The Gustavus men’s hockey team scored a power play goal :51 seconds into the contest to take a 1-0 lead, but then got dominated the rest of the game as the Johnnies outshot the Gusties 44-18 on their way to a convincing 5-1 win in St. Cloud, Minn. Mitch Carlson scored the lone goal for Gustavus.
The game got off to a strong start for the Gusties as Saint John’s was whistled for an interference penalty :13 seconds into the contest. Gustavus took advantage of the power play opportunity as Mitch Carlson scored at the :51 second mark. The Gusties would go 0-for-8 on the power play the rest of the night.
Saint John’s exploded for four goals in the final 19 minutes of the first period including one goal by Tom Freeman (5:53), and three goals by Gabriel Harren at 7:34, 10:18, and 10:44. The Johnnies outshot the Gusties 18-5 in the first period.
The Johnnies increased their lead to 5-1 when Karl Gilbert closed out the scoring at 5:47 of the second period. Saint John’s held a 15-6 advantage in shots in the second period and an 11-7 advantage in the third period to finish with a decisive 44-18 advantage in shots.
Nick Kellogg suffered the loss in the nets for Gustavus making 39 saves and allowing all five goals. Vince Wheeler made 17 saves and picked up the win in the nets for Saint John’s.
The game was a non-conference contest as the two MIAC rivals played a single game to fill a hole in their schedules. Gustavus falls to 6-5 overall, while Saint John’s improves to 5-6-2.
The Gusties will now break for finals. Their next game will be January 4 at home against UW-Stevens Point.