ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Usually a two-goal effort to end the game causes a nail-biting finish. By the time Blake Winiecki and Robby Jackson scored to end the game, it was much too late. St. Cloud State’s first-period effort was not enough to contain Western Michigan’s second-period rally in what is now the Huskies’ first loss (5-7) of the season at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Having swept Denver earlier in the season while they were No. 1, WMU came into the Brooks Center and suffered only in the first period. Hugh McGing had two goals to lead his team and Huskies goaltender Jeff Smith was pulled in the second for Dávid Hrenák. Lawton Courtnall scored the final two empty-netters for the Broncos.
“We have to have goaltending to win hockey games,” SCSU coach Bob Motzko said. “We’ve had it all year, so tonight was an off night, and he has to bounce back. Well, I learned if we are going to take penalties like that against anybody we play we are going to be in trouble. It’s probably the most disappointing thing I want to take out of it, our undisciplined play.”
The Huskies found themselves in a unique position after Western’s Neal Goff scored his first goal of the season at 12:19 of the second frame, down by two and playing with their backs against the wall at home. Goff took a one-timer from the top of the slot that beat Hrenák. The goal made the score 5-3, but more importantly, put the Huskies in a position that easily made them desperate. Jade McMullen took the first lead of the night for the Broncos in what was the peak of a comeback effort to make it 4-3. Unable to generate clean passes, fanning on shots, and overstepping their positions, St. Cloud looked like a different team on the ice.
The Broncos were buzzing in the second period as they kept the Huskies to only five shots. Power plays became almost necessary for a team to gain the upper hand. The man advantage came in waves, and in the second it was WMU on the celebratory end with Corey Schueneman’s tally at 5:20 and McGing’s second goal of the night just 14 seconds into the middle frame. The power play on McGing’s goal was carried over from the first period, although it was Schueneman’s tying goal that tilted the game in favor of WMU.
“We got frustrated as the game went on,” Motzko said. “We let all that emotion turn into frustration. Once again, we were good early and we inflicted a lot of pain into our own game, and they took advantage of it; they got a lot of energy and we were chasing the game. The second period, we were on our heels.”
With coincidental minor penalties assessed to Ryan Poehling and Dawson DiPietro for unsportsmanlike conduct, the first period seemed to have lost its fluidity, particularly for Western Michigan. The Broncos were penalized four times and gave up two goals to the Huskies, who benefited from timely power plays. As Western Michigan sought to create more offensive pressure, physicality wrongfully intrigued them and stunted any shot of momentum.
Freshman center Blake Lizotte found his second goal of the season to make it 3-1 for St. Cloud and mark their third goal on some type of man advantage. Having congested the crease, Lizotte was able to get his stick on a blue line shot from the top of the slot.
Because Western Michigan cut off passing lanes very well, St. Cloud found it troubling to maintain a decent forecheck. WMU’s physicality persisted despite being highly penalized.
A crucial opportunity to grab a hold of the reigns presented itself for Western Michigan early with McGing’s opening goal at 4:22 of the first period. Luke Bafia passed the puck from his own zone to enable a breakaway chance for McGing, who then beat Smith blocker side and opened the night 1-0.
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