The 1999-2000 team was recognized on the ice between the second and third period of Saturday’s game against Concordia-Moorhead.

Coach Jill Pohtilla, who has led the Auggies since the program was launched, said she wanted to be able to “bring back old memories and bask in the old days” with the event. After the game, the players shared memories of their Augsburg hockey experience at a reception. Kristi Hoffman, a player on the 1999-2000 team said, “It was a very important part of my life during which I discovered the importance of teamwork and friends.”

Most of the 1999-2000 team still stays in touch by playing together in an adult hockey alumni league. Five of the players are currently playing in the WHAM hockey league, and many others are still involved with the sport.

Augsburg established the first collegiate varsity women’s hockey program in the Midwest in 1995. The 1999-2000 team, which finished 21-7-1, played Middlebury (Vt.) for the AWCHA title. In 2001-02, the NCAA began its own Division III national women’s hockey tournament.

The 1999-2000 team is one of only two Augsburg women’s hockey teams that won 20 or more games in a season. Prior to the series against Middlebury, Augsburg had gone 17-1-1 in its previous 19 games.

Watch the of the reunion.

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The Auggies will play three games against local club competition during the trip from Jan. 3-12, while also experiencing the beauty and history of Europe. This is the second-ever European trip for the Augsburg women’s hockey program; the team traveled to Italy and Austria in the 2003-04 season (photo from the 2003-04 trip shown).

Twenty members of the team, along with head coach Jill Pohtilla, assistant coach Tom Peart, head athletic trainer Missy Strauch and several family members and friends, will be making this year’s trip.

“I’m excited that we have the opportunity to travel to Europe again, using hockey as our tool for spreading goodwill,” Pohtilla said. “The kids that make a commitment to a winter sport often don’t have an opportunity to do a study abroad program while they’re in college. This is an opportunity for them to see another part of the world and learn about history, and experience a different culture.”

The team will fly from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Munich, Germany on Jan. 3 and spend three days in the Bavarian city, with side trips to Dachau and Bad Tolz. The team will play two games against German competition while in the Munich area.

From Munich, the Auggies will travel to Innsbruck, Austria for a day of sightseeing, then travel to Bolzano, Italy, located in the northern part of the country in the Alto Adige region. The team will play its final game in Bolzano against an Italian team. From Bolzano, the team will travel for a day of sightseeing in Florence, and finish the trip with sightseeing in Rome, including a visit to the Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The team will return to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Jan. 12.

Members of the traveling party will be providing daily updates and photos for the , which will be updated throughout the trip.

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