The Johnnie hockey team returns to conference action with a pair of home games against Concordia-Moorhead this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18-19. Both contests are scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, and Sunday's matinee is Faith & Family Day. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM, Sunday only) | Live Stats (Both Games) | Live Video (Both Games)
Preview Video:
-Head coach Doug Schueller (1:43)
FAITH & FAMILY DAY: Any individual with a non-perishable food item will gain free admittance to Sunday's game. All of the collected items will go to the local food shelf and other activities will be held throughout the game to benefit Catholic Charities. Fans may also skate with the Johnnies following the game until 4:30 p.m.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (8-6, 3-3 MIAC) started the New Year with a pair of non-conference wins at home last weekend. The Johnnies tallied two power-play goals and added an empty-netter, shorthanded, in a 5-3 win over Wisconsin-Stout on Friday (Jan. 10), and then defeated Marian (Wis.) by a 2-1 score, in overtime, Saturday night (Jan. 11). The Blue Devils entered the contest as NCAA Division III's top-ranked team in regard to combined special teams (63.8 percent): No. 10 on penalty kill (90.3 percent) and No. 11 on power play (25.6 percent). SJU ended the night 2-for-3 on the power play and did not allow a shot to reach sophomore goaltender Saxton Soley (Elk Mound, Wis.) on four minutes of power play as Stout went 0-for-2 on the man advantage. Senior forward Josh Gross (Maple Grove, Minn.) gave SJU a 1-0 lead 6:41 into the game with his sixth goal of the season and 15th of his collegiate career. The lead was short-lived, however, as Stout snuck a shot through heavy traffic in front to the back of the net 30 seconds later. Junior defenseman Nick Vatnsdal (Independence, Minn.), making a spot start at forward, gave the lead back to the Johnnies with his second career goal at the 17:58 mark of the opening period. Kevin O'Donnell tied it for Stout with his eighth goal of the season, off a nice feed from behind the net by Craig Lindegard, 15:09 into the second period. SJU re-gained the lead on a power-play goal from junior defenseman Nick Senta (Savage, Minn.) with 1:18 left in the second frame and Gross gave the home team a two-goal lead with his fifth power-play goal of the season 3:25 into the final period. The Blue Devils cut their deficit to one 4:16 later, but sophomore forward Alex Ach (Champlin, Minn.) sealed the win for SJU with a shorthanded, empty-net goal from center ice with 52 seconds remaining. The Johnnies out-shot Stout 44-34 in the game, including a 34-21 advantage after the first period, and won 42 of the 65 faceoffs.
Junior Phil Johnson's fourth goal of the season, on the power play 1:41 into overtime, gave Saint John's the 2-1 non-conference win over Marian. SJU struggled on the power play throughout the game until Johnson's game-winner, going 1-for-6, including a combined 3:13 with a 5-on-3 advantage. Tyler Klein, the Sabres' offensive leader with 21 points (9g/12a), gave the visitors a quick 1-0 lead 1:14 into the game. Junior forward John Haeg (Lakeville, Minn.) tied it 5:40 later. SJU came alive in the second half of the third period, totaling 18 shots, 10 on goal, in the final 11:59 (including overtime). Sixteen seconds into the overtime power play, freshman defenseman Brady Riesgraf (Chaska, Minn.) sent a shot from the point in on net and the rebound when to Johnson, who was all alone in front. Soley made 37 saves, two shy of his career high, to improve to 7-4 on the season (22-9-1 career).
GROSS PRODUCING: Gross extended his consecutive-games streak with a point to nine with four points (2g/2a) over the weekend. He has 14 points (6g/8a) during the nine-game stretch and was named the MIAC Men's Hockey Athlete of the Week for his weekend performance. Gross currently leads the MIAC (all games) in power-play goals (5), is second in power-play points (7), is tied for third in points (15) and is tied for fifth in goals (7).
20 GOALS: The goals from Haeg and Johnson against Marian were the 20th of their respective collegiate careers.
PENALTY KILLERS: The Johnnies have successfully denied each of their opponents' last 22 power-play opportunities since Carl Krieger's power-play goal in the first period of SJU's 3-1 loss at Augsburg Dec. 6.
POWER PLAY IS BACK: SJU has recorded a power-play goal in seven of its last nine games and is converting at a 28.9-percent (10-for-35) rate since starting the season 1-for-22 on the man advantage.
60 WINS: Last Saturday night's victory was the 60th (60-70-1 record) of head coach Doug Schueller's career at SJU. He is now six victories behind Denny Hartman (1981-88, 66-118-2 record) for second on the school's all-time coaching wins list. John Harrington (1993-08), a member of the 1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey teams, is the program's leader with 241 (241-142-31 record).
POST-CHRISTMAS IN THE MIAC: The Johnnies are 30-17-7 (.620) in MIAC regular-season games after Christmas under the direction of Schueller, including a 16-5-3 record the past two seasons (.729).
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: Concordia (9-4-2, 3-2-1 MIAC) saw its three-game win streak come to an end with a tie to Marian (4-4) and a loss to Stout (5-4, OT) last weekend. Senior defenseman Caleb Suderman leads the team in goals (10) and points (18), while junior forward Andrew Deters is close behind with 17 points, including a team-leading 13 assists. Five (2g/3a) of Suderman's points came in a sweep (7-2 and 5-3) of Northland (Wis.) Dec. 14-15. Senior goaltender Chris Neamonitis is 8-4-2 with a 2.18 GAA and a .934 save percentage (441 saves) in 14 games this season. He is 2-4-1 with a 2.10 GAA and a .929 save percentage (182 saves) against the Johnnies, averaging 26 stops per game. The Cobbers posted an 85-35 advantage in shots in the weekend series. Augsburg out-scored the Lumberjacks 16-5 and out-shot them 104-38 in a pair of wins earlier this season.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: A Concordia goal with 8:29 remaining proved to be the difference in a 2-0 win for the Cobbers over SJU in a non-conference game, as part of the MIAC Showcase, earlier this season on Nov. 2 in Blaine. Suderman broke the scoreless tie with what proved to be the game-winning goal, unassisted, with 8:29 remaining. Jordie Bancroft added an empty-net goal with four seconds remaining to seal the win for the Cobbers in what was their season opener. Senior goaltender Mitch Thompson (Onalaska, Wis.) stopped 32 shots in the loss, his first start of the season and fourth of his Johnnie career. Concordia held a 34-29 edge in shots and both teams were 0-for-5 on the power play. The loss ended a five-game winning streak for SJU against the Cobbers. The previous loss was a 2-1 decision on Oct. 30, 2011, at the MIAC Showcase.
SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies have either defeated or tied the Cobbers in 27 of the last 32 meetings (25-5-2 record), including a 21-4-2 record in the last 27 games since the 2002-03 season and an 8-3-2 record under the direction of head coach Doug Schueller. SJU is 14-1-1 in its last 16 games against Concordia at the National Hockey Center.
