The Gustavus men’s hockey team maintained its position atop the MIAC standings with a hard-fought 4-3 win over St. Olaf in St. Peter. The Gusties are now 7-0-0 in the MIAC and 9-6-1 overall. Jay Phillips, Jon Keseley, Tim Ornell, Hampus Gunnarsson, and Tim Ornell all scored for Gustavus.
The Gusties jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an unassisted goal by Jay Phillips at the 4:42 mark of the first period. The Oles tied the score at the 8:23 mark on a goal by John Paulson. St. Olaf kept the pressure on and took a 2-1 lead on a power play goal by Jeff Budish at the 11:41 mark. The Oles took a 2-1 lead into the lockerroom at the end of the first period.
St. Olaf managed to hold on to its first period lead until Jon Keseley tallied a powerplay goal at 7:30 of the second period that tied the score at 2-2. The game remained tied until Hampus Gunnarsson scored the first goal of his collegiate career at the 17:39 mark giving Gustavus a 3-2 lead. The Gusties increased their lead to 4-2 when Tim Ornell scored what turned out to be the gamewinner at the 18:46 mark. Gustavus took its 4-2 lead into the lockerroom at the end of the second period.
St. Olaf came out fast in the third period and kept the pressure on the Gusties until they pulled to within one of the lead (4-3) when Mike MacMillan slapped a wrist into the upper right corner at the 5:07 mark. The Oles would keep the pressure on for the rest of the competition. The final two minutes were very hectic as the Oles pulled their goaltender for an extra skater and the Gustie were whisteld for a penalty on Jay Phillips for hooking with :23 seconds left in the game. St. Olaf worked for some very good shots on net, but the Gusties kept the puck out of their net and claimed an important conference victory.
Kevin Johnson picked the win up in the nets for the Gusties. He recorded 26 saves. Jeff Wilde suffered the loss for the Oles allowing three goals and recording 26 saves.
The two teams will wrap up their season series with a game tomorrow night (Jan. 20) in Northfield at 8:00 pm.