NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College men's hockey team could not dig out of a 3-1 deficit after two periods in a 4-3 loss to Hamline University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) series opener on Friday night at St. Olaf Ice Arena.

Hamline (4-10-0, 3-4-0 MIAC) scored three consecutive power-play goals to build a 3-1 lead after two periods before St. Olaf (6-5-1, 2-3-0 MIAC) rallied in the third to tie the game on goals by junior Jonathan Panisa and first year Nick Hatton. Owen Van Tassel broke the tie with the game-winner for the Pipers at 12:43 of the third period to hand the Oles their first home loss of the season.

Junior Gunnar Johnson was the lone Ole with multiple points in the loss, picking up a pair of assists to give the junior five goals in the last three games. Senior Eric Brown opened the scoring for St. Olaf before Hamline's string of power-play tallies.

Brown tipped redirected a shot by Johnson from the left point at 5:13 to give the Oles the lead with Brown's first goal of the season. The lead lasted only 44 seconds, however, as Hamline got a 5-on-3 goal from Tommy Carls to tie the game at 5:57 before Jordon Halverson gave the Pipers the lead 31 seconds later with another power-play tally. Sophomore Bjorn Lervick nearly tied the game at 2-2 midway through the period but rang a wrist shot off the pipe from the right side.

AJ Carls extended Hamline's lead with yet another power-play goal at 7:52 of the second period for the lone goal of the middle period. St. Olaf fought back in the third when Panisa scored on a 2-on-1 rush off an assist from sophomore Tyler Green just 44 seconds into the final period, as Panisa moved into a tie for the team lead with six goals this season.

Hatton tied the game for the Oles with his first collegiate goal, swatting the puck out of the air on the power play at 6:58 in a crowd on the right side of the net. Van Tassel broke the deadlock for Hamline at the 12:43 mark of the third by sliding the puck through traffic on the ice from the left circle for the game-winner.

Hamline was 3-for-4 on the power play in the game to overcome St. Olaf's 27-13 advantage in shots on goal. Maximillian Haselbacher made 14 of his 24 saves in the third period for the visitors, while first year Matthew Malin made nine saves for the Oles on the night. St. Olaf outshot Hamline by a 16-2 margin in the final period.

The series finale between the two teams is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11 at TRIA Rink in St. Paul.