Augustana University played in its first conference tournament for Division I hockey this weekend.
For the first time in the state’s history, over 3,000 fans in Sioux Falls are watching playoff hockey at the NCAA level.
That’s because Augustana University hosted the first round of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s Mason Cup Playoffs.
Augustana faced the 7th-seeded Bemidji State Beavers – though up until a year ago this matchup wouldn’t have even been possible.
That’s because the CCHA granted Augustana full conference membership last summer after the program surpassed expectations in its inaugural season. The team followed that season by raising the bar, landing the two seed in the Mason Cup Conference tournament this year.
Fans in the Sioux Falls area demonstrated their support, selling out Midco Arena in two of the three games in the series.
Josh Morton is the Vice President of Athletics for Augustana. He said the “overwhelming” support of fans is something that excites him for the future.
“I’m so grateful for this community for embracing, you know, the vision of Augustana. And this was always about more than just putting a team on the ice. This was about this, what you’ve seen and what you’ve heard the last three nights. That’s what I’m really proud of, and so many people who made this happen," Morton said. "To have something like this, and now to see it continue to catch on. And here we are in March having huge crowds and great game atmospheres in year two is really gratifying."
Augustana opened the playoff series with an electric 3-1 win over Bemidji State but went on to lose the second game 4-3.
The Vikings, in a win or go home third game, kept it close – forcing overtime after the game remained 2-2 at the end of the third period. But ultimately, the team lost in the overtime period – abruptly ending its season.
Morton said despite the first-round exit, this is only the beginning.
“I knew we’d be competitive; I just didn’t know what that would look like. And, knowing that we had a pretty modified schedule the first year and this year too, and it was a difficult schedule," Morton said. "So, to see what we’ve done, again, it’s remarkable because we’re still building something for the future, right? We’re laying the foundation. But, in the meantime, we’re having a lot of success."
He said the team should be proud of what its accomplished thus far in its infancy.
