Men's Hockey 2/6/09 -- Augsburg 6, Hamline 3
ST. PAUL, Minn. (2/6/09) -- Joel Sauer (SO, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS) and Nick Guran (FY, McHenry, Ill.) had two goals and an assist apiece, leading Augsburg College to a 6-3 triumph over host Hamline University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey game on Friday night at the Drake Ice Arena.
The victory was an important one in Augsburg's (6-14-0 overall, 5-6-0 MIAC) pursuit of a spot in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs. With five games remaining in the regular season, Augsburg stands in sixth place with 10 conference points, just two points behind fifth-place Bethel (6-7 MIAC) -- a team the Auggies swept in a series on Nov. 14-15. Bethel has just three conference games remaining in the regular season.
Kyle Kurr (JR, Elk River, Minn.) had a goal and assist for Hamline (16-7-1 overall, 7-4-0 MIAC), with Ryan Kupperman (SO, Canterbury, N.H.) and Kelly Plude (FY, Elk River, Minn.) scoring the other Piper goals.
Augsburg scored three goals in a 4:15 span in the second period to take the lead for good. Mario Mjelleli (SO, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) scored from Jim Jensen (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) and Cory Ellertson (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) on a power-play goal at the 10:08 mark, with Sauer scoring from Trevor Doden (FY, Red Wing, Minn.) at the 11:16 mark and Tedd Falk (FY, Mequon, Wis./Homestead HS) scoring from Ellertson at the 14:23 mark. Sauer scored his second goal of the game on a power-play marker at the 17:37 mark, assisted by Doden and Guran.
Augsburg went 4-for-6 on the power play the game, with Guran scoring twice on the power play in the third period -- a goal from Sauer and David Hines (FY, Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Tech HS) at the 10:14 mark, and another from Chris Johnson (JR, Verona, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) and Hines at the 15:58 mark.
Kupperman scored from Kurr for the Pipers 12 seconds into the second period, with Kurr scoring from Dustin Fulton (SR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Breck HS) and Zachary Faust (JR, White Bear Lake, Minn.) at the 17:07 mark of the frame. Plude scored at the 3:04 mark of the third period, assisted by Brett Burgau (SO, New Ulm, Minn.) and Jordan VanGuilder (FY, Lino Lake, Minn./Centennial HS).
Augsburg claimed the victory, despite being outshot by a 30-16 margin in the game. Augsburg goalie Andrew Kent (SR, Lakeville, Minn.) collected 27 saves for the win.
The teams complete the MIAC series on Saturday (2/7) at 7 p.m. at the Augsburg Ice Arena.
