No. 4 St. Cloud State scored six of the game’s final seven goals en route to a 7-3 NCHC victory over No. 3 Denver on Friday night at St. Cloud, Minn.

The Pioneers’ defense was exploited time and again by a Huskies team that also is packed with speed and skill. The seven goals allowed were by far the most allowed by DU (19-6, 10-3 NCHC) this season. The Pioneers had allowed four goals three times this season, including a 4-3 overtime loss to the Huskies (17-6, 9-4) on Nov. 4.

Magnus Chrona was dented for six goals on 30 St. Cloud shots on goal before being pulled with 7:50 left in the game. The senior had entered the game with a scoreless streak that stretched nearly seven periods.

Goals by Carter King in the first period and Jack Devine in the second gave DU short-lived 2-1 lead before the Huskies went on a scoring binge. Jami Krannila and Jack Rodgers gave SCSU a lead it would not relinquish before the game’s turning point.

Denver had nearly two minutes of a 5-on-3 power play but could not convert. Krannila then scored again immediately after the second penalty expired with 7:14 to play in the second.

DU’s Brett Edwards cut the lead to 4-3, but Veeti Miettinen and Grant Cruikshank scored power-play goals to make it 6-3 midway through the third, and that was that.

Dominic Basse made 28 saves for the Huskies.

The series, which concludes Saturday at 5 p.m. (NCHC.tv, 104.3 FM HD-3), likely will have  implications for NCAA Tournament seeding. St. Cloud has won two of the three meetings thus far and sits third in the Pairwise ratings. DU is fifth.

Notes: Three Pioneers are 2023 Honey Baker Award nominees – defenseman Mike Benning, wing Carter Mazur and center Massimo Rizzo. Rizzo had 32 points and is fifth in the nation scoring. Mazur is second in the nation with 17 goals among his 23 points. Benning has 23 points, tied for fifth among defensemen in D-I.

©First Line Editorial 20223