Molenaar Named NCHC Forward of the Week

Minnetonka native recorded a hat trick and four total points in sweep over Miami

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Senior forward Joe Molenaar (Minnetonka, Minn.) was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Forward of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday. Molenaar scored his first career hat trick and had four points total in the Huskies sweep over Miami to open NCHC play.

Molenaar is the second Husky to earn a weekly conference honor this season, following fifth-year defenseman Dylan Anhorn (Calgary, Alberta) being named Defenseman of the Week on Oct. 9. It is the first NCHC weekly honor of his career.

Molenaar scored or assisted on four of nine goals scored on the weekend for SCSU., totaling three goals and an assist for four points and a +3 mark on the ice. Molenaar recorded a hat trick on Saturday, which was the 66^th hat trick in program history and the first since teammate Zach Okabe had a hat trick against North Dakota on Dec. 3, 2022. In addition to his first career hat trick, it was also his first career multi-goal game.

Just eight games into the season, the Husky senior has matched a career-best for goals in a season with five. Molenaar also added an assist in Friday’s 3-2 win, as he had the secondary assist on Mason Salquist’s goal in the first period.

Season and single game tickets for the 2023-24 season are now available for purchase by visiting www.scsutickets.comor by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137. For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey, stay tuned toSCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

More on Molenaar

• Position: Forward

• Class: Senior

• Hometown: Minnetonka, Minn.

• Previous Team: Cedar Rapids (USHL)

• High School: Minnetonka

2022-23: Earned Academic All-Conference honors from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference … Appeared in 30 games in junior season, scoring two goals and five assists for seven points with a +5 plus/minus and one power play goal … Had an assist in win over No. 2 Minnesota State (Oct. 22) … Posted an assist in win over No. 3/1 Minnesota (Jan. 7) … Scored a goal against Colorado College (Jan. 13) … Had a goal on the road at North Dakota (Feb. 17).

2021-22: Played in 33 games in sophomore campaign, scoring eight points with five goals and three assists … Had two power play goals on the season … Scored his first points of the season with an assist at Minnesota State (Oct. 9) … Recorded another assist at Minnesota (Oct. 15) … Scored first goal of the season in 5-1 win over Omaha (Nov. 12) … Had an assist at Bemidji State (Dec. 31) … Scored one of SCSU’s 11 goals in victory over Miami (Jan. 21) … Scored a goal against Western Michigan (Feb. 11) … Scored two goals against Western Michigan (Feb. 12), his first multi-goal game of his career.

2020-21: Molenaar appeared in 13 games in his first season with the Huskies, tallying four points with one goal and three assists. He scored the first goal of his collegiate career in dramatic ashion, as he scored the game-tying goal in St. Cloud State’s 5-4 win over Minnesota State in the NCAA Frozen Four. Molenaar tallied the first point of his collegiate career with an assist in the Huskies 5-1 win over Western Michigan on February 5.

Before SCSU: A 2018 graduate of Minnetonka High School, Molenaar played junior hockey in the USHL with Cedar Rapids and Tri-City during the 2019-20 season.  In three seasons at Minnetonka H.S., Molenaar scored 46 goals and 29 assists.  He capped his prep career in 2017-18 by scoring 27 goals and serving as a team captain at Minnetonka.  Molenaar received the Herb Brooks Award at the 2018 MSHSL state tournament.  In two seasons of play in the USHL, Molenaar scored 18 goals and 25 assists.  He began his junior hockey career at Aberdeen of the NAHL in 2017-18…played for coach Sean Goldsworthy at Minnetonka H.S…team MVP and All-Conference in high school…helped Minnetonka win MSHSL state title in 2018…2X letterwinner in golf.

Personal: The son of Catherine Molenaar…biomedical sciences major at SCSU.