The Johnnie hockey team aims to get back in the win column this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30 and 31, against Concordia-Moorhead. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be played at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. – Listen Live (Saturday) | Live Stats (Both Games)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (5-9-3, 1-6-1 MIAC) returns to action this weekend after going 0-1-1 against MIAC-leading Gustavus last weekend. The Johnnies skated to a 3-3 tie on Jan. 22 before falling to the Gusties, 6-4 on Jan. 24 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Senior Chris Murray (Chanhassen, Minn.) gave SJU an early 1-0 lead 7:37 into Friday night's game. Seniors Dylan Decker (Park City, Utah) and Jake Koehler (Ramsey, Minn.) assisted on the scoring play. David Martinson tied the game with his first of two goals for Gustavus on the power play 6:03 into the second frame. Ross Ring-Jarvi gave GAC a 2-1 lead 3:54 later. Murray tied the game at 2-2 with his third goal of the season at the 14:36 mark of the second period. Decker and junior Pat McClure (Maple Plain, Minn.) were credited with assists. Junior Alex Lindeberg (Forest Lake, Minn.) gave the Johnnies their second lead of the game on the power play 8:36 into the third period, with assists going to senior Gabriel Harren (Warroad, Minn.) and Joe Harren (Warroad, Minn.). Martinson tied the game with an unassisted goal with 7:53 left in regulation. Senior Stu Van Ess (Kewaskum, Wis.) made 33 saves in his first game in net since Dec. 5.
On Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center, GAC took a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals 20 seconds apart halfway thru the first period. The Gusties then added four goals on six shots in the second frame to take a 6-0 lead. McClure put the Johnnies on the scoreboard with a power-play goal at the 17:03 mark of the second period. Gabriel Harren and Lindeberg assisted on the scoring play. Freshman Kevin Blackley (Plymouth, Minn.) then tallied his first career goal 1:32 later on an odd-man feed from McClure. Freshman Michael Palmiscno (East Grand Forks, Minn.) and Koehler added power-play goals in the third period to end the scoring at 6-4. Sophomore Tony Civello (Shoreview, Minn.) made 15 stops in the game's first 25:58 before being relieved by Van Ess, who allowed two goals on eight shots in the loss. The Gusties held a 27-21 shot advantage in the contest, including a 17-5 edge in the first period. SJU went on to out-shoot the opposition 16-10 in the final two periods and finished 3-for-8 on the power play.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia enters this weekend with an overall record of 5-11-3. Despite the losing record, the Cobbers are currently fourth seed in the MIAC with a 4-3-3 record. Sophomore Nick Thielen leads Concordia with 20 points (9g/11a), while sophomore Jared Collen is tied with Thielen in with nine goals scored. Eleven of Concordia's 12 top scorers are underclassmen. Freshman goalie Jacob Vatnsdal has a 5-7-3 record with a .910 save percentage and a 2.99 GAA.
SJU has won 19 of the last 21 meetings with the Cobbers. The last time Saint John's played Concordia and was behind the Cobbers in the MIAC standings was during the 2001-02 season. The Johnnies entered the weekend with a 1-3-2 record in the MIAC, while Concordia was 4-3-1. SJU swept the weekend series with scores of 3-2 and 5-2. Saint John's enters this weekend with a 1-3-2 record in the MIAC, while Concordia is 4-3-3.
LAST SEASON'S SERIES: The Johnnies won all four meetings with the Cobbers last year. In a non-conference series at home, SJU swept the Cobbers by scores of 8-3 and 3-2. Thirteen different Johnnies recorded a point in the 8-3 victory as junior Mike Wallgren (Oakdale, Minn.) tallied two goals and an assist, while senior Karl Gilbert (Hermantown, Minn.), junior Brent Brodersen (Shakopee, Minn.) and Murray also added one goal each.
In its second series meeting of the season, Saint John's again earned a sweep, 6-3 and 3-2 (OT), in Moorhead. In the first game, Brodersen and Wallgren tallied three points apiece; scoring one goal and two assists each. The next night, Wallgren and McClure each had one goal for SJU. The Johnnies were 2-for-4 on the power play, while Concordia was just 1-for-9 with the man advantage and 1-for-15 in the weekend series.
