Tommies clinch home ice, sweep Huskies

March 1

St. Thomas men’s hockey defeated Michigan Tech University 2-1 at St. Thomas Ice Arena and will host a playoff series against Ferris State University starting March 7. No times have been announced. 

After entering January second to last in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, the Tommies finished the season 12-3-1 and secured third place. St. Thomas also set program records with 16 wins and 44 regular season points.

“I thought in the second half (of the season), we were a little bit more purposeful in our game, in our process,” coach Rico Blasi said. “We got some bounces along the way, no doubt about that, but you got to make your own bounces, for sure. And we’ve got some key goaltending from both (senior goaltender Jake Sibell and junior goaltender Aaron Trotter).”

Tommies top goal scorers, junior forwards Lucas Wahlin and Cooper Gay racked their 16th goals of the season. Both are tied first at the top of the goal leaderboard in the CCHA.

St. Thomas opened the second period on a power play and Gay’s timely placement in front of the crease allowed the Tommies to take a 1-0 lead.

The second goal came on a rush by senior forward Matthew Gleason late in the third period with a tied game. Gleason bounced a pass off the wall to Wahlin, who beat the goalie to the near post and scored his sixth goal in the last five games.

“The D-man gave me a little bit of space, but when you got (Wahlin) in the middle, you just chip it … and he’s going to get there,” Gleason said. “He made a great play on it, great shot. Didn’t expect it to go in but it did and it was just awesome just to see him fly around.”

Wahlin said he never doubted that the shot was going in.

“Ended up driving, crossing my feet over and shot backhand. Saw he kind of went down early, so I actually saw it go into the net. I don’t think some other guys did, but it was awesome,” Wahlin said.

The Tommies fell into a penalty hole for the second straight night. This time around, St. Thomas contained the Huskies’ power play and did not allow a goal in five different opportunities.

“I thought we blocked a lot of shots on the PK and I thought we disrupted their entries, which was really important to get them out of their rhythm a little bit,” Blasi said. “When we bent a little bit, (Sibell) was there to make a big save.”

The Tommies entered the last frame without allowing a goal once again. Yet, it turned upside down quickly. The Huskies scored within the first two minutes of the third period to tie the score 1-1. 

“We got a taste of what it’s like to win (close games),” Wahlin said. “We’ve kind of realized what we have to do. What it takes to win and bear down, get pucks deep, block shots and kind of sell out.

With three seconds left in the game, a faceoff stood between St. Thomas and their 16th victory. Wahlin said he “had to make it a battle.”

“I knew it was the most important faceoff of the weekend,” Wahllin said. “I had to at least make it a 50-50 to buy some time for our guys.”

The CCHA playoffs are now set. The remaining matchups are the following:

Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State

Augustana vs. Bemidji State

Bowling Green vs. Michigan Tech

“Anybody’s game now in the new season, so that’ll be our focus,” Blasi said.

Feb. 29

St. Thomas men’s hockey inched closer to securing home ice with a 4-3 victory over Michigan Tech University at St. Thomas Ice Arena. 

The win did not come easy. The Huskies ambushed the Tommies late in the third period, scoring 3 goals in the last 6 minutes of the game.

“You gotta play hard. You gotta respect your opponent. Like I said earlier in the week, we don’t talk about stuff like (home ice),” coach Rico Blasi said.

The Tommies cruised for most of the game, entering the third period leading 2-0. St. Thomas even extended its lead to 4-0 with ten minutes left. The Huskies then proceeded to score three unanswered goals with an empty net and pushed the Tommies to the brink.

“Great decision by them to pull the goalie and they made some really nice plays. We took a penalty, they scored on a power play,” coach Blasi said. “And then we had to close it out. That’s the way it goes. At this time of year you expect the unexpected, and play the game for what it is.” 

Even an extremely physical second period did not see the Tommies allowing a goal. The Huskies dominated most of the middle period, outshooting the Tommies 9-5 and winning 26 of the 43 faceoffs. 

The Tommies also grinded through a Huskies power play, highlighted by graduate forward Ryder Donovan’s save in front of the crease seven minutes into the second period. Michigan Tech is notorious for its power plays, with a percentage that ranks fourth in the nation.

Even if the Huskies attack pressured the Tommies for most of the game, senior goaltender Jake Sibell continued his strong stretch with a 36-save night. He was also one of the skaters honored for senior night.

“I didn’t try to focus too much on the emotions … As a player, you can be a little bit more emotional with your play, but as a goalie you can’t,” Sibell said. “After the game, I was kind of just laughing off of the kind of push they had and just happy that we got the win.”

Fifth-year forward Ethan Gauer, the longest tenured Tommie in the roster, opened scoring after a shot from graduate Chase Foley ricocheted off the Huskies goalie.

Gauer, who was also honored for senior night, now has 2 goals in 32 games played.

“Second senior night,” Gauer said. “We’re just happy as a team, to grind it out. It wasn’t pretty but glad to chip in.”

Junior forward Ryan O’Neill scored just before the first period ended. Junior forward Lucas Wahlin and first-year Casey Laylin added one goal apiece before the Huskies climbed back in the third period.

The Tommies’ fourth attacking line provided the spark for the offense, with Laylin and Gauer scoring and junior forward Quinton Pepper aiding in Laylin’s goal.

Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.