Box Score

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Saint John's hockey dropped a 5-1 non-conference loss to St. Scholastica on Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

The Saints (4-5-1, 3-4-1 NCHA) scored two power-play goals, including one during a 5-on-3, a goal with an extra attacker and an empty-netter. The Johnnies (8-3-2, 4-2-0 MIAC), meanwhile, hit the pipe twice and had a goal disallowed in the second period.

CSS scored two goals on its first three shots (out-shot 8-3) and proceeded to record the next eight shots on goal in the first period. Mark Whiteley gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead on a goal with an extra attacker, due to a delayed SJU penalty, 2:40 into the game.

Parker Mismash made it 2-0 four minutes after SJU failed to score on a five-minute power play and seconds after junior forward Mitch Fritz (St. Cloud, Minn.) hit the pipe.

David Ross gave the Saints a three-goal lead on the power play with 15 seconds remaining in the opening frame. Whiteley scored his second goal of the night during a 5-on-3 power play 3:24 into the second period.

Senior forward Tyler Dunagan (Maple Grove, Minn.) erased the shutout with his fourth goal of the season, and 40th career point, with 4:59 remaining in the second period. Junior forward Evan Okeley (Carmel, Ind.) and freshman defenseman Jake Dittel (St. Paul, Minn.) were credited with the assists.

Chitwood had a goal disallowed, which would have cut SJU's deficit to 4-2, with four seconds left in the second period. The referee claimed that Chitwood used his hand to direct the puck into the net. 

Kristofer McKinzie ended the scoring with an empty-netter, four seconds after sophomore goaltender Andrew Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn.) left the ice, with 3:58 remaining in the game. Lindgren made 21 saves in the loss.

SJU took the ice Thursday with the best combined special teams (62 percent, 67-for-108) among the 81 NCAA Division III men's hockey programs. The Johnnies were fifth in Division III on the power play (27.1 percent, 13-for-48) and tied for ninth on the penalty kill (90 percent, 54-for-60). SJU went 0-for-4 on the power play against CSS, which countered with a 2-for-5 showing. The Saints entered Thursday's game at 12 percent (6-for-50) on the man advantage through the season's first nine games.

The Johnnies complete their MIAC series with Bethel (1-12, 1-6 MIAC), and close the 2017 portion of their 2017-18 schedule, at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine.