It couldn’t have gone any better for Augsburg Friday night against No. 3 Adrian.
The Auggies got a stellar performance from Cade Stibbe, who recorded his first collegiate hat trick and helped lead his team to a memorable 3-2 win in overtime.
His biggest of the three goals came in 17 seconds into overtime as Stibbe scored on a penalty shot for his sixth goal of the year and his 13th point of the season.
He also scored goals in the first and second periods as the Auggies won their sixth game of the year.
Augsburg held a 40-36 advantage in shots and Samuel Vyletelka made 34 saves.
The Bulldogs did bounce back Saturday night to salvage a split in the series against the reigning MIAC tournament champions.
And they did it on the strength of a 3-0 shutout, highlighted by 18 saves from Dershahn Stewart. Ian Amsbaugh, Bradley Somers and Jacob Suede also scored for the Bulldogs, who held a 37-18 advantage in shots.
Adrian wraps up the first half of the year with a 9-3-1 record. Augsburg is 6-4-1.
Here’s more on the final full weekend of hockey before Christmas break.
Pointers earn impressive sweep
It was the biggest matchup of the weekend. Ninth-ranked UW-Stevens Point was up against No. 8 Eau Claire in a WIAC rivalry game, and in the end, the Pointers got the job done.
They won 2-1 in overtime on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday, and the sweep means the Pointers have won all three games against the Blugolds this weekend to further cement their place atop the standings.
On Saturday, neither team scored in the first or second period but Fletcher Anderson broke the tie at the 3:25 mark of the third when he punched in a goal for a 1-0 lead.
That lead would hold until the final minute of the game when Cody Moline tallied an empty-net goal to wrap up the scoring.
Alex Proctor rose to the occasion between the pipes, racking up 36 saves, earning his second shutout of the season. The 36 saves were a career high for Proctor. Max Gutjahr made 22 saves for the Blugolds.
UW-Stevens Point now sits at 9-3-0 overall and 6-1 in the WIAC. UW-Eau Claire is 8-4-1 overall and 4-3 in the WIAC.
Andrew Poulias was the hero on Friday in the series opener as the Pointers won on the road against the Blugolds. He scored a little over a minute into overtime for the win. It was his sixth goal of the season and marked his 11th point.
Leo Bacallao scored the lone goal for the Blugolds in the second period before the Pointers tied the game in the third to force overtime.
Take it outside
Bethel and St. Olaf literally took their battle outside Saturday, playing a game in St. Louis Park, Minn. The game did not count in the MIAC standings.
The Royals prevailed 3-1 to stretch their win streak to four games.
Logan Anderson gave the Royals the lead for good with a goal 18 seconds into the third period. Justin Kelley’ empty-netter finished out the scoring. Austin Ryman made 35 saves.
Bethel now heads overseas to play three games in Germany. The Royals head into the holiday season with a 9-2-2 record.
St. Olaf got its lone goal from Noah Heisler and is now 5-6-2.
Gusties keep unbeaten streak intact
Gustavus swept Concordia (Wi) over the weekend is unbeaten in its last six games.
The Gusties finished out the sweep with a 2-0 win on Saturday, improving to 7-4-2.
Drew Holt helped lead the charge. He delivered the game-winning goal less than six minutes into the action Saturday. Holt also played a key role in Friday’s 4-1 win, scoring twice.
Jackson Hjelle made a career-high 46 saves to help the Gusties preserve the shutout on Saturday. He made 19 of those saves in the third and has tallied two shutouts in the last three outings.
Raiders come away with win and tie against Johnnies
MSOE dominated Saint John’s in Saturday’s opener, winning 5-1, and then held on for a 1-1 tie against the Johnnies on the road.
Four goals in the first period set the tone for the win on Friday. Five different players scored in all and seven players had an assist as the Raiders cashed in on an on-point team effort.
Jacob Bosse scored on a power play for the first goal of the night. Gramm McCormack, Preston Park and Seth Benard all scored in the opening period as well.
Jackson Yee also scored whiled Austin Schwab made 31 saves.
In the finale on Sunday, Luke Stevens scored his first collegiate goal and Schwab came through with 37 saves.
MSOE finishes out the first half with a 7-5.2 record. Saint John’s is 3-8-2.
Sabres shine against Cobbers
Marian finished its first half of the season on a high note by sweeping the Concordia Cobbers.
The Sabres are 3-2 in non-conference games and 4-4-1 all-time against the Cobbers. They improved to 5-8 on the season.
Caden Carlson scored twice in Saturday’s 5-3 victory. Alex Rondeau tallied two assists.
In Friday’s 6-3 win, the Sabres jumped out to a 4-1 lead after one period and never looked back.
Daunte Fortner scored the third goal of the season in that win and Nolan Flint picked up his first career point off an assist.
Jaymes Knee led the offense with a pair of goals.
The Cobbers dropped to 6-4-1 on the season. It’s the first time all season that they have lost two in a row. In Saturday’s game, Joe Harguindeguy tallied an assist for hs 10th of the year. He has 12 points in all on the season.
Yellowjackets move up in standings
UW-Superior topped Northland 3-1 Saturday and is now in second place in the WIAC standings.
It improved to 7-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference, closing out the first half on a high note after starting the season 1-5.
Kobe Grant made 20 saves to earn his first win at the college level after coming up short in the previous five outings. Tyler Ryder scored a goal in the win while his brother assisted on the play. It’s the first time this year that the two have teamed up on a goal.
