Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Power-play goals the difference as Colorado College knocks off SCSU
Tigers score twice in 1:01 span of second period to change momentum, go on to knock off No. 3/4-ranked Huskies, 4-2
St. Cloud State forward Chase Brand (27) is checked into the boards by Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — In a span of 1 minute, 1 second, the whole momentum of the game changed.
In the second period, Tyler Coffey scored at 6:09 and Hunter McKown scored at 7:10 — both on the power play — for Colorado College. The Tigers went on to beat No. 3/4-ranked St. Cloud State 4-2 in an NCHC game on Friday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
The win moves the Tigers (6-4-1 NCHC, 10-10-1 overall) into a tie for second place behind Denver in the conference with the Huskies (7-4, 15-6). The two teams play Game 2 of their series at 6 p.m. Saturday (FOX 9+) at the Brooks Center.
The Huskies led 1-0 after the first period and they outshot the Tigers 21-6 in the first 20 minutes. Fifth-year senior Grant Cruikshank scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season at 17:34 to give the Huskies their lone lead of the game.
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St. Cloud State forward Adam Ingram (34) and Colorado College defenseman Chase Foley (7) battle for the puck in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Jason Wachter / The Rink Live
In the second period, SCSU's Brendan Bushy took a tripping penalty at 4:53 and then Brady Ziemer took a tripping penalty at 6:04 to give the Tigers a 5-on-3 power play. Coffey tied the game at 1-1 with a goal at 6:09 and then McKown scored his NCAA Division I leading 10th power-play goal of the season at 7:10 to give Colorado College a 2-1 lead.
In the third period, Coffey finished off a nice passing play with a goal on the back door at 1:06 to make it 3-1.
The Huskies pulled goalie Jaxon Castor for an extra attacker with 4:13 left, but Noah Prokop scored an empty-net goal to make it 4-1.
SCSU got an extra-attacker goal when Joe Molenaar scored with 1:01 left to cut the deficit to 4-2.
The Huskies were 0-for-3 on the power play and the Tigers were 2-for-2 on the power play.
Micah Miller took a shot that hit Tigers goalie Kaidan Mbereko in the head and he had to leave the game with 3:24 left in the second period. He was replaced by Matt Vernon. Mbereko stopped 26 of the 27 shots he faced; Vernon stopped 16 of 17.
1/27: St. Cloud State forward Joe Molenaar (22) tries to keep the puck from Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
2/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Brady Ziemer (2) sends the puck past Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
3/27: St. Cloud State forward Micah Miller (15) takes the puck toward the goal against Colorado College in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
4/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Dylan Anhorn (4) takes the puck towards the goal past Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
5/27: St. Cloud State forward Adam Ingram (34) and Colorado College defenseman Chase Foley (7) battle for the puck in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
6/27: St. Cloud State forward Joe Molenaar (22) works to get the puck from behind the net against Colorado College in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
7/27: St. Cloud State forward Chase Brand (27) is checked into the boards by Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
8/27: St. Cloud State forward Veeti Miettinen (29) and St. Cloud State forward Jami Krannila (13) battle Colorado College forward Ryan Beck (8) for the puck behind the Colorado goal in the third period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
9/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Ondrej Trejbal (5) passes the puck under Colorado College forward Logan Will (20) in the second period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
10/27: Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) deflects a shot against St. Cloud State in the second period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
11/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Spencer Meier (9) and St. Cloud State forward Mason Salquist (16) try to work the puck past Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
12/27: St. Cloud State forward Mason Salquist (16) and St. Cloud State defenseman Spencer Meier (9) try to work the puck past Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
13/27: St. Cloud State forward Kyler Kupka (10) has his shot on Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) blocked in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
14/27: St. Cloud State forward Grant Cruikshank (19) takes a deflected shot by Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) around for another try in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
15/27: Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) blocks a shot by St. Cloud State forward Kyler Kupka (10) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
16/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Dylan Anhorn (4) blocks a shot by Colorado College forward Patrick Cozzi (10) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
17/27: St. Cloud State forward Grant Cruikshank (19) celebrates a goal with teammates against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
18/27: St. Cloud State forward Kyler Kupka (10) and St. Cloud State defenseman Dylan Anhorn (4) try to work the puck past Colorado College goaltender Kaidan Mbereko (33) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
19/27: St. Cloud State forward Zach Okabe (14) carries the puck against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
20/27: St. Cloud State forward Chase Brand (27) takes the puck past Colorado College forward Matthew Gleason (15) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
21/27: St. Cloud State forward Chase Brand (27) passes the puck past Colorado College forward Matthew Gleason (15) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
22/27: St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson talks with players during a break against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
23/27: St. Cloud State forward Grant Cruikshank (19) moves the puck against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
24/27: St. Cloud State forward Veeti Miettinen (29) moves the puck against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
25/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Jack Peart (23) takes the puck past Colorado College forward Tyler Coffey (17) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
26/27: St. Cloud State defenseman Spencer Meier (9) makes a pass against Colorado College in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
27/27: St. Cloud State forward Chase Brand (27) is checked into the boards by Colorado College defenseman Nicklas Andrews (37) in the first period Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
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Mick Hatten is a reporter and editor for Forum News Service and helps manage TheRinkLive.com, a website dedicated to hockey. He began working for Forum Communications in November 2018 and has covered St. Cloud State University hockey since 2010. A graduate of St. Cloud State, he has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and has been a youth hockey coach since 2014. mhatten@forumcomm.com
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