Friday night was already a memorable one for sophomore Jackson Sabo and his teammates on the Saint John’s University hockey team. But Sabo managed to make it even more special when he scored the game-winning goal at the 2:16 mark of overtime to lift the Johnnies to a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Augsburg in an MIAC men’s hockey matchup played outdoors under the lights as part of Hockey Day in Minnesota weekend festivities at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Township.

It marked the first MIAC contest (and just the second NCAA Division III college matchup) to be played as part of the event since it was first established by the Minnesota Wild and what is now known as Bally Sports North in 2007.

And Sabo could not have been more thrilled to be there.

“This was so cool,” he said. “It was just like when I was growing up playing hockey on the pond in my backyard. It’s such a great feeling. There’s nothing like it.”

SJU improved to 7-3-1 in conference play and 11-7-2 overall. The Johnnies play host to Augsburg at 7 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 28) at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud to conclude the home-and-home series. For more, check out the game story at gojohnnies.com.

Jackson Sabo and the Johnnies celebrate their overtime game-winning goal on Friday in White Bear Township. The victory over Augsburg came in SJU's first outdoor hockey game of the modern era.