Derek Budz was clutch when it mattered. In overtime, in a game featuring two of the nation’s best NCAA Division III hockey teams, the Aurora star delivered Saturday night.
He scored a goal with 9.7 seconds remaining in a three-on-three OT session to help the 12th-ranked Spartans edge No. 5 St. Norbert 3-2
That goal punctuated a big weekend for Aurora, which swept the Green Knights to remain atop the NCHA standings.
A sweep didn’t seem possible late in the action of Saturday’s game. The Spartans trailed 2-0 with 3:40 to go after goals earlier in the game by Michael McChesney and Curtis Hammond.
Coming out of a timeout, the Spartans came to life. Adam Keyes cut the deficit to one. Hassan Akl then forced OT off his goal with 5.4 seconds left.
Jack Jaunich dished out a pair of assists, including on the game-winning goal, and Kolby Thornton also played a big part in the victory recording 47 saves. He finished the weekend with more than 100 saves after recording a school-record 65 on Friday.
Friday was historic for more than one reason. The series opener also marked the first time Aurora has ever beaten St. Norbert achieving the feat with a 3-1 win.
Jaunich became the all-time leader in school history in goals scored (35) with his power play goal in the second period.
Keyes and Alec Schwab also scored in the win.
The Spartans, winners of three in a row, are now 12-3 overall and unbeaten in the NCHA at 8-0-2. The Green Knights are 9-5-1 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
Falcons stun Auggies
UW-River Falls hasn’t had the easiest season, but the Falcons enjoyed a big moment Friday as they knocked off Augsburg, the fourth-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Three first-period goals were key for the Falcons, who had won only one game in their previous nine outings. They capped the weekend with a 5-2 win over Bethel Saturday.
But it was Friday’s game that grabbed the most attention.
Noah Roofe, Connor McGrath, Mike Gelatt and Billy Feczko all scored goals for the Falcons. Dysen Skinner made 31 saves in the victory. Dean Buccholz stopped 18 shots in Saturday’s win over Bethel while Dylan Smith scored two goals against the Royals. The Falcons are 6-8-1 on the year.
Pipers pull off upset
With barely any time left on the clock, Brunson Adams delivered a clutch goal for Hamline in its upset of No. 9 UW-Stevens Point on Friday night.
Adams scored with 56 seconds to go to secure a 3-2 win for the Pipers, who defeated UW-Stevens Point for the first time since November of 2017.
Carson Simon scored at the 14:58 mark of the third period to tie the game at 2-2 before Adams came through with the game winner.
Kevin Lake was solid in goal as he racked up 47 saves. He made 18 saves in the opening period. Hamline jumped in front on a goal by Ike Taraszewski near the end of the period. Andrew Poulias tied the game at 1-1 and Conor Witherspoon put the Pointers up 2-1 going into the third.
Pointers win top 10 showdown
UW-Stevens Point dominated Augsburg in a battle of top 10 teams Saturday night, winning 4-0 to bounce back in a big way after a 3-2 loss to Hamline one night earlier.
Ranked ninth nationally, the Pointers held a 44-27 advantage in shots and got two goals from Nick Gonrowski as they improved to 9-2-3 on the season.
Jake Theis and Andrew Poulias also scored for UW-Stevens Point, which led the fourth-ranked Auggies 2-0 after one period and 3-0 going into the third.
Alex Proctor made 27 saves to record his first career shutout. Samuel Vyletelka stopped 40 shots for Augsburg, which fell to 7-5-1.
Saints sweep Cobbers
St. Scholastica earned two big wins in MIAC play over the weekend, sweeping Concordia to stretch its win streak to three games.
Arkhip Ledenkov scored two goals for the second consecutive night while Filimon Ledenkov tallied three assists as the sibling duo worked together to help the Saints improve to 7-4-2 overall and remain unbeaten in conference play with a 5-0-1 record.
Jack Bostedt made 31 saves for the Saints. Jack Nelson tallied 17 saves for the Cobbers.
Braden Costello and Jack Westlund both scored for the Cobbers, who have lost their last three and are 5-7-1 overall and 2-4 in the MIAC.
St. Scholastica opened the weekend with a 7-3 win over Concordia to notch its first win of 2023. In addition to a air of goals by Arkhip Lendenkov, Jacob Seitz, Nathan Adrian and Nick Lanigan all scored goals. Bostedt made 35 saves. Aaron Dickstein tallied 26 saves for Concordia.
Johnnies sweep Gusties
Mason Campbell scored twice and Bailey Huber picked up his first career shutout as Saint John’s capped a MIAC sweep of Gustavus with a 4-0 win Saturday.
Campbell scored the first two goals of the game, both coming in the second period, while Huber racked up 12 saves for his sixth win of the season. Huber has a 1.38 goals against average and has stopped more than 94 percent of the shots he’s faced.
The Johnnies defeated Gustavus 4-1 on Friday and are 49-13-9 against the Gusties since 1995, including nine consecutive wins in the series.
Eight players tallied a point in Friday’s victory, with Campbell tallying a goal and an assist. Huber had 17 saves. The Johnnies, unbeaten in their last four, are 8-5-2 overall and 5-2-1 in MIAC play. Gustavus is 2-12-2 and 0-8-1 in the MIAC.
Blugolds win showdown with Oles
Two of the better teams in the west region squared off Friday and UW-Eau Claire prevailed in the end, beating St. Olaf 3-1 for its fifth home win of the season.
Seven players tallied a point for the Blugolds, who jumped ahead 2-0 early and never looked back.
Max Gutjahr won his eighth game of the year in goal, stopping 27 shots. Cade Lemmer, Dawson Klein and Quinn Green all scored for UW-Eau Claire. Tyler Cooper scored the lone goal for the Oles.
The Blugolds completed the weekend with a 4-1 win over Saint Mary’s at home on Saturday.
Four unanswered goals in the final two periods lifted UW-Eau Claire to the win.
Thomas Magnavite gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead before Quinn Green tied the game at 1-1 late in the second. Ryan Green, Jordan Randall and Blake Kryska all scored in the third as the Blugolds improved to 9-5. Gutjahr was again in goal for UW-Eau Claire and made 21 saves.
Double the fun
A pair of hat tricks helped propel Adrian to a 7-2 win over Lawrence Friday night in the opening game of a two-game series on the road.
Matus Spodniak and Riley Murphy both scored three goals apiece as the Bulldogs dominated their NCHA opponent. Murphy added an assist in the win. Jaden Shields played a key role in the offensive success as well as he dished out three assists. Nic Tallarico made 16 saves.
On Saturday, Adrian won 4-1 over Lawrence, stretching its win streak to seven games. Dershahn Stewart made 18 saves. Bradley Somers tallied a goal and two assists. The reigning national champions improved to 12-2-1 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Adrian is 7-0-1 on the road this year.
