BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- If the first two rounds of the 2016 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Hockey Playoffs are any indication of what's to come in Saturday's championship games, both the men's and women's tournaments are primed for extremely thrilling conclusions.
Saturday's women's title game is rich with storylines, as No. 1 St. Thomas (18-5-2) hosts No. 2 Bethel (15-9-2) at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn., at 2 p.m. Not only is the championship showdown a rematch of the 2015 title game, but it pits the conference's regular season co-champions against one another with a chance to settle the score , and hang another banner in the process.
During the regular season, the Tommies and Royals tied atop the standings with 26 points and identical 12-4-2 MIAC records, as Bethel captured a share of its first-ever conference title, while UST laid claim to its second crown in three seasons. The Tommies also enter Saturday's game as the two-time defending Playoff champs, while the Royals are aiming to add the postseason championship to their remarkable season of "firsts." The two had their regular season series way back on Nov. 20-21, with St. Thomas taking three of four points in a pair of tremendous games with a 2-2 overtime tie and a 1-0 win.
Each had a bye in the quarterfinals, and won their semifinal game with a clutch late goal. The Tommies were knotted 1-1 with No. 4 Concordia heading into the final period, when Courtney Umland scored her second goal of the game to snap the tie and send her team back to the title game. Meanwhile, Bethel battled No. 3 Augsburg to a scoreless tie at the end of regulation. In overtime, Hadley Cookson got a shot up over the goalie's shoulder to give the Royals a remarkable 1-0 victory, and their second-straight trip to the championship contest.
The men's championship game will again award the Ed Saugestad Traveling Trophy to the Playoff champion and, fittingly, the final will be played in the rink also named for the legendary former Augsburg coach. The regular-season champion and top-seeded Auggies (16-8-2) host No. 3 Saint John's (13-9-4) at Ed Saugestand Rink in Minneapolis at 7:05 p.m. Saturday evening and, after both advanced to the title game in dramatic fashion, the stage is set for another instant classic, which was already sold out on Thursday afternoon.
During the regular season, Augsburg emerged with its first conference championship since 1997-98 with an 11-3-2 MIAC record and 26 points. Saint John's was just three points the Auggies in third with 33 points and a 10-4-2 conference mark. The Johnnies swept Augsburg 5-3 and 4-2 to close the regular season, but he Auggies had already locked up the title and the top seed prior to the final weekend, so this time there will be much more on the line for both teams. Augsburg is seeking its second MIAC playoff title, as it won the inaugural tournament title in 1997-98, while Saint John's will try to win its sixth MIAC Playoff title and first since 2013.
Each used late-game heroics in the semifinals to reach the championship game. Augsburg got three goals in the final seven minutes from Drew Allen, Corbin Chapman and an empty netter from Nate Flynn to turn a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 victory over defending MIAC Playoff champ Hamline. Saint John's appeared to have less than two minutes left in its season as it trailed St. Thomas 1-0 late in regulation, but Joe Freemark scored with an extra attacker with just 1:40 left to force overtime, and Andrew Commers scored the game winner just 1:26 into the extra session to give the Johnnies a remarkable come-from-behind win and a spot in the championship game.
There is a home page for each tournament (Men - Women), which includes an interactive bracket (Men - Women) to follow all the action, scores, stats, recaps, information on all five teams in each field and more. Fans who can't make it to either Mendota Heights or Minneapolis can follow each game live on the MIAC scoreboard or the MIAC Front Row app. The women's game will have live video and live stats courtesy of St. Thomas, and Augsburg will also provide live video and live stats for the men's game.
The champion of each tournament will receive the MIAC Playoff championship plaque and an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division III Hockey Tournament. The NCAA will announce the national tournament field on Monday, March 7 with live online selection shows. The women's show will air at 9 a.m. Monday, and the men's will follow at 9:30 a.m.
| 2016 MIAC Men's Hockey Playoffs | 2016 MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs |