ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Playoff time must be just around the corner.
Junior winger Brett Hextall has dusted off the 'Give Blood, Play Hockey' hat, and he's traded in the clean-shaven, well-coiffed look he sported during the first half of the season for a more rugged look that includes a playoff beard and unkempt hair. Most importantly, he is scoring goals.
Hextall scored twice tonight to key North Dakota's 3-2 win at St. Cloud State, enabling the second-ranked Fighting Sioux to take three of four points in their Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series with the Huskies.
The win also preserved UND's lead two-point lead atop the ever-tight league standings.
Both of Hextall's goals tonight gave UND the lead. His first goal, a power-play blast on a Matt Frattin (Sr., Edmonton, Alberta) feed, broke a 1-1 deadlock with 4:35 left in the second period.
His second goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, came just 1:07 into third period and only 20 seconds after an apparent SCSU goal by Cam Reid was overturned by video review. After scoring only three times in his first 23 games, Hextall now has five goals in his last five.
Freshman Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta) opened the scoring 9:58 into the opening period on the power play, blasting a point shot that deflected off the stick of a Husky defender.
But in a playoff-like game, the Huskies would not go quietly. Brett Barta scored only his second goal of the year to tie the game with 2:44 left in the opening period, drilling a slap shot between the arm and body of Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) from the high slot.
After Hextall regained the Sioux lead the first time, David Eddy pulled the Huskies even, again on the power-play, with 2:03 left in the period.
Simpson said the play of Dell was a calming factor each time St. Cloud State tipped the momentum.
"He made some unbelievable saves," said Simpson. "When something goes wrong, we know we can rely on him to make the big saves."
Dell finished with 26 stops, several of the spectacular variety, to earn his 21st win of the season. His SCSU counterpart, Mike Lee, stopped 29 of 32 shots and remains winless in his career against the Sioux (0-5-1).
UND finished 2-for-6 on the power-play, while the Huskies went 2-for-5.
The Sioux return home to host Bemidji State next Saturday and Sunday in their final regular season home series.
Notes: Jason Gregoire had two assists to run his point streak to eight games, a career long ... Frattin had an assist, his team-leading 38th point, to push his point streak to six games. He has eight points during that stretch.
- Go Sioux -
