Brady Boie – Staff Writer

The Gustavus Men’s Hockey team has been through a lot this year. Over the last month, the Gusties had lost three straight games and have dropped five of their last six matches. As one would expect, the Gusties were plenty motivated to change that when they hosted Hamline on Friday. Despite putting consistent offensive pressure on the Pipers in the opening minutes, the Gusties were unable to find the back of the net. This pressure eventually waned and the Gusties surrendered a goal at the 8:33 mark, putting them down 1-0.
“It’s always tough knowing that you are playing from behind early because you always want the first goal,” Senior defender Mason Etter said.
Etter made it clear that allowing this early goal didn’t phase him or the Gusties, as he was adamant that the Gusties had plenty of resilience.
“Honestly, you don’t really change how you are feeling (or your mindset) because you are still in the game,” Etter said.
This resilience would be tested as things got worse before they got better. Over the next fifteen minutes, the Gusties allowed two more goals and fell into a 3-0 deficit that felt insurmountable. Even the Gustie veterans felt as if the game was starting to slip away.
“It’s hard not to get down on yourself and say ‘here we go again,’ but that was something we addressed as a group going into this game. In previous games, we would go down 2-0 early and you could just feel the energy of the bench go down. I think we did a good job of staying positive and focusing on continuing to work hard,” Senior forward Nick Klishko said.
The Gusties dug in and started to chip away at their deficit. Senior Patrick Gazich found the back of the net halfway through the second period to make the score 3-1. Unfortunately for the Gusties, the Pipers quickly neutralized this goal, scoring just minutes later off of a face-off. However, the Gusties immediately responded as Klishko netted a goal at the 16:09 mark of the second period on a power-play advantage. This goal gave the Gusties the necessary fuel to power their epic comeback; momentum began to swing in their favor and the change in demeanor was obvious. In the opening seconds of the third and final period, First-year Brandon McNamara eluded four Piper defenders and scored a spectacular goal that cut the lead to one. With the game hanging in the balance, the Gusties showed their true mettle and grit. First-year Micah Gernander rose to the occasion and scored his first collegiate goal; this achievement tied the Pipers and the Gusties halfway through the third period.
Despite having momentum on their side, the Gusties were unable to find the net for the remainder of regulation. However, the defense held strong and did not allow another goal. This stalemate led the Gusties to overtime, where a three-on-three format is used to increase open space on the ice and to promote scoring.
“Overtime is very exciting. I enjoy three-on-three hockey. Especially with our team, I feel like we have guys that are very skilled and fast, so, in my opinion, we had the edge when it came to the extended period” Klishko said.
The Gusties were unable to capitalize on these advantages. Even with multiple opportunities to score goals, the men’s team could not find the back of the net in overtime. Much like the third period, the Gustie defense stonewalled the Pipers. Sophomore goalie Jackson Hjelle had some excellent stops and ended up snagging twenty-one saves. These crucial saves preserved a tie game and took the Gusties and the Pipers to a shootout. With an extra point in the standings on the line, the Gusties were unable to convert in the shootout. A Piper snuck a goal after four rounds of shootout to end the back-and-forth game.
“It’s disappointing to tie, obviously, but I think it was motivating for our group to see that we can battle back. Shootout is an exciting time in the game too, but it sucks when you come out the loser,” Klishko said.
The Gusties carried this motivation into the second game of the weekend against Hamline. They came out to a fast start, scoring four goals in the first half-hour and taking a 4-2 lead into the final period. Much like the previous night, the team with their backs against the wall retaliated, as the Pipers scored three goals in the last seven minutes to take the game to overtime. And just like the previous night, the team that forged a valiant comeback was unable to score in overtime and fell victim to a shootout defeat. Senior Connor Clemons scored the deciding goal, while Junior goaltender Justin Damon held down the fort for the Gusties in the high-stakes shootout. These kind of games are confidence boosters for the Gusties, who will enter the MIAC tournament as big underdogs.
“Despite what our record says, I think we have the potential to make some noise in the playoffs. As long as we can start on time and aren’t chasing from behind right away, I think we’ll be good,” Damon said.