ST. PETER, Minn. – After a 5-2 Gustie victory on Friday night in Mendota Heights, Minn., the Gustavus men’s hockey team dropped a 4-1 decision against the University of St. Thomas Saturday evening at Don Roberts Ice Rink, settling for the series split versus the Tommies.
The Gusties, now 7-7-3 overall and 6-2 during Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action, were unable to come back from a two-goal deficit after the first period.
St. Thomas scored early in the first period, capitalizing on an unfortunate bounce off an official. Cullen Willox used the Gustie defender as a screen and ripped a shot past Robbie Goor (Fy., Anoka, Minn.) for the unassisted goal. The Tommies controlled play for the majority of the period and notched the eventual game-winner at the 14:07 mark as Tanner Barnes deflected a shot from the point, giving UST a 2-0 lead heading into the second period.
After the Tommies held a 9-5 shots on goal advantage in the first 20 minutes, Gustavus came back strong in the middle frame, firing 18 shots but couldn’t find away to convert past St. Thomas goaltender Benjamin Myers.
With the momentum in favor of the Black and Gold, a Johnny Panvica rebound goal put the dagger in the Gustavus comeback efforts, giving UST a 3-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the second period.
Playing strong and applying pressure consistently throughout the game, the Gusties’ top line of Colin Hernon (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.), Evan Erickson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.), and Caleb Anderson (Fy., Sioux Falls, S.D.) came through on a three-on-two opportunity at 12:51 of the third period. Anderson found Hernon streaking towards the net as he slid a shot five-hole for his fifth goal of the season.
However, the Gustie goal was too little too late, as St. Thomas held on for the remainder of the game while adding an empty-netter with under 30 seconds to seal the 4-1 win.
Goor tallied 23 saves in net while suffering loss, dropping his record to 2-2-2 overall on the season. Gustavus outshot the Tommies 30-27 while each team while each team went scoreless on the man advantage.
Next weekend, Gustavus continues MIAC action with a series against Augsburg University. The Gusties are set to host the Auggies at Don Roberts Ice Rink on Friday prior to heading to Minneapolis, Minn. Saturday.