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ST. CLOUD, Minn. 鈥� Easton Brodzinski loves to be in the outdoors and is an avid hunter and fisherman.

But he got the opportunity to do something for the first time with a group of St. Cloud State men鈥檚 hockey teammates during the weekend of Oct. 18-20 when the Huskies had a bye week.

鈥淲e went duck hunting up at Henry Enebak鈥檚 cabin,鈥� said Brodzinski, who also made the trip with Sam Hentges and Luke Jaycox. 鈥淲e went up north and had a good time, shooting some ducks and having a few good laughs.鈥�

In the fall, Brodzinski typically goes bow hunting for deer. But duck hunting was a new experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot different,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were standing in waist-high water when we went out there the first time.

鈥淚t was a little switch from sitting up in a tree and trying to be as still as you possibly can. It was an interesting thing, but I鈥檓 definitely hooked on it. It was one of the best hunting experiences I鈥檝e had in a while.鈥�

Brodzinski is typically known for hunting goals for the Huskies and has six points in his last three games. He and St. Cloud State (1-2-3) head on the road to play Northern Michigan (6-1-1) in a nonconference series this weekend in Marquette, Mich. The teams play at 6:07 p.m. Friday and 5:07 p.m. Saturday at Berry Events Center.

The Rink Live podcast: What went wrong for Huskies, Gophers last weekend, lineup tweaks and a look ahead to this weekend's series

He comes from an outdoors/hockey family. He is the third of four boys for Mike and Kathy Brodzinski. Mike played college hockey for the University of Minnesota (1983-84), but more notably St. Cloud State (1984-87) and is the Huskies鈥� career leader in goals (76) and points (146) in the program鈥檚 NCAA Division II/III era.

While Mike coached his sons鈥� youth hockey teams, he also helped instill in Jonny (26), Michael (24), Easton (23) and Bryce (19) the enjoyment of being outdoorsmen.

鈥淢e and Michael were sitting in a tree stand and I think I was 7 and he was 9 and we were in the tree stand for maybe five minutes and he shot down a big doe and it fell down right in front of us,鈥� said Easton, who is a Blaine (Minn.) High 歪歪漫画 graduate. 鈥淲e had walkie-talkies back at that time and my dad was across the field and we were radioing him that we got one.

鈥淗e said, 鈥榊ou can鈥檛 just get one (that fast). That just doesn鈥檛 happen.鈥� It was a fun moment and he came over and was just in awe of it. Since I鈥檝e been 7, I鈥檝e been going (hunting) every year.鈥�

Brodzinski's private account on Instagram has many posts of his family, hunting, fishing and, of course, hockey.

On the ice, he is off to the best start in his three seasons with the Huskies. Brodzinski, who scored 30 goals in his first two college seasons, is on St. Cloud State鈥檚 top power-play unit and is continuing to work on being more than just a goal scorer.

鈥淚鈥檓 working on a lot of detail stuff like cutbacks and doing a lot better with puck protection and decision making when I鈥檓 coming into the (offensive) zone, too,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou always want to have a 200-foot game and me and (coach Brett Larson) have been working on it the last two years of little details in the 鈥楧鈥� zone 鈥� where I need to be when the puck is here and where I need to be when the puck is there.

鈥淗e teaches me a lot of things that I wouldn鈥檛 even consider thinking about.鈥�

Larson said that Brodzinski seemed to turn a corner with playing a more complete game about halfway through last season. In the last 12 games of last season, he had a plus/minus rating of plus-8.

鈥淭he second half of last year, he really committed to playing a 200-foot game,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淗e was learning when to be risky and when not to be risky. He was always good on the power play.鈥�

Another sign of filling his game out is that he has more assists (5) than goals (2) in the early part of the season.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a good passer, but where I鈥檝e been impressed by him is down around the net with his tips and his body positioning to get open for a play,鈥� Larson said of Brodzinski, who is the Huskies鈥� second-biggest forward at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds. 鈥淎round the net, he鈥檚 really good at getting his stick in a good position for tip plays. He scored a few (of his 16) goals on it last year and I鈥檝e already notice it this year.

鈥淗e had a power-play goal off a faceoff. He adjusted his stick to get in behind a guy and got body position and allowed Sam (Hentges) to make a really good shot/pass for that tip goal.鈥�

And when he gets off the rink, he sounds pretty committed to being a top-notch outdoorsman.

鈥淚 just like being alone and being in the outdoors,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I plan on doing after my hockey career is over is, hopefully, running an outdoor channel or something like that.

鈥淚 just like the quiet of it, watching things develop and nature do its thing. I鈥檓 kind of a freak when it comes to that stuff. I know a lot of things about a lot of different animals that people usually don鈥檛 know. It鈥檚 kind of my forte.鈥�

鈥� Huskies center Kevin Fitzgerald was injured in the Friday game against Princeton and did not play Saturday. He was able to practice Tuesday, but was kept out of some drills as he recovers.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an upper body injury and he鈥檚 day-to-day,鈥� Larson said of the junior from Oak Brook, Ill. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping he鈥檚 going to be ready for the weekend, but we鈥檒l see.鈥�

鈥� After giving up five goals in the loss Friday, Larson made some significant changes to his defensive lineup for Saturday鈥檚 game against Princeton. Sophomore Nick Perbix was moved off the top defensive pairing with senior Jack Ahcan and was listed on the third pairing with Tyler Anderson. Sophomore Spencer Meier moved up from the second pairing to take Perbix鈥檚 spot with Ahcan.

Freshman Ondrej Trejbal played in his first college game and saw time on the power play Sophomore Brendan Bushy, who played in 38 out of 39 games last season, was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

鈥淲e need to be a team that鈥檚 built from our net out,鈥� said Larson, who had eight underclassmen play forward on Saturday. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to be good in our (defensive) zone, first. That鈥檚 part of our game that we really need to work on getting better at.鈥�

1/3: St. Cloud State鈥檚 Easton Brodzinski (26) chases a loose puck during the first period against Northeastern Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. (Jason Wachter/The Rink Live)

2/3: St. Cloud State junior forward Easton Brodzinski

3/3: St. Cloud State鈥檚 Easton Brodzinski tries to work the puck around Princeton鈥檚 Pito Walton to the goal during the first period Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. (Jason Wachter/The Rink Live)

1/3: St. Cloud State鈥檚 Easton Brodzinski (26) chases a loose puck during the first period against Northeastern Friday, Oct. 25, 2019, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. (Jason Wachter/The Rink Live)

2/3: St. Cloud State junior forward Easton Brodzinski

3/3: St. Cloud State鈥檚 Easton Brodzinski tries to work the puck around Princeton鈥檚 Pito Walton to the goal during the first period Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. (Jason Wachter/The Rink Live)