MANKATO, Minn. – The No. 17 Augustana hockey team (16-9-3, 8-5-1 CCHA) fell to No. 15 Minnesota State (20-8-2, 15-5-2 CCHA) in conference action Saturday night inside the Mayo Clinic HSEC by a score of 2-1. 

Minnesota State opened up the scoring early as Ralfs Bergmanis found Rhett Pitlick in the neutral zone to breeze by the Viking defenseman before he scored on the breakaway with a backhand five-hole. The Mavericks added to its opening goal as Finn Williams tipped in a shot from the point to make it a 2-0 game 14 minutes into the first period. Augustana answered back in the final moments of the first period as Garett Drotts kept the rubber in the offensive zone to find Tyler Hennen who fired in a shot that Payton Matsui tipped for his seventh of the season. Shots were tied 9-9 through the first 20 minutes of action. 

Augustana opened up the second period on the penalty kill that it successfully killed with ease. Both teams shared equal opportunities in their respective offensive zones. Augustana turned up the energy in the final five minutes of the frame but Alex Tracy remained strong between the pipes for Minnesota State.

The Vikings ran into penalty trouble in the third period as it was forced to kill off two minor penalties. In the late minutes of the game, head coach Garrett Raboin called a timeout and pulled Josh Kotai but Augustana failed to find the equalizer and fell to Minnesota State, 2-1. 

Game Moments

• MSU scored the first two goals of the game before Augustana cut its lead to one in the final minutes of the first period. 
• Augustana outshot Minnesota State 13-6 in the second period. 
• The Vikings outshot Minnesota State 29-19.
• AU killed off three minor penalties.
• Luke Mobley and Brady Ziemer led the team in blocked shots with two each. 

Goals

• Pitlick opened up the scoring seven minutes into the first period after he received a pass from Bergamanis. Pitlick split the defense and scored five hole on the breakaway. 
• Minnesota State pushed its lead to two with 6:37 remaining in the first after Williams tipped in his first of the season.
• Matsui answered back for the Vikings with his seventh goal of the season as he tipped in a shot from T. Hennen. Drotts collected the secondary assist on the goal. 

Up Next
Augustana returns to home ice next weekend to close out its CCHA schedule against Michigan Tech. The action kicks off on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7:07 p.m. and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 6:07 p.m.