Box Score OMAHA, Neb. – Joey Benik scored a pair of goals to help No. 3 St. Cloud State outlast the No. 11/12 Omaha hockey team, 4-1, on Friday night at Baxter Arena.
Omaha is now 18-10-1 overall and 8-10-1-0/0 in the NCHC. The loss puts the Mavericks into a tie with Miami and Minnesota Duluth for fourth place in the NCHC. St. Cloud State improved to 24-6-1 overall and 14-4-1-1/0 in the conference, keeping it in a tie with North Dakota for the NCHC lead.
St. Cloud State grabbed the lead at 4:33 of the first period. Robbie Jackson fired a shot past
Evan Weninger for his seventh of the year and fourth against UNO this season.
The Mavericks tied the game when
Mason Morelli crashed the net and roofed the rebound of a shot by
Luke Nogard at 9:12. It was Morelli's fifth goal in the last six games.
The Huskies got the lead back when Jacob Benson tipped in a pass from Jackson at the side of the net at 15:03.
After a scoreless second period, Benik gave the Huskies some breathing room with a goal at 11:20 of the third, zipping a shot just under the crossbar. He then added an empty net goal with 8.9 seconds remaining. It was his 19th of the year, tying him with
Austin Ortega and North Dakota's Brock Boeser for the NCHC lead.
Weninger made 18 saves in the loss as the Mavericks outshot the Huskies, 33-22. Charlie Lindgren stopped 32 shots for SCSU.
Game two of the weekend is Saturday at 7:07 p.m.
