St. Louis, Mo. – Minnesota Crookston hockey was looking to punch their ticket to Boston and the National Tournament for the first time in school history. All they had to do was get past the Iowa Hawkeyes.
 
Iowa would score two goals in the first and second periods and four in the third for the 8-5 win and head to Nationals.
 
Iowa, who was playing their third game in as many days, would get off to an outstanding start.
 
Blake Brenczewski would get the Hawkeyes on the board early on in the first period.
 
Late in the first, Iowa would score once again on a beautiful two-on-one to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Minnesota Crookston would play well in the first period, outshooting the Hawkeyes 11-7, but couldn't put the puck past Justin Howard.
 
The second period would see a lot of offense as well.
 
The Hawkeyes would score once again at the 4:23 mark of the second to make it 3-0.
 
The Golden Eagles would answer. Mitchell Coleman (So., F, Hatton, N.D.) would snipe one past the shoulder of Justin Howard to cut the deficit to just two.
 
Three minutes later, Tyler Zahradka (Jr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) would do the dirty work in front of the net to make it a 3-2 game. Jake Huska (Jr., D, Snow Lake, Manitoba) would pick up an assist.
 
A minute and a half later, Zachary Lupori from Iowa would score a goal, which looked to be offside, but it stood and the Hawkeyes would retain their two goal lead.
 
Minnesota Crookston would dominate the second period, outshooting Iowa 16-10.
 
The Hawkeyes would come out and score two goals less than two minutes into the third period for a 6-2 lead.
 
Slowly but surely, the Golden Eagles would try to chip away.  Tristan Morneault (Jr., F, Dieppe, New Brunswick) would score the first of his two goals to cut the deficit to three.
 
At the 8:35 mark of the final period, Jackson Fuller (So., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) would score on the backhand to make it 6-4.
 
Later, the Hawkeyes would score once again on the power play to regain their three goal lead.
 
The Golden Eagles would pull their goalie and Morneault would score on the empty net, but it would be too late, as the Hawkeyes won, 8-5.
 
Zahradka and Fuller would lead the way with two points in the afternoon, as did Connor Thoennes (Fr., F, Colleraine, Minn.).
 
The postseason run is over for the Golden Eagles, but they will wrap-up the season next weekend against the University of Mary next weekend.