MINNEAPOLIS – For the first time in school history, the Augsburg University women's hockey team will compete in the NCAA Division III National Championships, advancing to the national semifinals with a 4-2 quarterfinal victory over St. Norbert College on Saturday afternoon at Ed Saugestad Rink.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 4, St. Norbert (Wis.) 2
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 24-3-1 overall, St. Norbert 25-5-1 overall

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Auggie first-year goalie Kayla Simonson (FY, Delano, Minn./Delano HS) had another incredible postseason game before a capacity crowd at Ed Saugestad Rink, stopping 30 of the 32 shots she faced to improve to 15-3-0 on the season, leading the hosts to the national semifinal berth. She had several dramatic saves on close-in Green Knight shots in the game, including a save on a penalty shot attempt late in the second period.
• After a scoreless first period, Emma Abrahamson (SO, Carpentersville, Ill./Hampshire HS) scored the first two goals of the game for the Auggies in the opening 2:48 of the second period. She picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone off a steal by Elizabeth Fagerlind (SR, Kasson, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS) and snapped a wrist shot to the top corner of the net at the 1:29 mark, then scored on a rebound of her own shot in the slot at the 2:48 mark, assisted by Aunna Schulte (FY, Bolingbrook, Minn./Plainfield East HS) and Emily Cronkhite (SR, Eagan, Minn./Eagan HS). Abrahamson now has 13 goals on the season.
• St. Norbert cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal at the 12:37 mark of the second frame, as Tristan Wicklund scored her 13th goal of the campaign, assisted by Courtnie Hogan and Natalie Hogan.
But Augsburg struck back quickly, scoring 25 seconds later, as Schulte scored her 12th goal of the season on an open shot from the right faceoff dot, assisted by Cronkhite and Nora Stepan (JR, Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview HS).
• Just 1:40 later, Cronkhite scored her 10th goal of the season and third unassisted marker of the season, stealing the puck at her own blue line and sprinting in from the left wing, going across the crease and slamming the puck in on the right side.
• St. Norbert cut the lead to 4-2 with a power-play, extra-attacker goal with 1:58 left, as Ava Anick scored on a blast from the point, assisted by Abby Pieper.
• Augsburg held a 33-32 shots on-goal advantage in the game. Keira Markell had 29 saves in goal for St. Norbert.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular-season and playoff champion Augsburg is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III national tournament and first-ever appearance in the national semifinals. The Auggies will face the host school, Wisconsin-River Falls, in a semifinal game next Friday (3/28) at 7 p.m. at Hunt Arena in River Falls, Wis. Middlebury (Vt.) and Amherst (Mass.) will meet in the other semifinal at 3 p.m., with the finalists to meet for the national title next Sunday (3/30) at 3 p.m. in River Falls.
• Augsburg is appearing in its second-ever Division III national championships. In 2000, the Auggies advanced to the inaugural Division III national finals series, falling to Middlebury (Vt.) in the American Women's College Hockey Alliance finals in Boston, Mass.
• With her three-point night, Cronkhite became the third player in Augsburg women's hockey history to reach the 100-point mark for their careers, and the fourth Auggie to reach the 50-goal plateau. In a school-record-tying 106 career games, Cronkhite is now third in school history in total points (101), fourth in career goals (50) and fourth in career assists (51).