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ST. PAUL, Minn. — After winning a close game on Saturday, No. 3 St. Cloud State scored early and often on Sunday to win its first North Star College Cup going away.
The Huskies defeated Bemidji State 5-2 at the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday after defeating Minnesota State 5-4 on Saturday.
St. Cloud won the tournament after finishing third in its first year and being the fifth team out last season.
“I’m really happy for our seniors,” St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko said. “They’re the backbone of our team. For them to come down here and win the tournament, I’m very proud of them and happy for them.”
Joey Benik scored the Huskies’ first two goals of the game in the first period. The first was on a great individual effort where the senior gathered a rebound from his shot that went off the back glass and backhanded a shot behind Beavers’ goalie Michael Bitzer.
“I actually got a lot of time in the slot when David [Morley] got it over to me across the ice there,” Benik said of the goal. “It kind of rolled up on my stick and I shot it probably 10 feet up in the air off the back wall and it came almost right in front of the net. I think their D-man tried to kick it and it came right on my backhand and I was able to get a quick shot.”
The Huskies doubled their money in the second when Patrick Russell and Kalle Kossila scored.
“When you’re down 2-0, you need the next one,” Bemidji State coach Frank Serratore said. “Once St. Cloud got that third, you’re chasing taillights, it just makes things extremely difficult for you.”
A semi-cleanly played game meant that SCSU’s vaunted power play wasn’t a factor on Sunday. The Huskies’ first four goals of the game were even strength.
Bemidji State’s Kyle Bauman cut into the Huskies’ lead half way through the third. The Beavers played well thought the game, but couldn’t connect on enough of their chances to stick with St. Cloud.
Shots in the game were tied at 24.
“It’s tough to pull yourself back into the game after they get a quick two like that,” BSU defenseman Graeme McCormack said. “It’s kind of an uphill battle and you have to will yourself to try and stick to the fundamentals.”
After St. Cloud scored an empty-net goal, Phillip Marinaccio scored a power-play goal for the Beavers to cut the lead back the three, but Dan Billett took a five-minute major for kneeing shortly after, ending any hopes of a Bemidji State comeback.
Both Motzko and Serratore said that they would like the North Star Cup to stick around, despite the unspectacular attendance numbers that were seen this weekend.
“The hockey’s going to be good because you’ve got good programs,” Motzko said. “What’s going to make it go, and that’s what we have to have patience with, is the buy-in from the fans. I think there is some things that we have to play with and let the thing continue, so we can continue to come down here.”
This isn’t exactly new territory, either, explained Motzko.
“Remember the old (WCHA) Final Five wasn’t that way in the beginning, and then it ended up being a destination weekend,” he added, referring to the fact that the North Star was designed to keep the Minnesota teams playing each other after conference realignment. “I just don’t think you can snap your fingers and it’s there in one, two or three years.”
