SCSU Hockey Teams Notch Friday Wins, Johnnies Travel to St. Peter

The St. Cloud State University men's and women's hockey teams, the University of Minnesota men's hockey team, the St. John's University hockey team, and the Granite City Lumberjacks all started their weekends off with Friday wins, while the St. Cloud Norsmen fell short in Minot. On Saturday, the Gopher, Bison, and St. John's football teams will return to the field, the St. Ben's hockey team will take on UW-Superior in an exhibition matchup, and the Minnesota Wild will look to return to the win column when they face Columbus.

RECAPS:

- The no. 20/18 SCSU men's hockey team beat Alaska-Fairbanks 4-1 at home Friday night. St. Cloud got off to a hot start, netting three goals in the first period. Neither team scored in the second, but halfway through the third, the Nanooks scored their first goal to avoid the shutout. The Huskies slid in one more late and locked up the win. Veeti Miettinen, Nick Portz, Adam Ingram, and Joe Moleaar each scored once for St. Cloud. Dominic Basse made 12 saves and allowed one goal. The Huskies improve to 2-3 and will look to complete the sweep with game two on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

- The no. 13 SCSU women's hockey team shut out no. 10 Northwestern 2-0 in their first game of the 2023 Women's Ice Breaker in Fairfield, Connecticut. Katie Kaufman and Klara Hymlarova each lit the lamp once for St. Cloud in the win. Sanni Ashola made 21 saves and kept her record-breaking streak alive with her fourth consecutive shutout of the season. The Huskies are now 6-2 and will look to keep rolling on Saturday when they take on Lindenwood (3-4) at 4:00 p.m.

- The St. John's hockey team beat UW-Stout 5-4 in an exhibition matchup on the road on Friday. The Johnnies will open the regular season next week when they host UW-River Falls. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. on October 28th at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

- The no. 1 Gopher men's hockey team rolled over UND for a 4-0 win in Grand Forks on Friday. Brody Lamb, Oliver Moore, Bryce Brodzinski, and Jimmy Snuggerud each scored one for Minnesota. Justen Close made 25 saves to earn the shutout. The Gophers improve to 3-0 and will look to stay hot in game two against the Fighting Hawks on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.

- The Lumberjacks held off a rally and beat the Mason City Toros 3-2 at home Friday night. Parker Mitchell gave Granite City a 1-0 lead in the opening period. Then in the second, both teams traded goals. Carson Strapon extended the Lumberjacks' lead to 2-0 before the Toros cut it to 2-1. Patrick Dunaiski pushed the lead out to 3-1 for Granite City, and Mason City scored their second to cut the deficit to one goal once more. Neither team scored in the third period. The Lumberjacks move to 6-4-0-1 and will close out the series against the Toros (7-4) at home on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.

- The Norsemen fell 2-1 to the Minotauros in the shootout on Friday. After a scoreless first period, Lucca Munoz put St. Cloud on the board in the second. That 1-0 lead stood until the Minotauros scored a goal of their own late in the third to push the game to overtime. Neither team found the back of the net in the extra period, but Minot came out on top in the shootout. The Norsemen fall to 5-3-1-3 and sink back down into fifth place in the Central Division. They will look to earn a split when they take on Minot in game two at 7:35 p.m. on Saturday.

PREVIEWS:

- The no. 7 St. John's football team (5-1, 4-0 MIAC) will visit Gustavus (3-3, 2-2 MIAC) on Saturday. The Johnnies are 49-19-3 overall against the Gusties, and are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. in St. Peter.

- The Gopher football team (3-3, 1-2 B1G) returns from their bye week to take on no. 24/23 Iowa (6-1, 3-1 B1G) on the road Saturday. Minnesota leads the overall series 62-52-2 but has lost the last eight consecutive games. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

- The no. 14/15 Bison football team (4-2, 1-2 MVFC) will return home on Saturday to host Western Illinois (0-6, 0-3 MVFC). NDSU is 10-2 against the Leathernecks and has won the last eight in a row. Kick off is set for 2:30 p.m. in Fargo. The game will be joined in progress on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM KXSS.

- The St. Ben's hockey team will take the ice for the first time this fall on Saturday when they host UW-Superior in an exhibition game. The Bennies are 5-13 all-time against the Yellowjackets, but 3-6 at home. Puck drop is set for 2:45 p.m. at Ritsche Arena.

- The Wild (2-2) will look to get back in the win column when they host the Blue Jackets (2-2) on Saturday. This is the first matchup between the teams this season. Pre-game coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.