St. Johns Hockey Team Makes NCAA Tournament Comeback This Year
The St. John's hockey team is back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013. Johnnie head coach Doug Schueller joined me on WJON to discuss how the Johnnies earned the NCAA tournament berth by winning the MIAC Tournament Championship. St. John's overcame a 3-0 deficit to post a 4-3 overtime over Gustavus in the MIAC tournament championship game in St. Cloud Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Finding a Way
Schueller says they didn't get off to a good start Saturday but as they've done all year, they found a way to win. He says the Chris Kernan power play goal in the 2nd period got the crowd into it before Logan Lyke and Cam Boche scored in the 3rd period. Cashen Naeve scored the game winner in overtime.
Hot Streak
St. John's has won 7 straight games and 9 of their last 10 and are 17-6-4 this season. The Johnnies rallied in the final month of the season to win the MIAC regular season title before winning the conference tournament championship Saturday. Schueller says they aren't playing perfect but they are finding ways to win.
Top Performers
Goaltender Jon Howe has started 25 of the team's 27 games in net. He has a record of 16-5-4 with a .932 save percentage with 3 shutouts. Schueller says Howe has been one of the best goalies in the nation this season and is a big part of their success. Jack Wandmacher leads the team with 25 points (7 goals and 18 assists), and Jackson Borst has 24 points (7 goals and 17 assists). Logan Lyke leads the team with 12 goals, Carter Krenke has 11 goals and Chris Kernan has 10 goals. Schueller says Kernan has really picked up his play and Mason Campbell has been high performer and team leader.
Confidence
Schueller says in the last month they've been playing with more confidence after learning about themselves early in the season. The Johnnies have a balanced attack with 6 players scoring more than 18 points this season and 12 players with more than 11.
What's Next
St. John's will play in Geneva, Illinois against Aurora Saturday at 1pm in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament. Schueller says Aurora is a new program that has been given a lot of support by their school. He says it is their 2nd straight year in the tournament, they have high end talent and balance with 8 guys with 20 points or more. Schueller says Aurora will be a challenge but they will be ready for the task.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Doug Schueller, click below.