SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana hockey (9-15-3) potted four goals in the third period to secure its first win inside Midco Arena over St. Thomas (13-13-1, 11-7 CCHA) Friday night. Brett Meerman and Shay Donovan tallied two points each while Kayden Hargraves collected his third win of the season with 31 saves in its inaugural season presented by First PREMIER Bank / PREMIER Bankcard.

St. Thomas found the back of the net first as Tim Piechowski skated the puck up the length of the ice and fired a shot in from the sidewall to gain an early 1-0 lead. Arnaud Vachon was called for a five-minute major and game misconduct with 10:10 remaining in the first to put Augustana down a man early. 

The Vikings dominated on the penalty kill as multiple players covered shooting lanes and spoiled scoring chances for the Tommies. Augustana's strong penalty kill unit kept the score within one after 20 minutes of play. 

The second period raged on as both teams battled for possession throughout the neutral zone. The Vikings' power play unit went to work twice throughout 20 minutes as the Tommies were called on back-to-back two-minute tripping calls. Augustana's special team unit found multiple scoring chances but St. Thomas' Jake Sibell held strong to keep the game 1-0. 

The third period belonged to the Vikings as Evan McIntyre found the back of the net for his third goal of the season off a pass from Brett Meerman. Less than 15 seconds later, Chase Brand electrified the crowd with a shot from the slot to gain Augustana's first lead of the game. 

The scoring continued for Augustana as Uula Ruikka powered in his fifth of the season off a five-on-three power play to grab a two-goal lead on the Tommies. St. Thomas nailed in their second of the game to stop Augustana's momentum but Brady Ziemer slotted in an empty net goal from the defensive zone to grab the first win in Midco Arena. 

Game Moments

• Augustana made a comeback effort to secure its first win in Midco Arena by a score of 4-2.
• Ryan Naumovski tallied his 100th career point in the third period off Chase Brand's fifth goal of the season. 
• Brady Ziemer and Jeff Hutchinson soaked four shots each to lead the Vikings in blocked shots. 
• St. Thomas took its first loss of the season when scoring first. 
• Shay Donovan and Brett Meerman led the Vikings in points with two each.
• Kayden Hargraves moved to 3-1 on the season with 31 saves in his Midco Arena debut.

Goals

• Tim Piechowski found the back of the net first for the Tommies as he skated the puck into the offensive zone and slotted in the puck from the sidewall. Carson Peters and Jake Sibell collected assists. 
• Evan McIntyre slotted in his third of the season off a shot from just outside the goal crease off passes from Brett Meerman and Shay Donovan. 
• Ryan Naumovski tallied his 100th career point off Chase Brand's shot from the slot. 
• Uula Ruikka potted his fifth of the season on the power play off a dish from Hayden Hennen. 
• Mack Beyers scored a power-play goal to put a damper on Augustana's offensive momentum. 
• Brady Ziemer recorded his third of the season with an empty net shot from downtown. Donovan and Luke Mobley collected assists on the final dagger. 

Up Next
Augustana returns to action with a Saturday night matchup against St. Thomas to close out the weekend series. Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m. inside Midco Arena. Tickets are still available at GoAugie.com/HockeyTickets