Augsburg is moving on in the NCAA tournament and is on the brink of its first Frozen Four trip in 20 years after a 3-1 win over Marian Saturday night.
The MIAC tournament champions used two first-period goals by Luke Dietsch and Matt Nehls and a late empty-net goal by Drew Anderson to put away the 14th-ranked Sabres, who were making their first ever trip to the tourney.
Dietsch and Nehls scored 40 seconds apart in the opening period, while Anderson punched in his eighth goal of the season with just under four minutes to play in the game, helping the 11th-ranked Auggies win their first tournament game since 1998, which was the last time they made it to the national semifinals.
The goal by Dietsch was his 11th of the season. Nehls scored his third goal of the year.
Augsburg was outshot, 33-30, but it mattered little as Nick Schmit came through with 32 saves to notch his 18th win of the year.
A familiar foe awaits the Auggies in the quarterfinal round. The Auggies will travel next weekend to take on top-ranked St. Norbert.
The two teams are meeting in the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. They met twice in the regular season. St. Norbert, which had an opening-round bye, prevailed both times, winning 3-1 and 4-0.
Last season’s showdown was one to remember. The Green Knights and Auggies went to overtime, and St. Norbert prevailed 4-3. The Auggies lost, 6-1, to St. Norbert in the 2016 tournament.
