There are few better ways to open a season than with a sweep that sends an early-season statement.
Augsburg pulled that off over the weekend with two wins over nationally ranked St. Norbert, winning 3-1 and 4-1. It’s the first time the Auggies have swept the Gree Knights in a series since the 1992-93 season.
Gavin Holland played a key role, scoring two goals in each of the games. Jack Robbell stepped up in goal as he racked up 29 saves in the finale and 56 saves in all, saving nearly 97 percent of the shots he faced.
Augsburg is are 13-12-2 all-time against St. Norbert since the 1988-89 season.
The Auggies scored three goals in the opening period of Saturday’s game and never looked back.
Fridays game marked the regular-season coaching debut for Greg May, an Augsburg alum, and he walked away thrilled with the way his career has started.
The Auggies held a slim 29-28 edge in shots in the win. Augsburg led 3-0 before the Green Knights scored their lone goal of the night in the third period. Liam Fraser scored on the power play and Johnny Roberts made 26 saves.
Oles get first win in big way
St. Olaf couldn’t have asked for a better way to win its first game of the year as it upset nationally ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3-1 Friday.
The Oles used a 38-save effort by Thomas Lalandoe in his collegiate debut and rode the scoring efforts of Evan Shoemaker, Ethan Hersant and Brendan Darby to the win.
The Oles got out to a 3-0 lead and held a 40-17 advantage in shots.
Saints stun Pointers
St. Scholastica made a statement Saturday with a 2-1 win over nationally ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
The Saints have won their last three games over the reigning national champions in NCAA Division III hockey. Their latest win came thanks in part to the goalie play of Jack Bostedt, who racked up a career-best 47 saves.
Bryce Johnson and Jacob Seitz both scored their first career goals in the win. It was Johnson’s goal that tied the game at 1-1 before Seitz put the Saints up for good at 2-1.
One of the keys to the game was in the final six minutes when a five-minute major penalty set up the Pointers with an opportunity to tie the game. Bostedt made 10 of his saves during that stretch to help secure the win.
Royals still unbeaten
Bethel won both of its games against Finlandia over the weekend, surviving a 4-3 overtime thriller Friday before rolling to a 7-0 win Saturday.
The Royals grabbed the momentum in the second period with a five-goal outburst. Dylan Giorgio scored twice in the win and Jarrett Cammarata tallied three assists. Luke Posner, who had a hat trick last weekend, scored a goal and dished out an assist. Travis Allen came up with 17 saves in goal.
In Friday’s game, Jake Herter’s second goal of the night proved to be the game winner. He scored at the 2:48 mark to lift the Royals to the win.
Bethel has already topped its win total from a season ago when it won just two games during a shortened season.
Falcons bounce back
One night after playing Concordia to a 2-2 tie, the Falcons completed their trip to Minnesota with a 5-3 win.
Caleb Anderson, Gabe Wahl, Alex Davis and Cayden Cahill all scored a goal and dished out an assist in the win. The Falcons shook off a 3-2 deficit in the first period by scoring three goals in the second to pull away for the win and remain unbeaten at 3-0-1 on the year.
Yellow Jackets avoid sweep
Wisconsin-Superior scored four goals in the opening period of Saturday’s game against St. Olaf and went on to win 6-3 over the Oles.
Chad Lopez and Dylan Johnson both scored twice and also each dished out an assist in the win as the Yellow Jackets improved to 2-1 on the year.
Lopez has scored a goal in six consecutive games dating back to last season. Norwich transfer Landon Pavlisin made his first start for UW-Superior and earned the win behind a 35-save performance.
Raiders dominate Johnnies in opener
Playing its first game of the season MSOE rolled to a 5-2 win over Saint John’s on Saturday.
The Raiders scored twice in the opening period and never looked back.
Matt Hanewall scored twice in the win and Christian Sabin dished out three assists as the Raiders improved to 2-2 all-time against the Johnnies.
MSOE and Saint John’s played to a 4-4 tie in the finale on Sunday. Ryan Reid made sure the Raiders avoided defeat as he scored in the final minute of the third to tie the game at 4-4. Sabin not only dished out two assists but he also scored twice.
Spartans stay on a roll
Derrick Budz scored with 9:55 left in Aurora’s battle with Lake Forest Sunday to lift the Spartans to a 2-1 win.
The Spartans trailed 1-0 early against the Foresters before tying the game at 1-1. The tie remained intact heading into the second period.
Jack Jaunich scored a goal as well for Aurora while Josh Boyko made 34 saves as the Spartans improved to 4-0 on the year.
Brendan Coughlin scored the lone goal for Lake Forest.
