Kevin Fitzgerald had a goal and two assists to lead top-ranked St. Cloud State to a 4-1 victory over Colorado College Saturday night at Robson Arena.
 
Zach Okabe added a goal and an assist and David Hrenak made 23 saves as the Huskies improved to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the NCHC.  
 
The game started ominously for the Tigers when Stanley Cooley was given a faceoff warning, then whistled for delay of game before the puck was dropped.
 
The Tigers killed off the penalty and the teams played evenly for the next 15 minutes until Nolan Walker put the Huskies on the board with 2:22 remaining in the first period. Mason Salquist's shot from the left circle was saved by CC's Dominic Basse (29 saves), but the rebound went right to Walker, who had an open net from the right circle.
 
In the final minute of the period, SCSU's Micah Miller took a lead pass from Fitzgerald and scored shorthanded, his second tally of the weekend for a 2-0 advantage.
 
Jordan Biro continued his hot hand for the Tigers, cutting the lead in half with his team-high fifth goal of the season and third in as many games at the 6:53 mark of the second period. Biro took a cross-ice pass from Matthew Gleason and fired a wrister past Hrenak. Gleason and Cooley, who also assisted on the play, each have five helpers in the past four games.
 
The Tigers (2-6-2, 0-2-0) could not get anything else past Hrenak, or through the Husky defense for that matter.
 
Okabe scored an insurance goal just as a Tiger penalty expired at the 4:43 mark of the third period, then Fitzgerald closed the scoring with a power-play goal with 6:45 left in the game.
 
"I was happy with our second period and our response," head coach Kris Mayotte said. "Then we give up a goal in the third and we took penalties at bad times. We can't give them those opportunities. I didn't think our guys were careless with the puck, but when you fall behind you have to take more chances."
 
The Huskies outshot CC, 33-24, and Miller led all players with five shots. SCSU finished 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Tigers were 0-for-2.
 
Colorado College travels to Minnesota next weekend to take on Minnesota Duluth, Nov. 12-13, at Amsoil Arena.