BOXSCORE
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Nick Guran (SO, McHenry, Ill./McHenry East HS) scored two goals and had an assist to rally Augsburg College from an early deficit, but Bethel University scored three unanswered goals in the third period to claim a 5-3 triumph in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's hockey game on Friday night at the Augsburg Ice Arena.

In a game with key conference playoff implications for both teams, Christian Fogerty (JR, Forest Lake, Minn.) scored twice in the third period, including an empty-net goal in the closing seconds, to enable Bethel (10-14-0 overall, 8-7-0 MIAC) to rally from a 3-2 deficit to Augsburg (14-9-1 overall, 7-7-1 MIAC).

With one game remaining in the regular season, Augsburg sits with 15 league points and is in fifth place, a point behind Bethel's 16. Gustavus (24 points), Hamline (22) and St. Thomas (18) have already clinched berths in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs. Augsburg has reached the conference playoffs in two of the last three seasons.

If Augsburg beats Bethel on Saturday (2/20) at 7 p.m. at the Schwan SuperRink in Blaine, it would clinch the No. 4 seed in the postseason playoffs. If the teams tie tomorrow, Bethel would claim the No. 4 spot and Augsburg would have to have St. Olaf lose to St. John's in its meeting tomorrow in Northfield to avoid elimination. If Augsburg and St. Olaf end up tied at 16 league points, St. Olaf would advance to the postseason based on tiebreaker criteria. Should the Auggies lose to the Royals tomorrow, there are possible tiebreaker scenarios involving both St. Olaf and Concordia-Moorhead for the last playoff berth.

Bethel opened the game with two quick goals in a 2:35 span early in the game, with Jack Paul (FY, Minnetonka, Minn.) and Mason Swenson (SO, Eagan, Minn.) scoring at the 5:20 and 7:55 marks of the first period.

But Augsburg rallied with three straight goals to take the lead. Guran scored a power-play goal from Mario Mjelleli (JR, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) and Chris Johnson (SR, Verona, Wis./Madison Memorial HS) at the 19:01 mark of the first period, and Johnson tied the game for the Auggies 21 seconds into the second frame, assisted by Guran and Joel Sauer (JR, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS). Guran then put the Auggies in front with a goal from Johnson and Sauer in the closing minute of the second frame.

Fogerty tied the game for the Royals with a power-play goal at the 11:28 mark of the third period, and the Royals went ahead five minutes later, with Chris Fiala (SO, Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) scoring an unassisted goal. Fogerty finished the scoring with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Bethel outshot Augsburg by a 28-24 margin. Justin Lochner (FY, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) had 23 saves for the Auggies, while Aaron Damjanovich (SR, Remer, Minn./Greenway HS) had 21 saves for the Royals.