WINONA, Minn. — The St. Scholastica men's hockey team was looking to earn a split in game two against Saint Mary's on Saturday evening. Despite taking a 3-2 lead with under five minutes remaining, the Saints gave up two late goals as the Cardinals secured a 4-3 win to complete the weekend sweep over the Saints.
Saint Mary's came out strong in the first period, taking an early 2-0 lead. Momentum shifted in the second period as the Saints' offense came alive. Isaac Suppin (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada/George Elliot Secondary) scored his first goal of the season at 5:29, with an assist from Braden Panzer (Grand Forks, ND/Grand Forks Central HS), cutting the deficit to one. The Saints' defense also held firm, keeping the Cardinals scoreless for the remainder of the period.
St. Scholastica opened the third period on a power-play and capitalized quickly with a goal from Gavin Gunderson (Roseau, MN/Roseau HS) just 18 seconds into the period, assisted by Hunter Hanson (Blaine, MN/Blaine HS) and Tristan Shewchuk (Saskatoon, SK, Canada/St. Joseph HS), to tie the game at 2-2. Following a strong penalty kill and multiple scoring chances, Suppin struck again, netting the go-ahead goal with just over five minutes remaining with assists from Panzer and Kieran Chung (Nottingham, Great Britain/).
With less than two minutes to play, the Cardinals answered on a power-play opportunity of their own, tying the game at 3-3. Then, with under 20 seconds remaining, Saint Mary's converted on a breakaway opportunity to score the game-winning goal, stunning the Saints and sealing the 4-3 victory.
Eino Rissanen (Sonvillier, Switzerland/Lycée Blaise-Cendrars) made 30 saves in net for the Saints, while Luke McCarthy (Cottage Grove, MN/Park HS) led the offense with five shots on goal.
The Saints (4-16-1, 1-10-1 MIAC) will return to Duluth to face the St. Olaf Oles on Friday, February 6. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Mars Lakeview Arena.
