Saint John's hockey opens its 2020-21 season with a 7 p.m. non-conference game at Augsburg on Saturday, Jan. 30, in Minneapolis. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats/Video

SORRY, NO FANS: Spectators will not be allowed at contests during the winter season. The MIAC released a statement regarding this decision:

"We have a small window for success this winter season. Our COVID Working Group, made up of conference members and medical advisors, supported no spectators for indoor winter sports due to health and safety concerns. This decision, supported by our institutions' athletic directors and presidents, provides our best path forward to successfully and safely conduct winter sports. The decision was not made lightly.  It is critical that we see success in the first few weeks of competition."

NO MIAC PLAYOFFS: Although the MIAC winter sports are permitted to participate in regular-season competition, the league will not stage conference playoffs (basketball, hockey) or conference postseason championship meets (swimming and diving, indoor track and field) in 2021. Participation in NCAA championship competition (if held), however, will be permitted for qualifying teams and individuals.

AND NO SHOOTOUTS: If the game (MIAC or non-conference) is tied at the end of the third period, the two teams will play a five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime. If the five-minute, sudden-death frame ends without a goal, the game will end in a tie. Since the conference championship will be decided by winning percentage, and not by the usual point-system, shootouts are unnecessary.

THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE: The Johnnies currently have an 11-game schedule, which consists of four non-conference contests. The MIAC hockey schedules will follow a single, round-robin format, in which each participating school will play every team once. The team achieving the best winning percentage, while completing at least 51 percent of the schedule, will earn the MIAC regular-season championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Following Saturday night's tilt at Augsburg, SJU continues non-conference play with road games Feb. 3 at St. Scholastica and Feb. 5 at Bethel. The Johnnies play host to Bethel for the MIAC opener at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (HBNHC) in St. Cloud. SJU wraps up non-conference play Feb. 11 at home against Concordia. Other home contests are also scheduled for Feb. 17 vs. Gustavus, Feb. 25 vs. Augsburg and March 11 vs. Saint Mary's. All home games will be played at the HBNHC.

All games will feature live video, with links available on the SJU hockey schedule and throughout www.gojohnnies.com, so fans can watch. Most, if not all, SJU hockey games will be broadcast on The Bear WBHR-660 AM, pending availability and schedule.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: The Johnnies look to build off of a successful 2019-20 season in 2020-21, and with the list of accomplishments below, you can't blame them. And, you can't help but feel a strong sense of optimism that the team can repeat and progress further.

-The Johnnies went 8-2 over their final 10 conference games (6-0 on the road) to win the MIAC regular-season championship and finished with a 9-3-4 record (12-9-5 overall). It was SJU's third consecutive MIAC Playoff appearance, and seventh overall.

-Consequently, Doug Schueller was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the second time.

-SJU landed six student-athletes on the 20-man All-MIAC first team, of which three return: senior defenseman Jake Dittel (White Bear Lake, Minn.), and sophomore forwards Jack Johnson (Bemidji, Minn.) and Auggie Moore (Edina, Minn.).

-Statistically, SJU tied for first in the MIAC in scoring defense (2.19 gpg.) and finished second in scoring offense (3.44 gpg.).

The 2020-21 Johnnies are fortunate to be comprised with balance, an experience group of eight seniors and a wealth of talent in the underclassman ranks. The eight seniors are 40-27-12 (29-12-7 MIAC) over their first three seasons, which included two second-place finishes before last year's MIAC regular-season title.

Here's a look at the 2020-21 Johnnies:

Four Seniors on the Blue Line
Schueller returns four senior defensemen in 2020-21, led by Dittel, the Johnnies' team captain. He totaled nine points, all assists, in 13 conference games to tie for seventh among the conference's defensemen. He finished with 13 points (0g/13a) in 18 games overall and has 31 points (2g/29a) in 69 career games.

Dittel will be joined by classmates Travis Brown (Otsego, Minn.) and Troy Dobbs (Lancaster, N.Y.), who have combined for 47 points (13g/34a) in 151 career games.

Brown was All-MIAC honorable mention in 2019-20 after he tied for fourth in the MIAC with three power-play goals and tied Dittel for seventh among MIAC defensemen with nine points (4g/5a) in conference play. He played all 26 games and tallied 13 points (7g/6a), as well as goals Nov. 9 (at Bethel) and Dec. 10 (vs. Hamline) during the extra 3-on-3 overtime that did not count in the statistics.

Dobbs also played all 26 games and registered six points (2g/4a). 

Rooks No More
The 2019-20 MIAC All-Rookie team consisted of six freshmen, and SJU had half of them: Johnson, Moore and defenseman Peter Tabor (Edina, Minn.). 

Moore led all MIAC freshmen in points (21), which were good for third among all skaters, and tied for second in goals (10) in conference play. His four game-winning goals also led the league. Overall, Moore led the Johnnies in goals (11) and points (27), the most points by an SJU freshman since John Haeg '15 recorded 27 points (7g/20a) in 2011-12, in 25 games. He tallied 14 points (6g/8a) in the season's final nine games.

Johnson finished second, behind Moore, among MIAC freshmen and fifth overall with 17 points (7g/10a) in conference play. He registered eight points (3g/5a) over the Johnnies' final five games and ended with 22 (7g/15a) in 23 contests.

Tabor played all 26 games at the blue line and posted four points (1g/3a) in league play, nine points (3g/6a) overall, and led SJU with two shorthanded goals. 

Another sophomore who made an instant impact last season, sophomore forward Dan Wieber (St. Joseph, Minn.), collected 16 points (6g/10a) in 22 games.

Good Glove, Berglove
The bad news for SJU in 2020-21 is that the hockey program needs to replace goaltender Andrew Lindgren '20, a three-time All-MIAC first-team selection who ended his career with a 32-23-9 record. He is finished second in school history in save percentage (.926) and fourth in GAA (2.28).

The good news? Lindgren's replacement between the pipes is a seasoned veteran. Senior Mac Berglove (Elk River, Minn.) started nine games last season and posted two shutouts, a 4-1-3 record, .932 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA. He is 12-8-5 with a 2.27 GAA and a .922 save percentage (686 saves) in 29 career games for the Johnnies.

Experience on Offense
For the second consecutive season, SJU featured a balanced scoring attack that showcased 10 players scoring four goals or more, seven of which return in 2020-21. A trio of forwards - Tanner Dufault (Kasson, Minn.), Ryan Kero (Hermantown, Minn.) and Tristyn Sabina (Kansas City, Mo.) - round out the Johnnies' strong corps of eight seniors

Kero led the Johnnies with five power-play goals and 12 points (5g/7a) on the man advantage, while he and Dufault tied for second on the team with two game-winning goals. Dufault collected seven points (4g/3a) in 20 games.

Sabina centered the Johnnies' fourth line in all 26 games, where he won 55.3 percent (89-72) of his draws, and tallied an assist.

SJU needs to replace a pair of decorated forwards in Brady Heppner '20 and Kyle Wagner '20. The duo signed with the Southern Professional Hockey League's (SPHL) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs two weeks after the SJU hockey team won the MIAC title. Both student-athletes played three games in March, where Wagner totaled four points (one goal and three assists) and Heppner collected two assists.

A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg finished third in the MIAC with a 9-6-1 record (29 points, 14-11-1 overall) in 2019-20 and return its top 10 scorers, all of whom recorded 10 points or more. Senior forward Austin Martinsen led the team with 19 points (8g/11a) and junior forward Gavin Holland finished fourth in the MIAC in goals (12) and finished second on the team in points (15). Senior goaltender Daniil Gerasimov led the conference with a 2.02 GAA and finished second, to SJU's Berglove, with a .928 save percentage. The Auggies led the MIAC in fewest goals allowed (56, 2.15 gpg.), fewest penalty minutes per game (10.0) and penalty kill (88.4 percent, 84-for-95). Augsburg opens its season this afternoon (Jan. 29) at home against Gustavus Adolphus.

LAST SEASON'S MEETINGS: The two teams took turns scoring five goals in victories on the other school's home ice.

Saint John's 5, at Augsburg 2
Saint John's took advantage of late goals in the second and third periods to top then-No. 8 Augsburg 5-2 last Jan. 24 (2020) in Minneapolis.

Moore broke the 2-2 tie for SJU with what proved to be the game-winning goal, on the power play, with 2:23 left in the second period. He carried the puck up the left wing and snuck a backhander to the near side for his fifth goal of the season.

Junior forward Brady Dahl (Rochester, Minn.) added some insurance with a breakaway goal, his fourth tally of the year, with 1:16 remaining and forward Kyle Wagner '20 ended the scoring on an empty-netter with 12 seconds left.

Lindgren made 45 saves to improve to 2-5-2 on the season. He made a school-record 86 saves, the third-most in Division III history, the last time he played at the Ed Saugestad Rink (a 2-1 loss, in four overtimes, in the 2019 MIAC Playoff Championship game).

Jonathan Waring gave the Auggies an early 1-0 lead, during a 4-on-4, 3:36 into the game.

Heppner, however, tied the game at 1-1 with a shorthanded goal on a breakaway less than two minutes later. The goal was his eighth of the season and his 75th career point (fifth shorthanded tally of his career).

Heppner also added a career-high three assists for four points, the most in a single game since he registered four (2g/2a) in the 5-1 win over Bethel on Oct. 27, 2017, at the MIAC Showcase. 

Johnson gave SJU a 2-1 lead with an odd goal 6:40 into the opening frame. Johnson looked to have scored - as the puck hit the back of the net and ricocheted out just as fast - and the Johnnies celebrated, but the referees did not signal a goal. The referees, however, discussed the play at the next stoppage 1:20 later and awarded the goal.

John O'Connor tied the game for Augsburg 5:30 into the second period on a shot off a faceoff win.

The Auggies' goaltender, Daniil Gerasimov, entered the game second in NCAA Division III in both GAA (1.09) and save percentage (.961), and Augsburg was second as a team in scoring defense (1.31 gpg.). 

Augsburg 5, at Saint John's 0
SJU suffered a 5-0 shutout at the hands of Augsburg the following night (Jan. 25, 2020) in St. Cloud.

The Johnnies, fresh off their win the night before in Minneapolis, started the game with a 6-2 shot advantage on net and Wagner hit the pipe in the game's first five minutes.

An offensive-zone turnover, however, turned into an Augsburg goal - and 1-0 lead - from Gavin Holland with 3:35 left in the opening frame.

Austin Koss' sharp-angle shot near the end line squirted up the slot to Jarod Blackowiak, who gave the Auggies a 2-0 lead at the 13:18 mark of the second period.

The Johnnies had 3:55 of a five-minute major power play early in the third period, but mustered only three shots on goal.

Fritz Belisle made it 3-0 when his sharp-angle shot near the end line glanced off the backside of Lindgren into the net. Lindgren finished with 27 saves.

Holland tallied his second of the night at the 14:51 mark and John O'Connor ended the scoring with a shorthanded, empty-net goal 59 seconds later. 

Augsburg, which fielded only 17 skaters (instead of 19) to due injuries, posted a 32-28 edge in shots and went 0-for-5 on the power play (0-for-10 on the weekend).

SERIES HISTORY: The series is nearly tied since the 1984-85 season, as the Johnnies are 43-44-2 against the Auggies during that 89-game span. Although SJU is 6-8-1 versus Augsburg over the last 15 meetings, the Johnnies are 5-3 in their last eight trips to Minneapolis.

SEASON OPENERS: The Johnnies are gridlocked with a 4-4-4 record in the season-opening game under the direction of Schueller.