The Johnnie hockey team travels to face Concordia-Moorhead for a pair of games this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. game Friday, Jan. 18, at the Moorhead Sports Center in Moorhead. Saturday's game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start. – Listen Live (Both Games, Real Audio Player) | Live Stats (Both Games)
Preview Video:
-Head coach Doug Schueller (2:09)
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's and Gustavus Adolphus played to a pair of ties, 3-3 and 1-1, last weekend. The Johnnies (6-6-3, 1-3-2 MIAC) fought back to gain a 3-2 lead following an early 2-0 deficit Friday night. Andrew Peterson gave Gustavus a quick 1-0 lead on the game's first shot 2:39 in and Blake Schammel made it 2-0 with 1:03 remaining in the opening period. Junior Jason Johnson (Duluth, Minn.) cut the deficit to 2-1 with his third goal of the season at the 16-minute mark of the second period. Junior Justin Hochsprung (Alexandria, Minn.) tied the game 2:31 into the third period with an assist from sophomore Dave Mylrea (Brooklyn Park, Minn.). Sophomore Josh Gaughan (Buffalo, Minn.) gave SJU its first and only lead of the game with his first goal of the season 1:56 later. Joey Olson ended the scoring with 9:43 remaining for GAC. Junior Mitch Thompson (Onalaska, Wis.) made 25 saves in the tie for SJU. The Johnnies combined for only one shot on net on their two power-play opportunities.
Following a scoreless first period, senior Tobias Linbro (Nykvarn, Sweden) gave SJU a 1-0 lead with his third of the season 7:53 into the second of Saturday night's game in St. Peter. Darren Lapic tied the game for Gustavus 3:19 into the third period. Senior J.D. Wells (Anoka, Minn.) made 26 saves in the tie for SJU, which out-shot the home team 11-8 after the second period. SJU's woes on the power play continued Saturday night, as the Johnnies were 0-for-5 on the man advantage. The visitors tallied only two shots on goal in the first 4:09 of a five-minute major penalty on GAC in the third period until SJU was whistled for a penalty of its own.
COLD STREAK: SJU has converted only one power-play goal on its last 20 chances on the ice. The Johnnies' power play was leading the MIAC at 20.5 percent (8-for-39) prior to the current skid.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia (8-8-1, 5-3-0 MIAC) begins a six-game homestand, riding a three-game winning streak, this weekend. The Cobbers swept Augsburg, 2-1 and 6-2, last weekend. Freshman Jordie Bancroft leads the team in goals (8), assists (9), points (17), power-play goals (3) and penalty minutes (31). Nine (5g/4a) of his 17 points were tallied in eight MIAC games. Junior Chris Neamonitis boasts an 8-5 record in net with a .941 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA.
LAST YEAR'S SERIES: SJU dropped a non-conference game to Concordia as part of MIAC Showcase early in the season before sweeping the Cobbers (2-1 and 4-1) in conference play. The Johnnies outshot the Cobbers 35-27 on goal in the 2-1 early-season loss. The Johnnies tallied 16 shots in the first period but were unable to score. Aaron Wheeler gave Concordia a 1-0 lead 5:46 into the second period, while Braden Rahman increased the Cobbers' lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal at the 13:00 mark. Linbro put the Johnnies on the scoreboard 1:06 into the third period.
Gaughan tallied two goals and Wells made 20 saves in his third start of the season as the Johnnies earned a 2-1 win over Concordia-Moorhead last Jan. 21 in St. Cloud. Following a scoreless first period and most of the second, Gaughan put the Johnnies on the scoreboard with 2:29 left. CC tied the game with a power-play goal from Pat Deitz with 2:55 left in the game, but Gaughan lit the lamp with his sixth goal of the season 40 seconds later.
Saint John's completed a weekend sweep of second-place Concordia-Moorhead with a 4-1 victory on Sunday, Jan. 22, in St. Cloud.
SJU completed a weekend sweep of second-place Concordia-Moorhead with a 4-1 victory the following afternoon. The Johnnies broke through a scoreless tie with a pair of goals in the second period. Junior Josh Gross (Maple Grove, Minn.) gave SJU a 1-0 lead with 4:41 left on a delayed penalty, a five-minute major for checking from behind. A broken pane of Plexiglass gave both teams a 20-minute break with 3:19 left. The delay failed to cool the Johnnies, as senior Joe Harren (Warroad, Minn.) extended the Johnnies' lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal at the 19:04 mark. Harren added his second of the game, and fifth of the season, 5:44 into the third period. Marc Harrie broke the shutout for Concordia with 1:08 left in the game. Sophomore John Haeg (Lakeville, Minn.) ended the scoring with his fourth goal of the season 27 seconds later. Wells (Anoka, Minn.) made 23 saves to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Johnnies tallied four goals against Neamonitis, who entered the game second in the MIAC in both GAA (2.07) and save percentage (.936), and blocked 24 shots in the game. Concordia managed to register only four shots on goal in 11:39 on the power play (0-for-7), including 42 seconds with a 5-on-3 advantage.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies have either defeated or tied the Cobbers in 24 of the last 28 meetings (22-4-2 record), including an 18-3-2 record in the last 23 games since the 2002-03 season and a 5-2-2 record under the direction of head coach Doug Schueller. SJU is 13-4-3 in its last 20 games in Moorhead.
