Saint John's hockey visits No. 4 Aurora in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva, Ill. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM) | Live Stats | Live Video

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets will be available on the day of the game at the gate. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Adults are $10 and seniors/children/students are $5.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Freshman defenseman Cashen Naeve (Independence, Minn.) scored the game-winning goal 3:23 into overtime to lift top-seeded Saint John's (17-6-4, 10-3-3 MIAC) past second-seeded Gustavus Adolphus 4-3 in the MIAC playoff championship game last Saturday (March 7) at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The unassisted goal, Naeve's fifth tally of the season, gave SJU its sixth MIAC playoff title and first since 2013.
    
The Gusties dominated play in the first period, seizing a 19-4 advantage in shots and taking a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal from Ludvig Mellgren with 2:52 to play before intermission. Less than two minutes later, Gustavus struck again on a goal by Riku Brown to take a two-goal lead into the locker rooms.
 
The Gusties added to that margin on a goal by Jack Wineman early in the second period, and suddenly SJU was facing a 3-0 deficit.
   
The Johnnies came to life offensively midway through the second period and unleashed a flurry of shots. One finally connected when junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.) tipped the puck in from in front of the net on the power play with 9:40 remaining.
 
SJU cut the gap to 3-2 on a goal by junior forward Logan Lyke (Medina, Minn.) with 14:32 to play in the third period and tied things up when classmate Cam Boche (Lakeville, Minn.) scored with 5:42 remaining in regulation.

The Johnnies also got clutch play in goal from senior goaltender Jon Howe (Chanhassen, Minn.), who finished with 33 saves and stopped everything that came his way from early in the second period on.

SJU'S NCAA HISTORY: The NCAA appearance is the seventh in program history: 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2013, 2026. The Johnnies are 2-8-1 in NCAA Tournament games. The tournament's first round and quarterfinals were three-game series until 2002.

1996 
-at Wisconsin-Superior – L, 5-6 and L, 2-7

1997 
-vs. Elmira, N.Y. in St. Cloud – T, 2-2 and W, 4-2
-at Middlebury, Vt. – L, 1-4
-vs. Norwich, Vt. in Middlebury, Vt. – W, 4-3 (third place)

2001
-at Wisconsin-Superior – L, 4-5 and L, 0-4

2003
-at Wisconsin-River Falls – L, 0-2

2005
-vs. St. Thomas in St. Cloud – L, 1-4

2013
-at Wisconsin-Eau Claire – L, 2-4

WE'RE STREAKING: Twenty-one Johnnies have a point or more during the current seven-game win streak, including eight of four or more. Lyke and junior forward Jackson Borst (Edina, Minn.) lead the team with two goals and five assists each, while Kernan touts five goals. Howe boasts a 1.83 GAA and a .952 save percentage (256 saves).

45 SAVES AWAY: Howe boasts a 16-5-4 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .932 save percentage this season. His 842 saves are the second-most in program history, 45 behind the record of 887 owned by NAIA All-American Bob Hanson '79 set in 1978-79. Howe also needs one win to become the 10th Johnnie goaltender to reach 30 for a career.

MIAC HONORS: Eight Johnnies received conference recognition, including five selections to the All-MIAC team, and Doug Schueller was named the MIAC Coach of the Year when the league's postseason awards were announced on Wednesday (March 11).

Howe, Kernan, senior defenseman Mason Campbell (Rosemount, Minn.), junior forward Chris Kernan (Maple Grove, Minn.), freshman forward Carter Krenke (Bloomington, Minn.) and junior forward Jack Wandmacher (St. Louis Park, Minn.) were All-MIAC picks. Borst and Lyke were honorable mention.

Howe, Kernan and senior defenseman Conner Couet (St. Michael, Minn.) were named to the MIAC All-Playoff team.

The All-MIAC honor is the second for Campbell and the first for the other four honorees.

Schueller
The MIAC Coach of the Year honor is the third for Schueller, who directed SJU to a 10-3-3 MIAC record and its 10th regular-season conference championship, the third during his tenure and first since 2020. Last Saturday's MIAC playoff title, meanwhile, was the Johnnies' sixth (Schueller's second) and first since 2013. He enters the NCAA tournament with a 217-182-53 (.539) record in 18 seasons at the helm. He is 24 wins from the program record of 241 owned by John Harrington (241-142-31 record from 1993-2008).

Campbell 
The senior captain totaled six points (3g/3a) in 16 MIAC contests and has played in every game except the Johnnies' season-opener at Marian (Wis.). He currently has 15 points (5g/10a) and leads SJU with 75 shots on goal. In conference play, Campbell was fifth with 58 shots, the most among a defensemen.
 
Campbell became the 12th defenseman in program history to eclipse 50 career points (19g/31a) and has played 101 games. 

Howe
The All-MIAC honor is the first for Howe and the seventh for a Johnnie goaltender in the last 10 seasons (no awards in 2020-21), joining Bailey Huber '25 (2025), Mac Berglove '21 (2022), Andrew Lindgren '20 (2018-20) and Saxton Soley '16 (2016). 

He led the MIAC in minutes played (977:56) and, among goaltenders with 400 saves or more, was first in GAA (2.27) and save percentage (.933). Howe was also second in saves (512). 

Overall, Howe boasts a 16-5-4 record with a 2.40 GAA and a .932 save percentage. His 842 saves are the second-most in program history, 45 behind the record of 887 owned by NAIA All-American Bob Hanson '79 set in 1978-79. Three of his four career assists were tallied this season.

Howe has a 1.83 GAA and a .952 save percentage (256 saves) during the Johnnies' current seven-game win streak, including a 1.95 GAA and a .956 save percentage with 86 saves in the two MIAC playoff games.

Kernan
Kernan averaged a point-per-game in 14 MIAC games (5g/9a) this season. He tied for third in the league with a pair of game-winners, was fourth in faceoff wins (117) and sixth in faceoff percentage (.568) in conference play. 

Kernan scored three goals in the Johnnies' two MIAC playoff games after missing the final regular-season series due to illness. He scored SJU's second (GWG) and third goals in the 4-1 semifinal win and started the team's comeback against Gustavus Adolphus with a power-play tally midway through the second period. 

He has nine points (5g/4a) over his last seven games and ranks fourth on the team with 20 total points (10g/10a) overall. Kernan was one of four Johnnies to earn Athlete of the Week honors, a feat he accomplished after totaling four points (1g/3a) and a team-leading seven shots on goal against Gustavus in February. He and Lyke share the team lead with three game-winning goals, one of which was an overtime tally to defeat Gustavus in the series finale. 

Wandmacher
Wandmacher tied for the team lead with 15 points (4g/11a) and was a +10 in all 16 MIAC games. Overall, he leads the team in assists (18) and points (25), and collected five multi-point games, including three against conference opponents.

He takes the ice Saturday with 50 points (14g/36a) in 68 career games.

Krenke
Krenke scored a team-best nine goals and tied for the team lead with a +11 rating in MIAC games. His nine goals tied for third overall in the conference and were second – by one goal – among MIAC freshmen. 

He has 18 points (11g/7a) and leads SJU in plus/minus (+17) in 26 games. His 18 points are the most by a Johnnie freshman in a season since Spencer Rudrud '25 tallied 20 (5g/15 assists) in 2021-22. Krenke's 11 goals, meanwhile, are the most by a first-year player since Auggie Moore '23 tallied the same in 2019-20. 

Borst
Borst registered 13 points (5g/8a) in conference play and is one of four Johnnies who have played all 27 games this season. He leads the team with six multi-point games, including four against MIAC opponents, and is second in points (24) and plus/minus rating (+16).

Lyke
Lyke tied with Wandmacher for the team lead with 15 points (5g/10a) in 16 conference games, which ranked seventh among all MIAC skaters this season. He currently leads SJU with 12 goals and is third with 23 points. 

Borst and Lyke are tied for the team lead with seven points (2g/5a) and a +4 during the current seven-game win streak.

Couet
Couet had three points (1g/2a) and was +3 on the ice for the Johnnies in their two playoff games. He scored SJU's first goal and assisted the game-winner in a 4-1 win over Bethel in the semifinals and added an assist on the first goal of the comeback effort in the title game. 

Couet has 13 points (3g/10a) in 23 games played and is second in power-play scoring with eight points (1g/7a). He totaled eight points (2g/6a) in all 16 MIAC games this season.

The Johnnies led the MIAC in GAA (2.32), faceoff win percentage (.563/566-for-1,005), save percentage (.931) and scoring defense (2.38 gpg.) in conference play. SJU finished second in scoring offense (3.75 gpg.) and shots per game (36.44).

STAT COMPARISONS
Scoring Offense
-AU, 4.72 gpg. *No. 5 in Division III
-SJU, 3.78 gpg.

GAA
-AU, 2.26
-SJU, 2.51

Power Play
-AU, 27.7 percent (36-130) *No. 4 in Division III
-SJU, 22.1 percent (17-77)

Penalty Kill
-AU, 88.4 percent (114-129) *No. 8 in Division III
-SJU, 74.2 percent (66-89)

Schedule Difficulty
-SJU, 36th out of 91 Division III teams (.521 opponent win percentage)
-AU, 45th (.509 opponent win percentage)

Attendance 
-SJU, 28th (352 avg.)
-AU, 42nd (214 avg.)

A LOOK AT THE SPARTANS: Aurora (23-5-1, 13-4-1 NCHA) fell two spots to No. 4 in Monday's (March 9) USCO.com Division III poll. SJU received votes, but fell eight points short of cracking the top 15. 
The Spartans fell short in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Championship with a 3-1 loss to No. 4 St. Norbert (Wis.) on Saturday. AU was fourth in the NCHA standings, with regular-season losses to the Milwaukee School of Engineering (Wis.), St. Norbert, Lawrence (Wis.) and Trine (Ind.). SJU swept Trine in January – 3-2 and 4-2 – at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud.

Aurora reached the NCAA quarterfinals last season with a 3-2 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire before falling to SUNY Geneseo, 7-4. Saturday will be the Spartans' second appearance in the national tournament. 

Senior forward Hassan Akl leads AU in scoring with 38 points (13g/25a), followed by three more players with 30 points or more. One of those is freshman forward Jaden Davis (12g/19a), who was named the NCHA Co-Rookie of the Year after finishing in the top 10 in league scoring. Junior goaltender Matt O'Donnell has seen the most time in net, posting a 2.12 GAA and a .926 save percentage (637 saves) in 26 games (20-3-1 record). His winning percentage (.854) ranks fifth in Division III and his five shutouts are third. Two Spartans rank in the top 5 of special-teams goals in Division III, as junior Jakson Kirk is fourth in the nation in power-play scoring (8g) and senior Lukas Sedlacek ranks second with a trio of short-handed tallies. The two forwards are tied for ninth this season in game-winners, each with four. Fifteen of AU's total 25 players hail from Canada, with just one Illinois native on the roster (sophomore forward Eddie Paulissian).

Aurora head coach Jason Bloomingburg is in his 10th season with the Spartans and holds a 137-102-20 (.568) record. Bloomingburg spent four seasons as head coach of the Florida Eels (USPHL) with a 124-48-6 record and two division titles. After a decorated playing career with the Texas Tornado (NAHL), Bloomingburg played Division I hockey at Providence (R.I.) and Wayne State (Mich.) before returning to the Tornado as an assistant coach.