The Johnnie hockey team returns to conference play with a home-and-home series against Saint Mary's, starting with a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday, Jan. 22, in Winona. SJU hosts SMU at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

LIVE COVERAGE
-Thursday, Jan. 22 in Winona: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday, Jan. 24 in St. Cloud: Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (8-4-3, 3-1-2 MIAC) wrapped up non-conference play last weekend with a two-game split in Wisconsin.

Saint John's 6, at Wisconsin-Eau Claire 4 (Jan. 16)
The Johnnies never trailed and sophomore forward Jordan Newpower (Lino Lakes, Minn.) scored two goals – including the go-ahead tally on the power play with 1:28 remaining – in a game that featured 10 goals and a tied score at least once in each period. The win was SJU's first at Eau Claire since an 8-1 victory on Nov. 15, 2002.

The Johnnies took the first lead of the game with 2:44 left in the first period on a goal from junior forward Jacob McPartland (Victoria, Minn.) and freshman forward Tyler Smith (Carver, Minn.). Smith cleared the puck out from in front of the net and away from two competing Blugolds before sending it out of the zone at the blue line. His chip, which later became his first collegiate point, bounced off the wall for McPartland on the rush, who made a move to his backhand and beat the UWEC goaltender to the top-right corner.

SJU carried the 1-0 advantage into the second period, but Nolan Grier got the home team on the scoreboard 32 seconds after the break to tie the game at one apiece. 

A trio of seniors connected for the go-ahead goal at the 8:06 mark of the second period. After a poke check to clear the zone from forward Rob Christy (St. Paul, Minn.), defenseman Michael Spinner (Prior Lake, Minn.) rushed into the zone on a 3-on-2 and dished a cross-ice pass to defenseman Zach Enebak (Lakeville, Minn.) for his first goal of the season and second of his career. 

Just two minutes later, freshman forward Jordan Larkee (St. Paul, Minn.) added a cushion with his second goal of the season. After the Johnnies and linemate Cam Boche (Lakeville, Minn.) moved the puck into the neutral zone, a miscommunication and bounce off a Blugold defender gave the puck to Larkee all alone, who buried it in the back of the net. 

That cushion proved useful, as UWEC's Easton Inglis cut the lead back to one on the power play for a 3-2 game at the second intermission.

The Johnnies returned the favor with another goal off the opening faceoff, as a 3-on-1 led to sophomore forward Jordan Newpower's (Lino Lakes, Minn.) fifth goal of the season 21 seconds into the third period. Senior captain Mason Campbell (Rosemount, Minn.) sent the puck across the zone to Newpower, who jumped into the odd-man rush thanks to a Blugold collision. He exchanged passes with junior forward Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) before beating Max Gutjahr across the crease.

Grier scored his second goal of the game and ninth of the season to keep UWEC in the game 2:41 later. The Blugolds then tied the game on a rebound and wrap-around with 10:17 to play in regulation.

SJU was awarded a third-period power play with just over two minutes left in the game and Newpower capitalized for his second goal of the night – and the game-winner – with 1:28 left in the game. Junior defenseman Sam Berry (St. Louis Park, Minn.) moved the puck across the UWEC zone to Newpower whose shot escaped Gutjahr's blocker at the post. 

Junior forward Jackson Bisson (Edina, Minn.) cleared the zone and scored the empty-net insurance goal for the 6-4 final.  

Senior goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) made 33 saves in the win for his seventh victory this season (7-2-3 record) and 20th of his career. 

at Wisconsin-Stevens Point 5, Saint John's 2 (Jan. 17)
The Pointers scored twice in the first and second periods before adding an empty-netter as time ticked down at K.B. Willett Arena. Gabe Randel bookended the first period for UWSP with a pair of goals, scoring just 34 seconds after the opening puck drop and adding another on the power play with 19.4 seconds left in the frame.

The Johnnies received a five-minute power play 3:45 into the second period, but managed just one shot on goal with the man advantage. SJU finished 1-for-3 on the power play thanks to Campbell's second goal of the season, which came after Stevens Point's third goal of the game.

Campbell got the Johnnies on the board with 6:28 left in the second period. He scored his third point of the weekend (1g/2a) after going end-to-end and dumping the puck into the Pointer zone. The UWSP goaltender and defense prepared to receive the puck behind the net, but it took an unconventional bounce off the boards directly to Campbell, who tapped it in around the post. Howe picked up his second assist of the season and third of his career on the goal after stopping the puck behind the net on the power-play breakout. 

UWSP answered late in the period with a power-play goal from Quinton Hill with 25.8 seconds left, restoring a three-goal advantage heading into the third.

Junior forward Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.) cut the lead to two with his team-leading eighth goal of the season after head coach Doug Schueller pulled Howe for the extra skater with 4:24 left in regulation. After junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.) won the faceoff to the point, sophomore defenseman George Moore III (Edina, Minn.) sent a pass across the blue line to junior forward Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.). Wandmacher's shot bounced off the left pad of Alex Proctor and directly to Lyke who buried the rebound.

The Johnnies mustered five more shots with the extra attacker before Joseph Manning scored the Pointers' empty-net goal with 1:39 left in the game. 

Howe finished with 37 saves in the game (70 on the weekend), including double digits in the first (16) and third (13) periods.

STAT COMPARISONS (ranked by conference play)
Scoring Offense
1. SMU, 4.00 gpg. (3.93 overall)
2. SJU, 3.83 gpg. (3.80 overall)

GAA
3. SJU, 2.43 (2.75 overall)
7. SMU, 3.32 (3.31 overall)

Power Play
2. SMU, .357/10-28 (.280/21-75 overall *No. 7 in Division III)
4. SJU, .263/5-19 (.222/10-45 overall)

Penalty Kill
2. SMU, .893/25-28 (.828/48-58)
8. SJU, .684/13-19 (.706/36-51)

A LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Saint Mary's (7-7-1, 3-3-0 MIAC), like SJU, split two games last weekend (Jan. 16-17) in Wisconsin. The Cardinals cruised to an 8-1 win Friday at Beloit, followed by a 6-4 loss Saturday at Wisconsin-River Falls. Sophomore forward Joona Juntunen leads the team in all three offensive categories: goals (14, on 40 shots), assists (15) and points (29). His nine power-play goals are tied for the national lead among NCAA Division I and III. Junior forward Carter Newpower, a cousin to SJU's Newpower, is next with 18 points (10g/8a). Freshman goaltender Adam Prokop is 6-4 with a 2.72 GAA and a .920 save percentage (309 saves).

A YEAR AGO: SJU and SMU split the regular-season series for the fourth-straight year in 2024-25.

Saint Mary's 4, at Saint John's 1 (Jan. 23, 2025)
SJU controlled play in two of the three periods but fell to Saint Mary's 4-1 last Jan. 23 (2025) at the HBNHC. The Johnnies outshot the Cardinals by a combined 32-9 margin in the first and third periods but struggled to find the back of the net. SJU hit the pipe twice and was denied on a breakaway attempt in the loss.

The home team recorded the first nine shots on goal, in addition to Christy clanking the pipe 3:52 in, and ended the first period with a 16-4 advantage but was left off the scoreboard. 

The script flipped for SJU as the Cardinals posted a 17-5 advantage in shots and scored two goals in the second period. Blake Green erased the scoreless draw with sharp-angle shot near the bottom of the right faceoff circle 1:21 into the second period. The visitors then took advantage of an SJU line charge and Laudon Poellinger scored a tic-tac-toe goal on the power play halfway (9:56) through the frame. SMU entered the game fourth in NCAA Division III at 30.8 percent (16-for-52) on the man advantage and went 1-for-4 on the night.

Connor Abric made it 3-0 for the Cardinals with an unassisted goal 2:51 third period before Campbellut SJU on the board with his second goal of the season and 30th career point (12g/18a) with 13:52 remaining.

Cooper Smyl ended the game's scoring for the Cardinals with an empty-net goal with 1:23 left.

Howe made 22 saves in the loss as SJU recorded stat advantages in shots on goal (37-26) and faceoffs (37-22) but went 0-for-3 on the power play.

Saint John's 6, at Saint Mary's 0 (Jan. 25, 2025)
The Johnnies erupted for four goals in the second period en route to a 6-0 win over Saint Mary's on Jan. 25 (2025) in Winona. Six Johnnies recorded two points or more and goaltender Bailey Huber '25 made 32 saves for his third collegiate shutout.

Following a scoreless first period, McPartland started the scoring with his first goal of the season and fifth of his career 3:42 into the second. Forward Spencer Rudrud '25 took a pass from classmate Justin Thompson '25 in the slot, skated to the goaltender's right and feathered a backhanded pass across the blue paint to McPartland on the backdoor.

Kernan made it 2-0 with his team-leading sixth goal of the season 5:45 into the period. Berry ripped a shot from the left faceoff circle off the SMU goalie's blocker/stick and the rebound flipped into the air to his left and Kernan deflected the rebound to the back of the net.

Kernan added a power-play halfway (10:02) the second and captain Matt DeRosa '25 hammered home a rebound with 15 seconds left in the frame.

Rudrud padded the lead with a 2-on-1 goal from Thompson 4:51 into the third period and Berry ended the scoring with his first collegiate goal, during a 5-on-3 power play, 2:41 later.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 62-33-5 against the Cardinals since the 1981-82 season, including a 25-10-2 record under the direction of Schueller (since 2008-09). SJU has won 35 of the last 49 meetings overall (35-12-2 record) but is only 8-7-1 in the last 16 meetings at the HBNHC.