GENEVA, Ill. – It was do or die for MSOE men's hockey this afternoon. After losing 6-3 to No. 3 Aurora last night, the Raiders knew they needed two victories to keep their season alive. While the Red & White got the first win in decisive fashion, the Spartans set the tone during the minigame and put an end to the Raiders 2021-22 campaign.

FINAL SCORE
No. 6 MSOE RAIDERS – 7
No. 3 Aurora – 0

-MINIGAME-
No. 6 MSOE RAIDERS – 0
No. 3 Aurora – 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• There was clearly nothing that was going to stop No. 6 seed MSOE (11-14-2, 9-9-1 NCHA) from taking the first contest of the day against No. 3 seed Aurora (18-8-1, 12-7-0 NCHA). The Raiders scored early and often starting with a goal from Kyle Herbster to put the Raiders up 1-0.
• Christian Sabin came through on the penalty kill to make it 2-0 with a short-handed tally. The junior then proceeded to score the next two goals in the second period as well to register a natural hat trick.
• Jack Nickels, Eliot Friedow, and Adam Czarnecki rounded out the scoring for the Red & White in a 7-0 beatdown of the Spartans.
• Unfortunately, that was only half of the equation that the Raiders needed to solve. With the series tied 1-1, a 20-minute minigame would decide who moved on to the Harris Cup Playoff semifinals.
• The team taking the next step would not be MSOE, however. Aurora opened the scoring just 1:04 seconds into the frame and added an empty netter with 56 seconds left to seal the Raiders fate and win the series 2-1.

RAIDER REMARKS

• The 2018-19 season also ended via a loss in a minigame. The Raiders defeated Adrian 3-1 in game one before falling in game two 7-1 and lost the 20-minute extra frame 2-0.
• Nick Stofcheck earned his first career shutout this afternoon in game two. The sophomore stopped 35 shots in the process.

MSOE STAT TRACKER (GAME TWO ONLY)
Shots – Christian Sabin (6)
Goals – Christian Sabin (3)
Assists – Kevin Paganini (3)
Saves – Nick Stofcheck (35)

WHO'S ON DECK
The 2021-22 MSOE men's hockey season has come to an end. The Raiders went 11-14-2 overall and finished 9-9-1 in NCHA play.

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