St. Olaf (5), Bethel (5) (STO won shootout 2-1)

The final game of the evening followed the same theme as the first two. Both teams scored at least one goal in every period, leading to an overtime and shootout that was nothing short of dramatic.

St. Olaf got off to a fast start, taking a 1-0 in the first period off Drew Otto's first goal of the year. Bethel answered just three minutes later when TJ Christensen found the net to tie the game at 1-1. From there, the scoring only increased. Both Bethel and St. Olaf scored two goals a piece in the final two periods. Nick Eytcheson and JT Walters (1) scored in the second period for the Royals, while Otto and Steve Sherman scored for the Oles. Both Eytcheson (2) and Otto (3) struck again for their respective teams in the third, with Bethel's Michael Bond (1) and St. Olaf's Mark Rath (1) contributing to the scoring spree.

No one scored in the five minute overtime, which marked the first time in the game that neither an Ole or a Royal found the back of the net. In fact, Bethel only had one shot on goal in overtime compared to St. Olaf's four. In the record books, the game will count as a tie, but St. Olaf won the shootout two shots to one. The MIAC is the lone conference in all of collegiate hockey to employ shootouts but the results of the shootout only holds weight during a conference matchup as the winner of the shootout is awarded an extra point in the conference standings. The MIAC Showcase games do not count as regular conference games but instead non-conference.

Jade Hull started in net for the Oles and saved 38 of the 43 shots he faced in 65 minutes of work. Jesse Garcia earned the draw for the Royal after keeping 32 of the 37 shots he faced out of the net. St. Olaf will face Concordia at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday while Bethel will retake the ice tomorrow against Concordia at 7:00 p.m.

 

Twenty-five goals highlight day one of the 2015 MIAC Hockey Showcase

By: Kelsey Whaley

BLAINE, MINN. - Bring out the zambonis because hockey is back in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The conference kicked off the 2015-16 season on Friday with their 2015 MIAC Hockey Showcase, which features three highly competitive games for three straight days. The tournament, which is in its second year at the Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., is a three day event that features all nine of the MIAC men's hockey teams.

Six teams kicked off their season in the first day of action on Friday, highlighted by high powered offenses and scoring. Gustavus and Saint Mary's scored 9 goals combined in the first game, with the Gusties edging out the Cardinals 5-4 in the final seconds of play. St. Thomas and Augsburg were also engaged in an offensive affair, but the Tommies 3 unanswered goals in the second period led to a 4-2 victory. The final game of the night between St. Olaf and Bethel saw a goals scored in every period in regulation, with the game ending in a 5-5 tie (St. Olaf won shootout 2-1).

Gustavus (5), Saint Mary's (4)

Shots were fired in the first game of the 2015 MIAC Hockey Showcase, which featured a matchup between experience and youth. The Cardinals return their scoring nucleus from the 2014-15 season, including top scorer Martin Gruse (forward) along with Bob Kinne (forward) and Mike Mezzano (defenseman). The Gusties feature a young core of scorers featuring sophomore defenseman Drew Aspinwall and sophomore forward Sam Majka, who are expected to be a big part of the Gusties offense this season.

After a calm first period, the Gusties offense opened fire in the second period. Aspinwall (1) and forward Gavin Tufte (1) scored thirty seconds apart to give the Gusties a 2-0 lead with a little over ten minutes to play in the second quarter. Saint Mary's Connor Lingfield (1) managed to cut the lead in half a few seconds later, but it wasn't long before the Gusties were back in the driver's seat. Jake McCann (1) scored in the final five minutes of the second to extend Gustavus' lead to 3-1 heading into the final period of play. 

The two teams continued to exchange goals throughout the beginning of the third period. Gruse (1) scored a powerplay goal 17 seconds into the 3rd to get Saint Mary's back within one. Gustavus' Tim Donohue scored less than a minute later, once again swinging the momentum in the Gusties direction and extending their lead to 4-2. However, with twelve minutes left in the period, Gustavus first year Edvin Johansson received a major penalty for grasping the facemask. The Cardinals scored twice during the powerplay to tie the game at 4, the first goal from Jared Johnson (1) and the second from Mezzano (1). From there it was a flurry of offense for both teams, and overtime seemed imminent with under a minute left to play. With twenty-five seconds to go, Donohue scored his second goal of the night, giving Gustavus the 5-4 victory.

Erik Johnson earned the win for the Gusties, stopping 38 of 42 shots in 60 minutes of play. Gustavus will play Hamline on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Phil Heinle took the loss for Saint Mary's, saving 22 of 27 shots he faced. Saint Mary's will take the ice again Sunday when they face Hamline at 3:00 p.m.

St. Thomas 4, Augsburg 2

The defending MIAC regular season conference champions got off to a winning start in the 2015 season despite a close first and second period. After controlling the puck and taking a 1-0 lead in the first, Augsburg tied the game at 1-1 three minutes into the second. The Tommies offense came to life after that, as they scored 3 more goals over the second and third period and went on to win 4-2.

The Tommies offense wasted no time moving the puck into Augsburg's zone. Thomas Williams scored St. Thomas' first goal of the season, with Jordan Lovick and Connor McBride assisting, giving St. Thomas a 1-0 lead. Augsburg hung with the conference champs, though, and tied the game at one early in the second period when Eli May managed to zing the puck past goalkeeper Joe Morris.

From there, though, it was all St. Thomas. The Tommies went on to score three unanswered goals over the second and third period to take a commanding 4-1 lead over Augsburg. Joakim Broberg (1), Michael Docky (1), and Williams (2) all contributed to the offensive surge, with Williams empty netter sealing the deal with 48 seconds left to play in the game. May (2) did manage to find the net in the final seconds of the game for Ausgburg, but it wasn't enough to swing the momentum in the Auggies direction.

Morris earned the win for St. Thomas, stopping 28 of 30 shots he faced. Jordyn Kaufer took the loss for Augsburg, making 27 of 30 saves in 59 minutes of play. St. Thomas will face off against Saint John's Saturday at 6:30 p.m. while Augsburg has the day off. Their next game is Sunday at 3:30 p.m. against Saint John's.

Showcase Saturday

The 2015 MIAC Hockey Showcase continues with three more games on Saturday. Saint John's will take the ice for the first time this season at 6:30 p.m. against rival St. Thomas in what should be a thrilling rematch of last year's 0-0 Showcase tie (St. Thomas won 2-0 in a shootout). Concordia and reigning MIAC Playoff Champions Hamline will also play their first games of the season when they face off against Bethel (7:00) and Gustavus (7:30). All Saturday games will have live stats online thanks to Saint Mary's, Bethel, and Hamline sports information, and select games will have video or audio broadcast.

The 2015 MIAC Hockey Showcase will continue and conclude on Sunday. Concordia will kick off the final day of Showcase with a 2:30 p.m. contest against St. Olaf. Then at 3:00 p.m., it's a rematch of last season's MIAC Playoff Championship as Saint Mary's squares off against Hamline before Augsburg takes on Saint John's at 3:30 p.m.

The MIAC Men's Hockey Showcase features all nine MIAC teams playing two games over the course of the three-day event, with all games counting as nonconference games in the standings. Fans can follow on the action all weekend long on the MIAC Showcase home page, and can track the scores on the MIAC Scoreboard or with the free MIAC mobile app.