Augsburg Downs St. Mary’s in Historic Marathon
When the Augsburg Eagles women’s hockey team took the ice for their Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) semifinal matchup against St. Marys, few in the Ed Saugestad Rink were thinking they were about to witness history. Of course, the game had high stakes, with the winner earning a trip to the MIAC championship game this Saturday. By the end of the game, the two teams had done more than play an instant classic; they had etched their names into the record books, which was the longest Division III women’s hockey game of all time.
Augsburg eventually emerged victorious in a game that ended up extending into four overtimes. When first-year forward Aunna Schulte scored her unassisted winner, Augsburg and St. Mary’s had played 128:06 of game time. Schulte ultimately won the game for the Eagles, but the game almost never even made it to overtime.
The St. Mary’s Sabres and Augsburg Eagles always play in close games. They played a pair of games towards the end of February that saw the Eagles earn a series sweep with scores of 3-1 and 3-2. The MIAC semifinal was always destined to be close, but at the end of the second period, The Sabres were on the brink of reversing their fortunes with a 2-1 lead over Augsburg. Minneapolis native Celia Midtbo, a sophomore defender for St. Mary’s, scored on the powerplay at 10:34 of the second period. The Eagles tied the game at 3:57 of the third period on a goal from Nora Stepan, which ultimately sent the game to overtime.
Overtime is where the game got genuinely remarkable. Only two MIAC games previous to this one ever went to two overtime periods. Still, this contest continued to stretch on in a battle of attrition that exhausted players, on-ice officials (Michaela Bahl, Kaylen Hanson, Evonne Fix and Joe Setrum) and everyone involved. Like any long-lasting game, both team’s goaltenders played a starring role. St. Mary’s goalie Celeste Rimstad made 35 combined saves in the overtime periods, while Kayla Simonson, the Eagles netminder, made 31 saves in extra time.
When Schulte scored the game-winner in the fourth overtime, the two teams played the longest game in Division III women’s hockey history. While the matchup topped all previous D3 games, it joined the ranks as one of the most extended college hockey games ever. Saint Anselm defeated Franklin Pierce in 2020 in a Division I game that lasted 147:24 (five overtimes), the longest women’s college game ever. On the men’s side, Massachusetts defeated Notre Dame 4-3 in 2015 in the longest college game in history, lasting 151:42. Augsburg and St. Mary’s marathon didn’t quite reach those lengths but still goes down in history as one of the most grueling games in the history of collegiate hockey.
Congratulations to both St. Mary’s and Augsburg on their history-making effort in Minneapolis. The MIAC No. 1-seeded Eagles will continue their season as they take on No. 2-seeded Gustavus in the MIAC championship saturday, March 1st. Whoever emerges victorious will earn the MIAC’s automatic berth to the 12-team NCAA Division III tournament.