Neither team wanted its season to end. St. Norbert and Aurora, both nationally ranked, gave it their all in their NCHA tournament semifinal showdown Saturday night.
One team had to win, and when it was all said and done, it was the Green Knights, who escaped with a 5-4 victory in overtime.
Brendan Mark scored the game winner with 37.2 seconds left in the extra period of hockey.
St Norbert, ranked sixth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, seemed to be on its way to dominating the game, scoring three times in the first period.
Aurora answered in the second period, outscoring the Green Knights 3-1. The Spartans then tied the game in the third.
Then Mark ended the game. The Green Knight defenseman scored his fifth goal of the year to lift St. Norbert to the thrilling win and a berth in the Harris Cup final.
Mark scored off a pass from Peyton Frantti, setting off a celebration behind the Spartans’ goal.
Both teams left it all on the ice, taking 43 shots apiece. Colby Entz made 39 saves, 16 of which came in the final period. Josh Boyko tallied 38.
The Green Knights led 4-3 most of the third before Riley Doyon punched in a goal with just under six minutes to play to tie the score.
Adam Stacho led the Green Knights with two goals. Michael McChesney tallied a goal and an assist. Mark dished out one assist and Carter Hottman finished with two assists.
The two regular-season games the teams played were both decided by a goal, including once in OT. St. Norbert won both.
The Spartans, ranked 14th nationally, were hoping this time would be different. Larry Jungwirth, Matt Weber and Adam Keyes scored goals. Aurora’s season ends with an 18-9-1 record.
St. Norbert moves on to play Adrian for the NCHA title on Saturday.
Bulldogs back in championship game
Adrian is now one win away from hoisting the Harris Cup once again.
In a season that has been nothing short of impressive, the Bulldogs continued their dominance with a 5-2 win over Trine in the semifinal round of the NCHA tournament.
The top-ranked team in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll scored four times in the second period to take control against the Thunder. The Bulldogs have now won 27 consecutive games.
They owned a 34-22 advantage in shots. Sam Ruffin came through with a goal and an assist while Terry Ryder dished out two assists.
Cameron Gray made 20 saves for the Bulldogs. Shane Brancato tallied 19 saves for the Thunder. Adrian moves on to play St. Norbert for the title on Saturday.
Brett Piper and Justin Meers both scored for Trine, which is 19-9 on the season.
MIAC Tournament
Oles stun Cobbers
In its first playoff game in nearly a decade, St. Olaf made it count.
Freshman Sean Walsh scored a game-winning goal with just over a minute remaining in regulation to send the Oles past Concordia 3-2 in the opening round of the MIAC tournament Saturday.
The seventh-seeded Oles won their first tourney game since 2014 and advance to the semifinal round of the tournament for the seventh time in program history.
Walsh, a freshman, scored his goal with 1:01 left off a assist from Ashton Altmann. It was his 11th goal of the season.
Lukas Haugen then made sure the Cobbers didn’t force overtime as he made a clutch save with five seconds to play.
The Oles took a 1-0 lead in the opening period off a goal by Jonathan Young , who came through with his fourth goal of the year and his first since Jan. 18.
The Cobbers tied the game at 1-1 on a goal by Kevin Ness with 28 seconds left in the first.
Concordia then went ahead 2-1 on a goal by Keaton Leninger at the 4:28 mark of the second. Noa Heisler evened the score up at 2-2 with a one-timer nearly 14 minutes later. It was his first goal since Nov. 6 when he scored the first goal of his college career.
Haugen finished with 28 saves while Jackson Nelson stopped 19 shots for the Cobbers.
While Concordia sees its season end at 13-10-3, the Oles improve to 9-14-3 and keep hope alive of playing in the title game for the first time in 10 years.
Auggies survive upset bid
Augsburg took advantage of the power play and propelled itself into the semifinal round of the MIAC tournament with a 4-3 win over over Gustavus in overtime Saturday.
The Auggies scored all four of their goals on the power play, including the game winner from Austin Martinsen at the 7:35 mark of the OT period.
Martinsen tipped in a shot for his sixth game-winning goal of the year. He has scored 14 goals in all and helps the Auggies, the top seed and the fourth-ranked team in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, move on to take on Bethel in the semifinal round.
Augsburg trailed 3-2 in the third after a goal by Patrick Gazich.
But Austin Dollimer answered with his second goal of the game later in the period to tie the score.
Connor Clemons and Toby Sengvongxay also scored for the Gusties, who finish their year with a 6-16-4 record.
Martinsen not only scored a goal, but he also dished out two assists. Dollimer added an assist to his point total and Patrick O’Connor came through with two assists.
The Auggies improve to 23-3 and have now outscored the opposition 99-44. Saturday’s showdown marked the second time this season they have scored four goals on the power play.
Bartoo’s heroics lift Royals to win
Braden Bartoo is only a freshman, but he stepped up like a veteran in Bethel’s thrilling MIAC tourney opener against St. Scholastica Saturday.
Bartoo scored the game-winning goal in overtime to carry the Royals past the Saints 4-3. Bethel is headed to the semifinal round of the the tourney for the first time since 2007
Adam Bricker scored twice to give the Royals a 2-1 lead before the Saints tied the game at 2-2 in the second period.
Jarrett Cammarata put the Royals back in front 3-2 with 3:31 left in regulation. It was his sixth goal of the season.
Filimon Ledenkov scored his second goal of the night 31 seconds later to force OT.
The Saints finish the year at 11-10-2, winning five of their final six games.
Bethel pushes its record to 15-10-1 and takes on Augsburg in the semifinal round Wednesday.
Johnnies advance in tourney
Saint John’s dominated its MIAC tourney opener Sunday night, skating past Saint Mary’s with a 5-1 win.
The third-seeded Johnnies scored two goals in the first and third periods on their way to earning a spot in the semifinal round for the fourth consecutive season. Auggie Moore scored the final two goals of the game while Mac Berglove made 26 saves.
Nathan Solis scored the lone goal for the Cardinals, coming through with it five minutes into the third period.
The Johnnies are 17-7-2 and will play St. Olaf Wednesday in the semifinal round. The Cardinals finish the year with an 8-14-1 mark.
WIAC Tournament
Blugolds continue title run
Once a team struggling to get on track in the first half of the season, UW-Eau Claire now finds itself headed to the championship game of the WIAC tournament.
The Blugolds are there finishing off their semifinal series against UW-River Falls with a 3-1 win Saturday night.
Neither team scored in the first two periods of play. Noah Ganske gave the Falcons the first lead of the night when he punched in a goal at the 5:27 mark of the third period.
Matt Stanton tied the game seven minutes later and Quinn Green gave the Blugolds the lead for good with under four minutes to play in the game. Simon Sagissor’s goal in the final two minutes sealed the deal.
The Blugolds will play for the title Saturday night against rival UW-Stevens Point on the road.
UW-Eau Claire held a 27-22 advantage in shots while Ryan Oullette stepped up with 21 saves for his 16th win of the season. Dysen Skinner tallied 24 saves for the Falcons, who end the year at 13-13-1.
The Blugolds, who were 4-8 heading into Christmas, have lost only three games in 2022. They improve to 17-11-1 and are unbeaten in their last 12 games. They won the series opener Friday with a 3-2 win in overtime.
Ty Readman punched in the game winner at the 3:28 mark of the OT period. It was the second goal of the game for Readman, who also dished out an assist. Readman’s first goal of the night tied the score at 2-2 with under eight minutes to play in regulation.
Pointers back in the title game
David Hill scored a pair of goals to help UW-Stevens Point wrap up its WIAC tournament semifinal series with a 3-2 win over UW-Superior Saturday night.
The Pointers, sitting at 21-5-1 and ranked 10th in the DCU/NCAA Division III men’s poll, are now headed to the WIAC title game for the eighth consecutive year.
Ryan Wagner made 19 saves for the Pointers while Myles Hektor came through with 29 saves for the Yellowjackets, who won the conference crown a season ago and end their year with a 15-12-2 record.
Carter Roo also scored for the Pointers, who have won 10 consecutive games, while Coltyn Bates and Ty Proffitt came through with goals for the Yellowjackets.
The Pointers won Friday’s series opener 4-3 on the strength of two goals by Conor Witherspoon, who scored in each of the first two periods to put UW-Stevens Point ahead 2-0.
Wagner came through with 21 saves and Hektor stopped 36 shots.
C.J. Walker scored twice for UW-Superior, with his second goal of the night in the second period cutting the UW-Stevens Point lead to 3-2.
