March 1
Pipers power past Johnnies into championship game
Hamline and Saint John’s were facing off for the third time in a week, as the two teams concluded the regular season together. The sweep that Hamline recorded last weekend earned them the MIAC title. Saint John’s came out strong the third meeting, scoring first in the highly physical game, when Clayton Rehm (Jr., Park Rapids, Mich.) scored on an assist from Jake Hipp (Jr., Bismarck, N.D.) just 48 seconds into the game. Six minutes later, Leier (So., Woodbury, Minn.) ended his The Pipers’ other player of the year, Joe Long (Jr., Dayton, Minn.), then gave Hamline their first lead of the game on a power play at 10:38 in the first, with Chris Berenguer (Fy., Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Andrew Birkholz (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) tallying the assists. After the first intermission, Saint John’s tied the game with the only second period goal, scored at 17:06 by Pat Eagles (Sr., Falcon Heights, Minn.), with assists from Hipp and Jordan Swan (Sr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.). Fulton ended a tense 12 minutes of tied hockey in the third period at 12:14 when he scored the Pipers’ third power play goal in four attempts, and the game winner. He was assisted by Jared Hummel (Fy., Eagan, Minn.) and Birkholz. Hamline’s final goal came at 16:41 as Birkholz upped the score to 4-2, scoring from Fulton and Nick Zilka (Fy., Mound, Minn.). The goal came seconds after Zilka returned to the ice following a penalty and snapped up the puck in transition, carrying it into the zone and resulting in a score. Sophomore goaltender Matt Wanvig (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) played the role of a brick wall in net for Hamline, making 36 saves, including 15 in the final period to hold on to the win and push the Pipers into the Wednesday championship game. Hamline’s overall record is now 16-6-4, 11-3-2 MIAC. Saint John’s finishes the season at 13-12-2, 8-6-2 MIAC. The winner of Wednesday night’s face-off between the Pipers and Tommies will earn the MIAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Hamline University belongs to the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Hamline supports 19 intercollegiate athletic teams for men and women. Find out more about Hamline athletics at www.hamline.edu/hamline_info/athletics. Creative and innovative teaching and learning attract a diverse student body of nearly 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students to Hamline University. Challenged to create and apply knowledge in local and global contexts, Hamline students develop an individual and community ethic of social justice, civic responsibility, and inclusive leadership and service. Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive master’s universities by U.S.News & World Report, Hamline is also Minnesota’s first university, founded in 1854, and among the first co-educational institutions in the nation. |
With the win, Hamline advances to the MIAC championship game against St. Thomas, which they will host on Wednesday, March 5 at 7:15 p.m. at Drake Arena. Tickets for the championship game are $7 for adults, $3 for children. Ticket presale will begin on Monday morning, March 3, at 9:00 a.m. at Walker Fieldhouse on the campus of Hamline University.
collegiate scoring drought and tied the semifinal game at 1-1 on a power play goal at 6:55. Kyle Kurr (So., Elk River, Minn.) and co-player of the year Dustin Fulton (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn.) were credited with the assists.