Box Score

WINONA, Minn. – Saint John's hockey played to a 2-2 tie at Saint Mary's on Thursday, Jan. 22. 

SJU (8-4-4, 3-1-3 MIAC) scored the first and last goals of regulation and senior goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.) made clutch saves down the stretch, but five SMU power-play opportunities to the Johnnies' one gave the Cardinals (7-7-2, 3-3-1 MIAC) room to score a pair of goals in the second period. The Johnnies went scoreless and Saint Mary's found the back of the net on its second shootout attempt to earn the extra point in the conference standings. 

Senior defenseman Michael Spinner (Prior Lake, Minn.) scored his first goal of the season and the fourth of his career on a shot from the point for the first lead 9:04 into the game. The Johnnies' line of freshman Tyler Smith (Carver, Minn.), freshman Seth Terhell (Cambridge, Minn.) and senior Rob Christy (St. Paul, Minn.) rotated the puck around the Cardinal zone before Smith moved it up to senior defenseman Zach Enebak (Lakeville, Minn.) at the blue line. Enebak fed his defensive partner Spinner, who beat SMU freshman goaltender Adam Prokop on the slide through traffic. 

Howe made six first-period saves, including a back-door robbery on the Cardinals' first power play of the game, to keep the visitors ahead at the break.

SJU was issued a 5-minute major penalty with 10.9 seconds left in the first period, and held Saint Mary's to three shots on goal with the player advantage after SMU entered the game seventh in NCAA Division III on the power play at 28.0 percent (21-for-75).

While the Johnnie PK held through the major penalty, the home team evened the score at one apiece on their fourth power-play opportunity of the game after SJU was whistled for too many men on the ice. A redirect from junior Carter Newpower, cousin of Johnnie sophomore forward Jordan Newpower (Lino Lakes, Minn.), beat Howe midway through the second. 

The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead two minutes later, as a long pass beat the Saint John's defense and Howe was unable to cash in another back-door save on Joona Juntunen, who entered Thursday's game as the MIAC's leading scorer with 29 points (14g/15a).

Junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.) forced SJU's fourth overtime game of the season with a tying goal 13 minutes into the final period of regulation. After a shot from junior forward Jackson Bisson (Edina, Minn.) sailed high and wide of the net, the bounce off the boards landed on the stick of classmate Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.), who delivered a quick pass across the crease to Kernan to tap in for his fourth goal of the season and 15th of his career. 

Each team had a fair share of chances in the extra period, but SMU saved the best scoring opportunity for last, forcing Howe to face a breakaway 20 seconds ahead of the ensuing shootout. Howe saved the initial shot from Colin Tushie on the rush and sprawled for two quick blocks on the other side of the net from Juntunen to set up his third shootout of the season. 

Freshman forward Carter Krenke (Bloomington, Minn.), senior forward Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) and Wandmacher missed on their three shootout opportunities, while SMU's Newpower scored the decider to earn his team an extra MIAC point. 

Saint Mary's scored its 29th power play goal of the season on one of their five attempts, while the Johnnies came up empty on just one opportunity. The SJU penalty kill played nearly half a period (11:41) of ice time and managed five shots on goal, while allowing just six. 

Saint John's led in shots (29-21) and faceoffs (28-23), while Howe finished with 19 saves, including three in OT.

The Johnnies return home to host the Cardinals at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.