BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Augustana hockey team (3-2, 0-1 CCHA) fell to Bemidji State (3-4, 1-0 CCHA) Friday night by a score of 1-0 in overtime to open up conference play. Josh Kotai made 31 saves while the Vikings were forced to kill off five penalty kills. The Vikings skated away with one conference point.

Bemidji State opened up the first period with offensive momentum and forced Augustana to go on the defensive. Midway through the first period, the Vikings went on the man advantage. Easton Young recorded three shots, with one hitting the pipe to apply pressure on Raythan Robbins. At the 5:50 mark, Kotai robbed Noah Quinn to keep the game scoreless. Late in the frame, Nace Langus was dinged for a two-minute minor.

Augustana found itself short-handed on three occasions in the second period as it was forced to kill off six minutes of penalties. The Beavers tilted the ice in their favor and controlled a majority of the second period. Augustana bounced back and applied pressure towards Robbins, but the score remained 0-0.

The Vikings went on the man-advantage six minutes into the third period and collected eight shots. Midway through the frame, Augustana found itself short-handed as Tyler Hennen was hit with a two-minute minor for cross-checking. After a successful kill, Colton Friesen drew a roughing penalty and put the Vikings back on the man advantage. Robbins denied Owen Baumgartner and Hayden Hennen's attempts on the power play. Kotai stood tall between the pipes and pushed the game to overtime.

2:12 into overtime, Bemidji State carried the puck into the zone as Adam Flemming collected his own rebound and found Oliver Peer out in front of the net for the lone goal to secure the win for the Beavers.

Game Moments

• Kotai made 31 saves and moved to 3-2 on the season.
• Bemidji State edged out the Vikings on the faceoff dot, 39-22.
• Augustana went 5-5 on the penalty kill.
• H. Hennen led the Vikings with four blocked shots.
• Baumgartner recorded six shots on goal.

Goals

• Peer netted the game-winner in overtime after he received a dish from Flemming.

Up Next
Augustana returns to the ice on Saturday night as it looks for the weekend split with Bemidji State. Puck drop is slated for 6:07 p.m. with action on Midco Sports Plus or at GoAugie.com/Live.