by Adam Wodon/Managing Editor (@CHN_AdamWodon)
When Augustana learned late last spring its timeline for full membership into the CCHA had been moved up one year, it sent an undeniable positive jolt into the program.
But now that it’s hear, the Vikings are concentrating on the usual mantras — getting better every day, trusting the process, taking things one game at a time.
That was true after a loss at Long Island on Saturday, Oct. 12. And it will also be true coming off a pair of wins at Omaha this past weekend.
“We have to prepare every day to live in the moment, as cliche as that sounds,” Augustana coach Garrett Raboin said. “But that’s all you can really do. Usually, preparation and practice sets you up for a good weekend. A good Friday which could lead into a good Saturday. So that’s a narrow mindset for our group and still so early in the year, we’re focusing a lot on us and just trying to get better at our brand of hockey.”
Of course, it’s better to be coming off wins than losses, and the sweep of the Mavericks on the road was pretty sweet. Augustana is now 3-1 to start the season, after winning 12 games last year in its inaugural campaign.
In Friday’s game, Augustana went toe-to-toe with Omaha but couldn’t buy a goal — or a power-play chance, for that matter. But while killing off a penalty, fifth-year forward Luke Mobley took advantage of a deflection and went in and scored shorthanded to tie the game in the third period. Later in the period, Callum Gau scored to give his team the win, beating top-notch Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy, who had made 32 saves to that point.
“They’re comfortable playing in close games,” Raboin said of Omaha. “That’s why they were in the NCAA Tournament a year ago and gave Minnesota a strong run. So we knew it was going to be one of those games that was going to go the distance and we didn’t know if there’s going to be extra time needed, but we were prepared.
“When you shoot it that hard, good things can happen. But everything that’s set up, we were deserving of a goal. We played well enough up to that point. The hockey gods might have given us one because our guys had played that well.”
That wasn’t the end of Mobley’s weekend either. Mobley, who transferred in from Clarkson last year, before the Vikings’ first season as a…
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