BOXSCORE MINNEAPOLIS -- Niklas Almstrom (SR, Medina, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's HS) scored two goals and added an assist for a three-point night, as his Augsburg College men's hockey team rallied for a 4-2 win over Hamline University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Friday evening at Ed Saugestad Rink.

Augsburg (11-8-3 overall, 4-6-3 MIAC) rallied from a 2-0 deficit with four straight goals to claim the win over Hamline (2-19-1 overall, 1-12-0 MIAC) in the opener of this weekend's series. The teams will complete the series on Saturday (2/15) at 7 p.m. at Oscar Johnson Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

The Pipers scored twice in the first 2:49 of the second period, but Augsburg scored twice in a 2:19 span later in the frame, and Ben McClellan (JR, Cottage Grove, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) put the Auggies ahead with a goal from Carl Krieger (SO, Oakdale, Minn./Tartan HS) and Almstrom at the 19:09 mark of the frame. Almstrom capped the scoring with an empty-net goal at the 19:36 mark of the third period.

Almstrom opened the scoring for the Auggies with a goal from Lucas Hendrickson (SO, Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) at the 5:30 mark of the second period, followed by a power-play goal by Rory Vesel (FY, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS), assisted by Mack Ohnsted (SO, Vernon Hills, Ill./Adali E. Stevenson HS) and Corbin Chapman (FY, Burnsville, Minn.) at the 7:49 mark.

McClellan claimed his team-leading 13th goal of the season on Friday, while Ohnsted collected his team-leading 18th assist of the campaign. McClellan is currently tied for third among MIAC players in overall statistics in total goals, while Ohnsted has the second-most assists among MIAC players. Ohnsted's 22 total points are sixth-most among league players, while McClellan's 17 points are tied for 14th.

The Pipers opened the scoring with Diego Wilson's (FY, St. John's, Mich./Fulton HS) first collegiate goal, assisted by Andrew Carlson (FY, Livonia, Mich./Churchill HS), 25 seconds into the second period. Chris Williford (FY, Ray, Mich./Lutheran North HS) followed with a power-play goal from Brandon Zurn (SO, Mahtomedi, Minn.) and Andrew Herbert (JR, Woodbury, Minn.) at the 2:49 mark.

Augsburg outshot Hamline by a 31-18 margin. John Bretzman (JR, Mendota Heights, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran HS) claimed 16 saves for the win in goal for Augsburg, while John Selle-Hanson (FY, Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) had 27 saves for Hamline.