The Gustavus Men’s Hockey team opened their 2017-2018 campaign this past weekend at the MIAC showcase in Blaine, MN. Despite a number of injuries, the Gusties showed promise with two strong performances against MIAC foes.
On Friday night, the Gusties took on 13th ranked Augsburg College and lost an overtime thriller. The scoring began early in the game, as the Auggies took a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the opening period. Augsburg controlled the puck and outshot the Gusties 9-6 in the first period.
The Gusties fought back in the second, and tied the game about halfway through the second period. Sophomore Colton Schmidt put the Gusties on the board with assists from First-year Logan Haskins and Sophomore Jared Bromberg. The Golden Gusties used the momentum from their first goal, and turned a powerplay just minutes later into another goal. This time, First-year Will LeNeave found the back of the net off assists from fellow First-year Caleb Anderson and Senior Jake McCann.
The rookie-fueled Gustavus offense gave Gustavus a 2-1 lead going into the final period of play, but the Auggies came storming back in the third period. Just 16 seconds into the final period of play, Augsburg tied the game at 2-2. They continued to dominate the period as they tallied 15 shots on Gustavus Goalie Chris Amsden and held the Gustie offense to just five shots on goal. Despite the lopsidedness of the third period, the game was tied at the end of regulation.
In overtime, the score remained tied until Nate Flynn scored his second goal of the game for the Auggies with just 13 seconds left in the game.
Amsden saved 33 shots as the Auggies outshot the Gusties 36-19. For a team of 29 players of which 10 are First Years, the Gusties showed promise against the reigning MIAC playoff champions.
The Gusties were back in action on Saturday, this time against the Concordia Cobbers. This time, the game ended in a 1-1 tie after an overtime period and the Gusties were led once again by strong production from young talent.
The first period was relatively uneventful, as neither team was able to score a goal. The Gusties led 7-3 in shots in the opening frame, but their offensive pressure didn’t result in a goal until late in the second period.
With just under two minutes to go before the second intermission, First-year Logan Norman slotted his first collegiate goal off an assist from Senior Jake Bushey.
The Cobbers responded early in the third period, tying the game at 1-1 while taking advantage of a power play opportunity. The Gustie defense were able to keep Concordia from scoring again, and the Gusties went to overtime for the second straight night.
The extra time didn’t result in any goals for either team, so although the game was officially a tie, the two teams entered a shootout for “bragging rights”. Bushey came through for Gustavus once again, notching the game-winning goal for Gustavus.
First-year Goalie Robbie Goor recorded 17 saves for the Gusties in his collegiate debut.
The two-day tournament was a positive experience for the Gusties.
“It is a great event for our league, it’s very popular with our players and coaches and is a chance for us to play a lot of our guys,” Head Coach Brett Petersen said.
The Gusties are coming off of a 5-15-5 record and an eighth-place finish in the MIAC last season. They return a lot of offensive firepower as seven of the top 10 scorers from last years team are back this year. Defensively, they only allowed 2.8 goals per game last year, but struggled with injuries and inconsistent play.
Unfortunately, the team is plagued with injuries again to begin the 2017-2018 season.
“We’re beginning the way we ended last year, from the standpoint of having four defenseman in a walking boot and one forward with a separated shoulder,” Coach Petersen commented.
This weekend’s games proved that there are some First-years who can step up in important roles for the Gusties.
“The good thing is, I really like our young guys. We’re going to have a lot of new faces here as we begin. We need to play to get some good things on video so we can begin to teach and assess where we are at and where we can go realistically,” Petersen said.
The Gusties will be back in action on Friday, November 3rd as they take on St. Olaf in Northfield, MN. They will play their home-opener on Saturday, November 4th at the Don Roberts Ice Arena against the Oles.