SIOUX FALLS — With two points separating the top three teams in the CCHA standings, the objective for the Augustana hockey team at this juncture in the season is rather simple.
The Vikings just need to control what they can control.
No. 14 Augustana will look to extend its six-game winning streak this weekend in a pivotal conference tilt at 6:07 p.m. Saturday when it squares off with No. 20 Minnesota State at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato.
As they head into the weekend, the Vikings (16-6-3) find themselves ranked No. 14 in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) and are second in the league standings with a 10-4-3 conference record and 35 CCHA points. Sitting just ahead of them is St. Thomas with 36 points and an 11-3-2 mark in league play, while Michigan Tech is in third place with 34 conference points.
Augustana players take the ice for pre-game warmups prior to the start of a game against Omaha on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Peyton Bartsch Photography
However, for Augustana coach Garrett Raboin, there’s no need to spend any time analyzing the standings. The third-year coach just wants his Viking players to concentrate on the next game in front of them.
“It’s just so simple right now that you need to try to get wins,” Raboin said. “You need to try to get points each and every night. Those teams that do are going to put themselves in a better place to earn home ice, and those that don’t, it’s going to be a bigger challenge. But there’s so many teams, I don’t know if I’ve seen anything like it since I’ve been in the league. And we’re full-on for one year, so it’s not been that long.
“The parity’s there, and I’m just hungry to get to the game on Saturday and see what our guys have.”
The Vikings are undefeated since the start of the new year and have gone 10-1-2 in their last 13 games. That includes a five-point sweep of Ferris State last weekend at Midco Arena, where they claimed their third shutout in a row in
before pulling out
Saturday.
Augustana goalie Josh Kotai became the first Division I goalie since 2020 to record three straight shutouts, carrying his shutout streak into the late stages of the first period in Saturday’s game. Kotai’s consecutive shutout minutes streak ended at 210:02, putting him at 23rd all-time in NCAA history.
Augustana goalie Josh Kotai tracks the puck against Ferris State on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Peyton Bartsch Photography
Meanwhile, defenseman Easton Young scored the first goal of Saturday’s contest and finished it off with another at the 2:54 mark in overtime to give the Vikings a series sweep they desperately needed in order to maintain their standing in the NPI.
“I was happy with the weekend,” Raboin said. “I thought our guys played really strong. We got out to three goals quickly in the first period both nights.
“It was great for Josh and our guys to have three consecutive shutouts. It’s something that’s really hard to do, and it takes everybody. … I think as you watch the game back, you like a lot of things about how we’re playing, how guys are competing, and it’s our league. It’s so hard no matter who you’re playing to get points, let alone five of six, so I was I was happy with the result.”
Augustana now has 10 players with double-digit points on the season, including forward Brett Meerman, who has a team-high 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists.
Freshman Leo Bulgakov has 18 points, including a team-leading 11 goals, while freshman Jacob Jastrzebski is tied for third on the team with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists).
Augustana’s Jacob Jastrzebski skates with the puck while being pursued by Colorado College’s Mats Lindgren on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Peyton Bartsch Photography
Augustana is outscoring its opponents by a 26-17 margin in the opening period and is 11-0-2 this season when scoring first.
“That needs to continue,” Raboin said his team’s recent fast starts. “Our second periods have been not as strong. Mankato, conversely, is a very strong second-period team, whether it’s the line changes or some of their things they do systematically, and when they played us last time here, they kind of whooped us in the second period.
“It’s important for us to have a better second, some things we’re going to try to address through the week of practice this week, so that we’re ready because they’re going to be at home. It’s a great crowd. It’s loud. It’s certainly going to be really meaningful for them as they try to to catch a hot streak of their own, and they’re going to be fired up to play us.”
Minnesota State goalie Alex Tracy tracks the puck against Augustana on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Nick Buus / Relative Focus Photography
MSU (12-8-5) remains nationally ranked despite a 1-4 record since the start of the new year.
The Mavs are 1-6-1 over their last eight games, which includes a loss and a shootout loss versus the Vikings on Dec. 12-13 in Sioux Falls.
“They’re going to be well prepared, and they’re going to have a really good sense of urgency,” Raboin said about the Mavericks, who are currently in fifth place in the CCHA standings with 28 points. “We’re going to get their best shot right to start. They’re at home. I think the extra day works to their advantage, a little bit of a flush probably for them, but then they’re going to coach. And they’re going to grind on each other.
“The biggest thing is they’re coming out wanting to shift momentum to their favor just through good, hard-fought hockey.”
Tale of the tape
MSU
AUG
2.6
Goals/game
3.0
2.4
Goals allowed/game
2.0
30.1
Shots/game
28.3
27.3
Shots allowed/game
30.4
20-89
PPG
17-75
12-70
PPG allowed
9-74
Senior forward Tristan Lemyre was one of 17 newcomers who joined the Mavericks’ program in the offseason. The transfer from Western Michigan leads the team with 20 points on 10 goals and 10 assists, while junior defenseman Evan Murr also has 20 points, including a team-high 14 assists.
Senior Alex Tracy continues to carry the load for MSU between the pipes, where he boasts an 11-8-2 record with a pair of shutouts. The reigning CCHA Player of the Year has a 2.06 goals-against average that ranks second in the conference behind Kotai, and his .924 save percentage is good enough for fourth-best in the CCHA.
The Mavs, who are 5-3-2 on home ice this season, rank second in the league in scoring defense and are sixth in scoring offense.
“They’re well coached, so there’s structure that shows up as you prepare. And the one thing I really appreciate about Mankato is how consistently they play from top to bottom,” Raboin said. “They very much look the same. They use their depth, and they don’t really deviate.
“If you take your eye off the ball with Mankato, they can expose you, and then it comes down to special teams and being strong in those facets.”
Augustana’s Hayden Hennen closes in on a Bemidji State player Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Nick Buus / Relative Focus Photography
As it stands, Augustana is allowing 2.0 goals per contest, which is tops in the CCHA and tied for third-best nationally.
Kotai has been at the center of his team’s defensive dominance. The junior from Abbotsford, British Columbia, is tied for third-best nationally in save percentage (.934) and is ninth in the country in GAA (1.99). He also has four shutouts on the season, which is tied for the most in all of Division I hockey.
But the defensemen playing in front of Kotai have collectively elevated their game as well.
On Friday, freshman blueliner Max Chakrabarti tallied his first career goal in the final seconds of the opening period.
Augustana’s Max Chakrabarti celebrates after scoring a goal against Ferris State on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, at Midco Arena in Sioux Falls.
Peyton Bartsch Photography
Junior Owen Baumgartner leads all Viking defensemen with 16 points (four goals, 12 assists), while Young (12 points) and Hayden Hennen (11 points) have also reached double-digit points from the blue line. Hennen is averaging 25:28 minutes per game, which ranks sixth among all skaters in the nation.
“It’s been a strength of ours,” Raboin said about his team’s defense. “I think some simplicity is the best because we have forwards that are playing well right now. We’re finding some balance, some line pairings. There’s some continuity there, but it’s the whole group.
“We have to continue to look forward. Nothing we’ve done in the past is going to help decide anything or afford us anything with our future. And it’s Saturday. It’s Mankato, and it’s going to be a heck of a game.”
Friday, Jan. 23
Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, 6:07 p.m.St. Thomas at Lake Superior State, 6:07 p.m.Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 24
Northern Michigan at Michigan Tech, 5:07 p.m.St. Thomas at Lake Superior State, 5:07 p.m.Augustana at Minnesota State, 6:07 p.m.Bowling Green at Bemidji State, 6:07 p.m.
Team, Points, Games played
St. Thomas, 36, 16Augustana, 35, 17Michigan Tech, 34, 16Bowling Green, 30, 16Minnesota State, 28, 17Bemidji State, 25, 16Lake Superior State, 20, 16Ferris State, 9, 18Northern Michigan, 5, 16