SJU hockey awaits playoff fate after getting swept by St. Olaf

The SJU hockey team ended their regular season with a 2-0 series loss to St. Olaf.

In the first game of the series, first-year Chris Kernan put the Johnnies on top with his first collegiate goal 11:47 into the second period.

However, St. Olaf responded with three goals in the next seven minutes to take a two-goal lead that they never relinquished on their way to a 3-1 win.

In the second game of the series, St. Olaf scored five minutes into the game, followed by three goals in each of the second and third periods, leading to a 7-1 win completing the series sweep. Junior forward Garrett Smith scored his fourth goal of the season in the loss.

The Johnnies finished their season 9-12-4 and the conference season 6-9-1 and await their playoff fate. In the MIAC, the top five teams make the playoffs and the Johnnies sit in fourth place, one point ahead of St. Olaf and two points ahead of St. Mary’s in the standings.

However, both St. Olaf and St. Mary’s have two games remaining, compared to zero for the Johnnies.

St. Olaf plays Gustavus, who is in seventh place in the MIAC. St. Mary’s plays Concordia, who is in sixth place. A win is worth three points, so one win by both St. Mary’s and St. Olaf will eliminate the Johnnies from playoff contention.

This season, the Johnnies have six players with at least 10 points, led by first-year Jack Wandmacher with 14.

The Johnnies have seen an equal time-share between their two goalies, sophomore Jon Howe and junior Bailey Huber. Howe is 6-4-2 with a .922 save percentage and Huber is 3-8-2 with a .911 save percentage.

If the Johnnies’ season were to end, their .440 winning percentage this season would be the lowest by an SJU team since the 2010-11 season.