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COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - This week's #TakeMeBackTuesday is Saint John's hockey's wild, 6-5 win at Saint Mary's in the 2019-20 regular-season finale (Feb. 22). The Johnnies came back from a three-goal deficit to earn the victory and win the MIAC regular-season championship, the program's ninth and first since 2013 (first out-right championship since 2005).



Forward Auggie Moore '23 scored what proved to be the game-winning goal on a breakaway with 3:47 to play. He ended the weekend in Winona with seven points (3g/4a), including both game-winning goals, in the two-game sweep and ended the season with a team-leading 27 (11g/16a). Both Moore and forward Jack Johnson '23 recorded three assists in the victory.

Saint Mary's scored a pair of goals, on four shots, in the game's first six minutes and gained a 3-0 lead 7:05 into the second period.

Defenseman Travis Brown '21 put SJU on the scoreboard with a power-play goal (4-on-3), his seventh tally of the season, 2:17 later (9:22 mark). The Cardinals, however, answered to make it 4-1 less than two minutes after.

The Johnnies upped the offensive pressure for the remainder of the second period and it resulted in three SMU penalties and a pair of power-play goals. Forward Davis Kirkendall '22 cut the Johnnies' deficit to 4-2 with his 10th goal of the season at the 15:00 mark. With an extra attacker on the ice (6-on-4), due to a delayed penalty on SMU, forward Brady Heppner '20 lit the lamp 1:29 later for his eighth goal of the season and 42nd of his career. The Johnnies did not score on the ensuing power play and trailed 4-3 entering the third period.
  SJU's freshman line of Johnson, Moore and Dan Wieber '23 was responsible for all three third-period goals. Johnson tied the game 2:30 into the third period and found Wieber from behind the net for the go-ahead tally 2:45 later. 

A boarding penalty on Johnson, however, with 6:45 remaining gave SMU 1:18 of a 5-on-3 power play. Kyle Meeh took advantage of the opportunity and scored his second goal of the game, and team-leading 13th of the season, to re-tie the contest at 5-5 with six minutes to play.

Goaltender Andrew Lindgren '20 made 28 saves in the win (8-7-2 record). The Johnnies scored a season-high three power-play goals (3-for-9) in the game, while the Cardinals went 2-for-5. Half (16 of 32) of SJU's shots on goal were recorded during a man advantage.

The Johnnies improved to 21-4 in their last 25 games in Winona, including wins in 16 of the previous 18 (29 of 39 overall).

SJU landed six student-athletes on the 20-man All-MIAC first team, which was announced two weeks later (March 10): Heppner, Johnson, Lindgren, Moore, defenseman Jake Dittel '21 and forward Kyle Wagner '20. Doug Schueller was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the second time, while Johnson and Moore were joined on the six-man MIAC All-Rookie team by defenseman Peter Tabor '23. Brown was named All-MIAC honorable mention.