WINONA, Minn. -- With six different players scoring goals, the Augsburg University men's hockey team claimed its 11th Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title in program history, with a 7-3 win at Saint Mary's University on Saturday.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE:Â Augsburg 7, Saint Mary's 3
LOCATION:Â SMU Ice Arena, Winona, Minn.
RECORDS:Â Augsburg 21-2-0 overall (13-1-0 MIAC), Saint Mary's 7-12-1Â overall (4-6-0Â MIAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
•
Fritz Belisle (JR, Red Wing, Minn./Roseville Area HS) scored two goals in the game, and
Kyler Yeo (SO, Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) and
Austin Koss (SR, Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach HS) had a goal and assist each for Augsburg, which extended its winning streak to 12 straight games. Augsburg has been ranked No. 4 for most of the season in the USCHO.com NCAA Division III national rankings.
• Twelve different Auggies figured in the scoring in Saturday's win. On the season, 21 of the 22 skaters who have seen playing time for the Auggies have figured in the scoring, with 16 different players scoring goals. Twelve Auggies have 10 or more points on the season.
• Augsburg scored twice in a 40-second span in the first period, with
Nick Woodward (SR, Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque HS) and Yeo scoring goals.
• A four-goal second period gave the Auggies the lead to stay, with goals coming from Koss,
Austin Dollimer (SR, Rosemount, Minn./Rosemount HS),Â
Grant Reichenbacher (JR, Verona, Wis./Madison Edgewood HS) and Belisle. Belisle notched his second goal of the game and 10th of the season, a power-play marker, in the third period.
•
Mason Palmer (JR, Plymouth, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS),
Keenan Lund (JR, Sartell, Minn./Sartell HS) and
Austin Martinsen (SR, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS) had two assists each for the Auggies.
Jarod Blackowiak (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS),Â
Gavin Holland (SR, Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater HS) and
Patrick O'Connor (SR, Moorhead, Minn./Moorhead HS) also had assists.
• Augsburg held a 32-30 advantage in shots on-goal.
Samuel Vyletelka (FY, Zilina, Slovakia/Grammar School of St. Francis of Assisi) had 27 saves in goal for the Auggies, imroving to 9-1-0 on the season.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg has claimed its 11th MIAC regular-season title in program history, and third since the 2015-16 season. Augsburg will be the top seed in the MIAC postseason playoffs, which will include all nine teams this season, and will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The Auggies will host the winner of the first-round game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in a quarterfinal game on Feb. 26.
• The win was the eighth this season in which Augsburg has scored five or more goals. Augsburg has outscored its opponents by an 88-37 margin this season.
FOR THE FOES
• Gabe Potyk, Matt Hutton and Alex Cannon scored goals for Saint Mary's.
• Connor Close had 25 saves in goal.
UP NEXT
• Augsburg closes the regular season with a series against Saint John's. Next Friday's (2/18) game is at 7 p.m. at Ed Saugestad Rink, and next Saturday's (2/19) game is at 7 p.m. at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.