Box Score

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. - Saint John's hockey clinched an MIAC Playoff berth with a 4-1 win at St. Thomas on Friday, Feb. 8, in Mendota Heights.

The win snapped the Tommies' 13-game unbeaten streak (9-0-4 record) and secured SJU's second consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance, third in the last four seasons and 21st overall.

SJU swept UST with a pair of 4-1 wins last season.

Following a scoreless first period, SJU jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals from defensemen in the first five minutes of the second. Junior captain Cole Souto (Yorba Linda, Calif.) put SJU (9-9-5, 7-4-3 MIAC) on the scoreboard with a power-play goal, a one-timer from the point, 2:54 into the frame and sophomore Travis Brown (Otsego, Minn.) made it 2-0 with a shot through traffic 1:43 later. 

Senior forward Matt Colford (Champlin, Minn.) picked up the first assist on Souto's tally for his team-leading 11th power-play point (5g/6a) of the year, while junior forward Kyle Wagner (St. Francis, Minn.) earned the first of his three assists on the night.

Junior forward Brady Heppner (Crookston, Minn.) gave the Johnnies a three-goal lead with his 13th goal of the season 5:21 into the third period. He carried the puck into the offensive zone on a 2-on-1 and his feed to senior forward Joe Chitwood (Carmel, Ind.) on the backdoor found the back of the net.

Brett Gravelle erased the shutout for UST (13-5-5, 7-2-5 MIAC) with his 16th goal of the year 50 seconds later.

Chitwood ended the scoring with an empty-net goal, a shot from just past the red line, with 27.6 seconds remaining.

Junior goaltender Andrew Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.) made 33 saves to improve to 7-5-4 (7-2-3 MIAC) on the year.

The Johnnies wrap up the regular-season schedule next week against Gustavus Adolphus, beginning with Senior Night at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.