Saint John's continues conference play with a two-game series against Augsburg, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. game Thursday, Nov. 15, at Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis. The Johnnies return home to host the Auggies for a 7 p.m. matchup Saturday, Nov. 17, at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM, Both Games) | Live Stats/Live Video (Thursday) | Live Stats (Saturday)
Preview Video:
-Head coach Doug Schueller (2:21)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (1-3-1, 0-2-0 MIAC) enters this weekend's series looking for its first MIAC win after dropping both games to nationally-ranked St. Thomas last week. UST made the most of its opportunities in a 4-2 win Nov. 8 in St. Cloud. SJU entered the game with a 30.8-percent conversion rate (4-for-13) on the power play, but mustered only four shots on goal in a 0-for-4 showing (8:47 duration) in the game. The Johnnies out-shot UST 31-28 and held a 36-28 advantage in faceoffs. St. Thomas jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a goal in the first period and a pair of goals, 53 seconds apart, in the second. Sophomore Wally Cossette (Maple Grove, Minn.) cut the Johnnies' deficit to 3-1 with his first goal of the season with 17 seconds left in the second frame. Sophomore Jobe Peterson (St. Cloud, Minn.) ended the scoring with 2:02 remaining in regulation, his first collegiate goal. Senior J.D. Wells (Anoka, Minn.) made 14 saves before being relieved by freshman Saxton Soley (Elk Mound, Wis.) with 7:19 left in the second period. Soley made 10 stops the rest of the way.
The Tommies turned an SJU turnover into a first-period goal and added two empty-net goals in the third to tally a 3-0 shutout in the return game Nov. 9 in Mendota Heights. With the Johnnies possessing the puck in their own end, a pass across the faceoff circles went off a skate directly to a Tommie, who was all alone in front. Soley (Elk Mound, Wis.) made 19 saves in the loss. SJU was 0-for-3 on the power play to finish 0-for-7 in the two-game series. Shots were even at 18 apiece before the Tommies claimed the game's final four shots, including the two empty-net goals.
A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (1-4, 0-0 MIAC) begins its conference schedule against the Johnnies following its 5-2 loss at Wisconsin-Stout Nov. 9. Junior B.J. McClellan leads the team with three points (2g/1a) and his younger brother, Ben, is close behind with two (2g/1a). The Auggies tout three shorthanded goals through the season's first five games. Augsburg's penalty kill has allowed three goals on 17 power-play opportunities (.824), but the power play has only one goal in 21 chances (.048). Senior Justin Lochner is 1-3 with a 2.99 GAA and a .906 save percentage in four starts between the pipes.
LAST YEAR'S SERIES: The Johnnies salvaged a series split with the Auggies last season. Augsburg broke a 1-1 tie with a pair of third-period goals and held on for a 3-2 home win in the first meeting. SJU stormed out to a dominating 22-10 shot advantage through the first two periods, but the Auggies tilted the third in their favor, 10-3. Following a Johnnie penalty in their own offensive zone, Jamison Wicks gave Augsburg a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 3:18 into the game. Sophomore John Haeg (Lakeville, Minn.) tied the game at 1-1 with the first collegiate goal 6:14 later. Following a scoreless second period, the Auggies tallied a pair of goals in the third, 1:39 into the period and another less than six minutes later. The eventual game-winner was a slapshot from Trevor Doden that was far wide of the net, but it deflected off an SJU defenseman into the net. Junior Josh Gross (Maple Grove, Minn.) cut the deficit to 3-2 with a power-play goal, 6-on-4, with 1:59 remaining.
Saint John's erupted for four second-period goals, three of which came on the power play, to earn a 5-3 the next day in St. Cloud. Nine different Johnnies recorded a point in the victory. SJU took a 1-0 lead 4:03 into the game on a goal from junior Axel Ramsgard (Gothenburg, Sweden), his first of the season. Senior Jascha Pettit (Wadena, Minn.) increased the lead to 2-0 4:46 into the second period. The Johnnies tallied three power-play goals in a 4:39 span to take a 5-0 lead. Senior captain Michael Palmiscno (East Grand Forks, Minn.) lit the lamp at the 6:58 mark and Gross tallied his third goal of the year 3:16 later. Pettit added his second goal of the evening 1:23 later. Augsburg denied the shutout with a power-play goal at the 16:45 mark of the second period, and added two more goals in the third. SJU out-shot the Auggies 35-24, including a 28-12 advantage through the first two periods. The Johnnies scored three goals on seven power-play opportunities to improve to 10-for-30 (33.3 percent) on the young season.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies lead the all-time series 35-33-1 since the 1984-85 season. SJU holds a 14-7 advantage in the last 21 meetings overall, though Augsburg has won five of the last six.
