The Johnnie hockey team completes non-conference play with a trip to Wisconsin this weekend. SJU faces Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, followed by a 7 p.m. puck drop Saturday, Jan. 17, at Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

LIVE COVERAGE
-Friday, Jan. 16 in Eau Claire, Wis.: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday, Jan. 17 in Stevens Point, Wis.: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (7-3-3, 3-1-2 MIAC) split a pair of non-conference games last weekend at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

at Saint John's 8, Beloit (Wis.) 0 (Jan. 8)
Four Johnnies totaled three points apiece, including the entire third line of forwards. Eleven different Johnnies recorded a point in the first period alone, including three (1g/2a) from junior forward Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.), the team's leader with 13 (5g/8a) entering Thursday's tilt.

Junior forward Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.) wasted little time getting on the scoresheet, extending his point streak to five games and his goal streak to three just 18 seconds into the game for SJU. Lyke sped into the zone on a pass from Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) and beat the Beloit goaltender in the top right corner on the first shot attempt of the game. 

Wandmacher found the same corner of the net 7:35 into the contest, opening the floodgates after maneuvering around a Buccaneer defender through the neutral zone after breakout passes from junior forward Jackson Bisson (Edina, Minn.) and sophomore defenseman George Moore III (Little Falls, Minn.).

Bisson added his own about four minutes later, getting an open look in the slot after streaking across the zone. His shot sailed high over the crossbar, but ricochetted off the back glass and bounced off the goaltender's back and into the net.

Freshman forward Carter Krenke (Bloomington, Minn.) scored his first of the game a minute after Bisson on his own rebound, while junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.) capped the five-goal first period with a top-shelf shot on a cross-ice feed from Wandmacher.

Junior forward Cam Boche (Lakeville, Minn.) reopened the scoring with a give-and-go goal from linemate Krenke 13:09 into the second period, and kept rolling with his linemate, who tallied his second of the night with the man advantage. Krenke ended one of four SJU power plays after cleaning up a shot from freshman forward Jordan Larkee (St. Paul, Minn.) in the circle.

Larkee completed his line's nine-point night with the only tally of the third period, joining linemates Krenke and Boche in the scoring with his first collegiate goal for a 7-0 lead. After an end-to-end pass from junior defenseman Sam Berry (St. Louis Park, Minn.), Larkee found open ice and the Johnnies' favorite top-right corner for the 8-0 final.

Freshman goaltender Kyle Abrahamson (Cloquet, Minn.) made 35 saves for the shutout in his first collegiate start and appearance in net. The shutout is the first of the season for the Johnnies, who have made a MIAC-leading 414 saves (.930 save percentage is second in the conference).

Shots ended at 43-35 in favor of SJU, which went 1-for-4 on the power play. The home team denied Beloit on both of its opportunities with the man advantage.

The eight-goal differential was the largest for SJU since Jan. 19, 2018 – a 9-1 win over Concordia-Moorhead at the HBNHC.

Wisconsin-Superior 2, at Saint John's 1 (Jan. 10)
The two teams were tied for all but a minute and a half of the contest, as Superior scored the game-winning goal with just 43.5 seconds remaining in regulation. SJU pulled senior goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) for the extra skater and managed three quick shots on goal in a last-ditch scoring chance from Kernan but could not get the puck past the Yellowjacket goaltender.

Following a scoreless first period, Carson Riddle gave UWS a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal 7:49 into the second period. 

Junior forward Jacob McPartland (Victoria, Minn.) tied the game with his third goal of the season and 10th of his career 27 seconds later, two seconds after the power play expired. Senior defenseman Zach Enebak (Lakeville, Minn.) dug the puck out from a scrum behind the net and dished the puck to Borst on the breakout. Borst skated end-to-end and into Superior's slot before setting McPartland up with a quick pass directly in front of the net that he buried in the top left corner. 

It appeared that the Johnnies were heading toward their fourth overtime of the season, but Daniel Rozsival just barely beat Howe, who nicked the initial shot with his glove while sliding across the crease, on the backdoor to put the game away for the visitors.

Howe, the reigning MIAC Men's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week, finished with 27 saves between the pipes, including 12 in the final period. He is now 6-2-3 in net this season.

Saint John's went 0-for-2 on the power play but held Superior without a shot on goal in three opportunities with the man advantage.

STAT COMPARISONS
Scoring Offense
-SJU, 3.77
-UWEC, 2.93
-UWSP, 2.80

GAA
-UWEC, 1.98
-SJU, 2.49
-UWSP, 2.72

Power Play
-SJU, 21.1 percent/8-38
-UWSP, 14.3 percent/7-49
-UWEC, 4.9 percent/2-41

Penalty Kill
-UWEC, 87.7 percent/50-57
-UWSP, 84.0 percent/42-50
-SJU, 72.6 percent/32-44

A LOOK AT THE BLUGOLDS: Wisconsin-Eau Claire (10-4-1, 6-1-0 WIAC) pushed its win streak to five games with a sweep at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.), 1-0 (OT) and 3-1), last weekend (Jan. 9-10). Three Blugolds lead the team with 10 points apiece: senior forward Leo Bacallao (4g/6a), sophomore forward Nolan Grier (7g/3a) and junior forward Kade Peterson (5g/5a). Senior goaltender Max Gutjahr has played all 906:01 in net and is 10-4-1 with four shutouts, a 1.92 GAA and .928 save percentage (373 saves).

A YEAR AGO: Eau Claire outlasted SJU in an offensive frenzy, 6-4, last Jan. 17 (2025) at the Municipal Athletic Complex (MAC). The two teams broke a 1-1 stalemate by scoring six goals in the second period, including five (UWEC, 3-2) over a 2:18 span.

Dayne Hoyord gave the Blugolds a 1-0 lead 8:28 in, but captain Matt DeRosa '25 tied it for SJU with his third goal of the season 42 seconds later. He intercepted an errant crossing pass, skated up the right boards and faded to the top of the left faceoff circle before snapping a wrister to the far post for his 18th career tally.

Charlie Erickson gave the lead back to UWEC 11:49 into the second period before the five-goal flurry gave the visitors a 5-3 lead. 

Bisson tied the game at 2-2 with his second goal of the season and fifth of his career with 4:38 remaining in the second. Eau Claire answered, however, with a pair of goals 33 seconds apart – Eli Reimer and (16:27) and Colin Stein (17:00 on the power play) – for a 4-2 lead. 

Kernan cut the deficit to 4-3 with his fifth goal of the year, and fourth in the last three games, 19 seconds after Stein's tally. UWEC was not done, however, as Reimer netted his second goal of the game 21 seconds later.

SJU looked to have scored again, to make it 5-4, with 56 seconds left in the frame but the goal was disallowed due to the net coming off. Borst attempted a wraparound backhander from behind the net and the UWEC goaltender knocked the net off as the puck crossed the goal line.

The call became critical in the third period as Garrett Smith '25 made it 5-4 – officially – with his second goal of the season and 20th career point with 5:54 to play.

Reimer ended the scoring by completing the hat trick with an empty-net goal with 28 seconds remaining.

Howe made 19 saves in the loss. Bailey Huber '25 relieved him in the third period and stopped all six shots faced.

SJU out-shot UWEC 14-7 in the third period and 33-31 in the game but went 0-for-4 on the power play against NCAA Division III's top penalty kill.

A LOOK AT THE POINTERS: Wisconsin-Stevens Point (6-8-1, 2-4-1 WIAC) won a pair of games last weekend in Minnesota, 4-1 at St. Scholastica (Jan. 9) and 5-4 at Augsburg (Jan. 10). Nico Chmelevski leads UWSP in assists (6) and points (11), while Gabe Randel touts a team-leading six goals and is second in points (9). Alex Proctor is 4-8-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a .905 save percentage (316 saves). The Pointers host Hamline Friday night before SJU pays a visit Saturday.

LAST SEASON: The Johnnies closed the non-conference schedule with a narrow 6-5 loss to then-No. 12 Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Jan. 18 (2025) at the MAC. Bisson and Borst had big games for the Johnnies. Bisson tallied his first collegiate hat trick, including a pair of goals with Huber on the bench in the final minute of play, and Borst registered four points (2g/2a).

The Pointers broke open a 4-3 lead with goals from Chris Engelbert (3:38) and Matthew Falls (9:56) in the first half of the third period, but Bisson made it 6-4 with 51 seconds remaining and added another to complete the hat trick with 10 seconds on the clock.

SJU out-shot UWSP 43-38, including a 33-24 margin over the final two periods.
 
Fletcher Anderson gave Stevens Point an early 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 3:24 into the game. The Pointers entered the game 10th in NCAA Division III at 28.6 percent (18-for-63) on the man advantage this season.

Borst tied the game three minutes later on a pretty one-timer from classmate Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.), but Blake Norris gave the lead back to UWSP with 11:22 left in the opening period.

Both teams exchanged a pair of goals in the second period. Nico Chmelevski opened the scoring halfway (10:03) through and Bisson netted his first of the day 2:52 later. Falls lit the lamp 29 seconds after Bisson's tally and Borst tallied his second of the game with 2:49 remaining in the period.