Johnnies return to ice after cancellations

The 8-5-1 Johnnie hockey squad returned to the ice Friday, Jan. 14, falling 3-2 in an overtime loss to UW-Superior after more than a month-long break.

The loss came on the heels of a COVID outbreak which saw 18 members of the team restricted by virus protocols, according to sophomore forward Nick Michel.

“We had finals week off and then winter break so we were home for about 10 days, then we had a week of practice before all the COVID stuff started hitting us. It was tough even for the guys who didn’t end up getting COVID,” junior forward and captain Auggie Moore said.

The lack of preparation would cause problems for any team.

“By the time we played Superior, most guys only had two to three days of skating within five weeks under their belt. It was tough because we were for sure out of shape for that game,” Michel said.

Michel, for his part, tallied a goal and five shots in the loss.

Sophomore forward Max Borst recorded the Johnnies’ other goal in the contest.

Senior goaltender Mac Berglove had 47 saves on the night.

“We had pretty good goaltending even when we were losing. We just weren’t scoring enough goals. One or two goals a night is just not going to cut it when the other team is getting three or four,” Michel said.

The loss was one of four games the team was set to play after break, one of which was postponed and two of which were cancelled.

The postponed game against Northland College (Wis.) is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 24 at the time of print.

Both MIAC games against Hamline, scheduled for Jan. 14 and 15, have been cancelled and will likely count as “no-contests” under the new MIAC COVID-19 guidelines.

“There [have] been COVID cases on our hockey team, but that had nothing to do with why our conference games were cancelled. Those games were cancelled due to our opponent’s return to play policy as well. Our players had completed protocols and were available to play. We have scheduled to make those games up,” St. John’s assistant athletic director and student-athlete COVID coordinator Nicci Malecha said via e-mail.

The team had strung together six decisive wins, all of which came by at least three goals, prior to the loss in Superior.

The Johnnies put up 27 goals while allowing just six over the six-game stretch.

“Losing close games early in the year and kind of having those tough learning experiences… we took a lot out of them, just from that adversity we learned a lot and were able to take those lessons and put them to good use,” Moore said. “I think a lot of guys, especially the younger guys, got a lot of confidence. Once we started to get the ball going it kinda snowballed into something pretty good that hopefully we can get back going into the second half [of the season].”

The Johnnies remaining games include a single non-MIAC opponent, their rescheduled game against Northland University. Series against Scholastica, Hamline, Concordia Moorhead, St. Olaf and Augsburg will close out the Johnnies season.

Playoff modifications made by the MIAC guarantee all hockey and basketball teams will receive an automatic bid, ensuring the Johnnies will touch postseason ice.