Greg Miller, staff writer

The Augsburg men’s hockey team had high expectations going into last season, hoping to win a fifth straight MIAC Playoff Championship but fell short. The Auggies lost to Concordia in the semifinals ultimately putting an end to their season. 

The team shouldn’t see much of a decline going into this season, as the Auggies lost only four seniors while retaining 14 players who played at least 20 games last season.

Out of their 14 returners the Auggies retained their top six statistical leaders in both goals and assists, so the offense should be ready to roll going into the coming season. Senior Austin Martinsen, who led the team in points last season with eight goals and 11 assists, will look to have another great season. Along with him are juniors Gavin Holland, who led the team with 12 goals, and Austin Dollimer, who led the team with 13 assists. 

Also returning is senior goalie Daniil Gerasimov, who played in 20 games last year. When asked about the way the season finished last year, Gerasimov said to The Echo, “That semifinal loss was an experience that helped us grow as a team and as individual players, even though it was negative. We learned that you have to stay consistent throughout the whole season, always pushing forward and striving for excellence.” When asked if he thought the team could make five championships in six years, Gerasimov said “We have a strong core leadership group and a promising incoming freshman class that will come together as a team and hopefully will have a chance to compete for another championship amid pandemic.” 

Two years ago the Auggies won 21 games in the regular season and went on to become playoff champions. This made a 3^rd place MIAC finish and an exit in the semifinals of the playoffs last year disappointing. This season the Auggies are primed for a bounce back with their eyes on both a MIAC regular season and a playoff championship.