Sparked by forward Connor McBride’s goal early in the third period, the St. Thomas men’s hockey team came on late to defeat St. Olaf 4-1 Friday night, scoring all four goals in the final frame.

The Tommies got into an early hole, thanks to a first-period goal by St. Olaf forward Ole Setsaas, who redirected a teammate’s shot past St. Thomas goaltender Drew Fielding. The Tommie defense stood strong for the rest of the game, propelling the team’s offensive onslaught in the third period.

“I think, to use a cliché, the best defense is a good offense,” Fielding, who saved 19 of 20 St. Olaf shots, said. “We buried them in their zone, really dictated the playing control, especially in that third period, and we limited their chances. We played a great defensive game.”

The defensive stalemate boiled to a breaking point, however. With just seconds remaining in the second period, the teams engaged in a penalty-laden fight after St. Thomas forward Jordan Lovick was shoved to the ice in front of St. Olaf’s goal.

The scrum, which resulted in eight penalties, including a game misconduct for St. Thomas’ Steve Sorensen, may have been just what the Tommies needed energy-wise to overcome their deficit.

“We are kind of a score-first team,” forward Alex Altenbernd said. “When we score first we play a lot better, so we have to find a way to handle that and still get energy when we’re not the team that scores first.”

Riding the energy boost from the tussle, the Tommies finally cracked the code when McBride buried a shot just five minutes into the third period.

“It was just nice to get that goal,” coach Jeff Boeser said of his team’s breakthrough. “We had chances and chances, but they just weren’t going in, so we got that first one and then things took off after that.”

A mere 65 seconds later, Altenbernd was able to net another Tommie goal – the eventual game-winner – giving the team a 2-1 lead.

“We were playing a lot on the perimeter, so it was nice to finally get one to the net and get a garbage goal staying in front there,” Altenbernd said. “They’re a good team. They block a lot of shots. They really packed it in to the middle and let us do whatever we wanted on the outside … You’re not really dangerous out there, though.”

Two more Tommie goals would follow en route to the team’s four-goal drubbing of the Oles in the third period.

Forwards Chris Cass and Willie Faust both put shots past St. Olaf goaltender Steve Papciak later in the third. Faust, who also recorded an assist on Altenbernd’s game-winner, solidified the Tommie victory with his team-leading fourth goal of the season.

“That was probably the best we’ve played all season so far,” Fielding said. “We just have to keep the positive vibes going. You could tell we really came out with a determined focus in the third period, and we really played with some jump and determination.”

The “jump and determination” is something Boeser hopes the team can continue Saturday night as the two teams square off again, this time at St. Olaf.

“Hopefully we can build on that momentum and just go right after them and get pucks to the net,” Boeser said. “It’s going to be a lot simpler game tomorrow because it’s a lot smaller rink.”

The two teams drop the puck at 7:30 p.m. Saturday with St. Olaf searching for its first MIAC win.

Scott Sikich can be reached at siki3549@stthomas.edu,