The Gustavus men’s hockey team will open its 2009-10 season this Saturday and Sunday at the MIAC Showcase which will take place at the Bloomington Ice Gardens. Gustavus will play Bethel on Saturday at 8 pm and Augsburg on Sunday at 5 pm.
Coming off one of the most successful seasons in the storied history of the Gustavus men’s hockey program, Coach Brett Petersen and his squad will look to make another magical late season run with a squad that returns its top six scorers and 19 letterwinners from a team that won the MIAC Post-season Tournament and finished second at the NCAA Tournament. All-America forward David Martinson will lead the way along with all-conference performers Ross Ring-Jarvi (forward) and Josh Swartout (goaltender) and NCAA All-Tournament selection Patrick Dynan (forward).
A young team with potential at the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the Gusties matured late in the year into one of the top teams in Division III. This season, however, Gustavus is a veteran team with significant tournament experience under its belt and the Gusties will be the “hunted” instead of the “hunter”. How this team responds to that challenge will go a long way towards determining what the 2009-10 Golden Gustie squad can accomplish as all the pieces are there for this team to contend for the MIAC title and make another run in the NCAA Tournament.
Leadership will be an important factor and the Gusties will look to senior captain Cody Mosbeck and senior assistant captains David Martinson and Joe Welch. This trio has played in virtually every game for the past two seasons and understands the importance of being prepared to perform every day in practice and at every game. Martinson, a First Team AHCA All-America selection, led the Gusties in scoring a year ago with 26 goals and 15 assists for 41 points. His 26 goals ranked second in Division III last year. Welch, an All-American safety on the Gustavus football team, will join the team in mid-November as he has for the past four seasons. He is hard-nosed forward that is particularly tough on the forecheck. He contributed 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points in 24 games a year ago. Mosbeck will anchor the blue line for the fourth straight year. His steady play in front of the net helped the Gusties lead the MIAC in scoring defense last season allowing 2.25 goals per game.
Martinson will be joined up front by sophomore Ross Ring-Jarvi (10g, 21a), senior Patrick Dynan (8g, 16a), junior Brad Wieck (8g, 16a), senior Eric Bigham (14g, 8a), and senior Rory Dynan (12g, 9a). Defensively, Mosbeck will be joined by junior Mitch Carlson, an honorable all-conference selection last year, and seniors Tony Palma and Spencer Campion. Junior Josh Swartout will return in the nets where he finished second in the MIAC in goals against average (2.33) and save percentage (.910) last season.
2009 MIAC Men’s Hockey Showcase Preview (Donny Nadeau, Saint Mary’s Sports Information)
The inaugural Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men’s Hockey Showcase kicks off on Friday, October 30 as Bethel and Augsburg square off in a 2 p.m. contest at the Bloomington Ice Gardens. Saint Mary’s vs. St. Thomas (5 p.m.) and St. Olaf vs. Hamline (8 p.m.) complete the first day of the three-day event.
“We expect the MIAC Hockey Showcase to be a fantastic way to kick off another successful year of men’s hockey,” stated MIAC Executive Director Dan McKane, noting that the nine MIAC men’s hockey teams will each play two nonconference games, with games set for 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1. “The event is a great way to showcase the amazing amount of talent that plays in our conference. The MIAC is regarded as one of the best conferences in NCAA Division III and fans who attend the Showcase will see for themselves the incredible skill and athleticism of our nine teams.”
St. Olaf captured its first MIAC regular-season title in 70 years last season, going 12-1-3, but it was Gustavus that stole the show, winning the conference’s post-season tournament — and earning the MIAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national tournament. At the national level, the Gusties blanked UW-Superior 2-0, then followed that up with a 3-2 OT win over UW-Stout to reach the national championship game, where Gustavus fell to Neumann 4-1.
Live stats will be provided for all nine of the games during the Showcase through the link below.
Ticket prices are $5 which includes admission for the entire day. Children 5 and under are free.
GameDay On The Web: Live Stats / Tournament Homepage
Tournament Schedule:
Friday, Oct. 30: Bethel vs. Augsburg, 2 p.m.; Saint Mary’s vs. St. Thomas, 5 p.m.; St. Olaf vs. Hamline, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 31: Saint Mary’s vs. Saint John’s, 2 p.m.; St. Olaf vs. Concordia, 5 p.m.; Bethel vs. Gustavus, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 1: Concordia vs. Hamline, 2 p.m.; Augsburg vs. Gustavus, 5 p.m.; Saint John’s vs. St. Thomas, 8 p.m.