Adam Smyth takes home All-MIAC honors for the first time this season. Photo courtesy of Bridget Larson - Sport PiX.

Adam Smyth takes home All-MIAC honors for the first time this season. Photo courtesy of Bridget Larson - Sport PiX.

St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus junior forward Adam Smyth (Burnsville, Minn.) was honored as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Hockey All-Conference team as a part of the 2012-13 MIAC Men’s Hockey Awards released on Tuesday.

St. Olaf junior forward Jeff Harris and Saint John’s freshman goaltender Saxton Soley shared the league’s top individual honor as the Co-Players-of-the-Year.  The Johnnies were honored further for their MIAC regular season co-championship as fifth-year Head Coach Doug Schueller was voted MIAC Men’s Hockey Coach-of-the-Year by his peers.

The two MIAC co-champs, St. Thomas and Saint John’s, placed the most players on the 20-member All-Conference team. St. Thomas led the way with five and the Johnnies had four honorees. Concordia, Bethel and Augsburg each had two while Gustavus, Hamline and Saint Mary’s had one player honored each. The All-MIAC team featured just two seniors with seven juniors, eight sophomores and three freshman earning the distinction.

Adam Smyth is making his first appearance on the All-Conference team this season.  With quick hands, a heavy shot, and pinpoint accuracy, Smyth once again proved himself as one of the top goal-scorers in the league.  Through Gustavus’s 28 games, the junior led the team in scoring with 21 points off of 12 goals and nine assists.  While his point total ranked ninth in the league, Smyth’s 12 goals ranked fourth.  He also tallied the fifth most power play goals with four on the year.

Although Smyth scored just four points (1G, 3A) through the opening 12 games of the season, it was against Lawrence on Dec. 7 that his season began to turn around.  Just like he did last year against Lawrence, Smyth scored a hat trick, leading the Gusties to a 4-3 win.

Smyth managed his second hat trick of the season after the holiday break, helping the Gusties to a 7-4 victory on the road at Concordia.  His three-goal performance against the Cobbers earned him Athlete-of-the-Week distinction from the MIAC for the third time in his career.  The sniper became the 22nd player in Gustavus men’s hockey history to record three or more at hat tricks in a career.  The last player to score two hat tricks in a single season was 2010 graduate and current assistant coach David Martinson, who posted back-to-back four goal games during his senior year.

The Burnsville, Minn. product followed the Concordia series with a six point weekend against Hamline.  He scored a season-high four points (1G, 3A) on Friday night before scoring two points (1G, 1A) on Saturday.  Smyth’s ability to put puck in the net was essential in Gustavus’s late season surge and run to the MIAC Playoff Championship.  In the second half of the season, Adam recorded eight goals and six assists for 14 points.  He finished the year with two game-winning goals and a team-high 136 shots.

Tim LaBombard

As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the seventh annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for men’s hockey. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

Representing Gustavus on this year’s All-Sportsmanship team was senior defenseman Tim LaBombard (Bloomington, Minn.).  A staple of Brett Petersen’s defense, LaBombard finished his senior campaign with six points off of three goals and three assists.  The blue liner skated in a total of 88 games in a Gustavus sweater, scoring five goals and tallying 23 assists for 28 points.

MIAC Release

Adam Smyth shoots in in Gustavus' 3-2 loss to Saint John's in the MIAC Playoff Championship game. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hunt.

Adam Smyth shoots in in Gustavus' 3-2 loss to Saint John's in the MIAC Playoff Championship game. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hunt.

St. Cloud, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team’s late-season surge came to an end with a 3-2 loss to Saint John’s University in the MIAC Playoff Championship on Saturday afternoon in the National Hockey Center.  The Johnnies forced the Gusties to play catch-up all afternoon, going up 1-0 by the end of the first period and 2-1 following the second period.  After Andy Pearson (So., Burnsville, Minn.) knotted the game at 2-2 early in the third, Saint John’s Justin Hoschsprung scored the eventual game-winner 13 minutes later.

Gustavus couldn’t find its third equalizer of the game in the remaining four minutes, succumbing to defeat for just the first time in nine games.  Gustavus likely ends its season at 17-8-3 overall, while Saint John’s improves to 16-7-4 with the victory.

“I’m disappointed because we didn’t play our best game today, but I’m proud of the run we’ve had over the second half of the year,” said Head Coach Brett Petersen.  “Based on the circumstances – getting off to a poor start and facing injuries early in the year – I’m happy with how far this team has come.  The start of today’s game was frustrating but we finished hard and in the end it was just too little, too late.”

Jason Johnson kicked off the scoring in Saturday’s back-and-forth affair at the 10:42 mark of the first period.  After Dane Erickson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) was sent to the box for roughing at 9:15, Johnson put the Johnnies on top 1-0 with a power play goal 1:27 into the first power play of the game.  Justin Hochsprung and John Haeg were credited with assists on the opening goal.

Gustavus was blanked on its only power play try of the first period and the teams headed to their respective locker rooms with the Johnnies up 1-0 after one.  Saint Johns carried the opening period shots advantage 8-to-5.

Facing their first deficit after the initial frame since going down 2-0 to Hamline on Feb. 2, the Gusties didn’t waste time in the second period, scoring the equalizer 2:12 into the period.  Tying the game at 1-1 was Schyler Adams (So., New Prague, Minn.) on an assist from Blake Schammel (So., Red Wing, Minn.).  The goal was Adams’s third of the season and first since Jan. 5.

Two minutes after Adams’s equalizer, Tim LaBombard (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) was tagged with a hooking penalty – his first minor of the season – and the Johnnies went on the power play for the second time of the night.  At the 6:03 point, with :16 seconds left on the Saint John’s man-advantage, Nick Senta blasted a slap shot into the back of the net to put the Johnnies up 2-1.

Gustavus was outshot 10-5 in the second and went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Although Saint John’s had not lost when leading after two periods all season, Gustavus wouldn’t back down in the 20 minutes.  The Gusties came out of the locker room hot once again, scoring the game-tying goal at the 3:07 mark when Andy Pearson knocked home a rebound.

With the scored knotted at 2-2, it would take until the 16:43 mark before the game-winner was tallied.  Justin Hochsprung, who has now scored seven goals in the past five games, buried the game-winner from John Haeg to allow Saint John’s a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Saint John’s ended up with a 27-21 advantage in shots while also killing both of Gustavus’s power play opportunities.   The Johnnies made the most of their chances on the man-advantage, going 2-for-2 in game.

Gustavus goaltender Tyler Venne (New Hope, Minn.) sees his winning-streak come to an end at eight games with tonight’s loss.  It was just the first time since Feb. 1 that Venne allowed more than two goals in a game.  The senior tallied 24 saves and concludes his season at 13-5-3.

Venne’s counterpart Saxton Soley turned away 19 of Gustavus’s 21 shots to pick up the win and improve to 15-4-1.

Thanks to its win Saturday, Saint John’s received the MIAC Playoff championship plaque, the Ed Saugestad traveling trophy and the MIAC’s automatic bid to the 2012-13 NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Tournament. The Johnnies will learn their first-round destination and opponent when the bracket is announced during Sunday’s Selection Show. The Gusties and the rest of the MIAC Playoff teams will also tune in Sunday at 9 p.m. to see if they received an at-large bid into the field. The show will be broadcast live online on NCAA.com.

Box Score

St. Peter, Minn. – Great runs in college hockey often share similar characteristics – one of which being great goaltending.   Case in point, the Gustavus men’s hockey team and the outstanding play of its senior netminder Tyler Venne (New Hope, Minn.).  The on fire Gusties went 8-0-0 in the month of February thanks in large part to an increased scoring output, stifling defense, and of course, a goalie who has put together the best stretch of tending in his four-year career at Gustavus.  Because of his play through the month, the Gustavus Sports Information Office has named Tyler Venne the Male February Student-Athlete of the Month.

Venne has been sturdy and consistent since taking on full-time netminding duties at the turn of the year.  After going 2-1-2 in January, the senior has simply refused to lose in February, going 8-0-0 over a month that included two MIAC Playoff victories.  He gave up more than two goals in a game just once in those eight contests, carrying a goals against average of just 1.5.  Venne registered a save percentage of .944 in the month, averaging 25.25 saves per game and turning away a season-high 34 shots in a 2-0 shutout win over St. Olaf in the regular season finale on Feb. 16.

Most recently on Monday, Feb. 25, Tyler was named the MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week after backstopping his way to a pair of victories in the MIAC Playoffs.  The New Hope, Minn. product made 29 saves in Gustavus’s 3-2 victory over St. Olaf in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs on Friday, Feb. 22 in St. Peter, then earned a 1-0 shutout win after stopping all 24 of St. Thomas’s shots in the MIAC Semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 23 in Mendota Heights.  The wins propelled Gustavus to its second straight appearance in the MIAC Playoff Championship.  The Gusties are making their fourth title appearance in the last five years.

With Venne seeing the puck better than he ever has in his four years wearing a three-crowned sweater, Gustavus will take on Saint John’s in the MIAC Playoff Championship on Saturday, March 2 at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.  At 13-4-3 overall, Venne holds a save percentage of .918 and a goals against average of 2.21 on the season.  He enters Saturday’s title bout with a record of 10-1-2 since the holiday break.

Live audio and live stats for Saturday’s championship game will be provided through the Saint John’s athletics website and the links below.
Live Audio
http://www.csbsju.edu/forwards/SJUHockey-real
Live Stats
http://www.sidearmstats.com/sju/mhockey/xlive.htm

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team will take on Saint John’s University in the MIAC Playoff Championship set to take place on Saturday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. in the National Hockey Center.  The No. 4 seed Gusties earned a trip to the title bout with a pair of one-goal victories over St. Olaf and St. Thomas last weekend.  Gustavus first defeated No. 5 seed St. Olaf 3-2 in the opening round of the tournament on Friday night in St. Peter.  The Gusties then traveled to Mendota Heights were they took down the Co-MIAC Champion Tommies by the narrow margin of 1-0.  Saint John’s earned a trip to the MIAC Championship after rolling past Concordia 5-1 on Saturday in St. Cloud.

Gustavus Game Notes

Saint John’s Game Notes

MIAC Playoffs Website

Live audio and live stats for Saturday’s championship game will be provided through the Saint John’s athletics website and the links below.
Live Audio
http://www.csbsju.edu/forwards/SJUHockey-real
Live Stats
http://www.sidearmstats.com/sju/mhockey/xlive.htm

St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus senior goaltender Tyler Venne (New Hope, Minn.) has been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Hockey Athlete-of-the-Week after backstopping his way to a pair of victories in the MIAC Playoffs last weekend.  Venne allowed just two goals all weekend, helping the Gusties earn their place in the MIAC Playoff Championship game for the second straight season.  Gustavus defeated St. Olaf 3-2 in the opening round on Friday night and St. Thomas 1-0 in the semifinals on Saturday night.

It is the first time in his career that Venne has received Athlete-of-the-Week honors from the MIAC.  He is also the second Gustie to garner the recognition this season after Adam Smyth took home the distinction on Feb. 4 after a six-point weekend against Concordia.

Making his 16th straight start in the final game of his career at Don Roberts Ice Rink on Friday night against St. Olaf, Venne turned away 29 Ole shots as Gustavus used a fast start on its way to a one goal victory.  After having to make just three saves in the opening period (one of which came on a St. Olaf breakaway early in the game), Venne made 26 saves over the final 40 minutes to keep the Black and Gold in front.  With the win, Venne improved to 3-0-0 in his career against St. Olaf, allowing three goals and making 100 saves.

On Saturday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena, the senior was even better.  Venne stopped all 24 of St. Thomas’s shots on the way to his third shutout of the season.  After Gustavus broke the ice with a goal at the 11:34 mark of the second period, Venne steered away 12 Tommie tries at the equalizer over the remaining minutes of the game.  The shutout secured Gustavus a spot in the MIAC Championship and was the senior’s career-best eighth straight win.

Since his fellow goaltenders John McLean and Patrick Sullivan went down with injuries in December, Venne has seized the opportunity to be head coach Brett Petersen’s go-to netminder and made the most of his final season in a Gustavus sweater.  Tyler recorded his first shutout of the year in a 5-0 win over Augsburg on Nov. 11, then began his solo mission on Dec. 7 in a 4-3 victory over Lawrence.  Since that time, Gustavus has gone 11-2-2 which includes a 10-1-2 mark since the holiday break.

Within his current eight-game winning-streak, the New Hope, Minn. native has allowed 12 goals and made 202 saves for a goals against average of 1.50 and a save percentage of .944.  Venne enters Saturday’s championship bout 13-4-3 overall with a .918 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average.

Venne and the rest of the Gustavus men’s hockey team will face Co-MIAC Champion Saint John’s University at the National Hockey Center on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.  The two squads skated to back-to-back draws in their regular season meetings in January.

MIAC Release

Tyler Venne turned away 24 shots in Gustavus's 1-0 win over St. Thomas in the MIAC Semifinals on Saturday night. Photo courtesy of Ryan Coleman - d3photography.com

Tyler Venne turned away 24 shots in Gustavus's 1-0 win over St. Thomas in the MIAC Semifinals on Saturday night. Photo courtesy of Ryan Coleman - d3photography.com

Mendota Heights, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team used what its best defensive effort of the season to defeat the University of St. Thomas 1-0 on Saturday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena.  For the fifth time in the past seven games, forward Jack Walsh (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.) scored the game-winning goal – this time scoring at the 11:34 mark of second period.  With a stifling defense in front of him, goaltender Tyler Venne (Sr., New Hope, Minn.) turned away all 24 of St. Thomas’s shots on goal to earn his third shutout of the season.

Gustavus has won eight straight games and improves to 17-7-3 overall with the win.  The surging Gusties are now 10-1-2 since Jan. 1.  St. Thomas finishes its season 13-11-2 with the loss.

The Gusties advance to the MIAC Playoff Championship game for the second straight season.  Gustavus will travel to St. Cloud, Minn. to take on Saint John’s University in the title game scheduled for Saturday, March 2.  Puck drop for Saturday’s championship is set for 2:00 p.m. at the National Hockey Center.  Saint John’s punched its ticket to MIAC Championship by way of a 5-1 win over Concordia tonight in St. Cloud.  The Gusties and Johnnies skated to back-to-back draws in their regular season series after a 3-3 tie in the National Hockey Center and a 1-1 tie in Don Roberts Ice Rink.

After a scoreless first period during which Gustavus was shut down on its lone power play opportunity, Jack Walsh broke the ice with the eventual game-winner at the 11:34 mark.  Moving up the right wing on a 2-on-1 break, Corey Leivermann (Jr., North Mankato, Minn.) patiently waited until the last possible moment before crossing to Walsh who one-timed the pass into the back of the net.  Walsh’s MIAC leading seventh game-winning goal was also assisted by Tyler Lapic (So., New Prague, Minn.).

The goal was also the sophomore’s team-leading 13th of the season.  After registering a point tonight, both Walsh and Tyler Lapic extend their scoring-streak to eight games.  Walsh has 11 points (8G, 3A) and Lapic has scored 10 (3G, 10) within their respective scoring tears.

Still clinging to a one goal lead halfway through the third period, St. Thomas had a golden opportunity to tie the game after back-to-back Gustavus penalties on Blake Schammel (So., Red Wing, Minn.) and Tyler Lapic inside the 10th minute of the frame.  The penalty killers were up to the challenge, nullifying St.Thomas’s 5-on-3 opportunity to keep the shutout intact.

With the win between the pipes, Tyler Venne improved to 13-4-3 overall and 10-1-2 since Christmas.  Over the Black and Gold’s eight-game run, Venne has allowed an average of 1.5 goals per game.

Venne’s counterpart Drew Fielding had a similar stat line aside from the goal allowed in the second period.  Felding recorded 22 saves in the game, finishing his season 10-8-2 overall.

Box Score

The Gustavus student-body came out in full force for last night's opening round playoff game against St. Olaf. Photo courtesy of Sport PiX.

The Gustavus student-body came out in full force for last night's opening round playoff game against St. Olaf. Photo courtesy of Sport PiX.

St. Peter, Minn. – After a 3-2 victory over St. Olaf College in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs last night in at Don Roberts Ice Rink, the Gustavus Adolphus men’s hockey team has a quarterfinal round date with Co-MIAC Champion St. Thomas tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.

Live video for tonight’s game will be available through the Minnesota Sports Broadcast Network.

The Matchup

- St. Thomas swept Gustavus in the regular season, winning 6-0 in St. Peter and 2-1 in Mendota Heights.

- Gustavus is 5-12-1 all-time against St. Thomas in the MIAC Tournament.  The two clubs last met in the MIAC Playoffs on March 3, 2010 in the MIAC Championship.  St. Thomas won that game 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Chris Hickey.  Gustavus got the Tommies back a week later with a 3-1 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

- Gustavus is 9-1-2 since Christmas and are currently riding a seven-game winning-streak.

From Last Night

- Gustavus scored the first goal of the game for the 15th time this season last night against the Oles.  The Gusties are 13-2-1 when scoring the first goal.

- Gustavus is now 13-0-1 when scoring three or more goals this season.

- Jack Walsh (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Tyler Lapic (So., New Prage, Minn.) enter tonight’s game on a seven-game point-streak.  Walsh has seven goals and two assists inside the streak, while Lapic has three goals and six assists.

- Senior goaltender Tyler Venne (New Hope, Minn.) picked up his seventh straight win in a 29-save performance last night.  He is allowing an average of 1.71 goals within the run.

- Zach May’s (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) goal against St. Olaf was his first game-winner of the season.  It was also May’s first goal since Nov. 3 against St. Norbert.

- With the win first round win over the Oles, Gustavus’s senior class improved to 7-1-0 in playoff games held at Don Roberts Ice Rink.

- Gustavus’s 25 shots in the first period last night was a season-high for any period this season.  The Gusties also allowed just three shots in the first period, which is the second-lowest shots allowed total this year.

Zach May celebrates the eventual game-winning goal with Blake Schammel in Gustavus's 3-2 victory over St. Olaf in the MIAC Playoffs. Photo courtesy of A.J. Dahm - Sport PiX

Zach May celebrates the eventual game-winning goal with Blake Schammel in Gustavus's 3-2 victory over St. Olaf in the MIAC Playoffs. Photo courtesy of A.J. Dahm - Sport PiX

St. Peter, Minn. - A fast start was the difference in the Gustavus men’s team’s 3-2 victory over St. Olaf College in the opening round of the MIAC Playoffs on Friday night at Don Roberts Ice Rink.  The Gusties dominated the opening 22 minutes of the game, grabbing a 3-0 lead and outshooting the Oles 27-3 by the 1:05 mark of the second period.  Although St. Olaf turned the tide with two goals later in the second period, Gustavus was able to keep the Oles off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest and hold on late for the one goal win.

With the victory, Gustavus advances to the quarterfinals of the MIAC Playoffs.  The Gusties will travel to Mendota Heights, Minn. tomorrow night to face Co-MIAC Champion St. Thomas at 7:30 p.m.  Gustavus improves to 16-7-3 overall, while St. Olaf finishes its season at 10-14-2.

“Coach P always tells us to stick with the system and stick with what works,” said junior Zach May on Gustavus’s fast start.  “We’ve been practicing it all year – taking the puck hard to the net, playing the body, and doing the little things right.  That paid off in the first period. ”

Because the two teams faced each other just a weekend ago in the final series of the regular season, the start of tonight’s game was critical.  After each goaltender made saves on breakaway opportunities at both ends of the rink, Gustavus settled into a groove and began to tilt the ice and dictate play.

The Gusties blistered St. Olaf goaltender Henrik Wood with 15 shots on goal in the first 15 minutes of the game.  The 16th shot that reached its target hit the back of the net at the 15:13 mark and came from the stick of sophomore Tyler Lapic (New Prague, Minn.).   After Lapic won a face-off to his defenseman Nate Paulsen (La Habra, Calif.) from outside the St. Olaf blue line, Paulsen got the puck to Jack Walsh (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.) who moved it into the zone.  Walsh found Lapic, who from the bottom the right circle, dangled around a St. Olaf defender before beating Henrik Wook with a sharp close-range wrister.

Tyler Lapic moves the puck up the left wing.

The goal was Lapic’s seventh of the season, as he and Walsh both extended their point-streak to seven games on the go-ahead scoring play.

Gustavus continued to pepper Wood for the remaining minutes of the frame.  At the 18:43 mark, Andrew Peterson (Sr., Reno, Nev.) extended Gustavus’ lead to 2-0 with his fourth goal of the year.  Peterson drove a slop shot from the left point to the goal where it hit traffic between the circles.  Good fortune and bad St. Olaf luck took over from there.  As Wood slid to his right to make a potential save, the Peterson drive ricocheted off a body and ended up slowly rolling across the goal line to Wood’s left.

Gustavus went into the locker room for the first intermission with a 25-3 shots advantage.  It was the second fewest shots allowed in any period this season.

The Gusties were still in control early in the second period.  At the 1:05 mark, Zach May (Jr., Prior Lake, Minn.) had nose for the puck and was at the right place at the right time.  Scoring his first goal since Nov. 3 tonight, May buried a rebound from in front of the net, extending Gustavus’ advantage to 3-0.  The goal turned out to be the game-winner, his first of the season.

It was all St. Olaf for the remainder of the period, as Oles got on the scoreboard just two minutes after May’s goal.  At the 3:18 mark, Joel Lundstrom beat Tyler Venne (New Hope, Minn.) with a low liner from the left circle.

After Lundstrom’s goal, Gustavus found itself reeling.  The Gusties took two straight penalties and had to skate 4-on-4 for a two minute segment before the 15-minute mark of the period.   At 16:19, the score was cut to 2-1 on a Dan Checka goal on a slapshot from the left circle.

St. Olaf tightened down the shots in the second period, outshooting the Gusties 18-7.  The Oles outshot the Gusties 10-8 in the third, yet Gustavus had the final shots advantage 40-31.

Gustavus goalie Tyler Venne was once again up to the challenge of keeping his club in the lead.  Despite a scare where Venne a puck to the throat in the second period up 3-1, the senior persevered.  At one point he made a critical save on a 2-on-1 breakaway, steering away a shot from St. Olaf’s leading scorer Jeff Harris.  Venne finished with 29 saves and now has won seven straight games.

“St. Thomas is a very good team,” said senior Brenden Baker on the upcoming matchup against St. Thomas.  “We saw them earlier in the year and it didn’t go very well so we look forward to the opportunity to have another crack at them.  We are a different team now than we were then, but so are they.  It’s going to be a good game and hopefully we can come out on top.”

Box Score

Photo Gallery 

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus men’s hockey team will head into the MIAC Playoffs as the No. 4 seed after finishing the regular season 15-7-3 overall and 9-5-2 in the MIAC.  The Gusties will face No. 5 seed St. Olaf College who comes in at 10-13-2 overall and 9-7-0 in the MIAC.  The two teams will drop the puck in the opening round on Friday, Feb. 22 at 7:05 p.m. inside Don Roberts Ice Rink.  The winner of Friday night’s opening round game will take on No. 1 seed St. Thomas on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Thomas Ice Arena located in Mendota Heights.  In the other semifinal game set for 7:00 p.m., No. 2 seed Saint John’s will battle No. 3 seed Concordia at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

MIAC Playoffs Website

Gustavus Game Notes

The Gustavus versus St. Olaf men’s hockey game set for Friday night will be broadcast live on Stretch Internet though the Gustavus Athletics website.  Sports Information Director Ethan Armstrong will handle the play-by-play responsibilities alongside color analyst Peter Haugen, the head coach of the Gustavus football team.  Fans can access the live video and live stats through the links below.

Live Video

Live Stats

Jack Walsh scored the game-winning goal for the second night in a row against the Oles on Saturday.

Northfield, Minn. – Although the Gustavus men’s hockey team capped the regular season with a sixth straight victory by defeating St. Olaf College 2-0 on Saturday night at the Northfield Ice Arena, the Gusties got no help from the remaining post-season bound teams in the league and will now enter the MIAC Playoffs as the No. 4 seed.  With wins tonight, St. Thomas and Saint John’s clinched a share of the 2012-13 MIAC Championship, while Concordia also moved ahead of Gustavus because of the head-to-head tie breaker criteria.

Gustavus finishes the regular season at 15-7-3 overall and 9-5-2 in the MIAC.  St. Olaf has now dropped five straight and enters the post season at 10-13-2 overall and 9-7-0 in the MIAC.  The 2013 MIAC Playoffs will open on Friday, Feb. 22 when Gustavus hosts St. Olaf at 7:05 p.m. in the first round.  The two semifinal games will both be held Saturday, Feb. 23, with top-seeded St. Thomas hosting the No. 4/5 winner in Mendota Heights in one semifinal, and No. 2 Saint John’s hosting No. 3 Concordia in St. Cloud in the other.

In tonight’s series finale between the Gusties and Oles, it was Gustavus striking first.  After each team blanked the other on two power play opportunities in the opening 15 minutes of the game, Gustavus got a goal from a likely source – Jack Walsh (So., Mahtomedi, Minn.).  At the 15:05 mark of the first period, Walsh scored on the power play off assists from Corey Leivermann (Jr., North Mankato, Minn.) and Tyler Lapic (So., New Prague, Minn.).

The goal was Walsh’s seventh in the past five games and second game-winner in a row.  He now shares the team lead in goals scored with 12 alongside Adam Smyth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) and is on a six-game point-streak.  With the assists on the eventual game-winning goal, Leivermann and Lapic also extended their point-streak to six games.

After failing to convert on two power play chances inside the first ten minutes of the second period, Gustavus added an insurance goal at the 11:32 mark.  Darren Lapic (Fr., New Prague, Minn.) scored off of the assists of Dane Erickson (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) and Brian White (Sr., Fort Frances, Ont.) to put Gustavus on top 2-0.

Darren Lapic’s goal turned out to be the final one of the game, as the two teams skated the rest of the second and third periods without putting any more scores on the board.

St. Olaf outshot Gustavus 26-22 in the final 40 minutes to carry the shots advantage 34-30 in the game.  Gustavus went 1-for-4 on the power play and held the Oles scoreless on its two power play chances.

Gustavus goaltender Tyler Venne (Sr., New Hope, Minn.) recorded a shutout for the second time this year, turning away a season-high 34 shots.  Venne’s previous best was 30 saves, which he posted three times prior.  The senior will head in to the playoffs on a six-game winning-streak with a .913 save percentage and a 2.34 goals against average.

To assist fans throughout the playoffs, the MIAC has set up a home page for the 2012-13 MIAC Men’s Hockey Playoffs featuring the teams, seeds, schedules, tiebreaker criteria and more. Throughout the Playoffs the page will be updated with results, recaps, links to live videos and live stats and more. Follow all the action as well on the MIAC scoreboard site.

Box Score