St. Cloud State, tied for second in the WCHA standings with the Gophers, could be a team to watch.

The Huskies got captain Ben Hanowski, a senior forward, back last weekend and he had a goal and two assists as SCSU split with Minnesota Duluth. He had missed five games with an injury.

UMD won the first game 2-1 at Amsoil Arena, its home rink. The Huskies won the second 5-1.

Hanowski, who always seems to play well against the Gophers, now has four goals and four assists for eight points this season and 90 in his career.

He adds depth to a talented group of forwards.

Junior Nic Dowd has eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. He is sixth nationally and first in the WCHA in goals and points. Dowd also has four game-winning goals; the team record is five in a single season.

Senior forward Drew LeBlance has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points, second on the team.
SCSU freshman forward Kalle Kossila from Finland had two more goals against UMD and has 10 points; he is averaging one point per game. Joey Benik, another high-scoring freshman, is still recovering from a broken leg suffered on the first day of practice.
The Huskies have outscored its opponents 42-28 this season. They are fourth in the WCHA in scoring, averaging 3.50 goals per game. They have scored 14 goals in every period.

In Saturday win in Duluth, the Huskies were three for five on the power play while UMD was one for four and gave up a short-handed goal to SCSU.
St. Cloud State plays at Alasaka Anchorage this weekend, but after that will have a 10-game homestand, starting with Nebraska Omaha. Colorado College, RPI, Northern Michigan and Denver will be the other teams coming to the National Hockey Center.

The Gophers play St. Cloud State in only one series, Feb. 8-9 in the Granite City.

Upcoming sked

Games Friday

Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota, 7:07 pm

Minnesota Duluth at Michigan Tech, 6:07 pm

Bemidji State at Minnesota State, 7:37 pm

North Dakota at Colorado College (WCHA), 8:37 pm

Wisconsin at Denver, 9:07 pm

St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 pm

Games Saturday

Nebraska Omaha at Minnesota, 7:07 pm

Minnesota Duluth at Michigan Tech, 6:07 pm

Bemidji State at Minnesota State, 7:07 pm

North Dakota at Colorado College, 8:07 pm

Wisconsin at Denver (WCHA), 8:07 pm

St. Cloud State at Alaska Anchorage, 10:07 pm