AUGSBURG 3, WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS 2

RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Freshman goalie Ryan McIntosh stopped 31 shots in picking up his 11th win in a row, leading the Augsburg College men's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Wisconsin-River Falls in the first game of an NCAA Division III national playoff quarterfinal series Friday night at Hunt Arena on the UW-River Falls campus.

The win improves Augsburg's record to 20-6-4, while UW-RF falls to 22-7-1. The win is Augsburg's 13th in a row and 17th in its last 19 games (17-1-1).

The two teams play again Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. at Hunt Arena. If Augsburg wins or ties the Falcons, the Auggies will advance to the NCAA Division III Final Four at a site to be determined. If UW-RF wins, a minigame will follow, with sudden-death overtime required if the teams finish the minigame in a draw.

Despite being outshot 33-24 in the contest, Augsburg scored goals at key times to stay in front the whole way. Kris Arro (So., Etobicoke, Ont.) scored the Auggies' first goal in the first period, and after River Falls tied the game four minutes later, the Auggies went ahead to stay on a John Bramer (So., Humboldt, Sask.) tally halfway through the second frame.

The Auggies clinched the victory on a Roland Blumer (So., Anchorage, Alaska) goal at the 6:02 mark of the third period. River Falls cut the lead to the final margin in the final 1:29 of play. River Falls' goals came from Bill Matzke (Jr., Bloomington, Minn.) and Chris Burke (So., Winona, Minn.).

McIntosh's 11th victory in a row in goal improves his overall record to 13-1-3 on the season. His winning percentage is among the top five in the nation in Division III statistics.

This is Augsburg's first NCAA national tournament appearance since 1984, when the Auggies took fourth in the country. Augsburg won the MIAC regular season and playoff championships this season.

Augsburg 3, Wisconsin-River Falls 2

Augsburg -- 0-2-1---3
UW-River Falls -- 0-1-1---2

First Period: no scoring.
Second Period: AUG--Kris Arro (Martin Hlinka, John Bramer), 4:04. RF--Bill Matzke (Mike Schauer, Chris Coakley), 8:09. AUG--Bramer (Todd Cary, Hlinka), 10:09.
Third Period: AUG--Roland Blumer (Mario LeBlanc), 6:02. RF--Chris Burke (Coakley, Schauer), 18:31.

Shots on goal:
Augsburg 7-13-4---24,
River Falls 7-10-16---33.

Saves:
AUG--Ryan McIntosh 7-9-15---31,
RF--Brady Alstead 7-11-3---21.

Penalties:
Augsburg 6 for 12 minutes,
River Falls 5 for 10 minutes.

Power Plays:
Augsburg 0 for 3,
River Falls 0 for 4.

Officials: Steve Beckman, Bill Vollbrecht, referees; Rick Larsen, lineman.