
<p>Here's the line-up for the host Huskies of St. Cloud State:</p>
<p>Daniel Tedesco- Nic Dowd(LAK) - Jimmy Murray</p>
<p>Joey Benik - Kalle Kossila - Jonny Brodzinski(LAK)</p>
<p>Nick Oliver - Cory Thorson - Brooks Bertsch</p>
<p>Ryan Papa - David Morley - Joey Holka</p>
<p>Andrew Prochno - Ethan Prow</p>
<p>Kevin Gravel(LAK) - Tim Daly</p>
<p>Niklas Nevalainen - Ben Storm(COL)</p>
<p>Ryan Faragher - Charlie Lindgren - Rasmus Reijola</p>
<p>Last spring, it was the third line that featured Thorson and Bertsch and dominated the game and got St. Cloud the win. The Huskies will also be looking for more production from the talented line of Benik/Kossila/Brodzinski, which hasn't produced as much as hoped to this point this year.</p>
<p>St. Cloud head coach Bob Motzko was an assistant coach at Miami for six seasons.</p>
<p>And here's the line-up for the visting RedHawks of Miami:</p>
<p>Jimmy Mullin(TBL) - Austin Czarnik - Riley Barber(WSH)</p>
<p>Alex Wideman - Sean Kuraly(SJS) - Max Cook</p>
<p>Anthony Louis(CHI) - Blake Coleman (NJD)- Alex Gacek</p>
<p>Cody Murphy - Kevin Morris - Justin Greenberg</p>
<p>Matthew Caito - Chris Joyaux</p>
<p>Taylor Richart - Trevor Hamilton</p>
<p>Matt Joyaux - Ben Paulides</p>
<p>Ryan McKay - Jay Williams</p>
<p>Czarnik and Barber are tied for the national scoring lead with 14 points each. This game is a homecoming for Minnesota-native Taylor Richart, who was teammates with St. Cloud's Jonny Brodzinski at Blaine High School, and with the Fargo Force in the USHL.</p>
<p>Officials for tonight's game are Todd Anderson and Scott Bokal. Tony Czech and Johnathan Morrison will call the lines.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2013/11/8/5082010/st-cloud-vs-miami-friday-night-line-charts-and-notesChris Dilks2013-11-06T09:07:29-08:002013-11-06T09:07:29-08:00SCSU & Miami Meet in NCAA Tourney Rematch
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<figcaption>Justin K. Aller</figcaption>
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<p>It's just like last year's regional final, except that people might actually show up this time.</p> <p>St. Cloud and Miami will meet this weekend in St. Cloud for the first time as conference rivals, but these two teams are no strangers to each other. They faced off less eight months ago, when St. Cloud beat the RedHawks 4-1 in the Midwest Regional final to advance to their first ever <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-frozen-four">Frozen Four</a>.</p>
<p>St. Cloud is coming off a huge weekend sweep at North Dakota last weekend that has them in an early tie for first place in the NCHC. Miami, meanwhile, swept Canisius at home last weekend to bounce back from a difficult weekend at Providence in which they only picked up a single tie. It's still early in the season, but these two teams are the early favorites to be competing for the first ever NCHC league title at the end of the year, and the results of this series could have a big impact on the championship chase.</p>
<p>Leading the way for Miami is the formidable duo of <span>Austin Czarnik</span> and Riley Barber. The two are tied with each other for the lead in the national scoring race with 14 points each. Barber is a draft pick of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a>, while Czarnik is an NHL-free agent. New Jersey draft pick Blake Coleman rounds out the top line, with a very respectable ten points. Those three have combined for 19 of Miami's 34 goals on the season.</p>
<p>St. Cloud is a little more balanced up front. They're led by senior captain Nic Dowd, who has seven points in six games this year, including having a hand in two critically important goals last Saturday against North Dakota. Sophomores <span>Kalle Kossila</span> and Jonny Brodzinski are also dangerous scoring threats for the Huskies.</p>
<p>On the blueline, both teams rely more on smaller, puck-moving defensemen. Miami's Matthew Caito is just a sophomore, but already developing a reputation as one of the most reliable puck-movers in the country. St. Cloud's Niklas Nevalainen is stepping in nicely to the role occupied by All-American Nick Jensen last year. Sophomore Ethan Prow has also made serious strides in his development since his rookie year last year.</p>
<p>In goal, the RedHawks have continued to split time between their pair of sophomores Ryan McKay and <span>Jay Williams</span>, with McKay consistently putting up slightly better statistics. Each goalie is likely to start one game with this weekend. St. Cloud also has an embarrassment of riches in net. Freshman Charlie Lindgren was one of the top goalies in junior hockey last year, and looked promising in his first career start with the Huskies, but veteran Ryan Faragher has played so well this year, there has been no reason to give Lindgren more opportunity. Faragher likely sees both starts this weekend, unless he has a rough outing on Friday night.</p>
<p>These should be two pretty exciting games from teams that like to play an up-tempo style of hockey. Last year, St. Cloud's strong neutral zone defense was able to slow down Czarnik and Barber and keep them off the scoresheet. That could prove to be a tougher task this time around, on the Olympic-sized ice at St. Cloud. St. Cloud was able to use their depth at forward, getting all four goals from their third line, including a goal just five minutes into the game that gave St. Cloud a lead, and really set the tone in the Huskies favor.</p>
<p>The only television coverage for these games will be locally in Minnesota. Subscribers to Charter Cable can find the games on channel 823/426 while Comcast subscribers can find the games on channel 999.</p>
<p>We'll also have live coverage of the Friday night game here at SBN College Hockey as well. Follow @SBNCollegePuck and @ChrisDilks on Twitter for updates from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.</p>
<p> </p>
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https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2013/11/6/5072744/5-miami-travels-to-2-st-cloud-in-an-ncaa-tourney-rematchChris Dilks