Moore hands Auggies last-second loss

Junior Auggie Moore surprised the defense with a last-second game-winning goal allowing the 25th-ranked Johnnie hockey team to pick up a home win in rare fashion against fourth-ranked Augsburg on Feb. 19.

A well-timed steal by Jackson Sabo, a recent transfer from St. Cloud’s NAHL team, put an abrupt stop to Augsburg’s offensive push with 6.5 seconds remaining on the clock.

Moore caught the defense in transition, allowing him to split the defensemen and rip a shot into the top right corner of the net with one-tenth of a second left.

The 3-2 win followed a 5-1 loss to Augsburg the night before. Moore’s goal handed the Auggies their third loss of the season and their first since December.

“People keep telling me how crazy it was, but what I’ve been telling people is that the game is bigger than just one play,” Moore said. “Our team worked super hard all game… really we just had a great effort all night. It was pretty fun to get that win against a good team.”

The timing surprised even Moore, who had spent most of the game on the ice by that point.

“I honestly had no idea how much time was left. At that point in the game I’m just absolutely exhausted, I would describe it basically as being on autopilot; there’s no thoughts in your mind at that point,” Moore said.

The assist was Sabo’s fourth of the season, a season which didn’t begin for him until the Jan. 20 5-2 win over St. Scholastica.

Sabo also has four goals, two of which came against St. Olaf.

“I was in a lot of disbelief, a lot of awe. I was already kind of thinking about what overtime was going to be like,” goaltender Mac Berglove said. “I looked at the clock and until [Moore] skated up to me I just kept staring at the clock.”

Berglove recorded 31 saves in the Augsburg win, a 93.2% save percentage to match his season save percentage.

“Any goalie can tell you the best thing to have is a short memory, I let up five on Friday, and once that game is over once the goals go in, you can’t take them back… you just have to turn around and get ready to go again,” Berglove said.

The win comes in the Johnnies’ final regular season game. They finished 16-7-2 overall and are currently 9-4-1 in MIAC play.

The squad faces off against St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals on Feb. 27. The Cardinals are 8-13-1 overall and 5-7 in MIAC play. The MIAC semifinals and championship are slated for early March.