ST. PAUL, Minn. – Owen Baumgartner scored early in the third period to tie the game, but St. Thomas answered with a late goal to defeat Augustana 2-1 Saturday afternoon at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in the Mason Cup Semifinals.

With the loss, the Vikings move to 22-11-4 on the season and now await their postseason fate. Augustana currently sits at No. 16 in the NPI rankings and will wait to see if it earns an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Josh Kotai made 26 saves in net for the Vikings while Carsen Musser stopped 23 shots for St. Thomas as the Tommies held a 28-24 edge in shots on goal.

Both teams traded chances in a tightly contested first period, but neither side found the back of the net. Augustana appeared to grab the early lead late in the period, but a St. Thomas coach's challenge triggered a video review that overturned the goal, sending the game into the first intermission scoreless.

The defensive battle continued through the second period as both teams generated chances but were unable to convert. Augustana's best opportunity came early in the frame when St. Thomas was whistled for interference just 33 seconds into the period, but the Tommies' penalty kill kept the Vikings off the board to maintain the 0-0 score through 40 minutes.

St. Thomas broke through early in the third period when Lucas Van Vliet scored at 5:23 to give the Tommies a 1-0 lead.

Augustana responded less than a minute later. Baumgartner tied the game at 6:20 of the third period, finishing a play set up by Owen Bohn and Nace Langus to even the score at 1-1.

The Tommies regained the lead midway through the period as Alex Gaffney scored at 10:53 off an assist from Lucas Wahlin.

Augustana pulled Kotai for the extra attacker late and generated several chances in the final minutes, but Musser and the Tommies held firm to advance to the Mason Cup Championship game.

Game Moments

• Augustana had a first-period goal overturned after a St. Thomas coach's challenge and video review.
• Owen Baumgartner scored Augustana's lone goal early in the third period.
• Josh Kotai made 26 saves for the Vikings in net.
• Augustana finished with 24 shots on goal while St. Thomas recorded 28.

Goals

• Lucas Van Vliet netted the night's first goal.
• Owen Baumgartner tallied the game-tying goal from out in front of the crease.
• Alex Gaffney scored the game-winning goal off a faceoff win.

Up Next
Augustana will now await the NCAA Tournament selection announcement to learn its postseason fate. The Vikings currently rank No. 16 in the NPI rankings and are hoping to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.