Augsburg Hockey Stays Strong Through the Highs and the Lows
Kaia Anderson, staff writer
Augsburg’s Women’s Ice Hockey team has claimed the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season championship for the second year in a row. On Feb. 21, Augsburg beat St. Mary’s 2-1 on home ice at Ed Saugestad Rink. This is their fourth championship since the team started in 1995.
Nora Stepan scored the first goal for Augsburg at 10:41 of the first period. Augsburg held the lead until the end of the period, when Kenzie Meland scored for St. Mary’s. Both goals were unassisted. The game remained tied until Stephan scored again in the second period, assisted by Molly Grundhoffer and Jenna Allen. There were no goals in the third period, despite pushes from both teams. Stepan’s two goals tie her for fifth in career goals and assists and fifth in career points, with 99, in school history.
Nora Stepan scored the first goal for Augsburg at 10:41 of the first period. Augsburg held the lead until the end of the period, when Kenzie Meland scored for St. Mary’s. Both goals were unassisted. The game remained tied until Stephan scored again in the second period, assisted by Molly Grundhoffer and Jenna Allen.
kaia Anderson
The women’s ice hockey team is the top seed with 44 points and a MIAC record of 15-2-1. Semifinals on Saturday, Feb. 28, at Augsburg against Gustavus. The winner will advance to the championship on March 7.
The Men’s Ice Hockey team recently finished its season on February 21. They unfortunately lost to St. Mary’s, despite having beaten them the night before. Nick Catalano scored the first goal of the game for Augsburg University early in the first period, with an assist from Peyton Hanson and Landon Parker.
Augsburg scored again at the 13:00 mark with a goal from Duke Kiffin with assists from Griffin Ayotte and Jake Hale. Unfortunately for the Augsburg team, St. Mary’s responded with three goals from Joona Juntunen, Ben Polomsky, and Jack Campion. This ended the first period with a St. Mary’s lead of 3-2.
During the second period, Parker tied the game with assists from Zachary Reim and Ryan Comishock; however, this would be the final Augsburg goal. During the third period of the game, St. Mary’s was able to score four more goals. Jack Campion scored at 8:49, assisted by Carter Newpower and Cole Mickel; Paden Hicks scored at 11:18, assisted by Mickel; with about a minute left of the game, Campion scored again; and with 54 seconds left of play, Jack Adler scored the final goal of the game. This ended with a 2-7 score, with St. Mary’s claiming victory.