{"id":137457,"date":"2022-12-05T07:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T13:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=137457"},"modified":"2022-12-05T09:04:54","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T15:04:54","slug":"monday-10-gophers-taking-hold-of-big-ten-looking-at-nationwide-standings-st-cloud-state-breaks-21-year-drought-circle-of-suck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2022\/12\/05\/monday-10-gophers-taking-hold-of-big-ten-looking-at-nationwide-standings-st-cloud-state-breaks-21-year-drought-circle-of-suck\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday 10: Gophers taking hold of Big Ten, looking at nationwide standings, St. Cloud State breaks 21-year drought, circle of suck"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
St. Cloud State players mob Zach Okabe after his hat trick goal against North Dakota Saturday night (photo: St. Cloud State Athletics).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.<\/i><\/p>\n

1) Minnesota makes a statement that it’s the team to beat in the Big Ten<\/h4>\n

Count me among those who thought upstart No. 13 Michigan State could grab a split from No. 4 Minnesota at home.<\/p>\n

The Golden Gophers shut out the Spartans 5-0 on Friday, giving goaltender Justen Close his third shutout of the season. Close also made a career-high 40 saves in Saturday’s 6-3 win over the Spartans.<\/p>\n

The sweep opens up a five-point lead in the Big Ten standings for Bob Motzko’s Gophers.<\/p>\n

2) St. Cloud State sweeps North Dakota at home for the first time in 21 years<\/h4>\n

No. 3 St. Cloud State kept within two points of Denver in the NCHC standings with 7-2 and 6-3 come-from behind wins over the Fighting Hawks.<\/p>\n

Huskies senior forward Zach Okabe recorded his second career hat trick and his first career natural hat trick on Saturday, helping his team score six straight goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit.<\/p>\n

“We asked our guys before the game what our biggest strength was, and they said, ‘Resiliency,'” said St. Cloud coach Brett Larson after the game. “They thought they were willing to stick with it no matter what.”<\/p>\n

North Dakota has been struggling defensively and in net. The Fighting Hawks have given up six or more goals four times this season and have a combined .861 save percentage.<\/p>\n

3) Ferris State gets the road sweep at No. 11 Minnesota State<\/h4>\n

Ferris State accomplished something no team had done since 2015: sweep the Mavericks in Mankato.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first and held on for a 2-1 win behind a 33-save perfomance by sophomore goalie Noah Giesbrecht. Ferris State blocked 27 Minnesota State shots in the win.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first 2:46 of the second game of the series, but the Bulldogs scored twice late in that period to tie it. Stepan Pokorny scored with under five minutes to play to give Ferris State the win. Junior netminder Logan Stein stopped 37 shots for the win.<\/p>\n

Minnesota State fell to six points behind first-place Bowling Green in the CCHA with the losses, but the Mavericks have two games in hand.<\/p>\n

4) Wisconsin upsets No. 5 Michigan on Friday; Wolverines salvage split<\/h4>\n

The Badgers recovered from a 2-0 deficit to down Michigan 6-3 on Friday for their first Big Ten win of the season. Michigan won on Saturday 4-2.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin had won four straight coming into the weekend, with non-league sweeps of LIU and Lindenwood. Friday’s win was the Badgers’ first over a ranked team since a sweep of then-No. 10 Minnesota Duluth in October.<\/p>\n

Friday night was also a tribute to the Suter family at Wisconsin’s Kohl Center.<\/p>\n

5) No. 1 Denver gets a sweep over Arizona State amid replay controversies<\/h4>\n

A goal credited to Denver’s Carter King at 18:02 of the third period staked the Pioneers to a 3-2 win over the visiting Sun Devils on Friday.<\/p>\n

Denver challenged the call on the ice that it was not a goal, as it appeared that it had been played by a high stick. After review, officials ruled that the winning goal had gone in off the glove of ASU’s Tim Lovell. Arizona State challenged that ruling, maintaining that the stick of Denver’s Jack Devine had caused Lovell’s glove to bat the puck in.<\/p>\n

Denver coach David Carle credited hockey operations director Travis Culhane for the challenge, saying that Culhane was insistent that Devine had not contacted the puck.<\/p>\n

\n

Definitely went off the hand of a Sun Devil. pic.twitter.com\/qyydxW3UTk<\/a><\/p>\n

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 3, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n