University of St. Thomas Athletics

Saturday, November 5
Mankato, Minn.
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2-8-0, 1-3-0

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7-3-0, 4-0-0

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Photo by: Rebecca Twite

More positives for Men's Hockey in 4-3 road loss to No. 6 Mavs

11/5/2022 10:40:00 PM | Men's Hockey

Mankato, Minn. --St. Thomas Men's Hockey didn't get the victory on Saturday night at No. 6-ranked Minnesota State. But the Tommies are getting something that few expected so soon in their Division I journey -- attention and respect.

Coach Rico Blasi's Tommies lost their third one-goal road decision in the last 17 days, this time against the first-place Mavericks. The Toms led 1-0, trailed 3-1, and battled back before falling 4-3 to last year's NCAA runner-up Minnesota State (7-3 overall, 4-0 CCHA).

Luke Manning had a goal and an assist and freshman Ethan Roberts had 26 saves for St. Thomas (2-8, 1-3). Jake Braccini recorded his first collegiate goal, and Luc Laylin also scored a third-period goal to trim the lead to 4-3.

In Friday night's series opener on the Toms' home ice, that game was tied at 2-2 through 40:00 before a five-goal blitz in the final period gave MSU a 7-2 win.

On Saturday at the Mayo Civic and Events Center -- where the Mavericks have won their last 24 games -- St. Thomas handled the pressure all 60 minutes and continued to build momentum across several fronts. After allowing two power-play goals in the first period, the Toms limited the host team to one goal over the final 43:04. They were outshot 30-18 on the game but just a 15-13 margin over the final two periods.

Another positive sign from this one-goal defeat: It came in a town where St. Thomas went 0-4 last season in games played at Minnesota State, and in those contests the Toms were outscored by a 27-5 combined margin.


Next Up

St. Thomas plays two more conference games next weekend at Bowling Green.


Did You Know?

Six of the Toms' eight losses have come against top-15 ranked teams, and five of their eight defeats have come by one or two goals, three in overtime.

Eight different players have recorded the Purple's last 10 goals.



 
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