Men's Hockey 2/7/09 -- Augsburg 5, Hamline 4 (OT)
MINNEAPOLIS (2/7/09) -- Cory Ellertson (SO, Albert Lea, Minn.) scored the game-winning goal at the 3:19 mark of overtime, lifting the Augsburg College men's hockey team to a 5-4 victory over visiting Hamline University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey game on Saturday night at the Augsburg Ice Arena.
Trevor Doden (FY, Red Wing, Minn.) scored two third-period goals and added an assist for a three-point night, while Ellertson and Mario Mjelleli (SO, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) had a goal and assist apiece for Augsburg (7-14-0 overall, 6-6-0 MIAC).
Brian Arrigoni (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) had a goal and an assist for Hamline (12-8-1 overall, 7-5-0 MIAC).
Augsburg, which has won four straight games, continues its push for a spot in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs. Augsburg is now in a fifth-place tie with Bethel (6-8 MIAC) -- a team the Auggies swept Nov. 14-15 -- with 12 points. Bethel has just two conference games remaining, against St. Thomas Feb. 20-21, while Augsburg has four league games left, a two-game series against St. Mary's next Friday and Saturday (2/13-14) and a series against conference-leader St. Olaf on Feb. 20-21.
Doden scored consecutive goals in the third period to rally Augsburg from a 3-2 deficit to take a 4-3 lead. He scored from Brandon Bukowski (FY, Superior, Wis.) and Chris Slavik (FY, St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville HS) at the 10:56 mark, and scored on the power play from Ellertson with 2:33 remaining in regulation. But 69 seconds later, Kelly Plude (FY, Elk River, Minn.) scored for the Pipers on the power play, forcing overtime.
Hamline drew an interference penalty with 3:25 left in overtime, and Ellertson scored from Mjelleli and Jim Jensen (SO, Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) with 1:41 left -- Augsburg's second power-play goal of the game and its sixth in 12 power-play opportunities on the weekend.
Augsburg opened the scoring with two goals, as Joel Sauer (SO, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS) scored from Doden and Chris Johnson (JR, Verona, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) in the first period, and Mjelleli scored from Nick Guran (FY, McHenry, Ill.) and Jensen at the 13:58 mark of the second frame. Just 45 seconds later, Hamline scored the first of its two goals in a 1:03 span to tie the game -- as Brett Burgau (SO, New Ulm, Minn.) and Kyle Kurr (JR, Elk River, Minn.) scored. The Pipers took the lead at the 6:43 mark of the third period, as Arrigoni scored. Doden's two-goal third-period outburst followed for the Auggies.
Augsburg goalie Andrew Kent (SR, Lakeville, Minn.) claimed 38 saves in net for the victory, as Augsburg was outshot by a 42-33 margin. Matt Wanvig (JR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS) had 28 saves for the Pipers.
