The Johnnie hockey team crosses the border into Wisconsin for a pair of non-conference games this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. puck-drop on Friday, Nov. 14, at Wisconsin-River Falls. SJU then visits Wisconsin-Stout for a 7 p.m. contest on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Menomonie, Wis.

LIVE COVERAGE
-Friday at River Falls, Wis.: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday at Menomonie, Wis.: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (1-0-2, 1-0-1 MIAC) earned five of the six possible points in the MIAC standings last weekend against St. Scholastica in the first conference series of the season.

Saint John's 7, at St. Scholastica 1
The Johnnies opened the MIAC schedule with an impressive 7-1 win, thanks to seven different goal scorers, last Friday night in Duluth. SJU built a 4-0 lead in the game's first 5:35 and scored three goals on special teams in the victory.

The two teams combined for six goals in the opening period. SJU was awarded a power play just 52 seconds into the game and capitalized 31 seconds later on a goal from junior forward Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) for a 1-0 lead.

Borst's goal came off a Cam Boche (Lakeville, Minn.) rebound after the CSS goaltender kicked out Boche's shot into the slot. Borst wrapped the loose puck past the toe of the goalie and into the right corner.

Junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season 1:16 later to double the lead. Junior forward Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.) regained control of the puck in the left circle for the Johnnies after making a nifty move for a shot on goal and delivered a pass to an uncontested Kernan in the slot for a quick snap shot into the right corner.

Junior forward Jackson Bisson (Edina, Minn.) added another power-play goal, the 25th point of his career, another 1:10 later. The Johnnies executed a perfect power play switch on the wall, allowing senior defenseman Conner Couet (St. Michael, Minn.) to deliver a cross-zone pass to Bisson, who one-timed a shot on the near post.

Freshman forward Carter Krenke (Bloomington, Minn.) walked a St. Scholastica defender with a toe-drag for his first collegiate goal and point to add onto the early onslaught. 

The Saints found the scoreboard with a power-play goal of their own at the 12:44 mark of the first period, but junior forward Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.) answered with his 10th career goal on the zone entry with 3:17 left in the frame. 

SJU tacked on two more goals – both from St. Louis Park (Minn.) natives – in the third period to end the scoring. Wandmacher took advantage of a 2-on-0 rush 1:08 into the third stanza – seconds after a St. Scholastica power play – and junior defenseman Sam Berry made it 7-1 with a shorthanded goal halfway (10:54) through the period. Berry tucked a pass from Krenke between the legs of the Saints' goaltender to cap a 2-on-1 rush.

Senior goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) made 40 saves in the win as SJU totaled a 56-41 advantage in shots, including a 28-11 margin in the first period. The visitors were 2-for-6 on the power play to CSS' 1-for-4 showing.

t-at Saint John's 4, St. Scholastica 4 (OT; SJU, 1-0)
SJU held a 4-2 lead over the Saints in the third period, but the visitors scored a pair of goals with the goaltender pulled in the final 1:21 to send the game to overtime.

Wandmacher converted on the third shootout attempt for the Johnnies and Howe saved all three shots – including a diving poke-check on the Saints' second participant – to clinch the extra point.

Krenke scored the first of eight goals 4:04 into the first period. Krenke, with a little help from senior forward Rob Christy (St. Paul, Minn.), split the St. Scholastica defenders at the blue line for a breakaway rush which he capped with a quick deke and his second goal of the weekend.

St. Scholastica waited until the second frame to respond, beating Howe with a shot to the top right corner cloaked by heavy net traffic in front. 

Lyke tipped a Couet shot two minutes later on the power play to put SJU up 2-1 heading into the final period. 

Freshman defenseman Cashen Naeve (Independence, Minn.) extended the lead to two, 3-1, with the first goal of his collegiate career 3:36 into the third. A drop pass from Kernan on the zone entry gave Naeve time to find the top left corner of the net. 

CSS scored on a nearly identical play two minutes later to restore the single-goal deficit. 

Sophomore forward Jordan Newpower (Lino Lakes, Minn.) added the fourth and final regulation tally for the Johnnies midway through the final frame. After Lyke created a scoring chance on a rush into the CSS zone, Newpower stripped the Scholastica defender of the puck out front and fired a quick shot past the unsuspecting goaltender for the unassisted tally.

The two-goal lead failed to hold, however, as the Saints capitalized on bouncing pucks in front of the net to score with an extra skater in the game's final minutes. 

SJU had a number of chances in the 3-on-3 overtime and Howe shut down a Saint on a solo breakaway to end the game in a tie for five points in the MIAC-opening weekend.

HOWE DO YOU DO: Howe made 73 saves and was crucial to leading the Johnnies to a five-point weekend against St. Scholastica. Howe saved 40 of 41 shots that came his way in a 7-1 rout of the Saints on Friday (Nov. 9). He saved 33 more the next night, more than 75 percent of which came in the second half of the game. Howe saved a solo breakaway as time ticked down in overtime and denied all three shootout attempts from the Saints for the extra point in the standings. He is 14-15-5 with a 2.66 GAA and a .917 save percentage (998 saves) in 37 career games.

MAGIC WANDY: Wandmacher scored a goal and assisted three others in a five-point MIAC-opening weekend for the Johnnies. He was one of seven Johnnies to score a goal in a 7-1 victory at St. Scholastica and led SJU with a three-point outing. He scored the sixth goal and assisted the second (game-winner) and third. He assisted the third goal in the Johnnies' 4-4 tie with Scholastica the following night (Nov. 8) and won the extra point in the standings as the only player to convert his shootout goal. Wandmacher has 30 points (8g/22a) in 44 career games.

A LOOK AT THE FALCONS: Wisconsin-River Falls (3-1, 0-0 WIAC) picked up a pair of overtime road wins over MIAC opponents – 4-3 at Hamline (Friday) and 3-2 at Gustavus Adolphus (Saturday) – last weekend. A trio of freshman forwards lead the team in points so far this season, led by Keenan Ingram's nine points (5g/4a) and a +6 in five games. Ben Portner is next with a balanced eight points (4g/4a) and a +4, while Gavin Middendorf has seven (2g/5a) and a +5. Senior Brennan Boynton has all four decisions in net with a 2.49 GAA and a .906 save percentage (96 saves).

LAST YEAR: The Johnnies and Falcons split a pair of meetings last November (2024).

at Wisconsin-River Falls 5, Saint John's 1 (Nov. 2, 2024)
UWRF broke a 1-1 tie with four-straight goals in the third period. Three of the four goals were scored during a 4:43 span and the fourth was an empty-netter with 57 seconds remaining.

Reid Lune gave the Falcons an early 1-0 lead 4:28 into the game and the contest remained a close 1-0 score until forward Cody Carlson '25 tied it with a power-play goal, his fifth career tally, with 13:03 left in the third period.

Cole Teleki scored what proved to be the game-winning goal for UWRF with 8:44 remaining and Jonny Meiers made it 3-1 just 1:34 later. Adisen Brueck extended the lead with 4:01 left and Gibb Coady ended the scoring with the empty-netter, 11 seconds after an SJU power play expired. The Johnnies finished 1-for-5 on the man advantage. 

Goaltender Bailey Huber '25 made 34 saves in the loss as UWRF recorded a 39-26 advantage in shots.

at Saint John's 3, Wisconsin-River Falls 0 (Nov. 14, 2024)
SJU handed then-No. 15 River Falls its first loss of the season at the HBNHC. Forward Jackson Sabo '25 gave SJU an early 1-0 lead with his first goal of the season and 10th of his career 5:56 into the game. A shot from junior defenseman Parker Gnos (Excelsior, Minn.) from the left point was deflected by a UWRF player to the stick of Kernan, who unleashed a backhanded shot toward the net and Sabo redirected to the back of the net.

Christy made it 2-0 with his third collegiate goal 2:27 into the second period. Carlson won the offensive-zone faceoff back to senior defenseman Michael Spinner (Prior Lake, Minn.), who ripped a shot from the point off the pipe. The carrom bounced to an open Christy on the right side of the net.

Boche extended the lead with his third goal of the season and fifth of his career – a wrister from the left faceoff circle – with 6:10 left in the second frame.

The Falcons recorded the third period's first 15 shots on goal, finishing with a 24-3 barrage on net in the frame, but could not get the puck past Howe. Howe finished with a career-high 44 saves for his second collegiate shutout and 10th career win.

The shutout was the first for SJU in 42 meetings with River Falls on the ice.

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 8-16-2 against UWRF since the 1995-96 season, including a 5-9 record on the Falcons' home ice. The Johnnies, however, have won two of the last three meetings at Hunt Arena: 3-1 on Oct. 29, 2022 and 6-2 on Nov. 3, 2017.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS: Wisconsin-Stout (1-1, 0-0 WIAC) opened its season with a road split in Minnesota – a 4-1 loss at Saint Mary's (Friday) and a 3-2 overtime win at Hamline (Saturday) – last weekend. Freshman forward Evan Luxford is the lone Blue Devil who recorded two points – both assists – in the two games. Eight others recorded one. Sophomore goaltender Ryan Knights made 30 saves in Saturday's win, while senior Dawson Green was saddled with Friday's defeat. Stout hosts Bethel Friday night before SJU pays a visit Saturday.

A YEAR AGO: SJU won its fourth-straight game with a 3-1 victory over Stout last Nov. 16 (2024) in St. Cloud. Lyke gave SJU a 1-0 lead with his fifth collegiate goal (10th point) with 5:27 left in the first period. Captain Matt DeRosa '25 charged up the right side of the ice and sent a pretty feed near the end line to a one-timer for Lyke at the left side of the net.

Nicholas Stevens tied the game for Stout with a power-play goal, the first allowed by SJU this season, on a deflection in front 2:39 into the second period.

The Johnnies answered, however, with a pair of goals to take a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. Boche scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, on the power play, with 5:22 left in the frame. Forward Spencer Rudrud '25 made it 3-1 when he intercepted an errant Blue Devil pass in front of the net for an easy goal, his first of the season and 11th as a Johnnie, with 3:06 remaining in the second.

Huber made 34 saves, including five during a 6-on-4 penalty kill for the game's final 1:34, in the win. 

The Blue Devils posted a 35-30 advantage in shots, thanks to a 15-7 margin in the third period, but went 1-for-6 on the man advantage.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 19-6-1 all-time against Stout on the ice, including a 10-1 record in Menomonie, Wis. SJU is 10-1-1 in the last 12 meetings overall.