The Gustavus men’s hockey team improved to 5-1-1 in the MIAC with a 3-2 win over Hamline at Roberts Ice Rink in St. Peter on Friday night. The Gusties jumped out to a 3-0 lead and then had to hold on to claim the 3-2 victory.
The Gusties opened the scoring on an unassisted goal by sophomore forward Steve Dusich at 10:47 of the first period. Coach Brett Petersen’s squad pushed its lead to 2-0 when senior forward Jerod Klava beat Hamline goaltender John Harstad at 14:19 of the first period. Assists were credited to Keith Detlefsen and Steve Dusich. Gustavus led 2-0 after the first period.
The Gusties extended their lead to 3-0 early in the second period when junior forward Joe Ulwelling scored at the 1:35 mark. Kyle Menken and Craig Jankowski picked up assists on the goal.
Hamline cut the lead to 3-1 on a goal by Mike Johnson at 4:13 of the second period. Mike Forconi and Griffin Kilby were credited with the assists. The second period ended with Gustavus holding on to a 3-1 lead.
The Pipers continued to chip away at the Gustavus lead when Shane Wagner beat Gustie netminder Dan Melde at 5:03 of the third period. Lubos Taragel picked up the assist for Hamline. The Pipers put the pressure on the Gusties throughout the third period, but Dan Melde came up with a couple of big saves to preserve the win for Gustavus.
Dan Melde, who turned away 27 shots, picked up the win in the nets. Hamline netminder John Harstad suffered the loss while making 31 saves. Gustavus ousthot Hamline 34-29.
The two teams will play the second game of the series tomorrow at the
State Fairgrounds Coliseum in St. Paul. Gustavus is now 8-6-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the MIAC. Hamline is now 0-16-0 overall and 0-9-0 in the MIAC.