MINNEAPOLIS - Martin Hlinka (Jr., Bratislava, Slovakia) scored two goals and Todd Cary (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind.) added another in a five-minute stretch of the second period Friday night, lifting the Augsburg College men's hockey team to a 4-3 victory over St. John's University in the first game of a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff semifinal series at the Augsburg Ice Arena.

Augsburg (16-6-4 overall), which claimed a share of the MIAC regular season title with St. Thomas, faces St. John's (17-9-0) in the second game of the semifinal series Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena. The series winner (minigame if necessary) will face the winner of the St. Thomas-Gustavus semifinal series for the MIAC playoff title and a berth in the eight-team NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Hlinka scored two goals in a 2:18 stretch midway through the second period, and Cary added an unassisted, shorthanded goal at the 15-minute mark to give the Auggies a 3-1 lead. Cary had a goal and two assists to lead the Auggies. John Bramer (So., Humboldt, Sask.) scored for Augsburg in the first period.

The Johnnies added two goals in the third period to cut the lead to a single goal, but could not tie the game in the final three minutes. Nick Kulenkamp (Sr., Woodbury, Minn.) had two goals and an assist, while Matt Erredge (Jr., Austin, Minn.) had a goal and an assist. Ryan McIntosh (Fr., Calgary, Alberta) made 31 saves on 34 shots to pick up the victory in goal for the Auggies, improving to 9-1-3 in the process. Mark Rice (Jr., St. Louis Park, Minn.) made 24 saves on 28 shots in a losing effort.

The two teams combined for 71 penalty minutes on 31 infractions in the contest. Augsburg was 0-for-1 on the power play, while St. John's went 1-for-9.

Augsburg College 4, St. John's University 3
St. John's (17-9-0)-0-1-2-3
Augsburg (16-6-4)-1-3-0-4

First period: AUG-John Bramer (Todd Cary, Andrew Shermoen), 7:10. Second period: SJU-Nick Kulenkamp (Matt Erredge, Tryg Sarsland), 8:57 (2-man PP); AUG-Martin Hlinka (Cary, Mario LeBlanc), 10:19; AUG-Hlinka (Bramer), 12:38; AUG-Cary (unassisted), 15:00 (SH). Third period: SJU-Erredge (Ryan Mitchell, Kulenkamp), 4:52; SJU-Kulenkamp (Sarsland), 17:53.

Saves: AUG-Ryan McIntosh 11-12-8-31; SJU-Mark Rice 12-4-8-24. Shots on goal: Augsburg 13-7-8-28; St. John's 11-13-10-34.

Penalties: Augsburg 20 for 48 minutes; St. John's 11 for 23 minutes. Power play: Augsburg 0 for 1; St. John's 1 for 9.