ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- Rallying from a 3-1 deficit midway through the game and scoring twice in the final 76 seconds of play, the Augsburg University men's hockey team advanced to its third straight Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff championship game, with a 4-3 triumph over host Saint John's University in a semifinal contest on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 4, Saint John's 3
LOCATION: Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 17-9-0 overall, Saint John's 16-8-2 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg scored the first goal of the game just 3:56 into play, as Luke Dietsch (JR, St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) scored from Drew Anderson (SR, Rochester, Minn./Century HS) and Nate Flynn (SR, Hastings, Minn./Hastings HS), but the Johnnies cored the next three goals, all in the second period, to take a 3-1 lead halfway through the game.
• The Auggie comeback started at the 13:57 mark of the second frame, with Jason Krych (SO, Champlin, Minn./Totino-Grace HS) scoring from Alex Rodriguez (JR, Miami, Fla./Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) HS) and Chandler Madry (JR, Bakersfield, Calif./Fairbanks (Alaska) BEST HS).
• With 1:16 left and an empty net for the Auggies, Dietsch scored his second goal of the game, an extra-attacker marker on a rebound in front from Krych and Anderson.
• Madry claimed the game-winning goal with 16.5 seconds left in regulation, completing a 3-on-2 break, putting home a pass from left to right by Rodriguez, off a feed from Lukas Gillett (JR, Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount HS).
• Augsburg outshot Saint John's by a 40-29 margin, including an 11-7 advantage in the third period.
• Nick Schmit (JR, Fargo, N.D./Fargo North HS) had 29 saves in goal for the Auggies.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• The No. 3 seed in the playoffs, Augsburg will compete in its third straight MIAC playoff championship game, hosting No. 4-seed Gustavus next Saturday (3/3), at a time to be determined later, at Ed Saugestad Rink. The Gusties scored a 4-3 overtime win at top-seed St. Thomas on Saturday night. The Auggies have two wins in three matchups with the Gusties so far this season, winning 3-2 in overtime in Blaine, Minn., on Oct. 27, losing 4-1 at Gustavus on Jan. 19 and winning 3-2 at Augsburg on Jan. 20.
• The winner of the championship game will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national playoffs. Augsburg has won the last two MIAC playoff titles.

FOR THE FOES
• Matt Colford and Mitch Fritz had a goal and assist each for the Johnnies, with Sam Valerius adding the other Saint John's goal.
• Andrew Lindgren had 36 saves in goal for Saint John's.