On his team’s weekend off, Augustana coach Garrett Raboin was able to do something he’s not usually able to do during the hockey season: Take in a football game.
On Saturday, the Augustana football team hosted Minnesota State in a first-round NCAA Division II football playoff game at Augie’s Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 11-1 Vikings demolished the Mavericks 51-24 to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Raboin was actually able to take it in with the rest of his Vikings’ hockey team. It’s something he and his players aren’t always able to do because of the rigors of the hockey season, but the first-year head coach at the first-year program says it’s important that the hockey team makes itself a part of the greater Augustana community right away.
“That’s the great part about being at a school our size,” Raboin said of Augustana, which has an enrollment of about 2,500. “Our guys didn’t come here just to know their teammates. They came here to get to know their classmates, too, and celebrate everyone. And they get a chance to do that.”
As Raboin watched the football team take on a rival school in a sold-out, on-campus game, he said he couldn’t stop thinking about what it will be like when the Augustana hockey team is able to do that, too.
“We’re really fortunate because even though we don’t have a hockey history here, we have a football team that does have history. And for us to be able to watch how they handle themselves, how they’re finding success, has been great,” Raboin said. “It’s a different sport, but it ties into our group. It’s something we want to do. You know, we want to enjoy moments like that hosting playoff games like they did. Just being in close games and finding a way to get a result, to get a win.”
The Vikings (4-5-1 overall) have bucked expectations in their first season of existence, playing in some close games with some of the traditional college hockey powers and even winning a few games against said powers. Obviously, the weekend in Colorado when the Vikings rallied to tie Denver 5-5 and then beat Colorado College 4-2 the next night stands out, but the Vikings also played tough against both Wisconsin and Michigan Tech on the road despite losing all four games.
Considering the fact that few expected Augustana to even be able to skate with these teams, much less beat them, makes their season so far all the more impressive.
“That’s something our guys have earned,” Raboin said. “There are some expectations that have come with having success in moments like that, and good programs that are headed in a great direction are earning expectations and our challenge is now, now that we’ve learned from expectations, can we continue to grow those and use it as a strength or help to motivate us.”
Perhaps those expectations are also helping to motivate players up and down the lineup. The Vikings don’t have one specific scoring line but rather seem to have been getting contributions from many different players in every game. Although nobody on the team has reached double-digit scoring yet, 18 different players have registered at least a point and 15 have at least a goal.
“We’ve had different guys emerge each weekend,” Raboin said. “And if you look over our last three games, there’s a different leading scorer on our team each night. And that’s just guys finding their game. When you have 15 transfers there’s a bit of work to be done for some of these players to find their happy place and find their game and we feel like there’s more guys each week and hopping on board. And our challenge is to try to get everyone going.”
If there’s one player who has been most valuable to Augustana’s early success, however, it’s been Arnaud Vachon. The fifth-year senior who transferred in from Colgate has six points in 10 games but most important for Raboin has been his leadership and experience. Vachon has played in 136 career collegiate games and helped lead Colgate to an ECAC tournament title last year.
“He’s been our heartbeat,” Raboin said. “He leads by example, and he knows he is one of those leaders that’s able to bring people together, and he’s been so valuable, what a gift to have him join us as a fifth year and really lead the way. As you build a foundation and try to set your culture, to have someone like him that knows what it looks like. He’s just been so valuable for us on and off the ice.”
The Vikings return to the ice this weekend for a home-and-home series with Omaha. It’s a series that has the potential to evolve into a rivalry. Omaha and Sioux Falls are just two and a half hours apart on I-29, and the Vikings and Mavericks were conference rivals in other sports in UNO’s Division II days.
“We want to make a great first impression to whoever we’re playing against,” Raboin said. “We want to make a great first impression for the CCHA. I know our fans and Omaha’s fans are hoping that this can become a real competitive rivalry, but for any rivalry, both teams need to win.”
