Box Score

BLAINE, Minn. – Saint John's hockey opened its 2016-17 season with a 5-2 non-conference win over Gustavus Adolphus as part of the MIAC Showcase on Friday, Oct. 28, at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine.

The Johnnies broke a 2-2 tie with three third-period goals en route to the win. SJU led the MIAC (all games) in both third-period goals (39) and third-period scoring differential (+18) last season.

Three of the five goals came on the power play (3-for-5), another statistic that carried over from the 2015-16 season. The Johnnies boasted the MIAC's top power-play unit in conference play at 28.6 percent (14-for-59) and finished at 20.7 percent (17-for-82) overall last season.

Senior forward Kevin Becker (Roseville, Minn.) took advantage of a Gustie turnover to score what proved to be the game-winning goal, his second tally of the game, with 10:42 left. Sophomore forward Matt Colford (Champlin, Minn.) collected the lone assist. The two-goal performance was Becker's third multi-goal game of his career and first since his freshman season.

Sophomore forward Evan Okeley (Carmel, Ind.) padded the Johnnies' lead 1:41 later, with an assist to junior forward Huba Sekesi (Germering, Germany), and sophomore defenseman Sean Lang (Apple Valley, Minn.) ended the scoring on the power play with 31 seconds remaining. Becker posted his third point of the contest on the scoring play.

Sophomore forward Mitch Fritz (St. Cloud, Minn.) gave SJU a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 6:58 into the game, with assists going to junior forward Sam Valerius (Maple Grove, Minn.) and sophomore forward Matt Colford (Champlin, Minn.).

Gustavus tied the game at 1-1 with 3:31 left in the first period (Colin Hernon) and gained a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal (Evan Erickson) 6:34 into the second period. The Gusties converted only 8.9 percent (7-for-79) of their power-play chances last season.

Becker tied the game with a power-play goal at the 11:32 mark of the second. Dunagan and Lang added the assists.

Senior goaltender Tyler Nelson (Champlin, Minn.) made 41 saves to earn the win in his third varsity start between the pipes.

The game was the first neutral-site meeting between the two teams in exactly five years, a 3-3 tie on Oct. 28, 2011, in Blaine.

The Johnnies return to Blaine to wrap up the MIAC Showcase and face St. Olaf for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game on Sunday, Oct. 30.