SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team is set to drop the puck on its 2022-23 campaign Friday night at No. 12-ranked UW-Stevens Point.
The Gusties lost six of their top seven point-scorers from last season, but return a young group that gained valuable experience a year ago.
“We have a lot of guys back from last year and we were so young last year, playing a lot of freshmen. So we have a lot of bodies back with experience and that was the piece we were missing last year,” Head Coach Brett Petersen said. “We’re hopeful that the experience gained from a year ago and the lumps that we took will help us, especially early this season.”
This season’s captains are all fifth-year seniors. Toby Sengvongxay (Sr., Luverne) will wear the C on his chest, while George Hansen (Sr., Patchogue, N.Y.) and Dylan Gast (Sr., Dellwood) will don the A. Sengvongxay played in 20 games last year on the blue line with three goals and three assists for six points. Hansen, also a blue-liner, played in 23 games with four points, while Gast played in 21 games with three goals and seven assists.
“They’ve done a terrific job of bringing our group together and getting our young guys engaged,” Petersen said. “I’ve been really proud of them for the work they’ve done away from the ice by helping form the group the way it is today. They are going to play integral roles for us on the ice and log major minutes.
Jackson Hjelle (Jr., Delano) is the only returning goalie on the roster from last year and will be the lead candidate in goal to start the season. Hjelle played in 14 games last year with a 3.87 goals against average and .859 save percentage.
Brandon McNamara (So., Andover) returns as the top point-scorer after playing in all 25 games last season with five goals and six assists for 11 points. Newcomers up front that may see some elevated minutes early in the season include Mason Hendrickson (Fy., Deephaven) and Nate Stone (Fy., Edina).
“They’ve come in really good shape and made a positive impression on our group in the early stages of our season,” Petersen said.
Gustavus starts the season this weekend with games at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire before starting MIAC play Nov. 10 and 12 against St. Scholastica.
“Our non conference schedule is heavy and against really good teams,” Petersen said. “Hopefully we can enjoy the process and the wins will follow.”