University of St. Thomas Athletics
Bemidji State
Game Notes -- Men's Hockey hosts Bemidji to close home season
2/23/2023 6:38:00 PM | Men's Hockey
St. Paul, Minn. -- St. Thomas Men's Hockey (10-20-2, 9-13-2 CCHA) closes out the regular season this weekend at home against Bemidji State (13-14-5, 11-10-3).
Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. CT on Friday, and 6:07 p.m. CT on Saturday. Saturday's game will honor the team's 2022-23 seniors, all playing their final games of the regular season on home ice.
The Purple split their third consecutive series last week in Sault Ste. Marie against Lake Superior State. Each team put up three goals in the series, with the Lakers winning 2-1 on Friday before St. Thomas rebounded for a 2-1 win on Saturday. In Friday's contest, St. Thomas fell behind 1-0 just over halfway through the second but tied the game just under four minutes later on a Luke Manning goal. However, Lake Superior State scored a power play goal with just 1:42 remaining and held on for the win. On Saturday, The Toms jumped out to a 1-0 first period lead thanks to Lucas Wahlin, and Trevor Zins made it 2-0 3:35 into the third period. Despite the Lakers quickly answering that goal, the Tommies held on for the win. Aaron Trotter saved 53 of the 56 shots he faced across the series, and eight different Tommies recorded points on the three goals in the series, with forward Luc Laylin picking up an assist in each game.
Bemidji State travels to Saint Thomas Ice Arena coming off a split with first-place Minnesota State. The Beavers took a 1-0 lead late in the second period on Friday but surrendered four unanswered goals in a 4-1 defeat. On Saturday, Bemidji State again took a 1-0 lead, but despite allowing the Mavericks to tie the game, forced overtime and notched a power play goal with 15 seconds remaining to pick up the win.
Bemidji State is battling for home ice this weekend, currently sitting three points ahead of Northern Michigan and Ferris State for fourth place in the CCHA standings. The top four teams will host the first-round series in the CCHA conference tournament. Bemidji can clinch home ice with four points this weekend, or a loss or tie from both Northern Michigan and Ferris State. St. Thomas currently sits in seventh place and cannot fall behind Lake Superior State this weekend. The Toms are four points behind Northern Michigan and Ferris State, so would need at least four points against Bemidji and either team ahead of them to be swept in order to move into fifth or sixth place.
The Toms and Beavers have squared off six times in St. Thomas' D-I era prior to this series. The Toms have yet to beat the Beavers as a D-I program -- the only CCHA opponent the Purple have yet to defeat -- but the last four meetings have been decided by a total of five goals. St. Thomas picked up a tie in the most recent matchup on Dec. 3, 2022, in Bemidji. That result was the first time St. Thomas had earned a point against an in-state opponent in the D-I era.
Follow
Live video stream can be accessed here: https://www.flohockey.tv/teams/7215337-st-thomas-mn-mens-hockey?view=live-and-upcoming
Friday-Saturday Live stats can be accessed here: https://tommiesports.com/sidearmstats/mhockey/summary
Live audio can be accessed at SkorNorth AM 1500 listen live.
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Most Improved D-I Men's Hockey Teams -- From 2021-22 to 2022-23
(60 D-I programs -- Through games of Feb. 11)
Based on Winning Percentage
+.236 St. Thomas (3-32-1 in 2021-22 to 10-20-2 in 2022-23)
+.169 Niagara (11-22-3 to 15-14-3)
+.154 Princeton (8-21-2 to 12-15-0)
+.153 Michigan State (12-23-1 to 16-16-2)
+.148 Penn State (17-20-1 to 19-12-1)
Close Calls
As part of its D-I learning curve, the Purple have 24 losses by one or two goals so far in the D-I era (12 so far this season). That includes a 6-12 mark in one-goal decisions, and a 2-12 slate in games decided by two goals.
Did You Know?
- St. Thomas has scored points in eight consecutive CCHA series. Picked for eighth place, the Toms have secured at least seventh place and seeking to climb higher with two games to play.
- Mack Byers has scored 11 goals over his last 14 CCHA contests... Luc Laylin has six goals in his last 11 games.
- With two games left in the regular season, the Toms have already surpassed last season's total of 61 goals (now at 77). Mack Byers (15 goals), Josh Eernisse (14 goals), and Luc Laylin (nine goals) have broken the old Toms' D-I record for goals in a season set last year with eight by Luke Manning.
- Ten of the Toms' losses have come vs. top-10 ranked Penn State and St. Cloud State and top-20 ranked Minnesota State and Michigan Tech
- This season, 13 Tommie defeats have come by one or two goals. The Purple have led or been tied in the third period in 11 of their losses.
- Last season (36 games), the Toms were outscored 167-61. In this season's 32 games the Purple have been outscored by a 103-77 margin.
- Four freshmen -- Cooper Gay, Josh Eernisse, Carson Peters and Luc Laylin -- have joined a growing list of Toms to record a multi-goal game this season. Gay did it on Nov. 4 against Minnesota State. Eernisse's did it Nov. 25 against Lake Superior State; again Dec. 16 vs. Ferris; once more on Jan. 14 at Michigan Tech; and again on Feb.11 against Northern Michigan; Peters did it Jan. 14 against Michigan Tech; Laylin did it Feb. 3 vs. Minnesota State. Also on that list is junior Mack Byers, who has five such instances this season (Oct. 29 against Ferris State; Dec. 1 and again Dec. 2 against Bemidji State; Dec. 16 vs. Ferris; Jan. 19 vs. Bowling Green). Manning also scored two on Dec. 16 vs. Ferris State.
- Aaron Trotter went over 800 saves on the season (837), and recently surpassed the .900 mark in season save %. He leads D-I freshmen men's goalies in saves and minutes played.
Killin' It
St. Thomas' special team has killed off 50 of its last 56 penalties.
Tommie D-I Era, Most Games Scoring a Point (Current Players)
20 -- #16-Luke Manning
19 -- #8-Cameron Recchi
17 -- #4-Nolan Sawchuk
16 -- #2-Trevor Zins
15 -- #6 Josh Eernisse and #19-Luc Laylin
14 -- #3-Lucas Wahlin, #11-Ryan O'Neill, and #22-Mack Byers
13 --#9-Matthew Jennings and #12-Tim Piechowski
12 -- #17-Jake Braccini
11 -- #18-Ethan Gauer
10 -- #29-Jarrett Lee
Quoting Coach Rico Blasi (after Saturday, Feb. 18 game at Lake Superior State)
"I thought our penalty kill did a great job (killing off five of six). The (power play) goal they scored went off (Carson) Peters foot there, just an unfortunate bounce. We were in the right spot.
"It was gut check time again for this team. This keeps our streak going with points on the (CCHA) weekend since back in middle of November.
Breakthroughs
The Oct. 8 win over Alaska-Fairbanks was the Toms' first of the D-I era when trailing after two periods, ending an 0-29 string. Twice last season the Toms rallied after a 40:00 deficit to force overtime but were unable to complete the comeback with a win. The Oct. 8 win also was first overtime victory of the Division I era (1-5-2 in the D-I era in 3-on-3 overtime results).
St. Thomas now boasts wins over the CCHA's top three teams (Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Bowling Green). Tech and MSU were ranked at the time, the first two ranked wins of the Purple's D-I era. In 23 of its 30 games, St. Thomas has been within one goal, tied, or led during the third period.
St. Thomas recorded its first D-I win against an in-state opponent with a 3-2 upset victory in overtime at then-13th ranked Minnesota State on Feb. 3. Prior to that win, the Tommies were 0-15-1 against other Minnesota schools in Division I play. The Toms had previously earned its first point against an in-state opponent at the D-I level with a 2-2 tie at Bemidji State on Dec. 3.
After a 2-12 start this winter -- with eight defeats by one or two goals -- the Toms have compiled a 8-8-2 record over their last 18 games. They compiled the program's first three-game unbeaten streak of the D-I era in mid-January.
Hockey Honors
Freshman Aaron Trotter is the reigning CCHA Goaltender of the Week after his 53 saves and three goalks allowed in a 1-1 weekend on the road at Lake Superior State.
The Toms had the CCHA Forward of the Week on Feb. 6 with Luc Laylin after St. Thomas' series with Minnesota State. Laylin led all CCHA skaters with three goals last week, helping the Tommies to a split with then-No. 13 Minnesota State, including the program's first ever victory over the Mavericks. Scoring the opening goal in both contests, he had two tallies on four shots in St. Thomas' 3-2 overtime win in Mankato in Friday night. He then had one goal on three shots in a 5-2 defeat on Saturday at home. For the weekend he blocked two shots on the defensive end of the ice.
Tommie Men's Hockey also had the CCHA Forward of the Week on Jan. 23 with Mack Byers (three goals, one assist) in the win and tie vs. first-place Bowling Green. One week earlier, Aaron Trotter was named CCHA Rookie of the Week after he stopped 63 of 66 shots in a road split at No. 13-ranked Michigan Tech. He was CCHA Goalie of the Week earlier in the season.
On Nov. 28 St. Thomas had two of the four players chosen as CCHA Players of the Week: Goaltender of the Week Aaron Trotter, and Rookie of the Week forward Josh Eernisse. Both are freshmen.
Two weeks earlier, Jake Braccini was named CCHA Rookie of the Week. A Hanover, Minn., native and Buffalo High graduate, Braccini scored a goal and three assists in a split vs. Ferris State. Both of his goals were scored on the power play, and he is tied for 12th among CCHA players with three power-play goals on the season. Braccini has collected three goals over his last six contests. His 11 points (four goals, seven assists) rank him tied for fifth on his team in scoring. The Toms previously had only had three CCHA Players of the Week in the two-year D-I era, and none in the same week. Trevor Zins (Defenseman) and Tim Piechowski (Rookie) were selected last season, and Ethan Gauer (defenseman) was honored earlier this season.
Bemidji Trip
The Toms played Dec. 2-3 at Bemidji State -- their 10th weekend in a row of competition. They fell 6-4 on Friday, then tied 2-2 on Saturday -- gaining their first point in the standings against a Minnesota foe in the team's brief D-I history. Mack Byers scored two goals in each game, Lucas Wahlin recorded four total assists, and Aaron Trotter saved 63 of the 71 shots he faced.
He's the Coach
Rico Blasi is the 25th head coach since 1920 for Tommie Men's Hockey, one of two Tommie coaches to rank in the current top 50 all-time for wins among all college hockey coaches. Terry Skrypek had a 23-year run with St. Thomas and won 415 games from 1987-2010 to rank 44th on the elite list. Blasi is close behind at No. 45. Rico coached 20 seasons at Miami (Ohio) and is now in season two with the Tommies. He ranks 17th among all active men's coaches and eighth among active D-I head coaches with his 411 wins. Blasi has 11 returning players and 17 newcomers this season in year two with the Toms.
Newest Transfers
#22 Mack Byers junior F (two seasons at Northern Michigan)
#5 Garrett Daly grad student D (three seasons at Bowling Green)
#24 Grant Docter sophomore D (last season at Michigan Tech)
#29 Jarrett Lee senior D (two years at Northern Michigan, two at UMD)
#27 Luke Perunovich grad student D (three seasons at Providence)
Family Fun
Freshman Luc Laylin is the son of Tommie assistant coach Cory Laylin. His third-period tying goal on Oct. 8 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. Laylin also scored the game-winning goal with 3:33 left in a 3-2 win at Michigan Tech on Jan. 14. He scored three goals Feb. 3-4 vs. Minnesota State.
Poll Talk
St. Thomas was again projected to finish eighth in the CCHA preseason poll, as picked by the league's coaches. Last year's champ and NCAA runner-up Minnesota State took first (six first-place votes). Northern Michigan and Bowling Green were 2-3.
Milestones
Grad student Nolan Sawchuk has played in 123 games in D-I hockey (61 games at U.Mass-Lowell, 62 at UST).
Luke Manning has played in 112 college hockey games (103 in D-I, nine in D-III) at Air Force and St. Thomas.
Garrett Daly has played in 112 D-I games at Bowling Green and St. Thomas.
Schedule Talk
The Purple are in season 20 of playing home games at the Saint Thomas Ice Arena.
The Toms played five of their first six league games away, but now are playing 13 of the last 20 league games on home ice.
Is that Right?
The Tommies came into this season with 11 players born in the last century (1990s).
St. Thomas' roster no longer has any teenagers – freshman Carson Peters turned 20 in late October
The squad's oldest two players are Luke Perunovich (25, born May 1997) and Matthew Jennings (25, June 1997).
Just two players remain that played as Division III freshmen in 2018-19: Andrew Kangas and Henry Baribeau have had 77 different teammates over their era as the roster has turned over with the transition into D-I.
Tradition
St. Thomas first fielded a hockey team in 1905. It made an unprecedented move from from D-III into D-I hockey last school year. St. Thomas had D-III's most all-time victories and recorded 38 consecutive winning seasons. Tommie teams have competed in the postseason in 37 consecutive seasons, and 10 Purple teams since 1998 reached the 11-team NCAA D-III playoffs
Academic Honors
St. Thomas had 22 players recognized on the 2021-22 CCHA All-Academic Team, with a team grade-point average of 3.33 for the school year. Eighteen of the 28 players on the roster had a cumulative gpa of 3.44 or better (10 at 3.70 or better).
