The Gustavus men’s hockey team suffered a disappointing 4-1 loss to St. Mary’s in Winona on Saturday night. Tom Awaijane scored the lone Gustie goal. The Gusties, who fall to 6-2-2 in the MIAC, are currently in third place in the league standings.
Coach Brett Peterson’s squad entered the weekend hoping for a sweep to maintain a legitimate shot at the regular season MIAC title. Unfortunately, the Gusties managed only a single point and are now no longer in charge of their own destiny in regards to claiming the MIAC crown.
The Gusties started the game on a positive note as Tom Awaijanen’s goal at 4:45 of the first period gave the squad a 1-0 lead. Gustavus, which outshot the Cardinals 18-3 in the first period, took a 1-0 lead into the lockerroom.
St. Mary’s scored two goals in the second period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Gustavus outshot the Cardinals 11-8, but could not get the puck past St. Mary’s goaltender Ryne Ess.
Two third period goals by Cardinal forward Jason Fillipp (one an open net goal in the final minute) made the final score 4-1. Surprisingly, Gustavus outshot St. Mary’s 42-21 in the game.
The game was marred by 21 penalties. Gustavus was tagged with 10 penalties for 28 minutes, while St. Mary’s was assessed 11 penalties for 38 minutes. The Gusties were 0-for-4 on the power-play. The Cardinals were one-for-four with the man-advantage.
Dan Melde suffered the loss in the nets for Gustavus (17 saves).