ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Gustavus men's hockey team revived the rich history of the program Friday night at Hamline, winning 6-5 in overtime to claim the MIAC regular season championship for the 15th time in program history. The Gusties improve to 14-8-2 overall and 10-3-2 in the MIAC, while securing the league title for the first time since 2009-10.Â
"It's a long season and I'm really proud of this group and the way they've handled adversity," said first-year Head Coach
Tyler Walsh. "It's not always pretty, but we found a way to win, and that's something we've done all season long. This regular season championship means a lot to our players and this program, but now our focus turns to the MIAC playoffs, which will be a significant test."Â
Hamline struck first with a goal five minutes into the game, but the Pipers received a five-minute major penalty and the Gusties teed off, scoring three power play goals in 48 seconds.
Jac Triemert started the scoring spree at the 10:52 mark, assisted by
Jackson McCarthy and
Drew Holt. Thirty-three seconds later,
Jack Suchy netted his team-leading 12th goal of the season with the help of
Jack Wineman and
Jack Anderson. And then 15 seconds after that,
Riku Brown gave the Gusties a 3-1 lead with his fifth goal of the season, assisted by Holt.Â
The Pipers opened the second period with a goal to cut the deficit to one, but
Wilmer Svensson answered at the 8:47 mark, unassisted.
Nick Mohs-Messerli scored the fifth goal of the game at 12:25 on a pass from McCarthy. Hamline scored a power play late in the frame and the Gusties held a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.Â
Nearly five minutes into the third, the Pipers made it a one-goal game. With time winding down and the Gusties on the power play, the Pipers emptied their net and tallied the equalizer with just 29 seconds on the clock, sending the game to overtime.Â
Starting the extra frame on the man-advantage, the Gusties were able to control the puck as Holt and Svensson connected with Wineman for the game-winner 44 seconds into overtime.Â
The Pipers outshot the Gusties 33-28 as
Colin Androlewicz made 28 saves.Â
Gustavus and Hamline wrap up the series 7 p.m. tomorrow at Don Roberts Ice Rink.Â
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