Men’s Hockey Faces St. Thomas In MIAC Semifinals

Gustavus at St. Thomas
Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mendota Heights, Minn. | St. Thomas Ice Arena
Live Coverage: Stats | Video

GAME NOTES

ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team is set to head to Mendota Heights, Minn. for a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Semifinal at the University of St. Thomas Saturday evening. The No. 4 seeded Gusties (11-12-3, 9-7 MIAC) take on the No. 1 seeded Tommies (16-8-1, 11-4-1 MIAC) at 7 p.m. from St. Thomas Ice Arena.

Last Time Out

The Gusties defeated Concordia 2-1 Thursday evening at Don Roberts Ice Rink during a MIAC Playoff Quarterfinal matchup, earning the program’s first playoff victory since the 2013-14 season. Kegan Couture (So., Pequot Lakes, Minn.) scored his first collegiate goal to open the scoring at 8:59 of the first period. Gustavus held a 1-0 advantage until the Cobbers tied the game at 12:13 in the third period. However, the home team answered quickly, as Colton Schmidt (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored the game-winner minutes later to seal the win. The Gusties tallied a season-high 47 shots on net, while Chris Amsden (Jr., St. Peter, Minn.) claimed the win in goal with 25 saves, improving his record to 8-7-1.

MIAC Playoffs

In a race that came down to the final series of the regular season, St. Thomas locked down the top seed and the regular season championship with a sweep over Hamline, while Saint John’s claimed the No. 2 seed and Augsburg earning the No. 3 seed. Gustavus hosts Concordia in the No. 4/5 seed quarterfinal matchup.

The Gusties are making their first appearance in the MIAC Playoffs since the 2013-14 season, in which the Black and Gold fell 2-1 in the MIAC Championship game versus St. Thomas. Gustavus qualified for the conference playoffs each previous season since the tournament expanded to five teams in 2002-03. Making its 24th appearance in the playoffs this season, Gustavus holds a 20-24 record with four playoff titles since the four-team MIAC Tournament was initiated for the 1986-87 season. The last MIAC Championship title came during the 2011-12 season as they Gusties defeated St. Olaf 4-2 and went on to fall in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. 

Playoff Schedule

Quarterfinals | Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 
No. 4 Gustavus def. No. 5 Concordia 2-1

Semifinals | Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018
No. 3 Augsburg at No. 2 Saint John’s
No. 4 Gustavus at No. 1 St. Thomas

Championship | Saturday, March 3, 2018
Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed

Series Snapshot

Saturday’s game marks the 141st all-time meeting between the Gustavus and St. Thomas men’s ice hockey programs, with the Tommies holding an 70-61-9 advantage in the series. During MIAC Playoff matchups, UST holds a 12-7-1 advantage over the Gusties, with the most recent victory coming in the 2013-14 MIAC Championship game, in which the Tommies prevailed 2-1. 

Gustavus and St. Thomas split its regular series series Jan. 12-13, the Gusties snapping a four-game losing streak against the Tommies with a 5-2 win during game one of the series on the road. The Gusties gained a five-goal advantage Friday in Mendota Heights, Minn., scoring twice in the first period and three times in the second to hold on for a 5-2 victory. Gustavus tallied three power play goals, while Tyler Rock (Fy., Savage, Minn.) posted his first career two-goal game. Jake McCann’s (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.) power play goal three minutes into the second period stood as the eventual game-winner. Chris Amsden earned the win in goal, notching 28 saves.

In game two at Don Roberts Ice Rink, the Tommies surged back to salvage a series split with a 4-1 win. St. Thomas scored early into the game and added another to claim a two-goal lead heading into the intermission. A late Tommie goal in the second period proved to be the dagger, as the Gusties were unable to come back from the three-goal deficit. Colin Hernon (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) picked up the lone Gustie goal. Robbie Goor (Fy., Anoka, Minn.) suffered the loss in net while recording 23 saves.

Scouting St. Thomas

The Tommies concluded their regular season schedule with a sweep over Hamline University to earn the MIAC regular season championship and No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament, finishing the regular season campaign with a 16-8-1 overall record and 11-4-1 conference mark. St. Thomas heads into the MIAC Playoffs on an 8-2 run after splitting with the Gusties, averaging 3.7 goals per game during that span. Sophomore forwards Johnny Panvica and Brett Gravelle pace the Tommie offense, finishing as the top-two scorers in the conference. Panvica ranks first with 29 points (14g-15a), while Gravelle tied for second with 28 points (13g-15a) and sharing the lead with six power play goals and four game-winners. The Tommies haven’t missed the MIAC Playoffs since the tournament was initianted in 1986, most recently falling in the title game last season versus Augsburg.

Goaltending Consistency

The netminding duo of Chris Amsden and Robbie Goor have continued to be a steady between the pipes, each sharing time in goal. Amsden ranks second in the MIAC with a .929 save percentage while Goor ranks second with a 1.87 goals against average.

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.
• After two consecutive series sweeps over Hamline and Bethel, the Gusties surpassed their win total from the 2016-17 season.
• 20 Gusties have found their way into the goal-scoring column this season, while 11 have tallied at least two goals.
• Kegan Couture scored his first goal in Black and Gold versus Concordia on Thursday.
• Chris Amsden posted his third consecutive win in net during Thursday’s victory over Concordia.
• Gustavus has posted a 8-3-2 record when scoring a power-play goal and is 3-9-1 when not scoring a goal on the man advantage.
• The Gusties are undefeated with scoring four or more goals at 6-0.