A reunion of sorts sparked a dormant Austin offense and spurred the Packer boys' hockey team to a 9-1 rout of Faribault in Section 1AA quarterfinal action Thursday night at Riverside Arena.

Second-seeded Austin rearranged its lines and kickstarted the offense, primarily that of Brad Wiechmann. The senior center scored his third hat trick of the season with three of the Packers' first four goals, including the opener just 1:03 into the game. That goal ended a veritable drought and gave Austin the confidence it needed to take care of seventh-seeded Faribault and advance into the section semifinals.

"I think it really worked out for us, it got some other people to score and really got the rest of the team going," said senior co-captain Eric Hansen.

Hansen moved up to right wing from defense, flanking Wiechmann and Andy Swank, also a newcomer to the first line. That trio accounted for six of Austin's nine goals -- including the first four -- and got Austin's offense flowing in the right direction. The Packers (15-7-1) had not scored more than five goals in over one month.

"I think we've been outworking everybody lately, it was just a matter of time before things started falling," Wiechmann said. "We wanted to go out there and get everybody going."

Faribault (7-19) may have helped AHS do so, flanking a winger on the opposite blue line to force the Packers to skate 4-on-4 while on offense. Austin's superior abilities came to forefront with a nine-goal explosion.

"Their defense isn't really strong so we felt pretty good playing 4-on-4 the whole game with them," said AHS first-year head coach Troy Holtz. "Whatever they were trying to do, it didn't work tonight.

"We're just trying to find a combination that works, that helps Brad start scoring again. I'm really happy with how the new lines played tonight."

Wiechmann scored three goals in three different skating situations -- even strength, shorthanded and on the power play. He leads the team with now 28 goals and 24 assists.

Swank tallied twice in a span of 22 seconds in the third period to push the Packers to a six-goal lead and start a running clock.

Bryan Schaefer, Dallas Williamson and Cole Hughes also scored goals for Austin (15-7-1). Williamson and Quinn Ellingson, sophomores who are regularly the starting wingers for Wiechmann's line, were centered by freshman David Seibel. That trio played together while coming up through the youth hockey ranks and should become comfortable skating together again with more ice time.

Austin's second line of Schaefer, Kevin Madson and Willie Granholm, remained unchanged. The 'green' line generated two goals.

"We wanted to get some chemistry back, with those lines playing together," Hansen said. "It really worked well."

The Pack await the winner of Thursday's late game between third-seeded Rochester Century and sixth-seeded Mayo. Austin split its Big Nine Conference meetings with both teams. Saturday's Section 1AA semifinal is at 4 p.m. at the Rochester Recreation Center.

"The big test is going to be the next game," Holtz said. "I don't care who we get."

Century boasts arguably the best goalie in the league in Alex Kangas, while Mayo features an explosive offense behind Scott Thauwald.

Summary:

Faribault010--1

Austin324--9

First Period

Scoring--1, AUS, Brad Wiechmann 26, 1:03. 2, AUS, Eric Hansen 19 (Wiechmann), 10:40. 3, AUS, Wiechmann 27, 12:56 (sh). Penalties--Dallas Williamson, AUS (hooking) 11:22.

Second Period

Scoring--4, AUS, Wiechmann 28 (Cole Hughes), 10:30 (pp). 5, FAR, Josh Little (Ben Engler), 12:04. 6, AUS, Bryan Schaefer 3 (Tim Kirby), 14:22. Penalties--Chad Parker, FAR (tripping) 4:43; Andy Balata, FAR (holding) 8:40.

Third Period

Scoring--7, AUS, Andy Swank 5 (Hughes, Hansen), 2:43. 8, AUS, Swank 6 (Hughes, Wiechmann), 3:05. 9, AUS, Williamson 12 (David Seibel, Hughes), 5:30. 10, AUS, Hughes 10 (Willie Granholm, Schaefer), 7:40. Penalties--John Bastyr, AUS (slashing) 10:18; Paul Leathers, AUS (roughing) 13:40; Pat Froman, FAR (roughing) 13:40; Hughes, AUS (roughing) 14:40; Parker, FAR (roughing) 14:40.

Shots on goal--Faribault 6-4-1--11, Austin 16-27-5--49.

Power-play Opportunities--Faribault 0 of 2, Austin 1 of 2.

Goalies--Faribault, Scott Knapp (49 shots-40 saves); Austin, Jack Lynch 8-4-1 (11-10).