Alexandria at St. Cloud
7:15 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24

Alexandria heads southeast to the Municipal Athletic Complex for just the second time this season, since St. Cloud’s Apollo and Tech have combined to form one team.

The merge has gone well for a St. Cloud (9-5-1, 7-1-1) team that enters the week atop the Central Lakes Conference after a pair of convincing victories over River Lakes (4-1) and Sauk Rapids-Rice (7-0). 

Junior forward Nick Portz (18-15-33) leads St. Cloud in scoring, while teammates Brad Amundson (10-10-20) and Carter Rieland (10-7-17) have joined him in double-digit goal totals.

There is a four-team fight for first place in the Central Lakes, and No. 9-1A Alexandria (11-4-1, 6-3-1) is back in the thick of it. The Cardinals have won five in a row and nine of their last 10 games after starting the season slowly.

Senior forward Mack Strong (22-16-38) continues to put up big numbers offensively, as does sophomore playmaker Ben Doherty (12-33-45).

The first meeting between these two teams ended in a 5-5 tie on Dec. 8, a game in which St. Cloud outshot Alexandria 37-27.