Saint John's returns to action by hosting two games at the Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC) in St. Cloud this weekend. The Johnnies host Wis.-Stevens Point for a 7 p.m. game Friday and nationally-ranked St. Norbert (Wis.) for a 2:30 p.m. contest Saturday. – Listen Live (Jan. 8) | Live Stats (Both Games) | Directions
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: SJU (5-7-1, 1-5-0 MIAC) returns to action for the first time since its 7-3 win over Finlandia (Mich.) on Dec. 13. Eleven different Johnnies recorded a point in the contest. Following a scoreless first period, both team combined for seven goals in the second frame. Sophomore Grant Ellena (Coon Rapids, Minn.) and junior Alex Lindeberg (Forest Lake, Minn.) ended the game with a goal and two assists each. Ellena was named the MIAC Men's Hockey Player of the Week the next day. Freshman Adam Andersson (Pixbo, Sweden) made 16 saves to record his first career win in his first career start. SJU outshot Finlandia 55-19 in the game, including an 18-4 advantage on the power play, though neither team lit the lamp with the man advantage (SJU: 0-6, FU: 0-5).
A LOOK AT THE POINTERS: Wis.-Stevens Point (7-8, 3-7 NCHA) has won five of its last six, including wins in each of its last four games. Donnie Hallmark leads six Pointers in double-digits in points with 14 (6g/8a), while Garrett Suter has 13 (5g/8a). Freshman Nick Graves and Thomas Speer have split time in net so far this season. Speer is 3-6 with a 3.22 GAA and a .883 save percentage, while Graves is 4-2 with a 3.34 GAA and a .871 save percentage. The Johnnies have won five of the last seven meetings.
THE LAST MEETING: Wis.-Stevens Point scored four goals in the second period and its fifth of the game with 3:08 remaining in the contest to defeat Saint John's 5-4 on Nov. 1 in St. Cloud. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Pointers against SJU. SJU took a 2-0 lead early in the second period thanks to a power-play goal by junior Brent Brodersen (Shakopee, Minn.) with assists going to junior Mike Wallgren (Oakdale, Minn.) and fellow junior Jared Smith (Grand Rapids, Minn.). UWSP answered with three consecutive goals in a span of 5:02 to take a 3-2 lead. Wallgren tied the game with a power-play goal at the 15:52 mark of the second period with assists going to Baker and Smith. The game did not stay at a deadlock for long, however, as the Pointers' Nic Polaski gave UWSP a 4-3 lead with a goal 39 seconds later. Brodersen tied the game at 4-4 with his second power-play goal of the afternoon with just under 12 minutes to play. Baker and Smith again assisted on the scoring play for SJU. UWSP's Matt Stendahl then tallied the game-winner with 3:08 left in the game. The Johnnies had a six-on-four advantage thanks to a power-play opportunity and an extra skater in the final 33 seconds, but was not able to tie the game. SJU outshot the Pointers 32-26 in the game and was 3-for-12 on the power play.
A LOOK AT THE GREEN KNIGHTS: St. Norbert, ranked No. 4 nationally and located in De Pere, Wis., has only three student-athletes from Wisconsin on its roster. Like the Pointers, six Green Knights currently have double-digits in points. Senior Shane Wheeler leads the squad with 18 points (9g/9a), followed by senior Matt Boyd and freshman Cody Keefer with 15 (6g/9a) and 14 (7g/7a) points, respectively. Junior B.J. O'Brien is 10-1-1 with a 1.62 GAA and a .925 save percentage in goal this season.
THE LAST MEETING: Top-ranked St. Norbert scored five power-play goals, including three during a five-minute man advantage, to defeat Saint John's 5-1 on Nov. 8 in De Pere, Wis. Following a five-minute major checking-from-behind penalty on junior James Olmscheid (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), the Green Knights scored three power-play goals in a span of 2:29 in the first period. St. Norbert's Scott Pulak then scored two more power-play goals in the third period to take a 5-0 lead. Senior Chris Murray (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored the Johnnies' lone goal at the 9:11 mark of the third period. Junior Dylan Decker (Park City, Utah) and Ellena assisted on the scoring play for the Johnnies. The assist was Ellena's first career point. The defending NCAA Division III national champions were 5-for-10 on the power play, while SJU was 0-for-6 with the man advantage.
