Niesen gets unprecedented exposure

The Base's Cody Niesen of St. Thomas Academy made history earlier this season by shutting out Shattuck-St. Mary's 2-0 on Oct. 1 in Faribault. Photo by Loren Nelson, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com

Time was running out in a frenetic third period and The Base’s Cody Niesen, under siege by Shattuck-St. Mary’s, was on the verge of both a shutout and a place in history.

Niesen, a St. Thomas Academy senior, was the first star in a 2-0 triumph over the Sabres on Oct. 1 in Faribault. The shutout loss is believed to be the first for Shattuck-St. Mary’s in at least 248 games, based on scores posted over the past five seasons. Shattuck’s streak of scoring at least one goal in each of its games likely stretched much longer. 

“That’s the best I’ve seen a goalie play in a long, long time,” The Base co-head coach Mike Phillippi said. “It takes 20 guys, but he really kept us in the game.”

Shattuck-St. Mary’s went 54-2-1 last season, with one of the two losses coming 4-2 against the Elite League’s TDS Transportation.

Niesen said he felt remarkably calm in this year’s shutout win over the Sabres — until the frantic finish. 

“It was nice to really get into it and actually play loose,” he said. 

Shattuck-St. Mary’s was awarded a power play with 5:56 remaining.

“I was a little nervous there since I knew I wanted that shutout,” he said. “My guys did a great job killing that off.”

The Base’s win over Shattuck-St. Mary’s and Spade’s 4-4 tie against the Sabres three days later are early indications of a raised talent level in the Elite League this season. Eight league players have already committed to Division I colleges.

“I think all the Elite League teams are good this season … they are definitely fit to play a team like Shattuck,” Niesen said. “You’ve got better players now.”

Niesen’s shutout of Shattuck is one of several command performances by Elite League goaltenders in recent history. While by no means intended to be a comprehensive list, below are a few more notable outings: 

• The stakes weren’t particularly high in this 2010 regular season game between Team North and Team Southeast, but the finals seconds couldn’t have been more dramatic. North’s Alex Lyon of Lake of the Woods stopped Southeast’s Kevin Becker of Hill-Murray on a penalty shot with 2 seconds left to preserve a 3-2 victory. At the time, Lyon said at the time it was the second-best save of his career. He went on to play three standout seasons at Yale and has played in parts of seven seasons in the NHL, most recently last season with the Detroit Red Wings.
• Shutouts are always notable accomplishments, but this one during the 2010 Elite League playoffs was particularly stunning. Team Northeast’s Tim Shaughnessy of Hill-Murray stopped 30 shots against Team Northwest in an unlikely 4-0 league quarterfinal playoff victory. Northeast was the seventh seed entering the postseason while Northwest was the No. 2 seed. Northwest had defeated Northeast in all four previous meetings that season. 
• Championship games of the Elite League’s season-ending International Invitational Tournament typically aren’t lopsided affairs, but Minnesota Red goaltender Jackson Hjelle of Delano certainly did his part to ensure the 2017 title game was mostly devoid of drama. Hjelle stopped 42 shots to lead Minnesota Red to a 5-1 win over Shattuck-St. Mary’s and was named the tournament’s MVP. Hjelle went on to play three seasons at Gustavus Adolphus College, including last season as one of the Gusties’ captains.
• Great goaltending performances don’t necessarily result in victories. Such was the case early in the 2022 season when MSP Magazine’s Jack Erickson of Hill-Murray made a whopping 64 saves in a 2-1 loss to Shattuck-St. Mary’s. Erickson made an astounding 30 saves in the second period and MSP Magazine led 1-0 until the late stages of the third. Shattuck-St. Mary’s scored the winning goal with 79 seconds remaining. Erickson is currently playing in the North American Hockey League for the Colorado Grit.

The Upper Midwest High School Elite League was founded in 2002 and is a model program for player development in North America. It provides the region’s top players with an opportunity to play with and against top competition while maintaining their eligibility to play high school hockey in their respective communities.