The Johnnie hockey team hosts a pair of "home" games this Friday-Saturday (Nov. 3-4) at the Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC) in St. Cloud. SJU faces No. 10 Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 6 p.m. Friday and Northland (Wis.) at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

LIVE COVERAGE
-Friday (6 p.m.): Live Radio (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday (2 p.m.): Live Radio (WMIN-1010 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

FREE STUDENT BUSES THIS WEEKEND: Thanks to the SJU Senate, a bus will be available for CSB/SJU students for both games this weekend at the MAC.

Friday
5:15 p.m.: SJU's Bell Banner
5:30 p.m.: CSB's HCC
5:50 p.m.: Arrive at the MAC
8:15 p.m.: Approximate departure to return to the pick-up locations

Saturday
1:15 p.m.: SJU's Bell Banner
1:30 p.m.: CSB's HCC
1:50 p.m.: Arrive at the MAC
4:15 p.m.: Approximate departure to return to the pick-up locations

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (0-1-0 overall) opened its 2023-24 season with a 2-0 non-conference loss to Wisconsin-River Falls on Senior Night last Saturday (Oct. 28) at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Jonny Meiers broke the scoreless stalemate for UWRF with a power-play goal just 1:56 left in the second period and Noah Roofe made it a two-goal game 3:52 into the second period. Arsenii Smekhnov took down sophomore defenseman Mason Campbell (Rosemount, Minn.) in front of the SJU net, possessed the puck and passed across the goal mouth to Roofe for the easy goal.

Junior goaltender Bailey Huber (Mahtomedi, Minn.) made 29 saves in the loss as the home team out-shot the Falcons, 33-31. SJU, however, went 0-for-4 on the power play to UWRF's 1-for-2 showing. Saturday's season opener served as the collegiate debut for six Johnnie freshmen.

Senior forward Max Borst (Edina, Minn.) led SJU with five shots, while junior forward Jackson Sabo (Rosemount, Minn.) and freshman forward Cam Boche (Lakeville, Minn.) added four shots apiece. Sabo's four shots came in the game's first 5:40 before he left the game due to injury.

AT THE MAC: The Johnnies are 6-4-4 at the MAC under the direction of head coach Doug Schueller (since the 2008-09 season), including a 3-3-3 record in non-conference play. SJU has won each of its last two games at the MAC: 8-3 over Hamline (non-conference) on Feb. 7, 2022, and 5-0 over Wisconsin-Stout on Nov. 16, 2019. 

A LOOK AT THE BLUGOLDS: Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1-0-0 overall) started its season last Saturday (Oct. 28) with a 5-4, home win in overtime over then-No. 13 Augsburg. The Blugolds started fast with goals from senior forward Jack Johnston (12 seconds in) - a transfer from Division I St. Cloud State - and sophomore forward Leo Bacallao (2:15 in). The Auggies, however, stormed back with four-straight goals, two in each of the first two periods, before senior forward Aaron Swanson - a transfer from Division I St. Thomas - cut the deficit to 4-3 with 1:20 left in the second period. With the goaltender pulled and an extra skater on the ice, senior forward Quinn Green tied the game at 4-4 with just 6.1 seconds remaining in regulation and fifth-year defenseman Tyler Love - a transfer from Division I Robert Morris - tallied the game-winner 1:29 into overtime. UWEC out-shot the Auggies by a 38-16 advantage, including a 17-3 margin in the third period. Eau Claire moved up four spots to No. 10 in Monday's (Oct. 30) USCHO.com poll. Quinn Green, who is one of three student-athletes with the last name Green on the 2023-24 roster, was named the WIAC Co-Player of the Year last season after he posted 26 points (14g/12a) in 24 games. Senior defenseman Willy Stauber (3g/10a) and senior forward Connor Szmul (8g/12a), a transfer from Division I Long Island, also earned All-WIAC honors in 2022-23. Sophomore goaltender Max Gutjahr went 17-8-1 with a 2.49 GAA and an .897 save percentage last season.

LAST YEAR: SJU suffered a 4-3 loss in overtime at Wisconsin-Eau Claire last Nov. 4 (2022). Connor Szmul scored the game-winner 2:14 into the 3-on-3 overtime for UWEC.

Following a scoreless first period, captain Auggie Moore '23 gave SJU a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal, his first of the season and 32nd of his career, 3:15 into the second frame. The Blugolds were whistled for a penalty following Moore's goal and forward Nick Michel '23 made it 2-0 with another power-play tally 1:23 later. The goal was his first of the season and 11th as a Johnnie. 

UWEC cut its deficit in half, 2-1, on a power-play goal of its own from Quinn Green with 12:31 remaining and tied it with a rebound tally from Ryan Green 2:23 later. Michel gave the lead back to SJU on a rebound from Henry Enebak's '23 shot on goal with 6:26 remaining, but Ryan Green tied it again at 3-3 during a 4-on-4 with 5:02 left.

Sophomore goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) made his collegiate debut and stopped his first 25 shots. He finished with 32 saves in the loss.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 7-16-4 against the Blugolds since 1986, but the series is tied at 4-4-2 in St. Cloud (0-1-1 at the MAC, 4-3-1 at the National Hockey Center).

A LOOK AT THE LUMBERJACKS: Northland (1-1-0 overall) opened its 2023-24 season with a weekend split at home to Lawrence (Wis.). The LumberJacks earned a 3-2 win in overtime in Friday's opener, but the Vikings posted a 5-3 win Saturday despite allowing two shorthanded goals to sophomore forward Camille Marcoux in the second period. Marcoux ended the series with four points (2g/2a) and senior forward Bryson Cecconi had two (1g/1a). Cecconi is the top returner with 11 points (3g/8a) a year ago. Senior goaltender Viktor Wennberg made 44 saves in Friday's victory. Northland, which finished with a 2-23-2 record last season, visits Concordia-Moorhead Friday night before Saturday afternoon's tilt with the Johnnies.

LAST SEASON: The Johnnies scored four unanswered goals, including three on the power play, in a 4-1 road win at Northland last Nov. 5 (2022). SJU finished 3-for-8 on the man advantage in the victory and 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) for the two-game weekend.

The Lumberjacks gained an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Cameron Coutre, Northland's first shot on net, 6:35 into the game.

Forward Joe Papa '23 tied the game for SJU with 53 seconds left in the opening frame, his second goal of the season and fourth of his career. Senior forward Lewis Crosby (Edina, Minn.) tallied the first of his two power-play goals of the afternoon 5:35 into the second period. 

Senior forward Max Borst (Edina, Minn.) gave the Johnnies a 3-1 lead with a power-play goal of his own at the 15:07 mark of the second and Crosby ended the game's scoring with his second tally at 12:58 of the third.

Huber improved to 2-0 in two collegiate starts with the victory. He stopped his final 17 shots faced. SJU out-shot Northland by a 32-18 margin. The home team was whistled for nine penalties totaling 26 minutes.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 8-0 all-time against Northland, including a 3-0 record in St. Cloud, with a 53-12 scoring differential.