Staff Writer- Maddie Low
The Men’s Hockey team opened their season with back to back wins against Concordia Wisconsin in their first two away games. “The games were awesome. Boys are buzzing. You got the two wins, can’t complain much,” Sophomore Jayar Luedke said.
The team went in with style, winning their first game 4-3 in overtime and 4-2 with four unanswered goals to open the second game.
“The energy has been very high. It’s always good to start the season with a sweep,” Freshman Ty James said. “That’s our expectation, so getting both this weekend helps us have a strong start to the season.”
On Friday, the team traveled to Mequon, Wisconsin, to play their first game against Concordia University Wisconsin. “Honestly, playing away games doesn’t change much. We have the ‘road warrior’ mindset, so it doesn’t matter if we’re at home or away, we know what we have to get done and accomplish. It’s such a good group of guys that wherever we are, we know we can win,” Luedke said.
The Falcons scored just 37 seconds into the first period, but the Gusties came back just six minutes later with a goal from Senior forward Grant Ellings, assisted by Senior Jack Anderson and Sophomore Emil Samuelsson. Gustavus beat out the Falcons with 19-8 shots on goal in the first period and ended the period tied 1-1. Gustavus pushed hard offensively, breaking the tie around eight minutes into the second period with another goal from Ellings, assisted by Senior Drew Holt and First-Year Keanan Pearman.
Gustavus doubled their lead just before the end of the second period with a goal from Sam Rice, assisted by Jordan Gudridge and Kyle Doll. Early in the third, Concordia scored to cut down the Gustie lead. That was followed by another goal for Concordia only four minutes later, tying it 3-3 for the remaining 14 minutes of regulation play and sending the game into overtime. Gustavus played strong offense, outshooting the Falcons 18-7 in the frame, and gained a powerplay in the last two minutes, but were unable to break the tie. Just two minutes into the additional period, Jackson McCarthy was able to find the back of the net, assisted by Holt and Charlie Sandven, and end the overtime with a 4-3 Gustavus win.
The team had high spirits and energy going into their second game against Concordia, on Saturday night. “I would say the best part about playing for Gustavus is the camaraderie and that such a tight knit group and very skilled team can go a long way,” Luedke said. “Our dynamic has been deathly positive, we all really like each other. We’re all very good hockey players and it’s really fun.”
Gustavus opened the game eight minutes in with a goal from McCarthy, assisted by Jack Wineman and John Johannson, giving them an early lead. They went on to dominate the game in goals and shots on goal, outshooting the Falcons in the first period 22-4. The Gusties continued the offensive pressure as they went on to score three goals in the second period.
Seven minutes into the period, Hunter Newhouse scored, with assists from Doll and Rice. Just 18 seconds later, they scored their third goal of the game. Just a minute later, on a Gustavus powerplay, they added to their lead yet again with a goal from Doll, assisted by Ludvig Mellgren and Rice. Concordia managed to snag two goals before the second period was over, but it wasn’t enough to beat out Gustavus as they took home a 4-2 win from the game.
Gustavus shots on goal came out to an impressive tally of 107 for the weekend’s games. They played a strong defense as well, with Friday night’s goaltender, Senior Marko Belak, making 17 saves, and Saturday night’s First-Year Beck Liden making 22.
“The team’s been looking forward to getting the ball rolling and really getting into the thick of everything,” James said. “Playing for Gustavus has been quite different from anything I’ve been a part of, we have a very tight group. From day one everyone has been very welcoming and has shown that you can go to anyone for anything.”
Gustavus left Wisconsin with a 2-0 record on their season, and are very excited to head into their first game at home. “I’m expecting a huge couple of games this weekend for me, they’re a tough opponent, but knowing our team, I know we can get it done and I’m hoping for a huge turnout from the crowd,” Luedke said. The Gusties’ home opener is Friday in the Don Roberts Arena where they will take on the Dubuque Spartans at 7:00 p.m.