Box Score All year long, he lurked in the background, quietly racking up points while his celebrated linemates grabbed the attention. 

Thursday night, it was Mitch McPherson's turn in the spotlight. The freshman (16) scored twice and fellow frosh Justin Quale stood tall in goal as Hamline defeated Concordia, 3-0, to advance to the semifinals of the MIAC men's hockey playoffs. The fifth-seeded Pipers, who won three away games in a span of nine days last year to win the MIAC title and advance to the NCAA tournament, took their first step in that direction in 2016 with the win in Moorhead. HU will take a 10-11-5 overall record to Augsburg Arena in Minneapolis Saturday night to face regular season champion Augsburg (15-8-2) at 7:00 p.m.

McPherson led all first year players in the MIAC during the regular season with 24 points. On Thursday, the Peoria, Ill. native teamed up with linemates Charlie Adams and Brandon Zurn for goals in the first and second periods to take control of the game. His first goal was a power play effort 12:50 into the game, He added a second marker late in the middle frame. McPherson now has 12 goals on the season, third best on the Pipers. 

The score stayed put until Zurn drilled one into an empty net with 1:24 remaining. Zurn and Adams, who are both from Mahtomedi, Minn. are tied for the lead in D-III scoring this year with 49 points apiece. 

Quale handled the rest of things, knocking away 30 shots to earn his first collegiate shutout. The Hopkins, Minn. native has allowed just six goals in his last four games.

The win sends the Pipers into a rematch with an Augsburg team that swept a series from them February 5-6. The Auggies won, 8-2, the first night. In the rematch, HU pelted Auggie goalie Jordyn Kaufer with 43 shots but to no avail in a 2-0 loss. Last year, Hamline opened its magical playoff run with a come-from-behind 4-3 win at Augsburg.

The winner of Saturday's game will meet the winner of the St. John's-St. Thomas game Saturday, March 5 for the conference championship and the automatic bid for the NCAA tournament. If it is Hamline, they will be a road team.