NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After a dramatic 3-2 victory over second-seeded Concordia-Moorhead in the quarterfinals, the seventh-seeded St. Olaf College men's hockey team travels to third-seeded Saint John's University in the semifinals of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs on Wednesday night.
St. Olaf (9-14-3) got a goal from first year
Sean Walsh with 1:01 remaining in the third period to claim a 3-2 win over Concordia-Moorhead on Saturday afternoon in Moorhead in the team's first playoff game since 2014. The victory earned the Oles a matchup with the third-seeded Johnnies on Wednesday, March 2 with puck drop set for 7 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for students with children five and under getting in free. There is no senior discount. MIAC passes will be honored, though no other passes will be accepted. The ticket booth and entrance to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center will open one hour before the game's start. Those with MIAC passes need to go to the ticket window to receive a ticket.
Per MIAC and St. Cloud State University policy, masks are required at all times. Social distancing is strongly encouraged and the lower bowl will be open on both sides of the ice. The concession stand will not be open and no outside food or drink is allowed in the venue. Fans unable to attend the game can follow along via
live video and
live stats.
Saint John's booked its spot in the semifinals with a 5-1 win over sixth-seeded Saint Mary's on home ice on Sunday evening, scoring goals in each period in the victory. The Johnnies are in the semifinals of the MIAC Playoffs for the third-straight time and were the runner-up in 2019 after falling to Augsburg in four overtimes by a 2-1 score.
Wednesday night's other semifinal sees fifth-seeded Bethel visit top-seeded and fourth-ranked Augsburg in a 7 p.m. start at Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis. The Royals advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 overtime win at fourth-seeded St. Scholastica on Saturday, while the Auggies also needed overtime to edge ninth-seeded Gustavus by the same score.
In Moorhead on Saturday, the Oles and Cobbers were locked at 2-2 until Walsh's late goal sent St. Olaf into the semifinals. After forcing a turnover deep in the Concordia-Moorhead defensive zone, Walsh slid the puck to junior
Ashton Altmann in front and Altmann got it right back to Walsh for the first year's 11th goal of the year.
Earlier in the game, first year
Jonathan Young scored midway through the first period to give the Oles a 1-0 lead before the Cobbers tied it at 1-1 at the first intermission by scoring with 28 seconds to go in the period. Concordia-Moorhead got another goal in the first five minutes of the second period, but St. Olaf answered with 1:36 to go in the period on a goal by sophomore
Noah Heisler to knot the game at 2-2 after two.
The win improved St. Olaf's all-time record in the MIAC Playoffs to 9-12-0, as the Oles earned a spot in the semifinals for the 11th time in program history (1988, 1991, 1992, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021). St. Olaf has appeared in the championship game of the MIAC Playoffs twice, winning its lone title in 2006 and finishing as the runner-up in 2012.
The Oles and Johnnies met in the final regular-season series of the year for St. Olaf, with Saint John's picking up
4-2 and
3-1 victories on Feb. 11-12. Wednesday night's game will be the fourth postseason meeting between the two programs, as the Oles and Johnnies met in the semifinals in three-straight seasons from 2004-06. Saint John's picked up wins as the No. 1 seed in both 2004 and 2005 before St. Olaf claimed a 3-2 win in the semifinals on its way to winning the 2006 title as the No. 3 seed.
