Box Score
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Saint John's hockey tied St. Thomas 2-2 and earned the additional point in the MIAC standings with a 1-0 win in the shootout on Thursday, Feb. 7, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Following a scoreless overtime and another five minutes of 3-on-3, senior defenseman
Sean Lang (Apple Valley, Minn.) beat the conference leader in GAA (1.91) and save percentage (.930), St. Thomas' Cam Buggrabe, with a backhander to start the fifth round of the sudden-death shootout. Junior goaltender
Andrew Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.) followed with a timely poke check to deny Cullen Willox on the other end of the ice to clinch the shootout win. Lindgren ended the game with 28 saves.
SJU tied nationally ranked Augsburg 2-2 and won the shootout 2-0 last Thursday (Jan. 31) in St. Cloud.
Senior forward
Robb Stautz (Roseville, Minn.) gave SJU (8-9-5, 6-4-3 MIAC) a quick 1-0 lead with his seventh goal of the season 1:21 into the game. Senior forward
Evan Okeley (Carmel, Ind.) possessed the puck behind the net during an extended stay in the offensive zone and fed a wide-open Stautz in front. Senior forward
Matt Colford (Champlin, Minn.) was credited with the second assist.
Luke Radetic tied the game for UST (13-4-5, 7-1-5 MIAC) with a power-play goal, his 13th tally of the season, 2:21 into the second period.
Junior forward
Brady Heppner (Crookston, Minn.) answered for SJU, however, with a power-play goal of his own 4:26 later. Senior forward
Joe Chitwood (Carmel, Ind.) and freshman forward
Davis Kirkendall (Hamel, Minn.) assisted on the goal, Heppner's team-leading 12th of the season.
Tanner Barnes tied the game at 2-2 with an unassisted, breakaway goal 1:49 into the third period.
Shots were even at 30-30 and the squads combined for a 2-for-13 showing on the power play as 16 penalties were called on the night.
Both teams had opportunities. UST hit the pipe three times, while SJU had 46 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play (and another 1:14 of a 5-on-4) in the third period and did not record a shot on goal. Buggrabe denied freshman forward
Braden Altena (St. Cloud, Minn.) on a breakaway with 38 seconds left in regulation.
The two teams wrap up the series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights.