ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- The Augsburg University men's hockey team fell to Saint John's University in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Thursday. Augsburg managed to score a shorthanded goal in the third period to tie the game at 2-2, but couldn't overcome Saint John's three-goal final period surge.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Saint John's 5, Augsburg 3
LOCATION: Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud, Minn.
RECORDS: Augsburg 6-13-3 overall (3-8-2 MIAC), Saint John's 12-6-4 overall (7-3-3 MIAC)

GAME RECAP
Saint John's initially took the lead at the 16:36 mark of the first period, with a goal from Jordan Larkee, assisted by Cam Boche and Carter Krenke. Augsburg responded 58 seconds later, leveling the score at 1-1 when Duke Kiffin scored at 17:34, assisted by Nolan Nenow and Nick Catalano. This marked a significant milestone for Kiffin, as it was the first goal of his collegiate career, achieved in his 72nd game. Despite a late power play opportunity for Augsburg following a penalty on Tyler Smith of Saint John's, the period concluded in a 1-1 tie.

Augsburg faced an early challenge in the second period when Saint John's scored at 19:42, extending its lead to 2-1. Despite the setback, Augsburg responded with sustained offensive pressure, recording numerous shots on goal, including a near-miss by Ryan Comishock that hit the pipe at 04:31. However, Augsburg was unable to convert these opportunities into goals, leaving the score at 2-1 in favor of Saint John's by the end of the period.

Augsburg began the third period with a strong start, as Peyton Hanson scored a short-handed goal just 50 seconds in, assisted by Zachary Reim, to give Augsburg a temporary lead. Hanson's goal added to his impressive season tally, now boasting a team-best 13 goals, including three shorthanded goals. However, Saint John's quickly responded with a power-play goal by Jackson Borst, regaining their advantage. Despite several scoring attempts by Augsburg, including an extra-attacker goal by Landon Parker assisted by Catalano and Reim, who now has 16 assists on the year with five multi-assist games, the team could not overcome Saint John's, who sealed the game with an empty-net goal by Mason Campbell.

AUGSBURG PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
• Landon Parker: 1 goal, 4 shots on goal, 5 faceoff wins
• Nick Catalano: 2 assists
• Zachary Reim: 2 assists, +1 rating
• Peyton Hanson: 1 goal, 7 faceoff wins
• Alex Timmons: 26 saves

SAINT JOHN'S PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS
• Jackson Borst: 1 power-play goal, 1 assist, +2 rating
• Cam Boche: 2 assists
• Logan Lyke: 1 goal, 14 faceoff wins, 70% faceoff percentage
• Jon Howe: 30 saves

UP NEXT
• Augsburg will host Saint John's at Ed Saugestad Rink in Minneapolis on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.