North Dakota scores 3 early, defeats SCSU 7-1
GRAND FORKS — North Dakota dominated from the jump on Friday night, scoring three goals in the opening period as they blew past St. Cloud State 7-1 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The Huskies have now lost five-consecutive games against North Dakota in Grand Forks. St. Cloud State hasn't played a road series in over two months since Nov. 19-20 at Western Michigan, only playing a single road game at Bemidji State on Dec. 31.
Entering Friday night, the Huskies had only trailed after the first period one time this season. SCSU had outscored opponents 30-5 in first periods, but they found themselves mostly defending in their own end through the opening 10 minutes against the Fighting Hawks.
St. Cloud State goalie David Hrenak came behind the net to clear the puck early in the game, but no Huskies' defenders were able to corral the puck. It fell to North Dakota freshman Matteo Constantini, who fired a puck to net that found the end of forward Connor Ford's stick to tip in a goal for a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.
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The Huskies had their first opportunity to go on the power play at 9:57 after a tripping penalty on junior Ethan Frisch, only seconds after a shot from North Dakota's Nick Portz hit off the pipe. Despite SCSU's nation-leading power play unit at nearly 39 percent, they were shut down on their opening man-advantage. They'd finish the game 1-3 on the power play.
Hrenak made a couple of stunning saves to keep it a one-goal game, but a holding penalty on Seamus Donohue at 15:32 in the first period put North Dakota on their first power play of the evening. Their lead grew to two goals only 12 seconds later when Ethan Frisch unleashed a one-timer to beat Hrenak.
Sophomore Riese Gaber extended the lead to three goals with under a minute remaining in the first period. North Dakota had to handle a defensive possession with goalie Jakob Hellsten losing his stick, but they were able to turn it around and end on a two-on-one break where Constantini notched his second assist of the game on Gaber's 10th goal of the season. Constantini would finish with a game-high four assists.
North Dakota sophomore Griffin Ness scored his first career goal midway through the second period, as the Fighting Hawks capitalized on an SCSU turnover deep within their own defensive zone. Hrenak was pulled following his fourth goal allowed, with junior Jaxon Castor replacing him for the rest of the night.
The Fighting Hawks led in nearly every category on Friday, winning 21 of the first 28 faceoffs. They finished with a 36-21 advantage on shots and 35-27 on faceoffs.
SCSU junior Jami Krannila rocketed in a shot from the right dot on the power play for the first Huskies' goal late in the second period. The momentum didn't last, as UND forward Ashton Calder scored on a penalty shot and a 4-on-4 stretch of hockey early in the final period to lead 6-1.
A final defensive turnover allowed Gaber to score his second of the night for a 7-1 advantage. The victory was North Dakota's first since Dec. 11 and ended a four-game losing streak. Seven goals is also UND's highest-scoring output this season.
SCSU is now 14-7 overall this season, with Friday's loss snapping a four-game win streak. They'll look to split the series when they take on North Dakota again at 6 p.m. on Saturday night.
Zach Dwyer is a sports reporter and photographer for the St. Cloud Times. Reach him at 320-406-5660 or zdwyer@stcloudtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @sctimeszach.
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This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: North Dakota scores early, defeats SCSU 7-1
