Notables
-Hinterser scores 5th goal on the year
-A. Ledenkov records 28th assist
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The 2023 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Men's Hockey Playoffs concluded tonight with the two top teams in the MIAC competing for a spot in the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Tournament. No. 1 seeded St. Scholastica and No. 2 Seeded Augsburg University.
How it Happened
A penalty would allow Augsburg to strike early with just over two minutes into first. Halfway into the contest, the Auggies would be called for a penalty, giving Saints the advantage on the ice. However, it would be Augsburg who would score the short-handed goal just before the eleven-minute mark.
Down by two scores, CSS still on the power-play would get on the board as senior Tyler Hinterser (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville HS (Brookings-NAHL)) would score. Braeden Holcomb (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) and Arkhip Ledenkov (Polotsk, Belarus/Ostroshitsko-Gorodokskaya (New York Aviators-USPHL)) would be credited with the assists. With just under two minutes remaining, the Saints would again go on a power-play, but the Auggie netminder would save all four shots on goal. The Saints would be down 2-1 at the end of the first intermission.
Into the second, the Auggies offense would start to pick things up toward the end of the period. Seven minutes remained when the Saints would be called for slashing, this would lead to another power-play goal for Augsburg. With 9.7 seconds left, a Auggies slap shot would end in the back of the net.
The Saints wouldn't be able to come back the three-goal deficit and would ultimately fall in this great battle between the top two seeded teams in the MIAC. Augsburg would capture their first victory over the Saints this year when it mattered most and they received the MIAC Playoff Championship plaque, and most importantly a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The team was ranked 21st in the most recent NCAA Pairwise Rankings. There are nine automatic qualifiers and three at-large spots. The national tournament hasn't been officially announced, but CSS will most likely not be one of those three teams. The official bracket will be announced Monday, March 6 on NCAA.com.
Goaltending
Jack Bostedt (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig HS (Minnesota Mullets-USPHL)) had 33 saves for the Saints, while Samuel Vyletelka had 25 saves for the Auggies.
