In the always turbulent MIAC conference, the battles for wins and points are very meaningful in a conference where all the teams are bunched up in the standings and one weekend’s results can send you up or down the table quickly. For St. Olaf’s, the season has already shown their ability to play in tight, low-scoring games and that commitment to doing the right things in slim margin games will help the Oles’ over the final four weeks of the regular season leading into the conference tournament.
“This is truly the craziest league,” said first-year head coach Tyler Lindstrom. “I think I looked at the standings and just four points separate second place from seventh place. It is really hard to get a six-point weekend, so you really need to battle for those contested points, and I think our team is buying into that level of effort to compete for those points and wins every night. We have already played eight overtime games this season (2-1-5 in those contests) which is exciting hockey but not the most fun as a coach. We keep our focus on the ice, on the bench and in our locker room. We can only control what happens in our game, and I think our team has kept their focus.”
With 17 of 28 players as underclassmen, the leadership group for St. Olaf’s has been a large factor in helping the younger players assimilate to college hockey and the MIAC. Only a few players remain from the championship team from two seasons ago where Lindstrom was an assistant for now Amherst coach Eddie Effinger. That group has been critical to the team’s success and none more than senior Jonathan Panisa who leads the team in goals and points this so far this season.
“Jonathan or “JP” as we call him is a really dynamic player,” said Lindstrom. “He has great offensive skills with his skating ability, shot and awareness on the ice. But JP is at his best when he plays a complete game and that gets everyone on the team engaged with playing the right way. JP could easily just focus on scoring, but he finishes checks, wins puck battles, competes hard in net battles where the goals may not be pretty but count the same. That level of effort is contagious, and it has helped our younger players understand what is needed every night to be successful on the ice.”
With a very balanced roster and depth scoring, St. Olaf’s also boasts one of the best goaltending tandems in the country with first-year Nolan Ryan (9 GP – 2.32 goals-against average; .933 save percentage) and sophomore Matthew Malin (7 GP – 2.34 goals against average; .936 save percentage) who have essentially split the games so far this season. The Oles’ surrender just 2.5 goals per game and while team defense is key, the guys in the blue paint have been stellar all season.
“As a first-year coach there is plenty enough to worry about,” noted Lindstrom. “Having one great goalie is a luxury but to have two guys that compete hard, support each other and give the team confidence in their game is almost an abundance of riches – I am so glad that those decisions on such an important position are not a challenge because of who we have back there in the crease every game.”
The final four weeks of the regular season find St. Olaf’s battling in MIAC action that will determine their playoff position and potential for home ice in the tournament. While the Oles’ have been a very good road team, any advantage is important when it comes to “win or go home hockey.” Four home-and-home series remain Starting with Augsburg this weekend and finishing with St. Scholastica, St. Mary’s and Bethel to close out the regular season.
“We are still finding our best level of consistency,” said Lindstrom. “We need to see that at the game-to-game level right down to period-to-period and shift-to-shift. We have a lot to play for and no team in this league is going to give us anything. We have shown so far, we can compete in close, playoff style hockey games and we are going to need that experience and consistent effort down the stretch and into the playoffs if we want a chance to win another championship.”