SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Goaltender Jaxon Castor stopped all 17 shots he faced and Grant Cruikshank potted a pair of points to lead fourth-seeded and seventh-ranked St. Cloud State past No. 7 seed Colorado College, 3-0, in the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center.  
 
With the win, the Huskies (24-12-3) advance to the NCAA Tournament as the Conference’s automatic qualifier and claim their second Frozen Faceoff crown, first winning the NCHC Tournament in 2016.
 
Nursing only a 1-0 lead heading into the third period, SCSU struck for two goals in the opening 6:40 of the final frame on tallies from grad student Grant Cruikshank (22 goals this season) and senior Kyler Kupka (10 goals), before killing off a trio of power plays to seal Castor’s third shutout of the season.
 
Colorado College (13-22-3), who entered the postseason with only one win in 2023 before rattling off three straight victories in the NCHC Tournament, became the seventh team in NCHC history to reach the Frozen Faceoff championship game. However, the Tigers struggled to muster much offense as their season come to an end. It was CC’s first appearance in a conference title game since 2013.
 
Despite having played an overtime game the night prior, it was St. Cloud State who came out with some jump to start the game. The Huskies fired nine of the contest’s first 12 shots through the opening 10 minutes, but CC freshman goaltender Kaidan Mbereko was up to the task.
 
The Huskies kept up the pressure before finally breaking through late in the first period when senior forward Jami Krannila deflected home classmate Zach Okabe’s shot to give SCSU a 1-0 lead on Krannila’s 21st of the season and second of the weekend.
 
CC made a push following the goal, with Danny Weight getting a good look following an offensive zone draw, but Castor denied all six shots he saw to send the Huskies to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.
 
The Tigers nearly drew level in the opening moments of the second period, as Ethan Straky’s shot from the point snuck through everyone but caromed off the iron and out of play to keep the Huskies in front, 1-0.
 
Mbereko made his finest stop of the night on the game’s first power play opportunity by flashing the leather to deny Krannila’s bid for his second of the game on a rebound opportunity.
 
SCSU extended the lead to 2-0 early in the third, as Cruikshank, a former Tiger for three years, pounced on a rebound to strike against his old team less than three minutes into the final stanza.
 
Cruikshank continued to haunt his former squad as the third period rolled along. He forced a turnover in the neutral zone and quickly fed Kupka, who danced around the goaltender and backhanded home his 10th of the season to extend the lead to 3-0 SCSU with less than 13 minutes remaining in regulation.
 
Colorado College had a chance to get itself back into the game by drawing a pair of penalties to give the Tigers over a minute of 5-on-3 power play time, but Castor and his defense held their ground to kill off the minors and thwart any chance of a CC rally.
 
Castor closed out his third shutout of the year to give the Huskies their second NCHC Frozen Faceoff title (2016) in their sixth championship game appearance. This was SCSU’s first NCHC Tournament title at Xcel Energy Center, however.
 
SCSU outshot the Tigers, 26-17, in the win, with Castor landing on the All-Tournament Team, along with Krannila, Okabe and sophomore defenseman Jack Peart. CC forward Hunter McKown and grad student defenseman Bryan Yoon also earned All-Tournament Team honors. Krannila was named the Most Outstanding Player with a three-point weekend, including goals in both games of the Frozen Faceoff.
 
St. Cloud State and two other NCHC programs (Denver and Western Michigan) will find out their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
 
2023 Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team
F - Jami Krannila, SCSU (MOP)
F - Zach Okabe, SCSU
F - Hunter McKown, CC
D - Bryan Yoon, CC
D - Jack Peart, SCSU
G - Jaxon Castor, SCSU