Box Score The road to get there was a bit harrowing. But the Hamline men's hockey team is closing in a prize few people thought they would attain. Charlie Adams' goal in the final minute of overtime capped a wild rally and lifted Hamline to a 6-5 win at Augsburg Saturday night. The Pipers got three points for the win and now have 25, good for a tie for third place with St. Mary's with two games to play. In fact, Hamline is just three points away from first place, currently co-held by Concordia  and St. Thomas.

It is fair to say, however, the road to getting to this spot hit a few bumps along the way. 

Hamline started fast. Goals by Brandon Zurn and Andrew Herbert gave Hamline a 2-0 lead before eight minutes were gone. The Pipers kept the pressure up the rest of the period but the score stayed at 2-0 after 20 minutes. 

It was 2-2 after 22 minutes. That's because the Auggies struck fast at the start of what would be a hectic middle frame. Zurn (22) turned the tide Hamline's way with a power play goal at 11:19 but the lead lasted just 15 seconds. Augsburg then took a 4-3 lead late in the second period and things looked a bit grim.

It got even grimmer when the home team scored 11 seconds into the final period. At that point, head coach Cory Laylin took out goalie John Sellie-Hanson and inserted Erick Majerle, who hadn't played since January 10.

All Majerle did was stop all 17 shots he faced, including 13 in the third period. Meanwhile, Joe Rubbelke got loose for his second goal of the season at 10:21 and Brandon Reinholz batted in a loose puck two minutes to retie the game at 5.

In the overtime, both teams played wide open. Majerle stopped four shots and his opposite number, Fredrik Melander, handled two. One he didn't handle came from Zurn, who shot free up the right side and fired a shot that hit the goalpost. Adams, however, was follwing up and he whacked it into the net for his 13th goal of the year and give the Pipers the dramatic win. 

Hamline, which won just three games the past two seasons, is a remarkable 11-8-4 overall and 7-4-3 in the MIAC. 

While they are tied for third and close to first, the Pipers also have teams hot on their trail. St. John's is fifth with 24 points. Augsburg and Gustavus (which just took five of six points from St. Thomas) are still in contention with 21 points. 

But Hamline controls its own destiny. They finish the season next week with St. Mary's. The teams play Friday night in Winona and then repair to Oscar Johnson for what may be a very interesting season finale on Saturday night.