> College hockey: Sweeps help St. Cloud, Wisconsin
>
> In a season of WCHA surprises, two of the biggest stand atop the league standings. St.
> Cloud State and Wisconsin -- neither picked to finish among the top three in a preseason
> coaches' poll -- are 5-1 in conference play.
>
> The Huskies (6-3-1 overall) pulled off one of the season's biggest sweeps when they won
> twice at Colorado College last weekend. Wisconsin (5-1), meanwhile, swept Michigan Tech
> in Madison.
>
> Despite suffering from altitude sickness in Colorado Springs, St. Cloud senior goaltender
> Brian Leitza made 72 saves over the weekend.
>
> "He felt nauseous, and he was shaking, and he was very, very pale," coach Craig Dahl said.
> "Often times when somebody's sick they seem to play really well because it forces them to
> focus, and that's exactly what happened to him."
>
> Colorado College, which had been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in some polls, had
> not been swept in 65 series -- since early in the 1993-94 season. The Tigers outshot St.
> Cloud 79-64 in the two games, but the Huskies have won every time they have been outshot
> this season.
>
> The sweep, coming on the heels of two victories at Michigan Tech one week earlier, marked
> the first back-to-back road sweeps in the Huskies' history. Two more victories by St. Cloud,
> which will play host to Alaska-Anchorage this weekend, will tie the school record of six in a
> row.
>
> "I thought if our guys would play pretty well, we could probably be in the upper half [of the
> standings], but I didn't think we'd be tied for the lead," Dahl said.
>
> Wisconsin, off to its best start since its 1989-90 NCAA championship season, has held its
> opponents to 14 goals in six games. The Badgers' next six games are against
> Minnesota-Duluth, single games with Michigan and Michigan State, then North Dakota. "That
> will tell us a little more about our team," coach Jeff Sauer said.
>
> UMD responds
>
> Minnesota-Duluth rebounded from an 8-0 loss Friday at North Dakota -- in which the Sioux
> scored five second-period goals -- to win 4-3 Saturday.
>
> "When you get humiliated, you either respond or you quit. And we were humiliated in the
> second period on Friday," Bulldogs coach Mike Sertich said. "It was a pretty difficult pill to
> swallow."
>
> Minnesota-Duluth center Jason Haakstad and wing Derek Derow are both out indefinitely
> because of separated shoulders. Already on the Bulldogs' injured list were wing Colin
> Anderson (ankle) and defenseman Bert Gilling (ankle). Gilling might play this weekend against
> Wisconsin.
>
> Third-string opportunity
>
> Because of injuries, Colorado College will depend on third-string goaltender Todd Gustin for
> this weekend's series at Mariucci Arena. Jason Cugnet will miss three to four weeks because
> of a groin pull, and coach Don Lucia said he hopes Colin Zulianello, who could not skate last
> weekend because of a bruised heel, will be in uniform as the backup.
>
> That leaves Gustin, a junior from Hibbing, Minn., as the starter. Gustin made his third
> collegiate appearance last Saturday when Cugnet was hurt and his first start came Sunday.
>
> "It has a chance to be a fairy-tale story for him," said Lucia. "He's been wanting to prove he
> belongs, and this is the opportunity."
>
> Colorado College's three-game losing streak and four-game winless streak are its longest
> since late in the 1992-93 season.
>
> Etc.
>
> After the Gophers play host to Colorado College this weekend, they will play only one
> WCHA series (St. Cloud State, Dec. 19-20) until mid-January. In between, they will meet
> Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase, Brown and Notre Dame or
> Northeastern in the Mariucci Classic, and Mankato State. They will resume conference play
> against Denver Jan. 16-17.
 
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