Greg May took a walk around the campus of Augsburg the day of an NCAA Division III quarterfinal game against St. Norbert last weekend, reflecting on memories of his own time here as a student-athlete while also soaking in the moment of having the program he once played for on the cusp of the Frozen Four..
Hours later May was with his team inside Ed Saugestad Arena celebrating the fact that its ticket to the national semifinals had been punched with a 4-1 win over St. Norbert.
For any team, it would be a big deal. For May, who graduated in 2007 after a stellar career with the Auggies, it meant a little more, especially with this being his first season as the head coach.
“I took a walk around campus to clear my mind, and it’s still nostalgic for me,” May said. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t extra special. I know how important hockey is to the school and the alums.”
Augsburg, ranked fourth in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, is 25-4 and in the national semifinal round for the first time since 1998. It’s the third trip here in program history. Both times the Auggies finished fourth. They face top-ranked Adrian (29-1) Friday at 2 p.m. at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid.
“It’s awesome and has been a long time coming,” May said. “I have to give (former) coach (Chris) Brown a lot of credit. He brought this program to the height its at, where the expectation is national tournaments, and we’re fortunate this year to bring it to another level.”
Though the Auggies are one step away from playing for the national title Saturday night against either Geneseo or the University of New England, Brown said he’s emphasized to his team the importance of staying focused on the task at hand.
“We’re still in the middle of the tournament, and the message right now is not to be complacent,” May said.
In some ways, the Auggies hit the reset button a few weeks ago, losing to St. Olaf in the MIAC championship game after winning the regular-season title.
The team knew it was still in a good spot in the Pairwise Rankings to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but May also admits the loss hurt.
“It grounded us. We had 10 very productive days of practice after that loss,” May said. “Don’t get me wrong, there was some sting there. We had a sold out crowd there and had to watch St. Olaf celebrate, but at the end of the day, the loss helped us.”
May, who played in 100 career games at Augsburg and was an honorable mention All-MIAC pick as a senior, came into this job knowing expectations were high. There were times in the past where he thought about one day coaching at Augsburg, and even had opportunities to be an assistant, but the timing wasn’t right.
When Brown left for Alaska-Fairbanks after 15 years, May went for the job.
“It felt too right with the connections I have to the school and my aspirations to coach in college. It was almost too good of a job to pass up.”
May has deep connections to the program. Not only did he play here, but his wife played women’s hockey for the Auggies. His brother played here as well, as did his sister-in-law.
“This is a special place for us,” May said.
May had a feeling early on that this season could be a memorable one. His players seemed determined to make a run at a national title.
“In the individual meetings I had with the players before the season, they all believed we could get to where we are now,” May said. “They wanted to do something special.”
Not only is this a confident Augsburg team, it’s a close one.
“We’re a tight-knit group. Our guys hang out together all the time,” May said. “I had the guys over for a BBQ before the season the players were talking about how it doesn’t matter what we do or where we go because everyone is going to be together.”
On the ice, the Auggies have gotten the job done. They’ve scored 112 goals while allowing 50. Six players have tallied at least 22 points, including Austin Martinsen, who has scored 16 goals to go along with 22 assists.
Samuel Vyletelka and Jack Robbel have both seen time in goal and the depth of the team overall has been vital to the Auggies’ run this season.
“We place value on our players no matter what the situation is. We believe in them,” May said. “We want everyone on our team know they all have a role and all have a part in our success.
Augsburg played Adrian on Dec. 30. The Auggies lost 5-2. After the game, May said he sent a text to Adrian head coach Adam Krug, complimenting him on the way his team played that day.
Facing a familiar opponent helps, but May said a lot of the focus is on what his team does on game day as it prepares for a rematch in which the stakes are much higher.
“I think it does help that this isn’t some unknown team that has won 29 in a row. We’ve seen them play, and while we’re preparing for Adrian, we have to make sure we are the best version of ourselves come game day,” May said. “We have to play the way we know how to play, and at the end of the game, hopefully the result is in our favor.”
