Women's Hockey 2/24/05 -- Augsburg 6, Hamline 2

BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (2/24/05) -- With 10 different players figuring in the scoring, the Augsburg College women's hockey team clinched a home game in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, scoring a 6-2 victory over Hamline University on Thursday night at the Augsburg Ice Arena.

Stacy Anderson (So., Lafayette, Calif./Marina HS), Jocelyn Cookson (Jr., Edina, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson HS), Britt Pennington (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn./Tech HS) and Melynda Kleewein (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond HS) had a goal and assist apiece for the Auggies, now 12-9-3 overall, 9-7-1 in MIAC play.

Emily Toenes (Fr., Eagle River, Alaska/Chugiak HS) and Regina Voracek (Sr., Spanaway, Wash./Spanaway Lake HS) scored for Hamline, which lost its fifth game in a row to fall to 4-18-1 overall, 3-13-1 in MIAC play.

The teams complete the MIAC series, the final series of the regular season, on Saturday (2/26) at 4 p.m. at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum in St. Paul.

With the win, Augsburg clinches a fourth-place finish in the MIAC regular-season standings, and with it, a home "play-in" game against the No. 5 seed on Tuesday (3/1) at 7:05 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena. St. Olaf has clinched the third seed in the MIAC standings, and league leaders Gustavus and St. Thomas face each other in a series this weekend, which will decide the conference title.

Three teams -- St. Mary's, St. Benedict and Bethel -- remain alive for the fifth seed in the postseason playoffs. St. Mary's (14 points) will host Concordia-Moorhead (seven points) in a two-game series this weekend, while Bethel and St. Benedict face each other in their final series.

Augsburg jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one period and cruised from there, outshooting the Pipers by a 45-19 margin.

Jana Ford (Sr., Eagan, Minn.), one of seven Auggie seniors playing in their final regular-season home games of their careers, opened the scoring for the Auggies just 1:37 into the game, scoring on a shot in front from Carrie Velenchenko (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Corrie Krzyska (Sr., Buffalo, Minn./Fridley HS). Five of the seven seniors figured in the scoring in Thursday's win.

Augsburg took a 2-0 lead at the 7:53 mark on a power-play goal by Pennington, on a slap shot from the point on a feed from Jackie Keller (Fr., Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City West HS).

Hamline cut the lead to 2-1 on Toenes' first collegiate goal, coming from Andrea Davis (So., St. Francis, Minn.) at the 12:20 mark on the last second of a Piper power play. But Augsburg stretched the lead again on Kleewein's second goal of the season at the 15:40 mark, completing a three-way end-to-end rush from Anderson and Pennington.

Augsburg scored twice in the second period, as Anderson notched her 18th goal of the season from Cookson on the power play at the 12:17 mark, and Krzyska scored from Katie Medd (Fr., Mankato, Minn./East HS) at the 17:46 mark. Augsburg outshot Hamline 32-9 through two periods.

Hamline scored on the power play at the 3:07 mark of the third period, as Voracek scored her first goal of the season on a shot from the point that was redirected into the net off an Augsburg player in front.

Cookson capped the scoring for the Auggies, matching Anderson for the team lead in goals with her 18th of the season, on feeds from Lauren Chezick (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) and Kleewein at the 8:24 mark.

Kristin Johnson (Sr., Minnetonka, Minn./Wayzata HS) made 17 saves in goal for Augsburg to pick up the win, while Rachael Young (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) stopped 39 shots for Hamline.