SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College men's hockey team will take on the Saint Mary's University Cardinals on Saturday, February 28 at 5:00 p.m. at Don Roberts Ice Rink in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff Semifinals. The winner will advance to the conference championship game on Saturday, March 7.
 
GUSTIES GOING FOR IT ALL
The Gusties enter the conference postseason as the No. 2 seed, tying Saint Mary's for second place in the MIAC standings with 33 points. Gustavus took the higher seed in the postseason with their superior conference record, going 12-4-0 against MIAC opponents. Their 12 wins led all conference teams in MIAC play, winning two games more than both Saint Mary's and the No. 1 seeded Saint John's University Johnnies who both won 10 games. Overall, the Gusties are 17-7-1 this winter.
 
The highlight of the regular season for the Gusties was their 12-game win streak, which spanned from a November 29 against No. 14 Bowdoin and ran through a 5-4 overtime win against Saint John's on February 6.
 
Gustavus has shined in overtime this winter, going 4-1 in the MIAC in games going past the third period. The Gusties have more overtime wins against the conference than any other MIAC team has overtime appearances this winter. The three remaining teams in the playoffs - Saint John's, Saint Mary's, and the Bethel University Royals - have a combined 1-5 record in overtime conference games this season.
 
Wilmer Svensson leads the Gusties with 11 goals on the season. Drew Holt is the team's assists leader with 17 on the year. A trio of Gusties lead the team with 19 points on the season: Sam Rice with the second-most goals for the Gusties with 10 to go along with nine assists, Ludvig Mellgren with seven goals and 12 assists, and Holt with two goals to go with his team-leading 17 assists.
 
SAINT MARY'S MAKING THEIR MARK
No. 3 seeded Saint Mary's enters the semifinals after going 10-5-1 in the MIAC this year. The Cardinals tied the Gusties for points with 33 but took the lower seed due to having won two fewer games than Gustavus. Overall, Saint Mary's is 14-9-2 this season.
 
The Cardinals lead the MIAC in goals per game, averaging 3.84; just 0.04 more than the Gusties, who are second in the conference with 3.80 per game. Saint Mary's is sixth in the MIAC in goal allowed, letting in an average of 2.88 per game in contrast with Gustavus who leads the conference with a 2.56 goals against average.
 
Joona Juntunen leads both the Cardinals and the MIAC with 46 points on the season. The sophomore from Hyvinkää, Finland has scored a conference-best 21 goals this winter and his 25 assists is tied with teammate Cole Mickel for the most in the MIAC. Carter Newpower follows with 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists. Mickel has 28 points, scoring three goals to go along with his MIAC-leading 25 assists.
 
SEASON SERIES
Gustavus and Saint Mary's previously faced off this season in a two-game weekend series in January.
 
In the opening game on Friday, January 9, the Gusties defeated the Cardinals 5-4 in overtime. Saint Mary's took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Gustavus answered back with three goals in the second frame to take a 3-2 lead heading into the third. The Cardinals outscored Gustavus 2-1 in the third to force overtime, where Svensson scored a game-winner, assisted by Mellgren. Svensson led the team with two goals in the game while Jayar Luedke had a team-high two assists.
 
In the final game of the series on Saturday, January 10, the Gusties completed the weekend sweep of the Cardinals with a 5-3 victory. Gustavus scored twice in the opening period to take a 2-0 lead. After a scoreless second frame, the two teams caught fire to score six combined goals in the third period. Saint Mary's cut the Gusties' lead down to just one twice down the stretch, but Gustavus secured the win with an empty net goal in the final minute. Four Gusties scored in the win while Jack Anderson led the team with three points on three assists.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
The semifinal winners will meet on Saturday, March 7, in the 2026 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoff championship game. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship trophy, the Ed Saugestad Cup, and the Conference's automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament.
 
PLAYOFF ADMISSION
All tickets will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. Playoff tickets will go on sale after the regular season has concluded.
 
General Admission: $12 (plus HTT service charge)
Students with ID: $3 (plus HTT service charge)
Children 5 and Under: Free
* MIAC passes accepted
 
PAY-PER-VIEW
The 2026 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoffs will be streamed live on the MIAC Sports Network in a pay-per-view format. Individual playoff contests will be streamed for $10 each, or $25 for a "championship pass" to stream the entire tournament live. On-demand access to playoff games will be available after the NCAA Tournament concludes.
 
The MIAC Sports Network Help Page provides guidance and links to help fans navigate the streaming platform. Hudl Customer Support is also available by email or 24/7 chat to assist with any issues.
 
2026 MIAC MEN'S HOCKEY PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals | Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026
No. 4 Bethel 5, No. 5 St. Olaf 2 | Box Score |
 
Semifinals | Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026
No. 3 Saint Mary's at No. 2 Gustavus | 5:00 PM | Tickets | Live Stats | PPV Stream |
No. 4 Bethel at No. 1 Saint John's | 7:00 PM | Tickets | Live Stats | PPV Stream |
 
Championship | Saturday, Mar. 7, 2026
High-seed host | TBD | Tickets | Live Stats | PPV Stream |

| 2026 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoffs |