MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 17 Augustana hockey team (16-8-3, 8-4-1 CCHA) fell to No. 15 Minnesota State (19-8-2, 14-5-2 CCHA) by a score of 4-1 Friday night inside the Mayo Clinic HSEC. 

Minnesota State opened the game with offensive momentum as it outshot Augustana 12-6 in the first 20 minutes of play. Still, Josh Kotai remained strong in the net as he denied multiple chances. In the final minutes of play, Augustana turned the tide in its favor as it fired four of its six shots in the last six minutes to carry energy into the second period. 

The action picked up in the second period as Minnesota State broke the deadlock at the 13:31 mark with a goal from Kaden Bohlson after he went short side low on Kotai. Augustana answered back shortly after as Callum Gau found Quinn Rudrud with a no-look pass to give Rudrud a chance on the breakaway where he fired in his fifth of the season to even the score. The Mavericks regained their lead with just over three minutes remaining in the frame as Adam Eisele controlled a rebound off Rhett Pitlick's shot from the point to net his 10th of the season. 

After a back-and-forth opening seven minutes of play in the third period, Luigi Benincasa pushed MSU's lead to two with a power play goal. In the late stages on the frame, Augustana was awarded a power play opportunity, in a last-ditch attempt to cut the lead, the Vikings pulled Kotai to make it a six-on-four power play. Minnesota State remained strong in the defensive zone to kill off its penalty. The Mavericks put the final dagger in the game with an empty net goal to secure a 4-1 win.

Game Moments

• Minnesota State outshot Augustana 12-6 in the first period. 
• Kotai made 29 saves in Friday's loss.
• Easton Young led the Vikings with three blocked shots.
• Luke Mobley was 55.6 percent on the faceoff dot.

Goals

• Bohlson opened up the scoring with his eighth of the season after he went short side low on Kotai.
• Rudrud recorded his fifth of the season in the middle of the second period after he received a no-look pass from Gau. Will Howard collected the secondary assist. 
• Eisele regained the lead for Minnesota State with his 10th of the season. 
• Benincasa pushed MSU's lead to two with his fourth of the season.
• Josh Groll recorded the final dagger with an empty net goal.

Up Next
Augustana will look for the weekend split with Minnesota State on Saturday night. The puck drop is slated for 6:07 p.m.