UPCOMING GAMES: #5 St. Cloud State University (27-8-1, 20-8-0 WCHA) will
host Alaska-Anchorage (7-22-5, 4-20-4 WCHA) in the first round playoffs of
the WCHA Tournament. SCSU enters the tournament as the #2 seed, while UAA
is the #9 seed. Games are slated for 7:05 p.m. on March 9 and March 10 in
the National Hockey Center (cap. 5,763) in St. Cloud. If necessary, the
third and deciding game will be played at 7:05 p.m. on March 11, at the NHC.
The winner of this best-of-3 series will advance to the WCHA Final Five
Tournament on March 15-17, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul...For
playoff ticket information at SCSU, please call the Universityıs ticket
office at 320-255-2137 or 1-877-SCSUTIX. For Final Five Ticket information,
please call 651-989-5151.
THE RESULTS: SCSU gained a 6-1 win at #4 Minnesota on March 2, thanks to Jon
Cullen's first collegiate hat trick. Cullen opened the game's scoring at
12:50 of the first period with an assist from Ryan Malone. Cullen scored
the eventual game winner with his second goal at 13:22 with assists from
Derek Eastman and Keith Anderson. UM scored their only goal of the game at
17:33 of the first. Cullen concluded an amazing first period with his third
goal of the night at 18:41 of the first with a dish from Anderson. SCSU
finished the Gophers off in the third period with three more goals. The
first was charted by Chris Purslow at 2:13, followed by Tyler Arnason's
tally at 2:39. Malone ended the SCSU scoring display with a power play goal
at 3:55 with assists from Joe Motzko and Cullen. SCSU was outshot in the
game 38-22, but the incredible play of All-America candidate Scott Meyer in
the nets kept the Huskies out front. Meyer gained 37 saves in the
contest...on March 3, the Huskies broke out the brooms with a 5-2 sweep over
Minnesota at the National Hockey Center. Arnason broke open the game with a
goal at 8:00 of the first, followed by Mark Hartiganıs tally at 11:54 of the
first. Duvie Westcott etched the game winner at 8:20 of the second with a
power play goal with an assist from Brandon Sampair and Hartigan. The
assist by Sampair was his 34th of the season (a new team single-season
record). Minnesota scored in the second period before Westcott iced the
game with a shorthanded goal at 4:14 of the third. Joe Motzko completed the
night with a goal at 6:06 of the third period. Meyer was stellar once more
with 36 saves.
HEAD COACH: SCSU coach Craig Dahl (Pacific Lutheran, 1976) in his 14th
season as head coach for the Huskies. He is the only coach that SCSU has
had since moving to the NCAA Division I level in 1987-88. Dahl has a career
record of 256-242-38 at SCSU and a 20-year career coaching mark of
332-329-40. Of note, Dahl won his 250th game at SCSU on Feb. 9, 2001 with a
2-0 win at Alaska-Anchorage...Dahl won his 300th career game on 2/19/00. He
has won more games than any SCSU hockey coach. In 2000-01, Dahl will be
assisted by Doc DelCastillo (SCSU, 1992) in his third season and first year
coach Brad Willner (Lake Superior State, 1995).
ALL-TIME RECORD: The Huskies and Coach Dahl both own a 256-242-38 record
since the program went Division I in 1987-88. This is the first season that
the Huskies have gone above .500 with their overall record since going
Division I...The Ferris State game on Oct. 13th was the 500th Division I
hockey game in the history of the program at SCSU. The game was also Dahlıs
500th as a coach at SCSU.
SAMPAIR ON THE ASSIST: Brandon Sampair hit his 34th assist of the season on
March 3, which breaks the team record for most assists that was previously
held by Jeff Saterdalen (1989-90). Sampair now has 35 assists this season
and counting...Jon Cullen scored his first-ever point against UM last night,
as did Chris Purslow...On Jan. 19, SCSU hit a season-high and national high
with four pp goals...SCSU was named the USATODAY.com national team of the
week on Jan. 18. SCSU received its highest national ranking since going
Division I in 1987-88 with a #3/4 ranking in both the USCHO and USA TODAY/
American Hockey Magazine polls on Jan. 22...the six goals on March 2 vs. UM
were the most ever scored by the Huskies at Minnesota. The five-goal win
also ties the largest margin of victory over the Gophers in team history.
Last year, the Huskies gained a 5-0 win at UM on March 3.
A NEW TEAM RECORD: The Huskies hit a new team record on Jan. 20 by winning
their ninth consecutive game on Jan. 20. The previous best was seven
consecutive wins set last year from Jan. 14-Feb. 4. SCSU set a team record
with a 10-game unbeaten streak last year that included two ties during that
stretch.
THE NEWEST MEMBERS: Tyler Arnason and Brandon Sampair are now both members
of the 100 point club. On Jan. 12, Arnason scored a goal and an assist,
while Sampair had a goal and two assists. Aranson (57g/68a) and has 24g/21a
this season... Brandon Sampair (46g/77a). He has 9g/35a this season.
Sampair and Arnason are the 24rd and 25th players in team history (all
Divisions) to reach the 100-point level in their careers...of note, Arnason
is the 7th player in SCSU history to score 50 or more goals in his career.
Arnason is now 8th in the career scoring list at SCSU, while Sampair is
11th. Arnason only needs five more points this season to become the third
player in team history to hit 50 points in a season. Last year, Arnason had
49 points (19g/30a). His 24 goals this season are third best in team
history.
THE DAHL FILE: Coach Craig Dahl gained his 250th career win at SCSU with
the Huskiesı 2-0 victory at UAA on Feb. 9. His 14 year record in St. Cloud
now stands at 256-242-38. The wins vs. MSU push Dahlıs overall career
record to above .500 at 332-329-40.
27 IS MOST WINS EVER: With 27 wins, the Huskies have hit an all-time season
high since 1931-32. The previous single season top performances were 25
wins in 1986-87 and 1934-35. As a Division III program, SCSU collected a
25-10-1 record in 1986-87 under the leadership of coach Herb Brooks. SCSU
also charted a 25-2 record in 1934-35. The previous best Division I total
was 23 wins in 1999-00 (23-14-3) and 1996-97 (23-13-4). This marks the
fifth season since going Division I that the Huskies have won 20 or more
games...with 20 wins, the Huskies have also charted the most-ever WCHA wins
in a season. SCSU won 18 WCHA games in 1996-97 (18-10-7). SCSU has also
clinched 2nd place in the WCHA this season, which is the teamıs best-ever
league finish. The previous top finishes were 3rd place in 1996-97 and
1999-00.
ON THE RADIO: Husky hockey can be heard on KNSI Radio 1450 AM during the
2000-01 season. The broadcasts will also be available on the web at
www.1450knsi.com. Don Lyons will call the play-by-play and former SCSU
All-American Dave Reichel will provide the color commentary for home
games selected games this season will also be broadcast live by KVSC FM
88.1...KNSI AM 1450 will also host the Craig Dahl Show each Monday at 5:05
p.m. during the season. The show will feature Coach Dahl, SC Times writer
Kevin Allenspach and host Don Lyons. The show is sponsored by Plaza Park
Bank/Investment Centers of America.
ON THE NET: Can't get enough of Husky hockey news? Check out the Husky Home
Page at www.stcloudstate.edu/~sports. The WCHA website is www.wcha.com For
college hockey stats, please go to www.collegehockeystats.com.
TICKETS: For SCSU hockey ticket information, please call the Athletic Ticket
Office at 320-255-2137 or 1-877-SCSUTIX.
ABOUT SCSU: The 2000-01 season marks the 14th year that SCSU has been a
member of NCAA Division I hockey. SCSU joined the Division I hockey ranks
in 1987-88 and became a member of the WCHA in 1990-91. That first year in
the league, SCSU finished fifth with a 12-16-4 league record and an 18-19-4
overall record. SCSU's highest league finish is 2nd place, a standing that
was reached in this season...since going Division I, SCSU owns a 256-242-38
overall record.
2000-01 TEAM CAPTAINS: The 2000-01 team captain is senior forward Brandon
Sampair (Mahtomedi). Assistant captains are senior forward Keith Anderson
(Thief River Falls) and senior defenseman Ritchie Larson (Winnipeg, Mant.).
NOTES ABOUT UAA: The Huskies are 4-0 against UAA this season, which
includes a 3-1, 4-3 sweep at St. Cloud on Dec. 15-16; and a 2-0, 4-1 sweep
at Alaska-Anchorage on Feb. 9-10...SCSU owns a 10-game unbeaten streak
against the Seawolves and a six-game win streak. The last time the
Seawolves defeated SCSU was a 5-3 setback at UAA on 2/8/97...the last time
UAA won a game in St. Cloud was a 5-4 decision on 11/6/87...UAA has not won
a game in the National Hockey Center, with the closest decision being a 0-0
tie in St. Cloud on 11/22/97... since 1989-90, the Huskies are 23-3-3
against UAA...the Huskies have never played UAA in the WCHA playoffs...UAA
is led by junior forward Mike Scott with 8g/15a and junior Steve Cygan 9g/9a
is another team leader on offense...Chris King is the teamıs top netminder
with a 3.03 GAA and an .885 save rate...UAA ranks 10th in the WCHA with a
low 12.5 penalty minutes per game. On offense, UAA is averaging 2.18 goals
per game and on defense, it is allowing 3.71 goals per game...after hitting
a 20-game winless streak this season, the Seawolves are 2-2-1 in their last
five games...last Saturday, UAA posted a 3-1 win at in-state rival
UA-Fairbanks and on March 2, UAA tied UAF, 2-2 in Anchorage.
MEYER MANIA: Senior goalie Scott Meyer made a strong bid for postseason
honors with his pair of wins over Minnesota. He hit a season high with 37
saves against the Gophers on March 2, and returned with 36 saves on March 3.
The 73 saves was a series-high for Meyer this season. He currently owns a
.919 career SV% and a 2.39 career GAA. The current team career records in
both the categories is .890 SV% by Brian Leitza from 1995-98 and 3.38 GAA
by Leitza from 1995-98...Meyer is also on track to make a run at the single
season records. Last year, he set the SV% record at .920 and the GAA record
at 2.37. He currently stands at .927 SV% and 2.22 GAA. In the always
rugged WCHA, Meyer was the 2000-01 save percentage leader with a .924 rate
in league games. He ranked second in Goals Against Average with a 2.37
league rate, while DUıs Wade Dubielewicz was first at 2.24. Dubielewicz
played in 1178:07 minutes, while Meyer saw action in 1390:23 minutes (over 3
games more)...Meyerıs win rate was .696 (3rd in the league).
TEAM NOTES: Duvie Westcottıs two goals on 2/23 and 3/3 were the most scored
by a SCSU defender in one game this season...the Huskies faced a season-high
78 shots on goal during the Huskies sweep of Minnesota. SCSU is now 13-6-0
in games in which it has been outshot...Tyler Arnason (24g/21a) both leads
the Huskies with 45 points this year...in the latest NCAA stats, SCSU ranked
second in the nation with a 25.3% power play rate and fifth in the nation
with 2.31 goals allowed per game. In goals scored per game, SCSU ranked 7th
with 3.75 gpg...SCSUıs winning rate of .734 is fourth in the
nation...Hartigan was 9th in the nation with .68 goals scored per game and
Sampair was 11th with .94 assists per game. Meyer ranked 5th among Division
I players with a SV% of .924 and was 11th with a 2.25 GAA. His winning rate
of 70.0% placed him 7th among Division I goalies......SCSUıs 9-of-9 on the
penalty kill vs. Minnesota on March 3 sets a team-high this season...on the
subject of the Division I Pairwise Rankings: SCSU is ranked 4th in the
nation at the end of the regular season, while Michigan State is #1. Boston
(#2) and UND (#3) round out the top three. Minnesota is #5 after the
weekend, while other WCHA reps are Colorado College (#9), Wisconsin (#13),
Denver (#16) and MSU, Mankato (#20)...Scott Meyer has moved up to #8 in the
last Vote for Hobey standings on the USCHO website. He has 16,136 votes,
while Jeff Panzer is #1 with 33,197 votes.
WCHA PLAYOFF FACTS: SCSU is 14-11-0 in the first round of the WCHA
playoffs, and 8-4-0 when those games are played at home. The Huskiesı have
advanced to the Final Five six times since 1990-91, including a third place
finish in 1999-00...SCSU advanced to the final game in 1994, losing 3-2 in
overtime to Minnesota...since 1994, SCSU has hosted the first round of the
playoffs five times (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 & 2000)...SCSU has gone to three
games in the WCHA first round five times since 1991. Last year, SCSU needed
a 7-3 win over UMD in the third game to advance...SCSU is 5-1 in WCHA
playoff games vs. UMD and 4-2 in WCHA playoff action against UW, on the
other side, UND owns a 6-1 WCHA playoff lead over the Huskies...SCSU has
gained third place honors in the WCHA playoffs three times (1997, 1998 and
1999)...last year, SCSU posted a 6-4 win over Minnesota in the third place
game after dropping a tough 7-3 loss against eventual national champ UND in
the semi-final match.
BIG CROWDS: In home games this season, SCSU has an attendance total of
112,449 for an average of 5,918 per game (19 home games)...this marks the
fifth consecutive season that SCSU has hit the 100,000 mark in home
attendance. The all-time season home attendance total (23 games) was
128,641 in 1997-98...On Nov. 17 and March 3, SCSU was at standing room only
capacity for the first time in 2000-01 with a crowd of 6,686.
WCHA FINAL FIVE: The 2001 WCHA Final Five tournament will be held on March
15-17 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. For info. 651-989-5151.
SCSU Season Long Streaks (2000-01):
Win Streak 9 games (12/9 -1/20)
Unbeaten Streak 9 games (12/9 -1/20)
Losing Streak 3 games (1/26 -2/2)
Winless Streak 3 games (1/26 -2/2)
Home Win Streak 7 games (12/9- 1/20)
Home Losing Streak 3 games (10/28-12/8)
Home Winless Streak 3 games (10/28-12/8)
Home Unbeaten Streak 7 games (12/9-1/20 )
Road Win Streak 6 games (11/24-1/6)
Road Unbeaten Streak 6 games (11/24-1/6)
Road Losing Streak 2 games (1/26-1/27)
Road Winless Streak 2 games (1/26-1/27)
Current Win Streak 5 games (Feb. 17-Present)
2000-01 St. Cloud State
Hockey Results (27-8-1)
Date Opponent Time
10/13 FERRIS STATE W, 3-1
Oct. 14 FERRIS STATE T, 3-3
Oct. 20 @ Bemidji State W, 3-1
Oct. 21 BEMIDJI STATE W, 7-0
Oct. 27 DENVER* W, 5-1
Oct. 28 DENVER * L, 3-1
Nov. 10 @Colorado College * W, 6-3
Nov. 11 @Colorado College * W, 3-2 OT
Nov. 17 MINNESOTA* L, 2-0
Nov. 18 @Minnesota * L, 4-3
Nov. 24 @ Northeastern W, 4-1
Nov. 25 @ U Mass - Amherst W, 3-1
Dec. 1 @ Michigan Tech * W, 4-3 OT
Dec. 2 @ Michigan Tech * W, 4-3
Dec. 8 WISCONSIN * L, 3-1
Dec. 9 WISCONSIN* W, 5-0
Dec. 15 UAA* W, 3-1
Dec. 16 UAA* W, 4-3
Dec. 18 Russia Select (EX) W, 5-4
Jan. 5 @ Minnesota-Duluth * W, 6-3
Jan. 6 @ Minnesota-Duluth * W, 5-4
Jan. 12 MICHIGAN TECH * W, 5-2
Jan. 13 MICHIGAN TECH * W, 4-1
Jan. 19 BROWN W, 4-2
Jan. 20 BROWN W, 5-4
Jan. 26 @ North Dakota * L, 4-3
Jan. 27 @ North Dakota * L, 4-3
Feb. 2 Colorado College* L, 5-3
Feb. 3 Colorado College* W, 7-5
Feb. 9 @UAA* W, 2-0
Feb. 10 @ UAA * W, 4-1
Feb. 16 @Wisconsin * L, 3-2
Feb. 17 @ Wisconsin * W, 5-1
Feb. 23 MSU, MANKATO* W, 6-2
Feb. 24 MSU, MANKATO* W, 6-3
Mar. 2 @ Minnesota* W, 6-1
Mar. 3 MINNESOTA* W, 5-2
Mar. 9-11WCHA First Round 7:05 pm
Mar. 15-18WCHA Playoff TBA
Mar. 23-25NCAA Quarterfinals TBA
Apr. 5-7NCAA Championship TBA
*WCHA game
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