SAINT PETER, Minn. – After enjoying a weekend off, the Gustavus men’s hockey team is back to action this weekend with an away series at Concordia. Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s contest is at 2 p.m. – both at the Moorhead Youth Rink. The Gusties enter the series 7-13-1 overall and 4-7-1 in the MIAC, while the Cobbers are 11-7-3 overall and 7-3-2 in the league.
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PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
Concordia, who currently sits in third place in the MIAC with 25 points, is looking to secure a spot in the MIAC postseason tournament this weekend and could do so with a number of different possibilities – the most obvious is a win would clinch a berth. Gustavus, sitting in sixth place with 13 points, is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff positioning. The Gusties are two points behind Saint Mary’s for the fifth and final playoff spot and will need some help from around the league to get back into the top-five. With four games left in the regular season and 12 possible points available, Gustavus may not know its postseason fate until the final game of the year.
SCOUTING THE GUSTIES
After suffering through a six-game losing streak, Gustavus has since won two of its last three games with consecutive series splits. The Gusties most recently split with Saint Mary’s two weekends ago. Through 21 games the Gusties lead the MIAC in shots per game (33.6) and have the strongest penalty kill, denying opponents’ power plays at a 90.0 percent (63-70) clip. Defensively, the Gusties allow just 2.17 goals per game, which ranks second in the league. The Achilles heel at times has been the absence of goal scoring with an average of 2.14 goals per game, ranking sixth in the conference. Captain Evan Erickson leads the offense with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists. Caleb Anderson is next on the scoresheet with 14 points, including a team-high 10 assists. Chris Amsden has seen the most time between the pipes with a 2.24 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in 12 starts. Robbie Goor has made nine starts with a 2.12 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE COBBERS
In its last six games, Concordia is 2-3-1, most recently losing at St. Thomas 5-4 on Jan. 26. The Cobbers have the best power play in the MIAC, converting at .227 percent (17-75) with the second most power play goals scored in the league. They are also strong on the penalty kill, ranking second in the MIAC to Gustavus with a .897 penalty kill percentage (78-87). On the offensive end, the Cobbers average 3.38 goals per game (3rd/MIAC) and take 28.5 shots per game. Tyler Bossert leads the offense with 36 points on nine goals and 27 assists. Mario Bianchi (13g, 13a) and Aaron Herdt (14g, 10a) are next with 26 and 24 points respectively. Jacob Stephan has started 16 games in net with a 2.30 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.