WINONA, Minn. – When hockey teams hit the post-season, the cliché is that the biggest keys to playoff wins are special teams and goaltending. That's great and all, but it's not a bad thing when those components show up during the regular season as well.
That's the current case for the Yellowjacket men's hockey team. Following Friday's shutout win at Bethel, the Yellowjackets were looking to win their second road game in a row, and for the first time in 2022-23, push their record above the .500 mark.
They did pick up a win, and the biggest thanks for that came courtesy of special teams and goaltending.
Freshman goaltender
Dylan Meilun (Morden, Manitoba/Morden Collegiate Institute) following up his first career shutout with another strong performance in goal, and the Yellowjackets scored five times on special teams on the way to a 6-1 win over Saint Mary's Saturday night at the Saint Mary's Ice Arena.
The game was the final non-conference tune-up for the Yellowjackets (3-2-0, 0-0-0 WIAC), as they enter conference play for the next four games.
Friday was the most complete game of the season for the Yellowjackets, who came out flying and kept the pace up for 60 minutes. It was a little different Saturday, however, as the Yellowjackets were a step slow in the first period. Saint Mary's outshot the Yellowjackets 9-4, but the 'Jackets scored the frame's only goal.
Freshman
Austin Paul (Saint-Lazare, Quebec/École Secondaire du Sommet) scored his first collegiate goal at 11:13 of the first period, working his way out of the right corner and lifting a backhand over the glove of Saint Mary's goaltender Connor Close to make it 1-0.
Colton Friesen (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Dakota Collegiate) assisted.
In the second the Yellowjackets were a much more determined team, and their work forced the Cardinals into penalty trouble, which the 'Jackets exploited.
Saint Mary's took two penalties on the same play, and the Yellowjackets scored on both ends of the 5-on-3. At 7:55
C.J. Walker (Boise, Idaho/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) slipped a puck home from the left of the goal for his third of the season, making it 2-0. Then, 39 seconds later it went to 3-0.
Bradley Stonnell (Surrey, British Columbia/Tamanawis Secondary School) had the puck on the left side and made a perfect pass to the right circle, where
Reed Stark (Suffern, N.Y./Douglas County West) wired a shot into the wide open goal for his second of the year, making it 3-0.
Later in the second the 'Jackets again capitalized on the power play. Friesen added to his point total, getting a rebound to the right of the goal and poking it home at 17:24 to increase the lead to 4-0.
Second after the fourth goal the Yellowjackets went shorthanded, but they were the ones that found the offense. Freshman
Collin Pederson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna Senior) worked himself free of the defense, used his body to protect the puck and slide a backhand under Close, notching his first collegiate goal and increasing the Yellowjacket advantage to 5-0.
Saint Mary's broke through early in the third period, scoring at 2:16 to pull to within 5-1. The Yellowjackets answered with another power play goal at 12:42. Friesen earned his third point of the game, setting up
MacGregor Sinclair (Irma, Alberta/Irma School), who scored his fourth goal of the year from the right circle, making the final score 6-1.
After the slow start, the Yellowjackets outshot the Cardinals 33-22. Meilun was rock solid, finishing with 21 saves. On the weekend, he stopped 50 of the 51 shots he faced.
On special teams, the Yellowjackets went 4-for-7 on the power play and were a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Yellowjackets will open the WIAC portion of the 2022-23 schedule Friday, Nov. 18 when they travel to UW-River Falls. The opening face-off is set for 7 p.m. at W.H. Hunt Arena in River Falls.
