MINNEAPOLIS – Behind power-play goals from Kennedy Stein (SR, Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest HS) and Nora Stepan (SO, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS), the Augsburg University women's hockey team clinched a berth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason playoffs, completing a series sweep of No. 15-ranked Hamline University with a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 2, Hamline 1
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 17-6-0 overall (13-3-0 MIAC), Hamline 16-7-0 overall (11-5-0 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Stein gave the Auggies a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at the 12:26 mark of the first period, scoring on a wrist shot from between the faceoff circles, assisted by Tenley Stewart (SO, Esko, Minn./Esko HS) and Sydney Rydel (SR, Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake HS). The goal was Stein's 11th of the season and second power-play marker.
• One of the top scoring defenders in the MIAC, Stepan notched her eighth goal of the season, and fourth on the power play, at the 7:01 mark of the third period. On a 5-on-3 power play, Stepan gained the puck off a wide shot by Elizabeth Fagerlind (JR, Kasson, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS), walked to her right and snapped a wrist shot from the point.
• The Pipers cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal midway through the third period, but Auggie goalie Chloe Stockinger (SR, Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) was up to the task, stopping 33 shots to improve to 12-5-0 on the year. 
• Hamline outshot Augsburg by a 34-24 margin, including a 16-4 advantage in the third period.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Winners of 14 of its last 16 games, Augsburg secured its eighth straight berth in the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs, and 12th MIAC playoff berth in school history. Going into the final weekend of the regular season, the Auggies are now in second place in the MIAC standings with 36 points, behind leader Gustavus' 46 points.

FOR THE FOES
• Abigail Chamernick scored from Morgan Wohlers and Haley Eder-Zdechlik at the 12:27 mark of the third period for Hamline.
• Kendra Nordick had 22 saves in goal for Hamline.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg closes the regular season with a MIAC series against St. Scholastica next weekend, with Friday's (2/16) game at 7 p.m. at Ed Saugestad Rink, and next Saturday's (2/17) game at 6 p.m. in Duluth, Minn.