Men's Hockey 2/7/04 -- Augsburg 4, Bethel 3 (OT) 

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (2/7/04) -- Jake Wegscheider (Sr., Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) scored the game-winning goal with 49 seconds left in overtime on Saturday, lifting Augsburg College to a 4-3 victory over Bethel College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey game at the Augsburg Ice Arena.

Wegscheider won his own face off to the left of the Bethel net, moved to his right and fired the puck under the pads of Bethel goalie Tony Ciro (So., Spring Lake Park, Minn./Hill-Murray HS), giving the Auggies the win and the sweep of the weekend series.

Augsburg is now 7-9-4 overall, 5-4-3 in MIAC play, remaining in the hunt for a spot in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs. Bethel drops to 4-13-1 overall, 2-8-0 in MIAC play.

Augsburg had rallied from a 2-1 second-period deficit to take a 3-2 lead, off of goals from Brad Bjorgum (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) at the 5:17 mark, and from Dave Nelson (So., Woodbury, Minn./South St. Paul HS) at the 15:00 mark. Wegscheider and Collin Nash (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) assisted on Bjorgum's goal, while Tony Beaulieu (Fr., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) and Cody Swanson (So., Vermillion, Minn./Hastings HS) assisted on Nelson's tally.

But Bethel drew the game even with 44 seconds left in regulation, as Dan Ubl (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) scored his second goal of the game, on assists from Ryan Adams (Fr., Litchfield, Minn.) and Josh Storm (So., Lakeville, Minn.).

Augsburg outshot Bethel 4-1 in overtime, controlling the puck for most of the extra session. In the game, Augsburg outshot Bethel by a 30-26 margin.

Bethel took an early lead on the power play, as Jon Kraemer (Fr., St. Paul, Minn./Como Park HS) scored from Chris Carroll (Sr., Roseville, Minn.) and Kris Birch (Jr., Brooklyn Park, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret HS) at the 3:49 mark of the first period.

Ausgburg drew even in the second period, as Brett Osness (So., Calgary, Alberta/Springbrook HS) got a steal and scored an unassisted goal at the 10:12 mark. But Ubl drew the Royals ahead again late in the second frame, as he scored from Storm and Adams at the 17:31 mark.

Erik Young (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) made 23 saves to pick up the win for the Auggies, while Ciro stopped 26 shots for the Royals.

Both teams return to action with MIAC series next weekend. Augsburg faces conference-leader St. Thomas in a two-game series, with Friday's (2/13) game at 7:05 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena, and Saturday's (2/14) game at 7:05 p.m. at the new University of St. Thomas/St. Thomas Academy ice rink in Inver Grove Heights.

Bethel faces St. John's in a weekend series, with Friday's game at 7 p.m. at the Columbia Arena in Fridley, and Saturday's game at 2 p.m. at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.