SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – It was an all-around historic night for the Augustana hockey team as the Vikings used steady scoring and offensive domination to explode for a striking 12-0 rout of the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Friday night inside Midco Arena.
AU held the visitors to just 19 shots on goal all night while tallying its own program record of 48 shots on goal. The night's 12 total goals also annihilated the previous program-best of seven goals scored in a 2025 matchup against Omaha.
Also making history was freshman
Heath Nelson, who became the first in program history to have four points in one game before also becoming the first to have five points in one game. Nelson is also the second-ever Viking to tally three assists in one game.
It was Nelson who put Augustana ahead early at 5:37 with an even-strength goal off assists from
Easton Young and
Leonid Bulgakov after the team traded early looks. The Vikings continued to push in the first period and it wasn't long before
Nace Langus made it a 2-0 advantage at 10:27 with assists from
Landon Fandel and Bulgakov. Despite the visitors' best efforts,
Mathis Langevin kept making saves and Bulgakov added a goal of his own at 18:50 from
Siamion Marshchanok and Nelson to give AU the 3-0 lead at the intermission.
An early power play turned into another goal for the Vikings as
Hunter Bischoff netted one at 5:27 in the second period from
Brett Meerman and
Owen Baumgartner to make it a 4-0 advantage. Less than 30 seconds later, Nelson struck again—and on his own—when he added an unassisted goal at 5:57. But that was just the start of the second period scoring for the Vikings
Cole Burtch rattled one home from Langus and
Maxwell Chakrabarti at the 6:35 mark for the 5-0 lead before Marshchanok added in one of his own at 13:30 from Bulgakov and Nelson to further extend the spread. But the second-period scoring flurry would come to an end off the hand of Meerman, who pushed things to an 8-0 advantage at 17:56 off an assist from
Hayden Hennen.
Now firmly in control with an eight-goal margin, Augustana continued to dominate in the third period.
Owen Baumgartner joined in on the parade with his own goal at 2:01 with assists from
Jacob Fletcher and Nelson and was soon followed by Meerman's second goal of the night at 6:58 with help from Baumgartner and
Jacob Jastrzebski. Now in possession of a double-digit lead for the first time in program history, Fandel scored an unassisted shot at the 11:34 mark in the third and Langus capped things off with a goal at 13:16 with assists from Samo Meritähti and Young to solidify the 12-0 score.
Mathis Langevin earned his first career shutout in the Friday evening affair, turning away all 19 of the Wildcats' attempts.
Game Moments
- Augustana scored thrice in the first period before adding in a mammoth five goals in the second and four in the third
- Nelson tallied two goals and three assists for the first five-point performance in program history
- Langus and Meerman also netted two goals apiece
- Bulgakov eclipsed four points on the night off his one goal and three assists
- The Vikings' 12 goals marked a new program record
- AU also tallied the most shots on goal in school history at 48
Goals
- Nelson opened the scoring first with help from Young and Bulgakov for his an even-strength strike
- Langus pushed it to a 2-0 lead at 10:27 off his goal with assists from Fandel and Bulgakov
- Bulgakov netted the third shot of the first period at 18:50 off assists from Marshchanok and Nelson
- Bischoff opened the second period by scoring on the power play at 5:27 with help from Meerman and Baumgartner
- Nelson struck again nearly 30 seconds later at 5:57 with an unassisted goal
- With help from Langus and Chakrabarti, Burtch pushed things to a 6-0 lead at 6:35
- Marschanok scored his first career goal at 13:30 off assists from Bulgakov and Nelson
- Meerman struck at 17:56 for the final goal of the second period with an assist from Hennen
- Baumgartner kicked off the third-period scoring with a goal at 2:01 off assists from Fletcher and Nelson
- Meerman push AU to double figures as he scored his second of the night with feeds from Baumgartner and Jastrzebski at 6:58
- Fandel scored his own unassisted shot at 11:34 in the third to make it an 11-0 game
- Langus ended the night with his second goal of the day at 13:16, assisted by Meritähti and Young
UP NEXT
Augustana will close the weekend series against the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday evening, with a 6:07 p.m. puck drop scheduled inside Midco Arena.
--GoAugie.com--
