Men's D-III wrap: Dec. 17

With many teams already off for the holiday season, last weekend had a light schedule in Division III. Here are a few of the highlights from last weekend’s action.
St. John’s tops rival
On Thursday, St. John’s knocked off rival St. Thomas, 4-2. Phil Johnson scored two goals for St. John’s.
Last Thursday’s loss is a tough blow for St. Thomas, who was trying to jump back into the USCHO.com top 15 poll. Last week, St. Thomas received 16 votes, barely missing the cut.
Speaking of teams on the cusp of getting back into the top 15, Wis.-River Falls’ offense erupted for seven goals en route to a 7-4 victory over Augsburg on Thursday. Adam Cardwell notched two goals for the Falcons.
Based on their performance on Thursday, could the Falcons leap back into the top 15? We’ll see.
MSOE blanks Hamline
On Friday, the Milwaukee School of Engineering pounded Hamline, 5-0. MSOE was ranked 13 in last week’s D-III poll.
MSOE scored twice on the power play and received 23 saves and a shutout from goalie Nick Kohn, who blocked 11 shots in the second period. The freshman netminder has been solid throughout the season.
On Saturday however, MSOE couldn’t keep its momentum going, falling 3-2 at St. John’s. After MSOE scored on a power play to tie the contest 2-2, St. John’s Trent Johnson hit the game-winner late in the third period.
It was certainly another exciting match-up from two strong teams in D-III.
Plymouth State’s firepower prevails
Also on Saturday, Plymouth State outshot Southern New Hampshire, 43-18, to claim a 5-2 victory.
Southern New Hampshire took a 1-0 lead in the first period, but Plymouth State dominated the second and third, outscoring its opponent, 5-1. Four players had two assists each for Plymouth State.
The Panthers (8-1-0) have been on the rise in recent weeks, and could crack into the top 15 soon.