Men’s Hockey Wraps Up Regular Season With Saint John’s Series

Gustavus vs. Saint John’s
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Don Roberts Ice Rink
Live Coverage: Stats | Video

Gustavus at Saint John’s
Date: Saturday, Feb. 17
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: St. Cloud, Minn. | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center
Live Coverage: Stats/Video

GAME NOTES

ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team is set for its final regular season series this weekend, taking on No. 14-ranked Saint John’s University. Slotted at the No. 4 spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings, the Gusties (9-11-3, 8-6 MIAC) face a tough challenge against the current top-seeded Johnnies (15-6-2, 10-4 MIAC) in search of a victory to clinch a playoff berth.

Last Time Out

The Gusties split a two-game home series versus Concordia last weekend, falling 4-2 Friday prior to bouncing back with a 5-1 victory Saturday afternoon. Top-scorer Colin Hernon (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) scored twice on Saturday, while Jake Bushey (Sr., Duluth, Minn.) collected three assists throughout two games.

Senior Night

As is tradition as Gustavus, the final home game of the regular season is designated as Senior Night and a special tribute is made to the individuals who have dedicated themselves to Gustavus men’s hockey the past four years. This Friday, the Athletics Department, Head Coach Brett Petersen, parents, and fans salute the seven student-athletes who have represented the men’s hockey program with pride and class throughout their collegiate careers. Student-athletes honored tonight for their years of commitment include Jake Bushey, Tim Donohue (Bloomington, Minn.), Colin Hernon, Jake McCann (Shoreview, Minn.), Nick Sheak (Woodbury, Minn.), Isaak Tjaden (Northfield, Minn.), and JT Walters (Escondido, Calif.).

Series Snapshot

Friday’s game marks the 123rd all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Saint John’s men’s ice hockey programs, with the Gusties holding a 64-48-10 advantage in the series.The Gusties lost and tied against the Johnnies during last season’s series, with the SJU prevailing with a 3-1 victory during game one in St. Cloud, Minn. prior to a 2-2 draw and Gustavus shootout win in game two at Don Roberts Ice Rink.

Scouting Saint John’s

The No. 14-ranked Johnnies swept the University of St. Thomas last weekend for the first time since the 2004-05 season with two 4-1 victories, moving into first place in the conference standings. Sophomore goaltender Andrew Lindgren limited the Tommies to one goal in each game and leads the MIAC with a 1.89 goals against average, a .931 save percentage, and a .750 winning percentage. For his performance, Lindgren was named MIAC Men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week. SJU owns the top special teams unit in the MIAC with a 25.8 power play percentage and an 85.4 penalty kill percentage. Sophomore Brady Heppner leads the offense with 24 points, ranking second in the league with 13 goals.

Goaltending Consistency

The netminding duo of Chris Amsden (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) and Robbie Goor (Fy., Anoka, Minn.) have continued to be a steady between the pipes, each sharing time in goal. Goor ranks second in the conference with a 1.97 goals against average after limiting Concordia to one goal last Saturday. Amsden ranks third with a .925 save percent- age as he posted his sixth game with at least 30 saves this season during game one versus Concordia.

Gustavus Notables

• First-year forward Caleb Anderson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) leads the MIAC in freshman scoring with 15 points (5g-10a).
• Anderson is tied for the lead in the MIAC with two shorthanded goals. The Gusties scored one shorthanded goal all of last season.
• Colin Hernon recorded his third career two-goal game in game two versus Concordia and leads the team with 17 points (8g-9a).
• Evan Erickson (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) is tied with Hernon for the team-lead with eight goals.
• After two consecutive series sweeps over Hamline and Bethel, the Gusties surpassed their win total from the 2016-17 season.
• 18 different Gusties have found their way into the goal-scoring column this season.
• Gustavus has posted a 8-3-2 record when scoring a power-play goal and is 1-8-1 when coming up empty on the man advantage.
• The Gusties are undefeated with scoring four or more goals at 6-0.
• Gustavus matched a season-high with five goals during game two of the Concordia series.
• 18 Gusties have found their way into the goal-scoring column this season, while 11 have tallied at least two goals.