BOXSCORE

BLAINE, Minn. -- #B.J. McClellan# (FY, Cottage Grove, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) scored two goals, including the game-winner 59 seconds into overtime, as the Augsburg College men's hockey team clinched a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs with a 5-4 win on Friday evening at the Schwan SuperRink.

With the win, Augsburg's fifth in a row, the Auggies (13-8-3 overall, 7-6-2 MIAC) clinched a berth in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs for the third straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons. Augsburg is currently tied with Gustavus (13-9-2 overall, 7-6-2 MIAC) for fourth place in the league standings, after the Gusties dropped a 4-3 decision at St. Mary's on Friday.

Augsburg rallied from a 2-0, first-period deficit with four straight goals to take the lead in Friday's game, but Bethel (4-16-4 overall, 3-8-4 overall) scored twice in the final 6:13 of regulation, including a game-tying goal with an extra attacker with 28 seconds left in the third period.

But McClellan scored his second goal of the game, and sixth goal of the season, 59 seconds into the extra session, on assists by Mario Mjelleli (SR, Faribault, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) and Trevor Doden (JR, Red Wing, Minn.).

McClellan added an assist for a three-point night. Linemates Doden and Mjelleli also had three-point nights, with Doden claiming a goal and two assists, and Mjelleli contributing three assists. Jim Jensen (SR, Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) and David Hines (JR, Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Tech HS) also scored for the Auggies, and John Lennartson (JR, Burnsville, Minn.) had two assists.

Jack Paul had two goals and an assist for Bethel, while Chris Fiala and John Crouse had a goal and assist each.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead with two goals by Paul in the first 3:31 of play, but the Auggies cut the lead to 2-1 on Hines' first goal of the season, assisted by Lennartson, with 1:52 left in the first period.

The Auggies scored three goals in a 3:35 span -- including two power-play goals -- midway through the second period to take a 4-2 lead. McClellan scored a power-play goal from Doden and Lennartson at the 11:32 mark, Doden scored from McClellan and Mjelleli at the 12:36 mark, and Jensen scored on the power play from Mjelleli and Joel Sauer (SR, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS) at the 15:07 mark.

With the assist, Sauer remains as the MIAC's overall scoring leader with 35 points, including a conference-best 21 assists and 14 goals, according to the Collegehockeystats.net website. Sauer is also tied for the league lead in points in conference games-only with 21 (nine goals, 12 assists).

The Royals tied the game with two goals in the third period -- a Crouse power-play goal at the 13:47 mark and Fiala's extra-attacker goal at the 19:32 mark.

Bethel outshot Augsburg by a 44-38 margin. Justin Lochner (SO, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) claimed 40 saves for Augsburg, while Zac Bush had 33 saves for Bethel.

Augsburg and Bethel complete the regular season on Saturday (2/19) at 7 p.m. at Ed Saugestad Rink.