MINNEAPOLIS – Nora Stepan (JR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS) extended her consecutive-game point streak to seven straight games with a two-goal effort, leading the Augsburg University women's hockey team to its 12th straight victory, a 3-1 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over the College of Saint Benedict on Thursday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 3, Saint Benedict 1
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 19-2-1 overall (14-1-0 MIAC), Saint Benedict 10-9-3 overall (7-7-1 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Stepan, who entered the weekend tied for second among all NCAA Division III defenders nationally in goals scored and fourth in total points, scored her 13th and 14th goals of the season on Friday. She scored 18 seconds into a first-period power-play, firing a wrister from the top of the right faceoff circle to the net, assisted by Tenley Stewart (JR, Esko, Minn./Esko HS) and Jenna Allen (FY, Minnetonka, Minn./Holy Family Catholic HS).
• Stepan's second goal came 32 seconds into the second period, picking off a Bennie clearing attempt, walking in and scoring in the slot for an unassisted tally.
• The Bennies cut the lead to 2-1 with a power-play goal at the 3:25 mark of the second period, but the Auggies gained the two-goal cushion again at the 12:45 mark with another power-play marker, as Molly Grundhoffer (SO, Cleveland, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS) scored her ninth goal of the season, pouncing on a rebound in front off a shot by Emily Cronkhite (SR, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS). Ella Olson (SO, Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) had the second assist on the goal.
• Augsburg outshot Saint Benedict by a 38-24 margin. Goalie Marissa Paaske (JR, Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central HS) had 23 saves to improve to 9-0-1 on the season.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• With the victory, Augsburg clinched a top-two finish in the MIAC standings, with three games remaining in the regular season. The Auggies have qualified for the five-team MIAC postseason playoffs for the ninth straight time, and will host a playoff semifinal game on Saturday, March 1.
• Augsburg maintains a two-point lead over Gustavus Adolphus College in the MIAC standings, as the Auggies pursue their third MIAC regular-season title in program history and first since the 1999-2000 season. Gustavus also played on Thursday, opening its series with the College of St. Scholastica with a 4-0 victory.
• Augsburg now has scored 24 power-play goals in 84 opportunities, a 29.3-percent success rate that ranks third among MIAC teams.

FOR THE FOES
• Aurora Opsahl scored a power-play goal for the Bennies at the 3:25 mark of the second period, assisted by Ava Stinnett and Jenna Timm.
• Kate Moffat had 35 saves in goal for Saint Benedict.

UP NEXT
• Augsburg aims for the series sweep of Saint Benedict on Friday (2/14) at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud, Minn.