NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Although the Gustavus men’s hockey team led 3-1 late in the third period Friday night, St. Olaf picked up its sense of urgency in the final minute, scoring a goal with 20 seconds remaining and then put in the game-tying goal with two seconds on the clock to force overtime. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the overtime period and the game went to a shootout. The Oles made their first and third shots to claim the shootout victory and two points in the MIAC standings. The tie gives the Gusties one point in the league standings as they move to 3-10-3 overall and 2-4-1 in the MIAC.
The first period went scoreless as Gustavus registered seven shots on goal, compared to eight by St. Olaf. Nearly 13 minutes into the second, Colin Hernon (So., Bloomington, Minn.) broke the scoreless tie with a short-handed goal, his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Van Sullivan (Fy., Brentwood, Tenn.). With time dwindling down in the second frame, Sam Majka (Jr., Wayzata, Minn.) gave the Gusties a two-goal advantage with just 13 seconds left on the clock, giving his team all the momentum heading into the second intermission.
St. Olaf was able to score its first goal of the game three minutes into the third period. The two squads went 13 minutes without a goal until Evan Erickson (Fy., Woodbury, Minn.) gave the Gusties a 3-1 lead with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. The goal was Erickson’s fourth of the season and was unassisted. But in the final minute of regulation, the Oles pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and it paid off with two goals in the final 20 seconds of regulation to force the overtime period, and eventually the shootout win.
Erik Johnson (Jr., Sauk Rapids, Minn.) took the tie after recording 31 saves.
Gustavus wraps up the series with St. Olaf at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow at Don Roberts Ice Rink.