MONTREAL - Sometimes, coming up short on the scoresheet might just be a blessing in disguise in the long run.

Sophomore Ryan Poehling believes that could be the case with his St. Cloud State Huskies, who dropped the 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game last weekend to the University of Denver after besting the Pioneers in late February to officially claim the Penrose Cup as the conference's top team in the regular season.

"I think losing that tournament could have been one of the best things for us. It kind of kept us on our toes," said the 19-year-old centerman, who boasts 14 goals and 31 points in 35 games this season. "I think it set us back a bit and kept us focused on the fact that at the end of the day what we really wanted to achieve was a national title."

In order to accomplish that objective, Poehling and the Huskies will first have to win the NCAA Tournament's West Regional, which has them opening up against the Air Force Academy on Friday afternoon at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Should they advance, a matchup with either Minnesota State Mankato or Minnesota Duluth awaits on Saturday for the right to move on to the Frozen Four.

Even though Poehling's contingent enters the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, they know better than to take any opponent for granted this time of year.

"Every team deserves to be here. You see it, especially in basketball. You're watching those games and you see all of the upsets happen. That's what sports is all about," said Poehling, ahead of his inaugural NCAA Tournament experience. "Air Force might've just squeaked in because of their league tournament, but they're a good team. They have every right to be in the tournament as we do."

Fortunately, Poehling's parents Tim and Kris, and younger brother Luke, won't have to travel too far to watch Ryan and his older siblings Nick and Jack begin their quest for college hockey glory, with Sioux Falls being just a four-hour drive away.

No doubt the Huskies' faithful will also be making the trip in droves given the close proximity to campus.

"Our fans have been waiting for this moment. I think they truly believe they're watching a team that could end up making history for this college," explained Poehling. "I think everyone's excited to prove ourselves and show this isn't a coincidence that we're the No. 1 seed. I think that's what we're most excited about, just trying to prove ourselves to the country."

Clinching a spot in the Frozen Four would be a significant achievement for the Canadiens' first-round pick - 25th overall - last June, who hails from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul suburb of Lakeville.

This year, the national championship will essentially be decided in his backyard, with the Xcel Energy Center playing host to the nation's top teams.

"It would mean everything to me to get there. Growing up, going to Wild games, playoff games. I also won the State High School Championship there [with Lakeville North]. That was a dream of mine, and actually achieving it at the Xcel was something special," mentioned Poehling, who has six goals in his last eight games. "I have a lot of familiarity with that arena. Capping it with a national title on that rink would just put it overboard. It's something not everyone can say they did, so it would definitely be amazing if it happened to us."