Men's Hockey 1/2/09 -- Augsburg 6, Babson (Mass.) 2
OSWEGO, N.Y. (1/2/09) -- Chris Johnson (JR, Verona, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) scored two goals and had two assists for a four-point evening, as Augsburg College overcame a 2-0, first-period deficit with six unanswered goals, en route to a 6-2 win over Babson College (Mass.) in a semifinal game of the Pathfinder Bank/Oswego Hockey Classic on Friday afternoon at the State University of New York-Oswego Campus Center Arena.
Augsburg (3-7-0 overall) claimed the win with a season-high goal output in the tournament's opening game, despite being outshot by Babson (3-4-1 overall) by a 40-26 margin, including a 26-13 deficit in the first two periods. However, Augsburg goalie Andrew Kent (SR, Lakeville, Minn.) had a huge performance, recording 38 saves for the win. Kent has now claimed 30-plus saves in six of his nine games this season -- six of his last seven starts.
Augsburg will face host Oswego State (N.Y., 9-5-1) in the tournament final on Saturday (1/3) at 7 p.m. (Eastern time) in Oswego. Babson will play in the consolation game against Skidmore College (N.Y., 4-3-0) in the consolation game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Oswego State topped Skidmore 8-3 in Friday's other semifinal.
Joel Sauer (SO, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS) and Jim Jensen (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) had a goal and assist apiece for the Auggies, while Mario Mjelleli (SO, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) and John Lennartson (FY, Burnsville, Minn.) had the other Auggie goals.
Trailing 2-0 on Babson goals by Brad Baldelli and Terry Woods in the opening 13:31 of play, the Auggies cut into the advantage late in the opening frame, as Johnson scored a power-play goal, his fourth of the season, from Brandon Bukowski (FY, Superior, Wis.). Mjelleli tied the game for the Auggies at the 13:34 mark of the second period, scoring from Cory Ellertson (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) and Bryan Frischmann (SO, Rochester, Minn./Century HS).
The Auggies then exploded for four goals in a 5:57 span in the third period, driving Babson starting goalie Skylar Nipps from the game. Augsburg had four goals on its 13 shots on goal in the third period, including three goals in six shots against Nipps. Nipps had 14 saves in goal for the Beavers, while Travis Clarke collected six saves in 10:33 of relief.
Sauer scored from Trevor Doden (FY, Red Wing, Minn.) at the 5:43 mark, Jensen scored from Johnson at the 7:48 mark, Johnson notched his team-best eighth goal of the season from Jensen and Sauer at the 9:27, and Lennartson completed the scoring with a goal from Johnson at the 11:40 mark.
