College Hockey Playoffs: North Dakota Upset by St. Cloud

In one of the bigger upsets of the NCAA hockey tournament, North Dakota fell to St. Cloud State on Friday afternoon 3-1. North Dakota, the top ranked team in the NCHC, had a season low 20 shots on goal.

Joey Binek and David Morley scored 19 seconds apart in the first period as they led the Huskies to their semi final win. Keaton Thompson scored the only goal for North Dakota.

“We had to come out and have a good, strong 20 minutes to start the game,” said Binek, to CBS Minnesota “We gave up one but we responded late in the first period.”

The two St. Cloud State first period goals came in the last 25 seconds of the period. They outshot North Dakota 12-6 in the first period.

It was a 2-1 game until around a minute left in the contest when the Huskies scored an open net goal.

“We can’t have that start at this time of year,” said North Dakota sophomore forward Luke Johnson to CBS Minnesota after the game. “We have to change our mentality. We’ve got to get better.”

North Dakota, being a top ranked team, will still be in the NCAA tournament despite the loss. They will play for third place in the conference tomorrow from the Target Center in Minnesota. They will face the losing team from the other semi final.

St. Cloud State, meanwhile, will play for the conference title. They are ensured a trip to the NCAA tournament since they will finish their season over .500. They will play the winner of the Miami of Ohio Redhawks and the Denver Pioneers.

It was the defense that led the Huskies to where they are now, not only holding down a powerhouse North Dakota team to one goal, but also shutting them down to their season low 20 shots on net.

“I think all of us — his teammates especially — think he’s [goaltender Charlie Lindgren] been dialed in for a while for us,” said St. Cloud State head coach Bob Motzko to the USCHO website. “He is a battler. It’s one of the greatest things you can say about a goaltender — he’s just a battler. He’s wanted these moments.”

Ranked 18th overall, the Huskies have never been an easy opponent. However, to defeat the top ranked North Dakota makes them a team to watch out for and possibly a danger in the NCAA hockey playoff tournament to other top teams.