ST. PAUL, Minn — The St. Scholastica men's hockey team jumped out to an early 1-0 advantage against Hamline University on Friday night, but a strong second period from the Pipers proved too much for the Saints to overcome, as they fell 4-3 at TRIA Rink.
The Saints opened the game strong, capitalizing early when
Hunter Hanson (Blaine, MN/Blaine HS) scored on just the Saints' second shot of the night. Hanson's goal, assisted by
Matt Haun (Rochester, MN/Century HS) and
Gavin Gunderson (Roseau, MN/Roseau HS), came at 1:16, giving CSS a quick lead. The Saints held the advantage until late in the period, when Hamline tied the game at 14:57, sending the teams into the first intermission knotted at 1-1.
The second period swung in favor of the Pipers, who scored twice in the frame. They claimed the lead with a power-play goal at 7:24, and added another even-strength goal at 14:41 to build a two-goal advantage heading into the third.
Hamline extended the lead further in the final period with a goal at 3:34. The Saints dug deep to try to mount a comeback. During 4-on-4 play,
Jared Scott (Kenosha, WI/Christian Life School) found the net at 5:51 off assists from
Wyatt Wurst (Edina, MN/Edina HS) and Haun. Minutes later,
Jan Jyvasjarvi (Espoo, Finland/) buried an unassisted tally, his first as a Saint, to put CSS within one.
Despite generating several scoring chances down the stretch, CSS could not find the equalizer. The Saints pulled their goaltender with just over a minute left in regulation, but Hamline's defense held strong to secure the 4-3 win for the Pipers.
Hanson led the Saints with four shots on goal, while goaltender
Kaeden Edstrom (Fairplay, CO/South Park HS) finished the night with 29 saves.
The Saints (3-6-1, 1-3-1 MIAC) look to even the series as they return home to face Hamline on Saturday, Dec. 5. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at Mars Lakeview Arena.
