MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Senior Connor Kalthoff netted the game-winner with 4:06 remaining in the third period to give the St. Olaf College men's hockey team a 3-2 road win over Augsburg University on Friday night at Ed Saugestad Rink.

In a matchup of two teams in need of points in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) standings, St. Olaf (8-7-3, 3-5-1 MIAC) raced out to a 2-0 lead over the first 4:10 of play before Augsburg (7-12-1, 3-7-1 MIAC) fought back with a pair of power-play goals to tie the game. Kalthoff broke the tie and gave the Oles the full allotment of three points to pull St. Olaf even with the Auggies in the conference standings.

St. Olaf wasted little time in jumping out to an early lead, as first year Nicholas Sewecke fired the puck in under the bar from low on the left circle off assists from sophomore Tony Leahy and junior Jonathan Panisa just 45 seconds in. The goal was Sewecke's fifth of the season.

The Oles doubled their lead just 4:10 in when senior Matthew Pointer scored on a rebound after sophomore Tyler Green robbed an Auggie of the puck near the blue line to get in on a mini-breakaway. Green collected his eighth assist of the season – the joint second-highest total on the team – on Pointer's third goal of the year.

Augsburg cut its deficit in half less than three minutes after Pointer's tally when Gunnar Williams scored a power-play goal at 7:08 of the first period to make it a 2-1 game. Michael Ferrandino tallied the Auggies' second power-play goal of the night at 2:36 of the second to knot the game at 2-2, scoring just 14 seconds into the power play.

Both teams had unsuccessful power plays in the third period, with St. Olaf killing off a minor penalty less than a minute before Kalthoff's winner. Kalthoff struck for the decisive goal at 15:54 while being knocked to the ice after joining a 3-on-2 rush with first year Simon Pollock and Sewecke. With an assist on Kalthoff's fifth goal of the season, Sewecke finished off his fourth multi-point game as an Ole.

Augsburg pulled its goaltender with 1:46 to go but could not generate a shot on goal in the 6-on-5 situation. In his first game since Nov. 9, senior Thomas Lalonde picked up his first victory of the season with a 19-save outing. Carsen Stokes had 28 of his 31 saves over the first two periods for the Auggies.

The two teams will complete their series on Saturday, Feb. 1 in a 5 p.m. start at St. Olaf Ice Arena.