Wanvig stops St. John's; men's hockey wins conference opener

Wanvig made 33 saves, including 18 in the final period and the final 28 shots he faced to preserve the victory.

Tied at 1-1 entering the third period, the Pipers (2-3, 1-0 in the MIAC) netted the game winner at 7:41 when Matt Zilles fired a slapshot from the point off a Joe Long dump pass. Zilles beat Johnnie goaltender Vince Wheeler, who made 19 saves in the contest.

St. John's (1-4, 0-1) took an early 1-0 lead on a Jake Hipp goal at 11:28 of the first period. Hamline came back to tie the game on Jim Erickson's 5-on-3 power-play goal at 18:43.

Both teams were held scoreless in the second period as both failed to score on five-minute power plays. Hamline was held 1-for-8 on the power play while the Johnnies were 0-for-4 with an extra attacker.

Long and Fulton each added two assists for the Pipers.

The two teams will complete the series Sunday afternoon in St. Cloud. The puck will drop at 2:00 p.m.