OMAHA, Neb. – Sophomore
Austin Roden made 41 saves in his season debut, leading the No. 18 Omaha hockey team to a 2-0 win over No. 11 St. Cloud State on Sunday night at Baxter Arena.
The Mavericks avenged a loss to the Huskies a week earlier and improved to 4-3-0 overall and 4-3-0-1-0 in the NCHC, putting them in fourth place, just a point behind SCSU and North Dakota who are tied for second. St. Cloud State dropped to 4-2-0 overall with the same mark in the conference.
INSIDE THE FIRST PERIOD
The Mavericks earned the first lead off a strong cycle in the St. Cloud State end.
Jack Randl fed
Kirby Proctor at the top of the slot. His blast deflected in off the crowd in front at 13:38 for his first of the year.
INSIDE THE SECOND PERIOD
The Mavericks added to their lead in the second period.
Tyler Weiss tipped in
Kevin Conley's shot from the right point for his first goal of the season at 8:38.
INSIDE THE THIRD PERIOD
St. Cloud State pushed back hard in the third, outshooting the Mavericks 18-3. But Roden was at his best in the closing stanza, leaving few rebound chances to close out the win over the Huskies, the Mavericks second in the last three meetings.
The Mavericks will finish the pod with three games next week, beginning with their second game against Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 3:35 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
- As a freshman, Roden earned a shutout in his first collegiate appearance, blanking Alabama-Huntsville in October of 2019.
- With an assist on Weiss' goal, Conley earned his 50th career point.
- Freshman defenseman Jake Harrison made his collegiate debut in the game while sophomore defenseman Alex Roy joined Roden in making his season debut.
- The Mavericks stretched their penalty kill streak to 17 straight after blunting all three opportunities for SCSU.
- The win was the first for the Mavericks over St. Cloud State at Baxter Arena after dropping the first six games. Officially, the game counts as a neutral site victory.
Three Stars: 1.
Austin Roden/Omaha (41 saves); 2.
Kirby Proctor/Omaha (Game-winning goal); 3.
Tyler Weiss/Omaha (One goal)