ST. CLOUD, Minn. — With both Olympians back for St. Cloud State and Denver, Will Borgen and Troy Terry, it was time to battle for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular season title. But three periods was not enough with the stalemate officially ending in a 1-1 draw at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Denver garnered an extra standings point after Logan O’Connor swatted a rebound past SCSU goals David Hrenak (27 saves) with 30 seconds left in the 3-on-3 second overtime. Tanner Jaillet blocked 29 shots to assure Denver’s 2OT win. SCSU can still claim the Penrose Cup on Saturday with a victory.
“I thought we played a good game,” SCSU coach Bob Motzko said on Friday. “We were doing things in the first two periods that we stopped doing in the third and that lead to us kind of back on our heels.”
Both sides played a very disciplined game that limited power plays and scoring chances. leaving no room for man advantages.
“We have two great offensive teams so I think both sides know that you got to be really smart with the puck,” Denver coach Jim Montgomery said. “You can’t turn over the puck and you got to be great on your transitional defense. Both teams did a really good job there wasn’t really any time and space despite the fact we are playing on an Olympic ice sheet.”
Two neutral zone hits by Jimmy Schuldt in the second period raised the physical play of the game. Two more spectacular saves by Hrenak was enough to liven up the crowd, and the Huskies seemed have found their groove.
The crowd of 4,190 knew the first goal was going to weigh more than usual. Two of the highest scoring teams in the nation showcasing their defense lit the lamp only once through two periods. Mikey Eyssimont skated around and behind Jaillet’s net when he fed a centering pass toward Blake Lizotte who poked the puck in at 14:03.
