University of St. Thomas Athletics
Michigan Tech
Game Notes - Men's Hockey hits road for Michigan Tech series
12/9/2021 12:24:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Huskies receiving votes in latest top 20 poll
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas Men's Hockey travels to Houghton, Mich., for a Friday-Saturday CCHA series against the Northern Michigan Huskies. These two night games will close out the 2021 portion of the schedule for the Tommies, who are at the halfway point of their inaugural Division I season.
St. Thomas played a non-conference football game at NMU last September and came away with a 12-9 comeback victory. But it's otherwise been nearly 70 years since these universities have played in any sport. The teams played 17 games in hockey between 1922 to 1953. The Huskies leads the series 11-5-1.
Nothing Comes Easy
St. Thomas Men's Hockey is on the road this weekend against Michigan Tech. The Tommies face off for a conference series against the Huskies at 6:07 pm on Friday, Dec. 10 and 5:07 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.
After Saturday the Toms will have played 14 of 20 games against teams ranked in the top 20 or receiving votes in the latest D-I men's poll.
The Tommies (1-17 overall, 1-9 CCHA) dropped two to second-place Bemidji State last weekend by 5-2 and 6-1 decisions. On Friday, Aaron Swanson scored his first Division I goal, and Sam Renlund recorded his second and first in a Tommie uniform. Peter Thome stopped 18 of 22 shots on goal and helped kill off all three power plays by the Beavers. On Saturday, the Toms trailed just 2-1 after two periods. Kyler Grundy scored his team-best fifth goal, and Thome had 28 saves.
BSU improved to 8-2 in road games and made it 10 wins in its last 13 contests.
Radio/Stream
St. Thomas games air live on AM 1500 Skor North with Sam Ekstrom on the play-by-play call. All Tommie home games can be accessed for a fee or subscription on Flo Hockey.
Milestones/Streak Watch
St. Thomas' first-year coach Rico Blasi sits at 399 career wins in D-I hockey -- 398 in 20 seasons at Miami of Ohio and one so far with the Tommies.
Graduate goaltender Peter Thome currently sits at 1,167 career saves, and needs 33 more to reach 1,200.
The last eight Tommie goals have been scored by eight different players.
Michigan Tech Talk
The Huskies (8-7, 5-5 CCHA) are receiving votes in this week's top 20 poll, coming off two tight losses against No. 1-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato. The Huskies lost 2-1 in overtime on Friday night and 3-1 on Saturday night.
Senior forward Brian Halonen leads the Huskies in points with 19 (8g-11a) in 15 games. Senior defenseman Colin Swoyer -- a preseason All-CCHA honoree -- has recorded 10 points (2g-8a) in 15 games.
The Huskies returned 24 players from la 17-12-1 team of last season. The returnees made up for 93 percent of the team's scoring and also included four all-conference honorees. Junior goaltender Blake Pietila was a Mike Richter Award finalist last season after finishing second in the nation with a .934 save percentage and fifth with a 1.81 GAA. Pietila has recorded a .914 save percentage and 2.08 GAA.
Tommie Talk: Quick Facts By-The-Numbers
18: Number of games played -- with 16 games to go -- in the regular season for Tommie Men's Hockey
14,403: Total six-game home and away attendance for six Men's Hockey against in-state opponents St. Cloud State, Minnesota State and Bemidji State
29.2: Saves per game in his last 12 contests for Tommie grad transfer goalie Peter Thome
25: Points for Tommie Men's Hockey players who are Division I newcomers (12 goals, 13 assists)
3,042: Career minutes played in net by Tommie grad student Peter Thome (four seasons at North Dakota, one at St. Thomas)
Quoting Rico Blasi/Sat. Dec. 4 postgame vs. Bemidji State
"I thought we played fairly well in the first two periods. Obviously good teams have a way of capitalizing on mistakes, and we made a few mistakes in the third period and they capitalized.
"We have to play within ourselves. We don't have the experience that some of these teams have. You have to stay within yourself and make sure you are focused and playing the same way for three periods. We are not able to sustain that right now.
"I think our guys are trying to win the game instead of trying to win their shift or win one segment. We are going to go back to work and make sure we get that across to our players. Because that's going to be part of our culture going forward. Right now as inexperienced as we are, we have to learn lessons the tough way.
"The first two periods tonight were an indication of our (getting closer). We went shot for shot with them, maybe they had a couple better scoring chances than we did. But when you have nine seniors on their team and seven guys that have played over 100 games, we don't come close to that. We have to focus on what we can do. If we are able to do that, we will be in a lot of games."
Third-Period Blues
In 12 of their last 16 losses, the Tommies were tied or within one or two goals in the third period. Aided by five empty-net goals, opponents have outscored St. Thomas 35-8 in the third periods this season through 18 games.
Special K
Kyler Grundy leads St. Thomas goal scorers with five. Grant Loven follows with four. Christiano Versich and Luke Manning have scored three apiece. Trevor Zins, Matthew Jennings and Cameron Recchi have chipped in two each. Those seven have contributed 21 of the Tommies' 27 season goals.
Lots of Shots
St. Thomas goalies have faced 611 shots over 18 games while the Purple have recorded 395 shots of their own.
Looking Back
St. Thomas won its final five games in 2019-20 and reached the NCAA D-III playoffs but the postseason was abruptly halted by the March 2020 Covid outbreak. Last season, in its final year in Division III, St. Thomas finished 6-1-2, losing one overtime game and tying two others.
New Staff
Blasi was hired in April 2021 and brings three decades of experience as a Division I hockey player, grad assistant coach, assistant coach, head coach and administrator. During his 20-year era as Miami (Ohio) University head coach (1999-2019), Blasi and his RedHawks won 398 games. They earned 10 NCAA tournament appearance, highlighted by one championship game berth (2008-09) and one other Frozen Four appearance (2009-10). Blasi was selected as National Coach of the Year in 2005-06. He also coached one Hobey Baker Award winner and eight other Hobey finalists; 10 All-America players; one CoSIDA Academic All-America recipient; and 25 RedHawks who went on to play in the National Hockey League.
Assistant coach Leon Hayward is starting his 15th season in coaching. He also built a deep playing resume, in Division I at Northeastern University, plus six years in professional leagues. The Seattle, Wash., native served as assistant coach the last four seasons at Colorado College, coordinating the Tigers' recruiting operations.
Assistant coach Cory Laylin enjoyed a standout career with the Minnesota Gophers and later played 16 seasons professionally. Laylin served as head men's hockey coach at Hamline University over the last seven seasons, and coached at the high school, college, juniors, pro and international level over the last 13 seasons.
Roster Talk
St. Thomas' roster includes 25 skaters and three goalies: four graduate students, three seniors, six juniors, six sophomores, and eight freshman. Fourteen Toms are native Minnesotans with five from Wisconsin.
Twelve Tommie players have been on a D-I roster before transferring and enrolling at St. Thomas over the last 15 months:
• Senior G Jacob Berger (Minnesota State)... in seven games last season with Tommies went 4-1-1 with one shutout, a 2.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
• Sophomore D Ethan Gauer (Bemidji State, Alaska-Anchorage)... played in four games last season at Bemidji State (no points)
• Senior F Matthew Jennings (Ohio State)... in 40 career games with Buckeyes had two goals and one assist.
• Sophomore Kimball Johnson (Mercyhurst)... in eight games at St. Thomas last season had two goals and two assists.
• Senior F Grant Loven (Northern Michigan)... in 81 career games at NMU had eight goals and 15 assists; and last season in nine games with Toms had a team-best 10 points including four goals and six assists for 12g-21a total in 90 games.
• Junior F Luke Manning (Air Force Academy)... in 35 games in 2019-20 as a freshman had eight goals and 12 assists at AFA, and in nine games last season at UST added three goals and four assists for 11g16a total in 44 games.
• Sophomore F Sam Renlund (Colorado College)... in 26 games in 2019-20 had one goal and four assists.
• Graduate student D Nolan Sawchuk (Massachusetts-Lowell)... in 61 career games at UML had one goal and seven assists
• Graduate student John Schuldt (Nebraska-Omaha).. in 58 games at Omaha had two goals and six assists.
• Senior F Joey Sofo (Alaska-Anchorage)... in 64 career games at Anchorage and St. Thomas has three goals and nine assists
• Graduate student G Peter Thome (North Dakota)... in 42 games for UND had 19-14-5 record with three shutouts, a .903 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA.
• Graduate student F Christiano Versich (Colorado College)... in 106 games for the CC Tigers, scored 13 goals and 32 assists.
Berger, Johnson, Loven, Manning and Sofo played for St. Thomas for all or part of last winter's 6-1-2 season that was reduced to just nine games by Covid protocols. Eight other players from the Tommies' D-III era have made the jump up to Division I: G Henry Baribeau; defensemen Vincent Weis and Shayne Monahan; and forwards Andrew Kangas, Lucas McGregor, Justin Kelley, Aaron Swanson and Logan Ommen.
Other newcomers joining the Purple from Juniors hockey included defensemen Michael Ferrandino and Trevor LeDonne; and forwards Tim Piechowski, Paul Schmid, Blaine Warnert, Kyler Grundy and Cameron Recchi.
Returning Players Previous Seasons College Stats
• Henry Baribeau 2020-21 Recap: Played in four games with a 2-0-1 record, .900 Save % and 2.42 GAA. UST Career (through 2020-21): Played in 16 games with a 10-3-2 record, .923 Save % and 2.35 GAA .
• Jacob Berger 2020-2021 Recap: Played in seven games with a 4-1-1 record and .993 Save %, 2.00 GAA Before UST: Played his first two seasons at Minnesota State.
• Kimball Johnson 2020-2021 Recap: Played in eight games with two goals and two assists…
• Andrew Kangas 2020-21 Recap: Played in six games with two goals and three assists... UST Career (through 2020-2021): Played in 25 games with four goals and 10 assists.
• Justin Kelley 2020-21 Recap: Played in all nine games with one goal and five assists... UST Career (through 2020-2021): Played in 35 games with 11 goals and 8 assists.
• Grant Loven 2020-2021 Recap: Played in all nine games with four goals and six assists Before UST: Played in 75 games in two seasons at Northern Michigan before transferring to St. Thomas for the 2020-21 season.
• Luke Manning 2020-2021 Recap: Played in all nine games with one goal and three assists… Before UST: Scored eight goals in 35 games in his last season at Air Force Academy before transferring to the University of St. Thomas for the 2020-21 season.
• Lucas McGregor 2020-2021 Recap: Played in one game…
• Shayne Monahan 2020-2021 Recap: Played in eight games and had one goal… UST Career (through 2020-2021) Played in 42 games and has two goals and 10 assists,
• Logan Ommen 2020-2021 Recap: Played in four games.
• Joey Sofo 2020-2021 Recap: Played in three games with two goals and one assist… Before UST: Played three seasons at the University of Alaska-Anchorage scoring one goal and eight assists.
• Aaron Swanson 2020-2021 Recap: Played in seven games with one goal and two assists…
• Vincent Weis 2020-2021 Recap: Played in eight games with four assists.
Unprecedented Move
St. Thomas is the first NCAA institution to move all of its athletics teams directly from Division III to D-I in one season. Tommie teams have begun competing in four conferences across all 21 sports:
• The Summit League (18 sports);
• the Pioneer Football League;
• the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for women's hockey;
• the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for men's hockey.
The Times They Are a Changin'
The Toms were a charter member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference in 1920. In May 2019 they were involuntarily removed from the Division III conference, and a statement of league presidents cited "competitive athletic parity."
St. Thomas ended its NCAA D-III and MIAC chapters in June 2021.
It won 16 national team championships in eight different sports, all in a 40-year span since 1981. Purple teams posted 30 national top-2 team finishes in 11 different sports.
D-III Chapter and Tradition
• Program's All-Time D-III Record: 1,164-671-105, most wins of any D-III program before it left to move into D-I this season • Best NCAA finish: 2nd in 2000, 2nd in 2005
• The program posted 38 consecutive winning seasons through 2020-21 an won or shared six of the last nine MIAC championships.
• NCAA D-III Tournament Appearances (17): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2020
•MIAC Regular-Season Championships (34): 1923, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1974, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
• MIAC Playoff Appearances (36 of 36): Every year as a member since format started in 1985
• St. Thomas was the first MIAC hockey program to reach the NCAA Division III championship game, with two appearances. • The 2000 Tommies lost 2-1 to Norwich in the finals, while the 2005 Toms lost 5-0 to Middlebury.
• St. Thomas made 17 NCAA DIII playoff appearances, including 10 in their last 22 seasons as a member.
• The Tommies received 50 All-America honors in the last 49 seasons, and had two CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees in the last 20 seasons.
• St. Thomas placed first or second in the MIAC 52 times, including 32 of their last 37 seasons.
• The Tommies won the conference seven years in a row from 1989-95. Terry Skrypek, who was named National Coach of the Year in 2004-05, surpassed 400 career victories before retiring in March 2010.
• Jeff Boeser coached St. Thomas over the last 11 seasons.
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2021-22 St. Thomas Tommies Numerical Roster
No. Name Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. S/C Hometown/Last Team (League)
1 Peter Thome 5th GK 6-4 198 L Minneapolis, Minn. / North Dakota (NCHC)
2 Trevor Zins Jr. D 6-1 195 R St. Michael, Minn. / St. Cloud State (NCHC)
3 Michael Ferrandino Fr. D 5-10 180 R Lisle, Ill. / Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
4 Nolan Sawchuk 5th D 5-11 185 L Burnsville, Minn. / UMass Lowell (Hockey East)
5 Vincent Weis So. D 5-8 175 R Madison, Wis. / Madison Capitals (USHL)
8 Cameron Recchi Fr. F 5-10 165 L Pittsburgh, Pa. / Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL)
9 Matthew Jennings Sr. F 5-8 173 L Buford, Ga. / Ohio State (Big Ten)
10 Andrew Kangas Jr. F 5-9 185 L Mahtomedi, Minn. / Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
11 Lucas McGregor So. F 5-11 170 L Lino Lakes, Minn. / Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
12 Tim Piechowski Fr. F 6-2 210 R Eden Prairie, Minn. / Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
14 Shayne Monahan Sr. D 6-0 185 R Lakeville, Minn. / Syracuse Stars (NCDC)
15 Grant Loven Sr. F 5-11 190 L East Grand Forks, Minn. / Northern Michigan (CCHA)
16 Luke Manning Jr. F 5-10 190 L Stillwater, Minn. / Air Force Academy (AHA)
17 Paul Schmid Fr. F 6-1 187 L Linz, Austria / Amarillo Bulls (NAHL)
18 Ethan Gauer So. D 6-0 185 R Farmington, Minn. / Bemidji State (CCHA)
19 Justin Kelley Jr. F 6-0 185 R Maple Grove, Minn. / Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
20 Aaron Swanson So. F 5-10 180 L Sun Prairie, Wis. / Maryland Black Bears (NAHL)
21 Joey Sofo Sr. F 5-10 185 L Sylvania, Ohio / Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA)
22 John Schuldt 5th D 6-4 216 L Minnetonka, Minn. / Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC)
24 Logan Ommen So. F 5-9 175 R Bolingbrook, Ill. / Corpus Christi IceRays (NAHL)
25 Trevor LeDonne Fr. D 6-1 195 L Stoney Creek, Ontario, Can. / Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)
26 Blaine Warnert Fr. F 6-5 190 L Chaska, Minn. / Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
27 Kyler Grundy Fr. F 6-1 190 L Pleasant Prairie, Wis. / Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
28 Kimball Johnson So. D 6-0 185 R Coppell, Texas / Mercyhurst (AHA)
29 Christiano Versich 5th F 5-8 176 R St. Paul, Minn. / Colorado College (NCHC)
31 Jacob Berger Sr. GK 5-11 165 L Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnesota State (CCHA)
35 Henry Baribeau Jr. GK 6-3 190 L Hudson, Wis. / New Ulm Steel (NA3HL)
39 Sam Renlund So. F 5-11 190 L Verona, Wis. / Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
Head Coach: Rico Blasi (Miami (Ohio) 1994), First Season
Assistant Coach: Leon Hayward (Northeastern 2002), First Season
Assistant Coach: Cory Laylin (Minnesota 1992), First Season
Director of Hockey Operations: Josh Johnson (Michigan 2020), First Season
