Two overtime thrillers lead to playoff matchup vs. St. John’s

The men’s hockey team scraped their way to a 3-2 overtime win and a 3-3 tie in last weekend’s two-game series against St. Olaf. With that 3-point performance the Gusties earned the #2 seed in the conference standings.

The Gusties traveled to Northfield in last Friday’s game against St. Olaf and found themselves down 2-0 early in the second period. Sophomore Forward Adam Smyth kept up his clutch play and scored a pair of goals to tie the game before the end of regulation. He first scored with seven minutes remaining in the second period and then netted the game-tying goal midway through the third.

With just 1:15 remaining in the overtime period, it was Junior Forward Dane Erickson who got the game-winner, giving Gustavus a crucial two-point boost in the conference standings.

The Gusties found themselves trailing late again the next night on home ice, as they started the third period down 3-0.

“We played well tonight, the whole game, but they scored on their chances and we didn’t,” Senior Captain Ross Ring-Jarvi said. “We had chances and didn’t finish, but they did, and it showed up on the scoreboard.”

The Gusties didn’t score until midway through the third when Smyth sparked another late rally, scoring his fifth goal in as many games. Just four minutes later, Ring-Jarvi beat the St. Olaf keeper glove side, knocking down St. Olaf’s lead to just one goal. Three minutes after Ring-Jarvi’s goal, First-year Defenseman Nate Paulsen tied it at three apiece to send the game into overtime.

Gustavus outshot St. Olaf 4-1 in the extra period, but neither team was able to score. The tie was enough clinch sole possession of second place in the MIAC standings.

“We knew the situation: we needed a win or a tie to get into second place [in the conference] and we just needed to keep grinding it out,” Student Assistant Coach Joel Jonsson said after the game. “We capitalized on the three late opportunities we had and we’re all really proud of the boys. I think it’s amazing we can be down by three and come back.”

The Gusties are now slated to host St. John’s this Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the MIAC Semifinals.

“It’s going to be about whether or not we can mature quickly,” Ring-Jarvi said of the upcoming playoffs. “We’re a young team, so can we mature and understand that, in the playoffs, we need to play well every period. If you don’t do that, there goes your season. Every period is big.”

Gustavus has faced St. John’s twice this year. They won the first matchup 4-3 in an overtime thriller at St. Cloud, after trailing by three goals at the start of the third period. The Gusties found themselves down three goals late again in their second meeting with St. John’s, but couldn’t pull off another comeback and lost in that game 3-4 in regulation.

Gustavus finished the regular season with a record of 8-5-3 in the MIAC and 14-6-5 overall. St. John’s finishes with a 9-7-0 record in the conference and 11-12-2 overall.

“St. John’s plays hard and we couldn’t quite figure them out earlier in the year,” Ring-Jarvi said. “You’ll see a different team out of us, though. We’ll be rested, taking [the playoffs] one game at a time.”