University of St. Thomas Athletics
USA Hockey NTDP
Game Notes -- Men's Hockey home Friday vs. elite U.S. 18s team
10/12/2022 3:07:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Mendota Heights, Minn. - St. Thomas Men's Hockey is home to play a Friday Oct. 14 home exhibition game against the U.S. 18s National Development Team at Saint Thomas Ice Arena. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m.
The elite national team comes in 8-0, with one overtime win, outscoring foes 39-19, with a talented roster of players from coast-to-coast, including four Minnesotans. The U.S. 18 team's 8-0 start is the best in the history of the program. They went 44-16 last season playing international, Juniors and D-I and D-III college opponents.
The Toms (1-3) lost their first game of last weekend's series against Alaska-Fairbanks 4-2 on Friday. They broke through in Saturday night's rematch to win 3-2 in 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime for the first win of the young season.
On Saturday, the Nanooks scored both of their goals on 5-on-3 power plays. Trailing 2-1 into the third period, the Toms tied the game 2-2 as freshman Luc Laylin connected for his first collegiate goal. Freshman Josh Eernisse tallied his first college goal and the game-winner 90 seconds into overtime as he converted a breakaway chance. Freshman Aaron Trotter stopped 50 of 56 shots in net on Friday and Saturday to continue his strong play.
Follow
This weekend's live video can be accessed HERE only via FloHockey's pay site:
The games can be heard live on SkorNorth AM 1500 (HERE via computer):
The games will have live stats that can be accessed HERE:
Did You Know?
The Toms were outscored 13-4 in a 2021-22 road series at Alaska-Fairbanks, but this time limited the Nanooks to six goals in this season's two-game set.
Saturday's win was the Tommies' first victory of the D-I era when trailing after two periods, breaking an 0-29 streak. Twice last season the Tommies rallied after a 40:00 deficit to force overtime but were unable to complete the comeback with a win.
Saturday's win also was first overtime victory of the Division I era after an 0-3-1 OT record last season.
The win halted an eight-game Tommie losing streak dating back to February 2022.
Luc Laylin is the son of Tommie assistant coach Cory Laylin. His third-period tying goal marked the first time in 20 seasons that a Tommie hockey coach witnessed a goal by his son on the St. Thomas roster -- Bryan Skrypek, son of longtime UST coach Terry Skrypek, scored the last of his 13 career goals as a senior in an overtime MIAC playoff win over Augsburg in February 2003.
Quoting Coach Rico Blasi
"I thought (the Fairbanks series) was a good weekend for the team... There is a price you have to pay to learn to win. Sometimes you play a really good game and you don't win, and sometimes you play a game where you have to scrap it out and find a way. "
"There is a process to winning. You have to go through some adversity."
"All of us were in the moment on Saturday. It was an exciting game. The work that the guys have been putting in leading up to that, to go through some of the things we went through on Saturday and to see them come out on top was really an important step in our growth of the team and our program... Growth comes through adversity, growth comes from being in uncomfortable situations."
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