Hockey | 10/30/2026 11:00:00 PM
St. Paul, Minn. - Golden Eagle Hockey has officially handed the University of St. Thomas Tommies their first loss of the season by way of a 3-2 win! In net for the Golden Eagles tonight was Tyler Swanson (Jr., G, Moorhead, Minn.), who entered the night with a 3-0-0 record, a .959 save percentage, and a 1.50 goals against average. For the Tommies, it was Nick Hansen with a 2-0-0 record, a .978 save percentage, and a 0.50 goals against average.
Tonight's game was the typical game between these two major rivals, a low scoring, one goal game that was tight from start to finish. The Golden Eagles were the first team to get on the scoresheet, with Anthony Launderville (Fr., F, Duluth, Minn.) firing home his third goal of the season with six and a half minutes remaining in the first period. Landon Siemens (Fr., D, Bottineau, N.D.) had the assist on the game's opening goal. Swanson came up big in the first period, stopping all nine shots he faced. On the other end of the ice, Hansen saved five of the six shots he faced.
The second period held all of the action, and it started off with 16:50 left on the clock in the middle frame thanks to a Ben Hines (Sr., F, Detroit Lakes, Minn.) extending the Golden Eagles lead to 2-0. Kadin Edwards (So., F, Crookston, Minn.) and Tyler Swanson assisted on the goal, giving Swanson an assist in each season of his collegiate career. Four minutes later, the Tommies broke through the brick wall in the Golden Eagles' net as Brennan Hogan drew the team within one. That one goal deficit only lasted five minutes before Anthony Launderville scored his second goal of the night to extend the lead to 3-1, Brody Nordmark (So., D, Souris, N.D.) had the assist on what stood as the game winning goal. Three minutes after going back down by two, Westan Quirk scored to bring the Tommies back to within just one goal. The second period came to an end with the Golden Eagles leading 3-2 and looking for their first ever road win over the Tommies.
Coming into tonight's game, the Tommies were the final undefeated team remaining in the WCCHA. That, plus the history between these two teams, meant that this was going to be a massive game between the two programs. Thanks to another shutdown period from Tyler Swanson this season, something the Golden Eagles are becoming accustomed to, the Golden Eagles secured that first road win against the University of St. Thomas. Just like in the first period, Swanson turned away all nine shots that he faced in the third period, guaranteeing the first Tommies loss of the 2026-27 season and giving the Golden Eagles a huge boost in the standings, as well as the ACHA Division II Central Rankings.
The Golden Eagles and Tommies will wrap up their regular season series tomorrow morning with a 10:30 a.m. puck drop at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena opened just one year ago and will be a new location for this incredible WCCHA rivalry.
