The Johnnie hockey team returns to action this weekend against Augsburg, beginning with a 7:05 p.m. tilt on Friday, Nov. 18, at the Augsburg Ice Arena in Minneapolis. SJU returns home to host the Auggies for a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday, Nov. 19, at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. – Live Stats/Watch Live (Friday) | Listen Live (Saturday) | Live Stats (Saturday)
Preview Video:
-Head coach Doug Schueller (1:45)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: The Johnnies (1-3-1, 0-2-0 MIAC) return to the ice in search of their first conference win after losing a pair of close games against St. Thomas last weekend. The two teams went back and forth Friday night to a 5-3 result. The Tommies took the lead with a power-play goal 1:56 into the game, but the Johnnies fought back to tie it with a goal from sophomore defenseman Trent Johnson (Duluth, Minn.). Senior Conor Rooney (Stillwater, Minn.) had two goals for the Johnnies. SJU fought back to tie Saturday's game on three separate occasions but could not take the lead in a 5-4 loss.
HAEG COLLECTING ASSISTS: Saint John's freshman forward John Haeg (Lakeville, Minn.) boasts seven assists in his last three games for SJU. He tallied three assists in the Johnnies' 7-3 win at Wisconsin-Stout, including the first assists on the game-tying goal (1-1), go-ahead goal (3-2) and the eventual game-winner (4-2) Nov. 5. He posted an assist in the 5-3 loss to UST last Friday night before adding three more in the hard-fought 5-4 loss Saturday evening. Haeg assisted on both of freshman Josh Gaughan's goals, 1:31 apart, which cut the deficit to 3-2 and tied the game, respectively. He then assisted on Michael Palmiscno's game-tying power-play goal (4-4) halfway through the third period.
MIAC LEADERS: The Johnnies currently lead the MIAC (all games) in goals scored (3.60 gpg.), least penalty minutes (8.8 pmpg.), third-period goals (9) and power-play percentage (30.0 percent, 6-for-20).
A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (2-3-0, 0-0-0 MIAC) begins MIAC play against the Johnnies this weekend after posting a 3-2 win over Wisconsin-Stout last Friday. Freshman defenseman Jamison Wicks scored two goals for the Auggies, including the game winner, in the first period. Junior goalie Justin Lochner recorded 33 saves in net. Wicks leads the squad in points (4), while Trevor Doden holds the team-lead in goals (3) and shots (16). Four of Augsburg's five games this season were decided by one goal (2-2 record).
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies enter this weekend's series having lost each of the last four meetings with Augsburg. The last time the Auggies claimed four straight wins against SJU was in 1998 (spring of 1997-98 and fall of 1998-99 seasons). Saint John's posted a 15-4-1 record against Augsburg in between that streak and its current four-game stretch, including a nine-game winning stretch from 2001 to 2006. The series currently stands at 34-32-1 in favor of SJU since the 1984-85 season.
LAST SEASON: Augsburg broke a 3-3 tie with three third-period goals, including an empty-netter, in a 6-3 win over Saint John's in game one of the series last year. Junior Joe Harren (Warroad, Minn.) tied the game at 1-1 on the power play, 1:20 into the second. The Auggies scored two more goals in the second period before the Johnnies stormed back to tie the game at 3-3. SJU's momentum swing was short-lived, however, as Doden gave the lead back to Augsburg for the last time just nine seconds later. The Auggies scored three unanswered goals, including two in the final 1:20 (one of which was an empty-netter), to defeat SJU 4-2.
