Box Score

WINONA, Minn. – Saint John's hockey outshot Saint Mary's by a 44-24 margin but went 0-for-4 on the power play in a 5-3 loss on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Colin Tushie gave Saint Mary's (7-11-2, 5-5-1 MIAC) a 1-0 lead with a 2-on-1 goal 11:14 into the game and Jack Vaughan gave the home team a two-goal cushion off a defensive-zone turnover with 2:06 remaining in the first period.

The second period belonged to SJU (8-10-4, 5-7-1 MIAC), however, as the visitors scored three goals with an 18-5 shot advantage in the frame. Freshman forward Jacob McPartland (Victoria, Minn.) cut the Johnnies' deficit in half with his fourth goal of the season 2:01 into the second, but Bud Winter gave the Cardinals a two-goal lead again with a power-play goal 1:09 later. 

SMU's power play entered the game last in the MIAC at 5.9 percent (2-for-34) in conference play and went 2-for-2 Thursday night. SJU, meanwhile, was No. 12 in NCAA Division III on the penalty kill at 88.3 percent (68-for-77).

Sophomore forward Justin Thompson (Woodbury, Minn.) was denied on an attempt after he skated in on net halfway through the second period (10:27), but senior defenseman Jack Olsen (Lakeville, Minn.) charged up the slot and snuck the rebound past the SMU goaltender to make it 3-2. The goal was Olsen's fourth of the season and eighth of his career.

Sophomore defenseman Michael Spinner (Prior Lake, Minn.) tied the game with a seeing-eye wrister in traffic, his first goal of the season, with 4:29 left in the second. All three of Spinner's career goals are against Saint Mary's.

Kellen Tharaldson scored what proved to be the game-winning goal 5:31 into the third period on a shot from the right boards. 

With junior goaltender Bailey Huber (Mahtomedi, Minn.) off the ice in an attempt to tally the game-tying goal, junior forward Spencer Rudrud (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was whistled for a cross-checking penalty in the offensive zone (in front of the net) with 48 seconds remaining. Tushie then sealed the game with an empty-net, power-play goal with seven seconds on the clock. Huber finished with 19 saves.

The Cardinals, like their power play, took the ice Thursday night last in the MIAC on the penalty kill at 75 percent (27-for-36) in league games, but SJU went 0-for-4, including 24 seconds with a 5-on-3 in the third period.

The two teams complete the series with a 7 p.m. puck-drop on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.