St. Paul – Gustavus Adolphus junior men’s hockey player Adam Smyth (Jr., Burnsville, Minn.) has been named the Athlete-of-the-Week by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) for his outstanding play this past weekend. Smyth registered a total of six points on two goals and four assists over the weekend, helping Gustavus sweep Hamline with a 7-4 win on Friday and a 4-2 victory on Saturday. Smyth is the first member of the Gustavus men’s hockey team to take home MIAC Athlete-of-the-Week honors this season.
Despite scoring just one goal through the opening 12 games of the season, Smyth has provided the Gusties some much-needed firepower in the second half of the year. In Friday night’s win over the Pipers, Smyth scored his ninth goal of the season at the 12:59 mark of the second period, giving Gustavus a 5-2 lead. The goal proved to be the game-winner, his second of the year. Smyth also added three assists in the contest, giving him a season/game-high four points.
In Saturday’s 4-2 win, the Burnsville product provided the spark that ignited Gustavus’ two-goal comeback. At the 7:16 mark of second period, Smyth capitalized on the power play, knocking the puck past goaltender Matt Hemingway to cut the Piper lead to 2-1. The power play goal was Gustavus’ first of the weekend and fourth of the season for Smyth.
After his six-point series, Adam Smyth extended his team-leading point total to 18 – now ranking fourth in the MIAC with 10 goals. Smyth’s recent scoring tear began on Jan. 25 when he posted his second hat trick of the season in a 7-4 win over Concordia. He enters next weekend’s series with Saint Mary’s with nine points (5G, 4A) over the past four games.
With the sweep of Hamline, Gustavus put itself right back in the hunt for a spot in the MIAC Playoffs. With just two series left in the regular season, the Gusties are locked in a three-way tie alongside Bethel and Concordia for fifth in the conference standings with 12 points.
The Gustavus men’s hockey team will head to Winona for the opening game of an away/home series against Saint Mary’s on Friday, Feb. 8. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.