To get the puck past Nick Althaus has been a tough riddle for many of St. Cloud Apollo’s opponents this season.  

The lanky senior, in his fourth year as the Eagles' No. 1 goaltender, has rewritten the school record books and is near the top in every goaltending stat category in the state.

His 21 career shutouts are a state record, and Breck, the team he earned shutout No. 16 against, was dead set on solving the Althaus puzzle and avenge a loss from 10 months ago that still stings when the Mustangs visited St. Cloud's Municipal Athletic Complex Thursday night.

Breck, ranked No. 2 in the Class 1A coaches' poll, found an answer as William Blake’s overtime goal lifted the Mustangs over the No. 3-1A Eagles 3-2.

“He’s big, he’s good, you have to beat him by storming the net,” Breck coach Les Larson said. “You’re not going to get any pretty goals on [Althaus].”

Breck’s three goals match the most Althaus has allowed in a game all season.

“You can’t blame any of those goals on Nick,” Apollo defenseman Tanner Breidenbach said. ”He keeps us in every game.”

The Eagles shut out the Mustangs 1-0 in last year's Class 1A state quarterfinals on the back of Althaus’ 25 saves. He stopped 34 shots in Thursday’s meeting, but Breck was able to get over the hump.

Althaus robbed Blake of a goal that would’ve broken a 2-2 tie with five minutes left in regulation, sticking the left pad out to stop the Mustang senior forward on a partial breakaway.

Althaus entered Thursday’s game with a state-leading 1.15 goals-against average on the season, but dropped to second with his current 1.27 GAA. He ranks third in save percentage (.939) and wins (12).

The success may be attributed to Althaus’ ability to develop his skills over five years of varsity hockey and a golden opportunity to step into the No. 1 spot when the Eagles were strapped between the pipes with just two freshman goalies.

“I’ve been playing the puck a lot more, coming out and taking away angles and keeping my head on a swivel,” Althaus said.

Added Breidenbach: “His confidence has really been building over the years and it’s really fun to watch. He’s gotten better and better.”

Althaus said he’s participated in USHL and NAHL camps in the offseason and worked with goaltending coaches in the Twin Cities, including Hobey Baker winner Robb Stauber.

“The guys in front of me are blocking shots and taking away everything,” said Althaus, whose brother graduated from St. Cloud Tech in 2013 and whose dad played at St. Cloud Cathedral and the University of Wisconsin in the 1980s.

Apollo coach Pete Matanich has seen Althaus grow up over the past five seasons, and as the young goaltender aged, the Eagles improved as a team.

Apollo went from being a sub-.500 team in 2011-12 when Althaus was a freshman to posting a 23-6-2 record last season and making two state appearances along the way.

“His compete level has improved a lot,” Matanich said. “He’s staying square on pucks and staying big. When he was younger, he’d drop a lot and not stay on his angle and teams would get easy goals on the short side.”

“We’ve had some challenging games this year where we were down and had to come back, but he kept us in those games.”

The Eagles’ responsible play in the defensive zone also gets a lot of the credit for Apollo’s resurgence after a decade-long dry spell, but Althaus has been the steady backbone.

First Report

William Blake’s goal late in overtime lifted Breck to a 3-2 win over St. Cloud Apollo Thursday night at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud.

Blake assisted on Tyler Scott’s first-period goal and Austin Heidemann also scored for the Mustangs, ranked No. 2 in the Class 1A coaches' poll. Breck goaltender Linden Olness made 30 saves.

Brandon Bissett scored twice for St. Cloud Apollo, including the game-tying goal with 10:34 left in regulation that forced overtime.

Nick Althaus stopped 34 shots for the No. 3-1A Eagles (12-2), whose 12-game winning streak came to an end.

The Mustangs (11-3) snapped a two-game losing streak.

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