MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Gustavus men’s hockey team battled back from a 1-0 deficit Saturday night to upset No. 7 Augsburg 2-1. With the win the Gusties improve to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the MIAC while the Auggies fall to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
“We had all hands on deck tonight,” said Head Coach Brett Petersen. “It was a complete team win with contributions from everyone. I am really proud of the way we responded from yesterday’s game.”
The Gusties came out strong in the contest, going punch for punch with the Auggies early and played a scoreless first 20 minutes. Gustavus outshot the home team 12-9 in the opening frame.
Play picked up in the second period, with Augsburg striking first 3:57 into the second to take the lead. Gustavus was able to answer at the 8:11 mark, when Logan Norman (Jr., Luverne) scored a power play goal, assisted by Mason Etter (Jr., Grafton, Wis.) and Tyler Rock (Jr., Savage). The Gusties would get another power play late in the frame and took advantage, with Caleb Anderson (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) scoring with 19 seconds remaining in the period, assisted by Connor Clemons (So., Savage) and Nick Klishko (Jr., San Diego, Calif.).
Holding a lead in the third period, the Gusties continued to apply pressure on the Auggies. A Gustavus penalty with 6:40 remaining gave Augsburg a power play, but the Black and Gold were able hold strong to kill the penalty. They continued their strong all around play for the last 4:40 to post a scoreless final frame and give the Gusties the win.
Robbie Goor(Jr., Anoka) was solid in net all night for the Gusties, making 20 saves while allowing just one goal in the victory.
The Gusties will next be in action Dec. 6 when they host Saint Mary’s for a 7:05 p.m. contest.