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Men's Hockey tops Saint John's, 4-3

Mike Cassano
February 4, 2003

In a weekend series that put the Oles in a must win situation, they got the job done, defeating the top ranked Johnnies 4-3 in St. Cloud, Minn. The Oles knew that in order to make the playoffs they would have to win. After a tough 5-4 loss to Saint John's on Friday night in Northfield, the Oles headed to St. Cloud in hopes of getting two points on the road. Garret Hasti (Jr., St. Louis Park, Minn.) got the start in net for St. Olaf. It was his night to shine, as he stopped 53 of 56 shots.

Ihrie got the scoring started six minutes into the game when he one-timed a shot past the sprawling Saint John's goalie. Only 14 seconds later he did it again, this time putting a low shot on net that slipped through the goalies pads. Ihrie is second overall in points in the MIAC among first year players. Bryan Hapka (So., Mukwanago, Wis.) gave the Oles a three-goal lead as he fired a low shot from the slot passed the goalie on the far side, to end the first period 3-0.

The second period was the exact opposite of the first. St. Johns came out and scored three goals past Hasti, one of them on the power play. The Johnnies compiled 44 shots in just two periods of play. Hasti showed great goaltending skills, by making save after save, to keep St. Olaf in the game.

Determined to get two points from the weekend, the Oles came storming out in the third and took the lead. Michael Jewison (Jr., St. Paul, MN) caught a pass from Townsend in the slot and ripped it past the goalie. With 15 minutes left in the game, Saint John's poured it on, shooting the puck as often as they could. Hasti stood strong and when the final buzzer sounded, the Oles won 4-3 and earned two points on the road putting them in fourth place in the MIAC. Up next, the Oles face Gustavus Adolphus on February 7th in Northfield at 7 p.m. The Oles are still in the playoff hunt, and need to win at least two of their final four games.

Contact Le Ann Finger at 507-786-3315 or finger@stolaf.edu.