MINNEAPOLIS -- Mack Ohnsted (SR, Vernon Hills, Ill./Adali E. Stevenson HS) scored 2:53 into the third overtime on Saturday night, lifting his Augsburg College men's hockey team to a 5-4 win over Saint John's University at Ed Saugestad Rink, clinching the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff championship and a berth in the 11-team NCAA Division III national tournament.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 5, Saint John's 4
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 17-8-2 overall, Saint John's 13-10-4 overall



HOW IT HAPPENED
• Ohnsted's goal, assisted by Eli May (SO, Eagan, Minn.) capped a marathon game that saw Augsburg rally from two-goal deficits twice to force overtime against Saint John's. In addition to the game-winner, Ohnsted added an assist for a two-point night.
• Trailing 4-2 early in the third period, Augsburg tied the game with goals from Eric Brenk (FY, Moorhead, Minn.), at the 5:14 mark, and Rory Vesel (JR, Rochester, Minn./Lourdes HS), at the 13:03 mark. Brenk's goal was assisted by Ohnsted and Dylan Meier (JR, Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS), while Vesel's goal was assisted by Nate Flynn (SO, Hastings, Minn.).
• Max Pernhem (SO, Stockholm, Sweden/Dragonskolan) and Luke Dietsch (FY, St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) scored for the Auggies in the second period to tie the game at 2-2. Pernhem scored from Meier at the 6:37 mark, and Dietsch scored a power-play goal from Lukas Gillett (FY, Rosemount, Minn.) at the 15:49 mark.
• Augsburg outshot Saint John's by a 62-52 margin. The Auggies outshot the Johnnies by a 41-28 margin in regulation time.
• Jordyn Kaufer (JR, Stillwater, Minn.) had a season-high 48 saves in goal for Augsburg.
• Dietsch had seven shots on-goal for the Auggies, while Drew Allen (SR, Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley HS) and Will Peterson (SO, Eagan, Minn.) had five shots on-goal each.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg, the MIAC's regular-season champion, clinched its first MIAC playoff title since the 1997-98 season. Augsburg claimed the Saugestad Cup MIAC playoff trophy, named for the legendary Augsburg coach and educator. Augsburg was the inaugural winner of the Saugestad Cup in the 1997-98 season, its last berth in the NCAA tournament.
• Augsburg will compete in its third NCAA Division III national tournament, previously competing in 1983-84 and 1997-98 (fourth place). NCAA tournament bids will be announced on Monday at 9:30 a.m. on an NCAA.com webcast. 
• At 102:53, Saturday's game is the third-longest in NCAA Division III men's hockey history. Augsburg is already part of the longest game in Division III men's hockey history, a 6-5, four-overtime loss (138:38) at Gustavus on Feb. 27, 2010. The second-longest Division III men's hockey game ever was a three-overtime, 111:07 game won by Plattsburgh State (N.Y.), 4-3 over Buffalo State (N.Y.) on Feb. 25. 2012.

FOR THE FOES
• Saint John's Andrew Commers had a hat trick, scoring two goals in the opening 7:44 of play, and adding a third goal at the 3:53 mark of the third period. Sam Valerius had the other Johnnie goal.
• Saxton Soley had 57 saves in goal for the Johnnies.