SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team is set to play their first home contests of the season this weekend as they host UW-Eau Claire on Friday and UW-River Falls Saturday with both contests beginning at 7:05 p.m. The Gusties enter the weekend 3-1-0, while the Blugolds and Falcons are 2-0-1 and 3-1-0, respectively.
Teddy Bear Toss: Saturday’s game is the fourth annual Teddy Bear Toss game at Gustavus. Fans who bring a new stuffed animal will be admitted free into the game. After the first Gustavus goal, fans are asked to throw their stuffed animals on to the ice, which will be collected and donated to Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker’s #GIVE16 Campaign, which benefits the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital. In order to have continuous programming and special events for patients and families, this season, the Zucker’s are encouraging people to continue to give back and support programming of the space.
The Series: Friday’s contest marks the 19th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and UW-Eau Claire with the Blugolds holding a 10-7-1 advantage. The Gusties have not defeated Eau-Claire in the past six meeting, most recently winning on Jan. 12, 2007.
Saturday’s game is the 44th all-time matchup between the Gusties and Falcons, with UW-River Falls holding a 23-17-3 edge. The Gusties won four straight games from 2008-11, settled for a tie in 2014, before the Falcons have won the past four matchups between the teams.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus is most recently coming off a weekend split, falling to UW-Stevens Point 4-2 Friday before defeating UW-Stout 2-0 Saturday. Through four contest, the Gusties have seen a spread out attack find them success. Tyler Rock (2g, 2a), Caleb Anderson (1g, 3a), and Tyler Ebner (1g, 3a) all have four points to lead Gustavus, while Logan Norman has posted a team high three goals. All three goalies on Gustavus’s roster have seen time in net, combining for 123 saves while allowing eight goals for a save percentage of .939.
Scouting the Blugolds: UW-Eau Claire is most recently coming off a pair of wins last weekend over St. Olaf and Saint Mary’s. Through three games the Blugolds average 4.33 goals per game while allowing 1.67. They have a trio of players with four points with Jake Bresser notching three goals and an assists, while Andrew McGlynn and Logan Von Ruden each have a goal and three assists. Zach Dyment has played two games in net, allowing three goals while making 38 saves for a save percentage of .927.
Scouting the Falcons: UW-River Falls is coming off a weekend split versus Concordia last weekend. Through four games they average 3.33 goals while allowing 2.00. Ryan Husin (5g, 3a) and Christian Hausinger (4g, 3a) lead the Falcon attack with eight and seven points, respectively. Zach Quinn and Kade Phipps have split time in net, combining for 72 saves while allowing seven goals for a save percentage of .911.